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Gold Sky #5
Leather and Lace
Mary Sophia James came to Gold Sky, Montana to find a husband at the insistence of her overbearing mother. Striking out in spectacular fashion after setting her eye on Julian Baptiste, her options are dwindling, and time is running out. She needs to find a man to marry before her condition becomes...obvious. Her mother's prejudices and sharp tongue aren't helping matters and Mary, to her shame, hasn't behaved much better. But all her plans are derailed when she spots the most beautiful person she's ever seen across the town square. Alex Pierce is strong, intriguing, looks stunning in a pair of trousers...and a woman.
Gold Sky is accepting of all types of love, and that between women is no different. Still, Alex didn't expect to be so floored by the sight of the firey haired, yet fragile looking young woman. Mary needs to be married and Alex has a solution. Because in Gold Sky, Montana there are many ways to be married...and not all of them include a man.
Leather and Lace is a 35k word novella set at the same time as the events of book 2, Hearth and Home. It includes a passionate and romantic f/f love in a town where diversity, and love, reign supreme.
Note : Leather and Lace has a bit of mail-order, arranged married, kind of secret baby with some foreced proximity sprinkled on top!
Gold Sky is accepting of all types of love, and that between women is no different. Still, Alex didn't expect to be so floored by the sight of the firey haired, yet fragile looking young woman. Mary needs to be married and Alex has a solution. Because in Gold Sky, Montana there are many ways to be married...and not all of them include a man.
Leather and Lace is a 35k word novella set at the same time as the events of book 2, Hearth and Home. It includes a passionate and romantic f/f love in a town where diversity, and love, reign supreme.
Note : Leather and Lace has a bit of mail-order, arranged married, kind of secret baby with some foreced proximity sprinkled on top!
130 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2020
33 people are currently reading
422 people want to read
About the author
Rebel Carter
46 books353 followersRebel Carter loves love. So much in fact that she decided to write the love stories she desperately wanted to read. A book by Rebel means diverse characters, sexy banter, a real big helping of steamy scenes, and, of course, a whole lotta heart.
Rebel lives in Colorado, makes a mean espresso, and is hell-bent on filling your bookcase with as many romance stories as humanly possible!
Rebel lives in Colorado, makes a mean espresso, and is hell-bent on filling your bookcase with as many romance stories as humanly possible!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 29, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this fictional setting of a wondrously accepting frontier town called Gold Sky.
The dapper Alex(andria) and the lovely lady Mary 'Minnie' made a swoon worthy couple.
My only complaint was I wanted MORE!
The dapper Alex(andria) and the lovely lady Mary 'Minnie' made a swoon worthy couple.
My only complaint was I wanted MORE!
December 31, 2022
“I mean--ah, I am your wife, so it is, well, I mean if I am a lady then--”
“Then you are mine,” Alex finished for her.
3.5 stars. This is a super low-conflict historical romance between a young pregnant woman who needs to get married and an up-and-coming farmer in a recently founded, very diverse and accepting town. At first, it was really too low-conflict for me, and I thought that that would spoil the romance and the book on the whole. This town has built a society where everyone is accepting, there's almost no homophobia despite the time period, and our main characters are able to fix things so that they can get married and live quite openly. Those kinds of storylines in historical settings can be pretty hit or miss for me. I'm also not the biggest fan of pregnancy stories. But soon, I just settled into the atmosphere and setting and I started to really enjoy myself. Most of that has to do with the fact that a lot of this book is about Mary, our young pregnant woman, finally being treated with respect and reverence after being under the thumb of her mother for most of her life. In the latter half, Alex, our completely swoon-worthy butch love interest, spoils her and treats her wonderfully, and it made me smile so much. The marriage of convenience, sorta mail-order bride vibes were really good. Very insta love, but I didn't mind that much? I just had such a lovely time reading this.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Marya Freeman, and it was so freaking good. Her voice is just gorgeous and did so much to make me enjoy the story more than I might have. This is book 5 in a series, but it can be read as a stand-alone, even though a couple events from other books are referenced. It's the only book that I have read in the series so far, but I just might read some of the other romances, especially the polyamorous ones. This just made me happy.
