Four Letter Word

After Hours #1

by Ava Freeman

They say love comes when you least expect it and Anais Gibbons definitely has no expectations. Dating has led to nowhere and she still entertains her ex while yearning for something more fulfilling. Her coworker Maya Banks has been her work “best friend” for years despite Anais’s desire to take things to another level.

After a girl’s night out a real friendship emerges and the possibility for a deeper connection. Reluctant to take the next step, Maya has to decide whether taking a chance on love is worth risking it all or if love is just another four letter word.


This a standalone story, the series is connected by theme and not characters so can be read out of sequence. Intended for mature audiences.

After Hours: A Lesbian Romance Series
A touch, a glance, a conversation you wish would never end. You never know when love will take over and sweep you off your feet and it can happen in the most unexpected places. Join our ladies as they find love at work but discover that after hours is when the real fun begins....

Genres: Romance, Queer, Lesbian, Contemporary, LGBT, Novella

58 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2019

About the author

Ava Freeman writes contemporary romance that centers the Black queer woman’s experience. Through her stories, she strives to give readers rich, complex characters that always find their happily ever after.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this cute novella! The two main characters Anaise and Maya really balanced each other out which made their chemistry so strong. I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed this because it contained the miscommunication trope and I usually do not like that especially in romance; however, the author was able to make it work. While I do feel like the characters could have communicated more, I genuinely feel like the miscommunications were realistic. They were situations that even I have found myself in when I’ve been in relationships. The author really made it work. I couldn’t give this 5 stars because the writing was a little clunky in certain places where I couldn’t figure out which character the author was making references to. Other than that it was a great read and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Sonja · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was only okay and I'm sad about it. The book lacked commas to a point where it was sometimes hard to read, and I wish the characters were a little more developed than they were. That said, it was great to read a queer romance featuring two Black women and I want so, so much more of that.

[Syd · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars.

[Jessica Calla · Rating 5 out of 5]

FOUR LETTER WORD is a steamy, short, friends-to-lovers story about Maya and Anais, who work together. I loved witnessing their relationship develop from friends, to lovers, to something more, as they moved toward their happily-ever-after! Recommended for people who enjoy a sexy, workplace romance, with loveable side characters, too!

[anita · Rating 1 out of 5]

lmao what… 😭 meio sem reação, porque não pretendia ler isso e eu sabia que eu não ia gostar. enfim, é bem horrível e as personagens são bem chatas também. achei ridículo que a anais deixou a ex dela morar com ela por tipo, duas semanas, estando namorando com a maya. achei sem nexo e achei muito bom a maya ter ficado brava, só perdeu o sentido ainda mais quando ela perdoou a anais mais rápido do que o tempo que ela ficou irritada com ela.

ruim. sem mais nem menos, 1.25!

[☁️˚ʚ oriana ɞ˚☁️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars.

as much as i wanted to like this book... it just wasn't for me.
the spice was alright. maybe it just wasn't the book for me.
all i know is that i wanted it to end asap and wanted to dnf it.
the writing was okay, just not for me i guess.

[Naika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have conflicted feelings about this book. Some of the areas I feel most impacted my reading experience were:

- The weird/disjointed writing: This could have used some additional editing for grammar, pacing, and clarity. Sometimes it was confusing as to who was speaking or who was being addressed
- Maya not being upfront about her situation when pursuing Anais
- Anais’ situation with her ex. Perhaps this would not have been as bothersome to me if this were a longer story and there was more time to flesh out the multiple dynamics going on.

I did like however that it brought forth some realities that can be found in any relationship, as well as some themes that appeared relevant to the realities F/F relationships face.

There are more books in this series and I may pick the next one up to see how Anais and Maya grow and develop.

Between 2.5 and 3

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. Queer. Black. Women. Romance. *intense heavy breathing* Honestly, if I could marry fictional characters it'd be Anais and Mya. I loved them both dearly. Anais is a lesbian and Mya is bisexual and their relationship is so swoon worthy and romantic. This is a short little novella and while I definitely wish this was a full length novel, for what it is it's still a really great read with characters that felt raw and real. I loved every moment of this and I'm excited to jump into book 2.

