Can you imagine falling for a girl so hard that through the years, with no hope of being reunited, that love remains as strong as ever? At 40, Dr. Keegan Wade is the Chief of Trauma Surgery, a rising star at NYC General. She's immersed 24-7 in work that she once loved. No one waits for her at home and she has nothing to offer. Anxiety has her in a choke hold and she'd give anything to sleep more than two consecutive hours. At the urging of a friend, she takes a long overdue vacation, a cross country trip on a restored steam train, in hopes that time away from the pressures of her job will solve her problems. At 39, Willow Lord is a recent college graduate, a social worker in desperate need of a job. Divorced nine years, she's lived in poverty, saving coins to buy cat food. Next month, the first payments on her student loans are due. She has no time for a vacation, but when her friend, a friend who won't take 'no' for an answer insists, she sends out resumes, and boards The Frisco Express—New York City to California. As young teens, on a steam train, these two women fell in love. And on a steam train, twenty-six years later, they're given a second chance. But the years have taken them to drastically different places. Can they straddle their worlds and seize it?
K.A. Moll is a best-selling author of lesbian fiction. She writes stories about lesbians, burdened by past trauma, who find healing in the love of a soul mate. K.A. holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois. Also, she holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Eastern Illinois University. Her professional background is in mental health and child abuse investigations. She enjoys golf, bridge, and of course, reading and writing lesbian fiction.
Years has passed and what are the odds that they meet again? Circumstances beyond their control, brings the past to the present. I loved the way everything worked out. Their chemistry and connection is heartwarming. I’m a sucker for second chance stories and this was right up my alley. A love story you don't want to miss.
This is a solid second-chance rich girl / poor girl romance. Keegan Wade fell irremediably in love with the first girl she ever kissed. They were 14 and 13 and separated immediately after that kiss. When they meet again, by chance, twenty-six years later, Keegan’s love is still as strong. On the outside, she’s done really well for herself: she’s a surgeon, she’s more than well-off, she’s just been appointed Chief of Trauma Surgery at the New York hospital where she works. Yet she’s having a lot of trouble sleeping, she’s drinking way too much and she’s not enjoying her life much anymore. Finding Willow again brings hope and passion back in her life.
I loved the characters from the start. All of them. They have depth and they feel real. The MCs, obviously, but also Nicole, Willow’s best friend, with all her faults. I really felt for her once I understood what was happening to her. The rest of the secondary characters are interesting too.
Another thing I liked was that the story didn’t stop after the trip Keegan and Willow were reunited on. Real life was suspended on that trip, and I liked that we get to see how things go once the two women were back in New York, each struggling with her own challenges.
I’m not a fan of Emily Beresford’s voice and style but she’s a very good narrator. This was my first book by KA Moll and I think it was a good introduction to her work.
Sweet read with a lot of communication between the two mains proving that women in love can conquer all kinds of challenges. Burned out head of NYC Trauma meets newly graduated Social Worker and broke Willow on a vacation getaway. Sparks fly, things happen and the two worlds they inhabit back in NY collide. Talking through their troubles made for a light romance and a quick, pleasant read. Nicely done.
Two young girls (13 and 14) meet on a train ride around a wildlife park in Alabama. The girls go to the back of the train and have their first sexual experience, make a genuine connection, but they get caught and it ain’t pretty. Twenty six years later fate steps in and they meet again - on a train. Their adult lives had been very different from each other’s, one becoming a successful trauma surgeon and the other, finally graduating from a social-work masters program and looking for a job. But a fortunate stroke of serendipity gives them this second chance.
It’s a warm story but filled with a laundry list of health threatening conditions from extreme stress, anorexia, and alcoholism to unresolved grief, chronic insomnia, and parental illness (reflecting the authors professional experience). Some of the transitions from one scene to another were abrupt and I had to reread to follow what happened (and I’m pretty sure travel agents don’t use a Rolodex anymore) but the story was sweet. The social-worker/councilor character was so kind and perceptive at times that I wish I knew her in real life. I found myself happy for them and it left me smiling.
This is a bittersweet second chances story between two women who had a single life-changing encounter as young teens and met again nearly thirty years later. Willow immediately recognizes Keegan, who has matured into a swoon-worthy out-and-proud butch lesbian, but Keegan at first doesn’t know where she’s seen the gorgeous, lushly curvaceous blonde before. They end up on the same train vacation and the truth (among other things) comes out.
This novel is full of emotions, good and bad, real communication, some miscommunication but ultimately the goodness of human nature shines through. I couldn’t put this book down once I started and read until dawn.
The train trip is only about half of the novel, the rest follows Keegan and Willow on their journey together and it’s refreshingly realistic. Even though the “I love you”s come soon after the reunion and the notion of soul-mates is bandied about, they don’t instantly become the perfect partners who understand each other’s every quirk and nuance, but they love each other enough to show their insecurities and while hurt feelings happen on both sides, they communicate like adults.
The ending was predictable in the way that I was desperately hoping for them to wake up and realize the best path, but I was still happily surprised by a number of details.