August 10, 2023
3 stars. I liked the setting and the writing was good. The characters of Mary and Alex were likable (though I feel like we don’t really get to know Alex. This is primarily Mary’s story) but I just wasn’t sold on the romance between them. There was potential there but they really didn’t spend a lot of time together for things to really take off. I wanted more moments of them together basically. The cover made me think this was going to be swoony and romantic but it wasn’t but it was a pretty good story and the character development for Mary was great.
May 20, 2020
There is no "gay angst" in this book!!! It won't make you feel anxious or sad. Instead, it is pure and happy and hopeful. This romance will soothe your soul!!!
Read
January 30, 2023i didn't vibe with the writing and the pacing was a bit off but there were still some lovely elements, particularly mary coming into herself outside of her mother's influence. i just wish the central relationship had been further developed.
May 22, 2020
YES!
+Alex and Mary are both like "I am here and I am queer" upon their first meeting. Gotta get that important information out the way so they can get to the kissing.
+Sneaky marriage of convenience to get Mary away from her overbearing mother!
+Very sweet, low drama.
NO!
-Pregnancy.
-I wanted more time getting to know Mary and Alex.
+Alex and Mary are both like "I am here and I am queer" upon their first meeting. Gotta get that important information out the way so they can get to the kissing.
+Sneaky marriage of convenience to get Mary away from her overbearing mother!
+Very sweet, low drama.
NO!
-Pregnancy.
-I wanted more time getting to know Mary and Alex.
May 20, 2020
Alex and Minnie are perfection
Rebel Carter (and this series in particular) is an instant buy for me and she has done it again with Leather and Lace! This novella was sweet, low angst, and tender the whole way though. It was exactly what I needed to get out of my reading slump! Thanks for another fantastic book, Rebel Carter!
Rebel Carter (and this series in particular) is an instant buy for me and she has done it again with Leather and Lace! This novella was sweet, low angst, and tender the whole way though. It was exactly what I needed to get out of my reading slump! Thanks for another fantastic book, Rebel Carter!
October 23, 2025
Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers
Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋 (this is a shorter story and the relationship stakes felt really low...)
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔 (I think if you read the series in order you’ll have a bit more background for Mary)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞 (Alex is very, very sweet to Mary)
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 (it’s on the lighter side)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥 (one full scene at the end and some kisses)
Humor: A touch
Perspective: third person only from Mary
More character focused or plot focused? a mix...maybe character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium to fast
When mains are first on page together: I didn’t note it but think it’s very soon in
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: No
Format: listened to bought audiobook (Audible)
Why I chose this book: I was slowly making my way through this series and bought a few on audible. I was looking for a shorter audiobook to listen to and found this in my library
Mains: This is a F/F relationship between what I took as cisgendered heroines – Alex is a lesbian and Mary I took as bisexual, though she tends to prefer women
(Descriptions found at end of my review)
Should I read in order?
I think it would be better for this one. Mary is mentioned as a side character in one of the prior books (maybe book 2 as a bit of an antagonist?) and there’s some scenes of forgiveness related to that. Also some light character crossover.
Basic plot:
Mary is desperate for a marriage when she meets Alex – and her world is open to how welcoming Gold Sky is.
Give this a try if you want:
- historical romance – I don’t have a year for this one but think it’s late 1800s?
- Western America setting
- small town vibes – Gold Sky
- sapphic relationship
- mail order bride-ish
- marriage of convenience
- pregnant
- shorter novel
- lower steam – 1 full scene at the end in a shorter page count
Ages:
- didn’t catch them
First line:
Mary Sophia James ran her brush through her hair for what felt like the thousandth time that morning though the young lady could not be certain as she had lost count somewhere near the 740th stroke.
My thoughts:
Overall this one was cute. It was short and something I just wanted to have on while doing some menial tasks.
But it was also just really easy and in some ways boring to me. I have found with a few books in this series that the relationships are just really, really easy. Usually some kind of instalove with outside forces that try to tear at the mains. And I LOVE my relationship angst, so for me the stakes just felt really low in this one and it didn’t exactly inspire strong feelings.
But overall there was something that tugged at me about this one. Maybe it’s the redemption of Mary from being difficult in a prior book, maybe I was just rooting for her to get out from under her mother’s thumb. But their relationship was really sweet.
So overall a nice short read to pass the time but not one I would necessarily come back to and reread.
Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 5
Average rating from me: 3.8 stars
Favorite book: I’m not sure, I’ve rated a lot of these similarly...maybe Three to Love?
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:
Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs
Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋 (this is a shorter story and the relationship stakes felt really low...)
