Lives Intertwined: Love on Sequim Bay

Lives Intertwined #1

by Dorothy Rice Bennett

Brittany Forrest, animal lover and vet tech, needs a better place to rent in Sequim, on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Noticing a for-rent sign, she calls the owner of the large house. Brit, guessing she isn’t the only woman needing a better/cheaper place to live, finds three other lesbians to rent with her. Needing one more, Aggie Hollister, the straight older woman who owns the big house, asks to remain as the fifth woman. How will this work out for the five women - a vet tech, a lawn-maintenance worker, a college student with a secret friend, a retired pianist, and a straight woman who has built a life caring for other people, all of different ages - sharing space and lives?

Genres: Romance, Lesbian Romance, Queer, LGBT, Lesbian, Fiction, Butch Femme

290 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 16, 2020

About the author

Dorothy Rice Bennett grew up in the Midwest. She began filling spiral notebooks when she was 10 years old with fanciful stories that she shared with her classmates in school. Her story heroines were women of action--they flew Navy jets, they competed in hydroplane boat races, drove in auto races, and they raced horses as jockeys. In short, Dorothy was way ahead of her time, but little could she dream as a child that women would someday do those very things. As an adult, Dorothy still loved writing, but her busy life in both the mental health field and in journalism commanded her time and energy. Yet writing was never forgotten, and eventually she pushed other tasks aside and began to put words on paper. NORTH COAST is her first published novel, and she's already at work on the next one. The characters of NORTH COAST were inspired by her own relationship with a woman several years her senior in age--a relationship that put her at peace with her own sexuality and set her finally on a path to personal fulfillment. Her second novel, GIRLS ON THE RUN is now available in quality paperback. She is currently at work on her third novel, which has the working title of THE ARTEMIS ADVENTURE.

Reviews

[Loek Krancher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story!

Six women, all with their different stories, five sharing a house, two older women, two small dogs, finding love and dreams that can become a reality. Lives Intertwined is a great story, well written and with very likable characters. The end didn't quite live up to my expectations. I expected to read more about the realization of their dreams. But nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable read.

[Lesbian Romance Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lives Intertwined is like the Golden Girls but with lesbians set on Sequim Bay. Brit is a vet tech searching for a new place to live. She's down on herself because her ex left her in a lurch. She thinks outside the box and comes across a large home for rent. Maybe if she can find other women to rent out the rooms they could all save a bit of money.

Spoilers



I love the older women relationship that develops. Compared to the younger set, they get more loving time. Despite many of the characters being younger, it was Aggie and Wilma that really connect in the bedroom.

[Ruth Messing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read all of the author’s books and this is the best one yet. It leaves one hoping this will be the start of a series. It is a story about six women who share a large house and eventually pair off into couples. . The ending was superb but leaves you wanting more. I will be waiting and watching.

[Michele Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful & Heartwarming

A group of women who had not know each other prior to answering an ad on a lesbian site become housemates in a large home an older woman, Aggie, was looking to rent . Brit needed a place to rent that would allow pets and the opportunity to save for vet school. Brit came up with the idea of renting rooms to 4 woman and split the expenses . Three women answered the ad and Aggie decided to stay on and pay her share. These different women formed friendships and found love in this beautifully written story of life struggles, hurt, and fear of never reaching their dreams. Aggie unsure of how it would work out, regarded all the women as her family. What she does for them is heartwarming. I enjoyed this story and didn't want it to end. All the characters including Aggie grew with the help of each other.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are very well developed and very likable. The story is very good watching five women learning to live together and make their own family. The romance between the characters is very good. Thanks for a very good read.

[Vita L. Licari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read by Dorothy Rice Bennett. She just gets better and better. I couldn't put it down and I love the generational differences. Yet, they worked together. This is definitely a read again. Highly reccomend!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent heartwarming story

[Chrone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slice of life

It's a slower book. Day to day living in an unusual situation and three different romances with no stress on one over the other two. It's a comfy and pleasant book.

[AGC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and enjoyable, but not very deep.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting idea and overall a good story. The biggest issue for me was how the author wrote the younger characters. These girls in their early 20s were oddly obsessed with the weather, road names, routes to random towns and other topics I usually hear from my retired dad. It just didn’t feel age-appropriate and pulled me out of the story more than once.

That aside this is a heartfelt book with some really touching moments. I especially loved the older romance between Aggie and Wilma. It was sweet and grounded and gave the story emotional weight. I also appreciated the attempt at trans representation. Teddi was a great character and her arc mattered. That said there was too much focus on bottom surgery as the defining step in seeing her as a woman. I understand it may have been part of her personal journey but the story seemed to hinge on it more than I was comfortable with.

[C C Garrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute sweet book filled with unexpected romance