I admit I’ve started to read a few others by Moll and I never felt the lightning-like impact of the story like I did here. I think a lot of it had to do with Keegan, who is gruff, noble, flawed, and perfect all at once. She embodies all the things I adore about butch women while still retaining her own particular character.
Wonderful story, heartwarming and jarring all at the same time. Moll doesn’t shy away from dealing with tough subjects, namely childhood abuse,substance abuse, and eating disorders. Mental health and personal care are touched on. It broke my heart when it is brought up that seeking professional help is sometimes not an option for certain people without significant personal loss. Wealth-gap is also touched on in an insightful manner.
Okay, this makes it sound like this story is super heavy, but it’s actually got a lot of sweet and lighthearted moments.
The quirky widower they meet on the train who unknowingly clit-blocks Keegan on a number of occasions and Willow’s cat, Ripple, who is hilarious and I suspect an extremely realistic representative of his species are a few of the highlights.
I especially loved how the beginning and ending showed that life doesn’t flow in a circle, it is an eternally ascending spiral. To say more would be spoilery, but I loved the narrative symmetry.
Highly recommended, just don’t be like me and start reading this at ten at night unless you a) want to still be awake when the sun comes up or b) a super speedy reader, because I guarantee you won’t be able to let these women out of your sight until the end.
I just can’t with these characters. Almost 3 decades ago as teens they have their first experience together and after meeting again on a train they are just madly in love or something? Willow and Keegs aren’t the worst of it, maybe, I think Nikki, Willow’s friend seemed lovely by taking her on a trip but she’s awful.
Just not a book for me. Didn’t like the writing style either.
This plot sounds really good but it just didn’t hit the mark for me. The two MCs meet as young teens (13 & 14) on a train and then meet again 25 years later on another train, happy to have met their soulmate again. Their initial meeting was only a two hour train ride that ends in sex and that just didn’t feel realistic given their age. When they meet again it’s very much insta love with lots of back and forth about way too many side issues. The scenes feel like they were written out of order and scene changes are very abrupt. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two MCs either and the constant new dramas weren’t adding to the story for me. There was also a point towards the very end when Keegan was talking to Willow about how happy she was to find that she had been a virgin in their first encounter (at age 13!!) with some graphic language that I didn’t feel belongs in any book. It felt creepy and wrong to even be reading. Overall I’d like to try something else by the author as her blurbs all sound great but this one just wasn’t a great read for me.
Thuis is a 3 star book for me. While I enjoyed the writing and the romance there were too many unresolved issues in this story as for instance the malpractice suit that was started. First it causes horrific nightmares but in the end it is pushed aside with a simple sentence that the hospital probably will reach a deal. Nothing more, especially not about the fact that no fault was made so there was no case of malpractice. Next is that Nikki’s illness seems to be cured awfully fast and easily. My last problem with this book is that the romance between the mains built very fast. It is based on their meeting 26 years before when they were about 13 and 14 years old and their meeting again now. I get that they are soul mates, but in my opinion you need a little more time to recognise that. Instead they moved on from Willow being straight, to love, to being a couple in a very short time. Still there were also lots of things in this book that I enjoyed, the characterisation of the mains, the side stories about the malpractice suit and the friendship between Nikki and Willow. And I like the writing of this author. It flows naturally. So a rating of 3 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked both Keegan and Willow and together they were pretty special. I liked the friendship between Nikki and Willow and the one that developed between Nikki and Keegan.
I kinda wish there was more to their story though... I don't know like getting a dog or heck having a kid, I think they'd be great parents.
2.5 stars rounded up to three. This was an OK read for me. I had good expectations, but unfortunately I found that I had some issues with this book. The biggest issue I had was the insta love. The main characters Willow and Keegan met for a duration of 1 day when they were 13 and 14 years old. When they meet again 26 years later they are immediately in love, even when Willow was convinced to be straight up until the day they meet again. I had trouble believing this. After accepting the insta love thing, which was around 30 – 50% of the book for me, I enjoyed the rest of the story better. Another thing I noticed was that Willow often made rather dramatic assumptions without communication, which struck me as odd for her personality as she is a social worker who keeps trying to open up Keegan through communication. I really liked Keegan, she is flawed but honest and kind. Nikki made an interesting secondary character. At first, I really disliked her and couldn’t understand why a gentle and sweet person like Willow could be long term friends with her, but I warmed up to her and even started liking her. Without giving spoilers, I have to say that quite a lot of things were happening and I thought that, since this is a rather short book some things could have been more fleshed out.
Moll creates delicious butch characters that make me swoon. Her writing style is quirky and every book I've read of hers has always knocked me off kilter at some point, but I'm always entertained. I love her sex scenes, wonderfully explicit without being gross. She writes my kind of love stories where both protags refuse to live without each other. This was a darling read.
An emotional rollercoaster that tugged at my heartstrings from the beginning. Ms. Moll has written lead characters that immersed me in the storyline of a second chance romance interlaced with hard topics such as alcoholism and eating disorders. Keegan (wealthy surgeon) and Willow Mae (unemployed social worker) along with skillfully written supporting characters made me teary eyed and smile ultimately longing for a happy ending. This book hits the spot for anyone wanting to read a soulmate/second chance romance. I read through the night and highly recommend with 5 stars. Keegan and Willow are hard to let go - fingers crossed for a sequel.