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔 (I think if you read the series in order you’ll have a bit more background for Mary)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞 (Alex is very, very sweet to Mary)
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 (it’s on the lighter side)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥 (one full scene at the end and some kisses)
Humor: A touch
Perspective: third person only from Mary
More character focused or plot focused? a mix...maybe character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium to fast
When mains are first on page together: I didn’t note it but think it’s very soon in
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: No
Format: listened to bought audiobook (Audible)
Why I chose this book: I was slowly making my way through this series and bought a few on audible. I was looking for a shorter audiobook to listen to and found this in my library
Mains: This is a F/F relationship between what I took as cisgendered heroines – Alex is a lesbian and Mary I took as bisexual, though she tends to prefer women
(Descriptions found at end of my review)
Should I read in order?
I think it would be better for this one. Mary is mentioned as a side character in one of the prior books (maybe book 2 as a bit of an antagonist?) and there’s some scenes of forgiveness related to that. Also some light character crossover.
Basic plot:
Mary is desperate for a marriage when she meets Alex – and her world is open to how welcoming Gold Sky is.
Give this a try if you want:
- historical romance – I don’t have a year for this one but think it’s late 1800s?
- Western America setting
- small town vibes – Gold Sky
- sapphic relationship
- mail order bride-ish
- marriage of convenience
- pregnant
- shorter novel
- lower steam – 1 full scene at the end in a shorter page count
Ages:
- didn’t catch them
First line:
Mary Sophia James ran her brush through her hair for what felt like the thousandth time that morning though the young lady could not be certain as she had lost count somewhere near the 740th stroke.
My thoughts:
Overall this one was cute. It was short and something I just wanted to have on while doing some menial tasks.
But it was also just really easy and in some ways boring to me. I have found with a few books in this series that the relationships are just really, really easy. Usually some kind of instalove with outside forces that try to tear at the mains. And I LOVE my relationship angst, so for me the stakes just felt really low in this one and it didn’t exactly inspire strong feelings.
But overall there was something that tugged at me about this one. Maybe it’s the redemption of Mary from being difficult in a prior book, maybe I was just rooting for her to get out from under her mother’s thumb. But their relationship was really sweet.
So overall a nice short read to pass the time but not one I would necessarily come back to and reread.
Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 5
Average rating from me: 3.8 stars
Favorite book: I’m not sure, I’ve rated a lot of these similarly...maybe Three to Love?
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:
Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs
Read
June 13, 2023DNF 11%. The writing and dialogue were… not good. Shame, as sapphic westerns aren’t easy to come by.
September 1, 2023
It was yet another ride on the Insta train, but I must admit, I loved this installment because it was low-drama and charming. I'm okay with sunshine, rainbows, and butterflies. Sometimes, you just want something lovely.
The biggest surprise was the main character - I did not expect to see her (or her mother) again. And while her mother, Sarah, remains the terrible woman from the earlier installment, Mary is actually a sweet (controlled and manipulated) young woman.
Thankfully, Gold Sky allows her to make amends and become the woman she wants and was meant to be.
The biggest surprise was the main character - I did not expect to see her (or her mother) again. And while her mother, Sarah, remains the terrible woman from the earlier installment, Mary is actually a sweet (controlled and manipulated) young woman.
Thankfully, Gold Sky allows her to make amends and become the woman she wants and was meant to be.
August 7, 2020
I was really anticipating this one out of the series because I was so excited for a western sapphic romance and that's exactly what I got.
The storyline follows Mary as she and her ambitious mother settle in Gold Sky to find husbands. Mary is in a bit of a predicament because she is also pregnant and then comes the beautiful and strong Alex who comes in with a proposal to help solve her problems (Pun intended). *Cues gushing*
While I did find the beginning to be a bit too fast for my liking, I did appreciate that the characters weren't spending much time fighting any attraction or had any communication issues.
It is very apparent early on that they are both attracted to each other and are dead set on getting Mary, also nicknamed Minnie, away from her mother and of the confines of a marriage to a man.
I haven't read the book prior to this one but I gathered that she was a character that had played a role in causing some harm to Julian and his love. I really enjoyed the bit where the author emphasizes the importance of genuine change and redemption for those who want it. It was especially a warm and fuzzy moment for me when she wrote in that people often cause harm because of hate and that hate is usually one that is directed towards themselves.
