Amy

by Kit Eyre

A leadership election has been called to decide the next PM. Valerie Smythe isn’t planning on getting involved at all until the professional and the personal are set on a collision course. With life in Westminster becoming more complex and an unsuitable leader headed for Downing Street, can she make a difference and still come out of it unscathed with her relationships intact?

229 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 10, 2019

Reviews

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the "Valerie" series by Kit Eyre. The titular character from the first book (and the series name) has shown a lot of growth from book one. She comes across as a much more sympathetic character. All of the characters from the first book are back, and with the exception of Amy's grandmother, Clarice/Biddy, they are getting along better and viewing themselves more as a kind of extended family. The focus of this second book is on Valerie's new career as a member of Parliament, and for those of us on the far side of the pond, it provides some interesting glimpses into how politics are practiced there. From the first page ("saloon car") to nearly the last (someone eating a "bap") there are lots of opportunities for Americans to look up and learn various UK-English words and phrases. There aren't enough LGBT stories that follow main characters beyond their first few rapturous hook-ups, and there are definitely too few in which romance doesn't take center stage on every page. On both counts, this story extends the genre beyond what Barbara Grier once referred to as that which appealed most to "our one-handed readers." So, I judge this a pioneering effort that overall succeeds.

I do have one little bone to pick, however. While the book features far fewer typos, wordos, etc., than did "Valerie," there was one point where I feared that Eyre was going to pull what I call a "Charlaine Harris," that is, an instance in which the author of a series forgets or mis-remembers events from her own, earlier work. In chapter 9, Valerie, in speaking to Elena, says, "And this is the dicey part of the proceedings. Max doesn't know, nor does Amy, and I don't know how to tell them because it could -- it could change everything." This is said in reference, I believe, to knowledge that Tim was not the biological father of Valerie's daughter, Amy. I was blown away by this statement because it is clearly stated in book one that Amy _does_ know about the parentage. That is why, I believe, that we find Amy staying with her grandmother as the first book opens. Now, fortunately, moving ahead, Eyre seems to be cognizant of the plot of her first novel, and so perhaps this was an error in cleaning up revisions of the copy? Not sure.

Oh, and BTW, aside from everything else, we do get to see growth and evolution in the relationship between Max and Valerie, which is important, too.

[Frances Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

The 1st book was good this 1 was very good to Love the characters can't wait for the dog to come out I will definitely be reading it I recommend a series

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was reaaaaally good. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and had quite the fun. The flow, the characters and their relationship, the angst in the middle (gave me sort of a headache haha) it all worked really well, more so than the 1st book.

I just wish we had even more of Valerie and Max and their relationship, but the whole politics focused were as good. I hope we'll have a sequel, during or after their marriage, there's no short of scandal involving politicians to fuel a 3rd book.