This was a beautifully depicted second chance at love story line. It covered a lot of issues pertaining to stress induced ailments that if running unchecked could have been catastrophic in many levels. Willow and Keegan were very er sweet and likable. Nikki turned out to be a true loyal friend as was Naomi. The story line ended on a very sweet note in of all places Utah. Why not!
K.A. Moll writes beautiful and gentle love stories that offer hope and love. The world is a challenging place and lovely stories filled with romance, love and characters overcoming difficulties, it a great way to relax and feel good for a bit.
This was a sweet romance, not without its ups and downs, of course. Mostly they were understandable. I definitely could understand how Willow felt about her situation versus Keegan’s. Both Keegan and Willow met on a train years ago in their early teens when they were abruptly ripped apart by Keegan’s father. They didn’t see each other again for decades when they meet again, on a train of all things. The romance proceeds quickly albeit with obstacles and misunderstandings. The characters are well developed and even the secondary ones have the feeling of being complex individuals. The author addresses many physical and/or mental health issues in this novel all of which added to my interest and kept me reading. My only complaint was the jumping to conclusions by a character that could have been avoided simply by asking a question.
I LOVE Love This is one of those books that make you go AWWWW!!!! This romantic drama takes us on a journey as we watch two long lost loves reunite and grow as they face some major hurdles. I really loved this book. I felt like I was a part of the story and I could see everything so clearly in my mind. I devoured this book, it was so good I just couldn’t help myself. I never wanted it to end, but the ending was so good too. I totally fell in love with Keegan and wanted her and Willow to have everything they ever wanted. These women are sexy, smart and sweet and I adored them both. This story is every bit as charming as they are.
There is something about your first love that you will never forget. This story is wonderful. It deals not only with medical/psychological issues, but also with material issues. In my opinion this is absolute fairy tale. All you need is "The One!"
This series is unexpected. It takes a train ride and makes it a love story with a wonderful ending. I liked both MC and the side characters really added to the story.
This is not only an epic love story but an epic adventure, ranging between New York and Utah as well as the twenty years between the meeting and reunion of the two main characters, rounded out by a great supporting cast.
The author has a unique prose style that threw me a little at first, and I thought it was a bit stilted. As I got deeper in the story, however, I realized that this style is ideal for conveying the maximum amount of information with a minimum of words, quickly crafting a highly detailed, engrossing narrative that will carry you away if you let it, rather like the scenery from a train's window can carry you away on a long journey, if you'll forgive a cheesy simile.
3.5 stars. This is an entertaining book about a love lost and then found, "twice upon a train". I gave the book 3.5 stars as I thought there were a few unrealistic and a few predictable aspects of the book. Further, I was not enamored with either of the main characters. However, I liked the writing style and look forward to reading the next in the Dallin series.
I listened to the book and that is probably another reason for not quite getting to 4 stars for me. I have yet to find a book narrated well by this narrator. I may demand too much of narrators but they can make or break a book and if the story had not been intriguing, I would have given up after a couple of hours. Thus, I recommend not listening to the audiobook unless you like this particular narrator.
This was a interesting story. I felt Keegan needed Willow to help give her a different outlook on life, and her work as a doctor, she help her with the issues and the stress life was causing her. They both needed to feel like someone in this life cared about their circumstances. The book definitely deals with some hard topics, but in actuality, these are every day topics that a lot of people deal with. . It was good to see Keegan get a fresh start, begin her life at a new smaller hospital, and find her passion for her profession again. Willow also found her drive and it was to help and assist those who was struggling with alcoholism.
This was a great story I would highly recommend. 4 stars
The story of two barely teen girls who had met on a 2 hr train ride, where an instant & powerful attraction led to made love for the first time, but left with nothing but memories until 26 yrs later they run into each other on another train— this time a cross country vacation— now as women & still reeling from their same attraction as before.
While quite enjoyable, I will say, the easy & unflinching abilities to share & discuss vulnerable & exposing conversations so freely & without struggle or hesitancy was simply mind-blowing & just too easy to be real. Otherwise, it was definitely worth reading.
Another awesome read and story. This time about a Chief of Trauma whose not sleeping well and drinking more than normal and having nightmares. Dr Keegan Wade is encouraged to take a break, Then there is Willow Mae a social worker whose now applying for jobs. Her best friend Nicole a lawyer book a holiday on a steam train for the! as a graduation present. Now the fun begins and what a ride it turns out to Then for them. K.A. Moll did an excellent job writing this the characters were all believable. Cannot wait for her next book.
Dr Wade knew that she only wanted on person in her life, the one she remembers on the the steam train when she was fourteen. Willow having been married with a child that she lost then divorced she is barley making ends meet along with Ripple her cat. They meet again on a steam train, Keegan is on vacation along with Willow and her friend Nicole. They have a second chance a take it. They are making their lives in Utah and hopefully things will be better for the both of them.