The only reason why I didn't give it more stars is because I really was hoping to read more about these two characters after they had finally confessed their love for one another. It ends sort of abruptly when they're both in their afterglow sex (FINALLY) and we don't read up on anything about the baby or her mother. Which, I know, isn't the focus of the story but it did leave me with more questions that I felt could've been explored.
Side Note: I kept picturing Charlize Theron in the movie The Old Guard and coincidentally, her name is also Alex in the Movie!
The storyline follows Mary as she and her ambitious mother settle in Gold Sky to find husbands. Mary is in a bit of a predicament because she is also pregnant and then comes the beautiful and strong Alex who comes in with a proposal to help solve her problems (Pun intended). *Cues gushing*
While I did find the beginning to be a bit too fast for my liking, I did appreciate that the characters weren't spending much time fighting any attraction or had any communication issues.
It is very apparent early on that they are both attracted to each other and are dead set on getting Mary, also nicknamed Minnie, away from her mother and of the confines of a marriage to a man.
I haven't read the book prior to this one but I gathered that she was a character that had played a role in causing some harm to Julian and his love. I really enjoyed the bit where the author emphasizes the importance of genuine change and redemption for those who want it. It was especially a warm and fuzzy moment for me when she wrote in that people often cause harm because of hate and that hate is usually one that is directed towards themselves.
The only reason why I didn't give it more stars is because I really was hoping to read more about these two characters after they had finally confessed their love for one another. It ends sort of abruptly when they're both in their afterglow sex (FINALLY) and we don't read up on anything about the baby or her mother. Which, I know, isn't the focus of the story but it did leave me with more questions that I felt could've been explored.
Side Note: I kept picturing Charlize Theron in the movie The Old Guard and coincidentally, her name is also Alex in the Movie!
May 27, 2020
“Just because you don’t need it doesn’t mean you don’t deserve it.”
It's more of a 4-4.5 stars, but I loved the ending, the last sentence gave me chills, aaaand I just really want to give it 5 stars.
This book is very low on angst (with the exception of a really shitty mother), really sweet and tender. At first, I felt like I wanted more tension, but honestly... it was so nice and refreshing to read a book that was sweet and kind to the main character. Minnie is someone who'd had to deal with a lot of shittiness, homophobia and sexism in particular, and now she's finally treated with the kindness she deserves, which was beautiful.
The romance is so sweet and... it's both quick and a little slow burn at the same time, but just wait until the last chapter.
I wish we got more scenes with Minnie and Alex, and a bit more development, but it's a really short super sweet story that will bring you some much-needed joy.
It's more of a 4-4.5 stars, but I loved the ending, the last sentence gave me chills, aaaand I just really want to give it 5 stars.
This book is very low on angst (with the exception of a really shitty mother), really sweet and tender. At first, I felt like I wanted more tension, but honestly... it was so nice and refreshing to read a book that was sweet and kind to the main character. Minnie is someone who'd had to deal with a lot of shittiness, homophobia and sexism in particular, and now she's finally treated with the kindness she deserves, which was beautiful.
The romance is so sweet and... it's both quick and a little slow burn at the same time, but just wait until the last chapter.
I wish we got more scenes with Minnie and Alex, and a bit more development, but it's a really short super sweet story that will bring you some much-needed joy.
July 26, 2020
Ok this was lovely. I knew this series had a kind of warm accepting smalltown found family vibe to it and this novella is all of that! It also has delicious marriage of convenience type tension in it.
February 15, 2021
This is an f/f histrom, which is pretty rare. It's basically her, Olivia Waite, and Jenn LeBlanc in that camp. I REALLY want to like this book.
That said, it just doesn't work on a number of levels.
The first problem is that the characterizations are pretty flat, as are the motivations for the characters. Mary James, our protag #1, is the daughter of widowed Sarah James, whose foremost characteristic is that she's a money-grubbing bitch. I like a problematic parent as much as the next person who lives and breathes for h/c, so in theory, this isn't a problem. However, that's really all Sarah is. She's written as nothing more than a caricature of a gold digger.
Mary, who is our POV character, is grieving her father, a merchant who was lost at sea. She is also pregnant, apparently because Sarah forced her to have entrapment sex with a wealthy male character from a former book. There are...a lot of pieces to this part of the book missing for me. The guy clearly doesn't know, as far as I can tell, because nobody knows, since they're trying to get Mary married off before anyone finds out. There's no suggestion that the father is a bad person, which leads me to question whether he might want to KNOW that he has a child on the way, but setting that aside, okay, pregnant, needs a marriage before child comes.
Mary then meets Alex, our protag #2, who, within the space of a conversation a) figures out that Mary is romantically interested in her, b) that she's in trouble and needs a spouse, c) offers to be that spouse for reasons that seem to amount to "paying it forward" but what she's paying forward is unclear, d) explains that marriage of all kinds are perfectly legal in this particular town, and e) comes up with a plan to trick Mary's mother to allow this.
So. I have a lot of problems here. First, as a lesbian, who knows other lesbians, and has on many occasions spoken with even more WLW, it is actually intensely hard to tell when a woman is hitting on another woman. We're not socialized to see it. When I say to another woman, "you look great in that dress," she can rightly assume that I mean, "you look great in that dress," and I might absolutely mean that. But I might also mean, "You look great in that dress and I would like to peel it off you with my teeth." There are VERY few WLW I know who haven't had this dilemma. Which makes it incredibly hard for me to believe that at a time when the word "lesbian" wasn't yet a term, that it would take a few minutes for these women to figure out they are romantically interested in one another.
Honestly, I need more than "someone did something nice for me once and now I'm helping you." Uh. You're offering to MARRY her. Presumably to intertwine all your holdings, which we, as readers, are led to believe are at least decent, with this woman you've just met. At least tell me what that person did for you. Something. Anything. (Nor is this followed up on. We're never given the reason Alex does what she does. At best, I am left to presume that she finds Mary TEH HAWT and so is like "aw yaaaaas" and figures she gets a kid in the bargain, too?? I have no idea.)
Perhaps the legal marriage thing is explained earlier in this series, as to how that came about in this town. But it's nutballs? Like, even in frontier-times, there was SOME level of state control? Or federal, if it was a territory. And I get that romance novels are about escapism, except that I personally want something to anchor that escapism. I don't care if you want to come up with a whole alternative timeline of the States. I mean, PLEASE, tell me stories where European settlers never come, or other things. But give me the necessary narrative underpinnings for it. Here, I feel like the answer to everything is "why not" which, yes, is an author's prerogative, it's just not one that works for me as a reader.
Finally, I'm not sure WHY there needs to be a whole "tricking Mary's mother" plot. On the face of things, Mary is legally an adult. Her mother has no ability to stop her from getting married. Furthermore, the way things roll out, Mary and Alex end up getting married spur of the moment anyway, which makes it doubly unclear why close to a third of the book is spent without Mary and Alex having any interactions, and instead it just being about this plot to trick Sarah into letting Mary marry Alex.
The last third of the book is stronger than the first two. Mary and Alex are married and they go back to Alex's farmstead. There's some cute flirting and then we end on some sex, which seemed perfectly passable to me, I'm not really into sex scenes and this one didn't blow me away, but I think if you are someone who enjoys sex scenes, it probably registers as a sweet one. I think, possibly, if the middle third of this book were taken out, the open shored up a bit, and the ending expanded to really establish these two, this might work better for me? I still didn't really have a great sense of who either of these women were--although, admittedly, I knew Mary much better than Alex--by the end of this book, nor was it clear to me why they loved each other.
There were some interesting ideas here, and fun tropes to be explored, but in the end this felt like a first draft to me, and one that needed a bunch more in order to flesh out the main characters, what they see in each other, and the ins and outs of the marriage-of-convenience aspect of the book.
That said, it just doesn't work on a number of levels.
The first problem is that the characterizations are pretty flat, as are the motivations for the characters. Mary James, our protag #1, is the daughter of widowed Sarah James, whose foremost characteristic is that she's a money-grubbing bitch. I like a problematic parent as much as the next person who lives and breathes for h/c, so in theory, this isn't a problem. However, that's really all Sarah is. She's written as nothing more than a caricature of a gold digger.
Mary, who is our POV character, is grieving her father, a merchant who was lost at sea. She is also pregnant, apparently because Sarah forced her to have entrapment sex with a wealthy male character from a former book. There are...a lot of pieces to this part of the book missing for me. The guy clearly doesn't know, as far as I can tell, because nobody knows, since they're trying to get Mary married off before anyone finds out. There's no suggestion that the father is a bad person, which leads me to question whether he might want to KNOW that he has a child on the way, but setting that aside, okay, pregnant, needs a marriage before child comes.
Mary then meets Alex, our protag #2, who, within the space of a conversation a) figures out that Mary is romantically interested in her, b) that she's in trouble and needs a spouse, c) offers to be that spouse for reasons that seem to amount to "paying it forward" but what she's paying forward is unclear, d) explains that marriage of all kinds are perfectly legal in this particular town, and e) comes up with a plan to trick Mary's mother to allow this.
So. I have a lot of problems here. First, as a lesbian, who knows other lesbians, and has on many occasions spoken with even more WLW, it is actually intensely hard to tell when a woman is hitting on another woman. We're not socialized to see it. When I say to another woman, "you look great in that dress," she can rightly assume that I mean, "you look great in that dress," and I might absolutely mean that. But I might also mean, "You look great in that dress and I would like to peel it off you with my teeth." There are VERY few WLW I know who haven't had this dilemma. Which makes it incredibly hard for me to believe that at a time when the word "lesbian" wasn't yet a term, that it would take a few minutes for these women to figure out they are romantically interested in one another.
Honestly, I need more than "someone did something nice for me once and now I'm helping you." Uh. You're offering to MARRY her. Presumably to intertwine all your holdings, which we, as readers, are led to believe are at least decent, with this woman you've just met. At least tell me what that person did for you. Something. Anything. (Nor is this followed up on. We're never given the reason Alex does what she does. At best, I am left to presume that she finds Mary TEH HAWT and so is like "aw yaaaaas" and figures she gets a kid in the bargain, too?? I have no idea.)
Perhaps the legal marriage thing is explained earlier in this series, as to how that came about in this town. But it's nutballs? Like, even in frontier-times, there was SOME level of state control? Or federal, if it was a territory. And I get that romance novels are about escapism, except that I personally want something to anchor that escapism. I don't care if you want to come up with a whole alternative timeline of the States. I mean, PLEASE, tell me stories where European settlers never come, or other things. But give me the necessary narrative underpinnings for it. Here, I feel like the answer to everything is "why not" which, yes, is an author's prerogative, it's just not one that works for me as a reader.
Finally, I'm not sure WHY there needs to be a whole "tricking Mary's mother" plot. On the face of things, Mary is legally an adult. Her mother has no ability to stop her from getting married. Furthermore, the way things roll out, Mary and Alex end up getting married spur of the moment anyway, which makes it doubly unclear why close to a third of the book is spent without Mary and Alex having any interactions, and instead it just being about this plot to trick Sarah into letting Mary marry Alex.
The last third of the book is stronger than the first two. Mary and Alex are married and they go back to Alex's farmstead. There's some cute flirting and then we end on some sex, which seemed perfectly passable to me, I'm not really into sex scenes and this one didn't blow me away, but I think if you are someone who enjoys sex scenes, it probably registers as a sweet one. I think, possibly, if the middle third of this book were taken out, the open shored up a bit, and the ending expanded to really establish these two, this might work better for me? I still didn't really have a great sense of who either of these women were--although, admittedly, I knew Mary much better than Alex--by the end of this book, nor was it clear to me why they loved each other.
There were some interesting ideas here, and fun tropes to be explored, but in the end this felt like a first draft to me, and one that needed a bunch more in order to flesh out the main characters, what they see in each other, and the ins and outs of the marriage-of-convenience aspect of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2021
3.5
there was finally a lesbian romance with very little angst or worry. just gays being gay and happy together. the only down part to this book was the lack of interactions and romantic scenes between Mary and Alex. I know this is just a novella and that it cant be cram-packed with a huge romance and super detailed trivial things but there really wasn't much of them together doing 'couple' things. still, very easy to get through. personally, I think this spends too much time on marys strained relationship with her mom and not enough time building the love/relationship of mary and convenience-wife alex. it really felt like we went from 'oh hi ur gay? i gay! marry me for liberation!' to 'i feel actually really awkward around u aha thanks for freeing me' to 'oh god I am so deeply in love with you I cannot stand it oh god ohgod' with- and I'm not really exaggerating- NO scenes together to really justify these feeling. eh, its okay tho. at least they were happy together :)
there was finally a lesbian romance with very little angst or worry. just gays being gay and happy together. the only down part to this book was the lack of interactions and romantic scenes between Mary and Alex. I know this is just a novella and that it cant be cram-packed with a huge romance and super detailed trivial things but there really wasn't much of them together doing 'couple' things. still, very easy to get through. personally, I think this spends too much time on marys strained relationship with her mom and not enough time building the love/relationship of mary and convenience-wife alex. it really felt like we went from 'oh hi ur gay? i gay! marry me for liberation!' to 'i feel actually really awkward around u aha thanks for freeing me' to 'oh god I am so deeply in love with you I cannot stand it oh god ohgod' with- and I'm not really exaggerating- NO scenes together to really justify these feeling. eh, its okay tho. at least they were happy together :)
August 14, 2020
Mary and her mother have moved to Gold Sky to marry Mary off for money, but her last attempt left Mary pregnant and desperate. Especially since she prefers women. Enter Alex and a sneaky marriage.
Super sweet low stakes romance with no gay angst! Both Mary and Alex know they are gay, and Alex is fully accepted by the town. I really liked and sympathized with Mary, who felt so helpless under her bitter mother's thumb, and hated what they were doing. Alex was super lovely, and I love the fake marriage turns to love trope. But since we were in Mary's POV the whole time, Alex was a bit of a paper doll. Why did she offer marriage so quick? Who knows! She just did. I think they were both mutually attracted/pining, and it was fun to watch them admit and fall into their happy ending. I love this town! Everyone came to their wedding and celebrated them. My kind of frontier fantasy. <3
Super sweet low stakes romance with no gay angst! Both Mary and Alex know they are gay, and Alex is fully accepted by the town. I really liked and sympathized with Mary, who felt so helpless under her bitter mother's thumb, and hated what they were doing. Alex was super lovely, and I love the fake marriage turns to love trope. But since we were in Mary's POV the whole time, Alex was a bit of a paper doll. Why did she offer marriage so quick? Who knows! She just did. I think they were both mutually attracted/pining, and it was fun to watch them admit and fall into their happy ending. I love this town! Everyone came to their wedding and celebrated them. My kind of frontier fantasy. <3
December 28, 2020
Since I am a sucker for slow burn, I found this book much too rushed and was missing the crackling chemistry and tender gazes that slowly turn into trust and passion. I also would have loved to experience Alex's side of the story as well because it was quite short and I would have enjoyed to spend more time with Minnie and Alex.
That being said, however, I still enjoyed the plot, even though it didn't really make much sense to me. I also agree with some of the other reviews in that it's great to have found an f/f romance that does not rely on unfounded, overly dramatic angst and miscommunication as a major plot device. And - since I have not read any other books in the series - it's possible that the events and development make more sense in the greater context of the series. I definitely felt like I had some gaps in my knowledge and might pick up the companion installment of the series to learn more...
That being said, however, I still enjoyed the plot, even though it didn't really make much sense to me. I also agree with some of the other reviews in that it's great to have found an f/f romance that does not rely on unfounded, overly dramatic angst and miscommunication as a major plot device. And - since I have not read any other books in the series - it's possible that the events and development make more sense in the greater context of the series. I definitely felt like I had some gaps in my knowledge and might pick up the companion installment of the series to learn more...
December 9, 2020
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Un poco decepcionante si les soy sincera. Es un romance histórico en el que 2 chicas se casan para que una salga de la relación tóxica con su madre. Es un libro que tiene 0 angst y es rápido de leer así que tiene sus ventajas.
Lastimosamente, no sentí la química entre éstas 2 chicas ya que todo pasa rápido y aunque ni siquiera se conocen al final del libro ya se aman. No me gusta ése tipo de desarrollo en los libros así que... Seeeeh
Un poco decepcionante si les soy sincera. Es un romance histórico en el que 2 chicas se casan para que una salga de la relación tóxica con su madre. Es un libro que tiene 0 angst y es rápido de leer así que tiene sus ventajas.
Lastimosamente, no sentí la química entre éstas 2 chicas ya que todo pasa rápido y aunque ni siquiera se conocen al final del libro ya se aman. No me gusta ése tipo de desarrollo en los libros así que... Seeeeh
January 22, 2021
This book was okay. I was sort of an insta in love situation for Minnie, and a marriage of convenience for Alex... however, I believe Alex was insta in love, and it would have worked in Minnie's favour if she were interested in a marriage of convenience. The flipped situation was rather interesting.
I have now read the 5 books of the series, and I am looking forward to reading something new. This series lacked the backstories/histories of the characters, had minimal conflict, and were only written from one person's point of view.
I have now read the 5 books of the series, and I am looking forward to reading something new. This series lacked the backstories/histories of the characters, had minimal conflict, and were only written from one person's point of view.
January 2, 2022
Ending?
I felt this story left me with unanswered questions, maybe due to the lack of character development??
Alex…we didn’t get to get her story of how she landed in Gold Sky and it was alluded to her having a connection with Julian but not explained??
While this story was to have taken place earlier the characters hadn’t been mentioned in the later stories so that made it a bit confusing to me.
The end seemed so abrupt and unfinished.
So far the first two books in the series were the best in terms of well formed stories.
I felt this story left me with unanswered questions, maybe due to the lack of character development??
Alex…we didn’t get to get her story of how she landed in Gold Sky and it was alluded to her having a connection with Julian but not explained??
While this story was to have taken place earlier the characters hadn’t been mentioned in the later stories so that made it a bit confusing to me.
The end seemed so abrupt and unfinished.
So far the first two books in the series were the best in terms of well formed stories.
December 14, 2020
Left wanting more
The story was good and I got into it. The only problem I found is I wanted more. The story progress well in a town we all wish was real and the problem comes in that to me there are 2 areas that are incomplete.
I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars but since I liked the premise I gave it a 4.
The story was good and I got into it. The only problem I found is I wanted more. The story progress well in a town we all wish was real and the problem comes in that to me there are 2 areas that are incomplete.
I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars but since I liked the premise I gave it a 4.
May 1, 2021
Well Done
Minnie & Alex are lovely together. I think of all the people forced into undesired relationships to satisfy society. The idea that two women were able to make their own life together and be accepted in the past warms my heart thoroughly. I hope some women in the past got to have such a lovely love.
Minnie & Alex are lovely together. I think of all the people forced into undesired relationships to satisfy society. The idea that two women were able to make their own life together and be accepted in the past warms my heart thoroughly. I hope some women in the past got to have such a lovely love.
May 29, 2025
Very sweet. It's clearly part of a series, all but instalove, the town is so accepting as to be fantastical, and the narcissistically cruel mother is pretty cliched. But Minnie and Alex are sweet characters who make an endearing pair. If you're looking for a light and fluffy quick read, you could do a lot worse than this one.
July 7, 2020
Gorgeous!
Alex is my book girlfriend and none of y'all can have her!
Leather and Lace is a sweet, sexy romance which left me swooning and got me out of a reading drought. Another fantastic story by the wonderful Rebel Carter.
Alex is my book girlfriend and none of y'all can have her!
Leather and Lace is a sweet, sexy romance which left me swooning and got me out of a reading drought. Another fantastic story by the wonderful Rebel Carter.
June 25, 2021
Cute romance
This was a short and sweet Novella. I thought it was a fun and cute story. I really wish it were a full length novel simply because I wanted to learn more about the characters. If you’re looking for a short and sweet romantic romance then this is the perfect choice.
This was a short and sweet Novella. I thought it was a fun and cute story. I really wish it were a full length novel simply because I wanted to learn more about the characters. If you’re looking for a short and sweet romantic romance then this is the perfect choice.
October 1, 2021
Not your typical
Ff romance. I quite enjoyed this book, its characters and town albeit not the mom. Abrupt ending I would have loved to see an epilogue or something with them and the baby
Ff romance. I quite enjoyed this book, its characters and town albeit not the mom. Abrupt ending I would have loved to see an epilogue or something with them and the baby
July 23, 2022
Enjoyed being in Gold Sky
I found this women loving women historical romance a joy to read. I really liked how Mary and Alex went around Mary's mother's back to wed. Oh, how wonderful it would be to have a real life Gold Sky!
I found this women loving women historical romance a joy to read. I really liked how Mary and Alex went around Mary's mother's back to wed. Oh, how wonderful it would be to have a real life Gold Sky!
July 5, 2020
2.5 stars
July 5, 2020
This novella is a celebration of America. I read this out of order of the series because I had heard such good things about it, but I am so excited now to go and read through the rest of the series!
July 26, 2020
This is a nice addition to the gold sky series. Carter has started to tell more than show in these and it has a few spelling and grammar errors but I was glad to see Mary get a happy ending
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