[Rena · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Such an honest, grown woman love story. 💜

[m · Rating 3 out of 5]

rep: Black lesbian mcs

[Anna Jo ❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, well-written, objectively sexy. Sadly, this is pretty forgettable but I would still recommend it if someone asked.

[Shades N Pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

First read by this author. I liked Anais and Mya’s not so subtle flirting with each other. It was cute. I do feel that the story is very relatable because of the miscommunication and struggle to let go of an ex. Both of the ladies were afraid of the unknown and it showed. I did side eye Mya because I wasn’t sure she was ready to be in a lesbian relationship but she proved me wrong. Anais’s inability to let go of her ex irritated me because she almost messed up her situation with Mya. Overall the story was just okay. Not special and nothing to brag about. Glad they got their HEA.

[Leigh's Novel Hour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ava Freeman is good at building chemistry

This novella is fine I just feel like books less than 100 pages can’t get more than 3 stars for me. This is a cute novella. I liked Anaïs and Maya together and they have good chemistry. They were flirty, they communicated openly, and they weren’t petty. It’s a solid novella and you should give it a read. It moves quickly and it’s nice to read when you’re in between books.

[Quionna]

An endearing story about two coworkers who have a crush with each other. However, there's a plotline line that makes me feel icky because it perpetuates a bisexual stereotype but other than that I think it was a nice smutty short narrative. I'm excited to read more in this series especially since the second story is following the same characters (just in the love interests point of view).

[Reading with Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story ☺️

This story was about two semi closeted lesbians who meet at work and began to slowly ensue a romantic relationship together. I felt an insta love situation happening but to be fair this is a short novella.

The story was well told and a bit steamy.

There is a part 2 that I may or may not read.

[Cynthia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, I didn't find any of the writing and story choices interesting, engaging, nuanced, or approached in a new way. There were a couple of glimpses of potential for nuance, but I don't even remember them anymore, they were overshadowed by the clichés and stereotypes (romance-wise, blackness-wise, lesbianism-wise, bisexuality-wise).

[Elvira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, sweet and steamy friends-to-lovers novella featuring some beautifully intense black lesbian love. The two main characters were struggling with their own personal issues, but worked through it and made it work in the end. Super cute made my chilly heart warm, I luvvvv the friends2lovers trope and it did a great job with it. I will be reading more Ava Freeman!

[Adora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading a f/f romance, and the two main characters had great chemistry. I liked that it was a co-workers to friends to lovers romance. However, as a novella, it almost seemed like it was cycling through different plots when just sticking with one could work. Is it gonna be about this being one character’s first serious relationship or the issues with the other character’s ex?

[Megan Thee Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok storyline

This story fell flat to me. There were lots of grammatical errors and the story jumped around and mentioned names that were irrelevant. I was not impressed and it was very disappointing.

[Johnsons Buzz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

This was a cute quick little story regarding the issues one may face when trying to find their person. Anais and Maya are such a cute couple and I can’t wait to dive deep into this series.​

[Alicia]

i’m sorry but the first chapter couldn’t even pulll me in. it’s a no for me.

[Star · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was spicy and everything but the typos were killing me lol it felt rushed a bit. But overall it was a nice read 😉

[Veronica Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is literally my first time reading this author and I absolutely loved it. The story was relatable and believable and the characters were interesting and complex.

[India · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing !

It’s been a while that I could find work from queer black authors and this was everything. The story flowed so well!

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and Sweet

Immediately I was intrigued with the girls and felt their connection to be authentic and adorable. If you are just looking for a sweet love story that will make you smile this is a nice one.

[Alina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The romance was fine, It was quick and straight to the point which I thought was okay. The sex scenes were definitely steamy. Overall, was a quick read, wish the relationship was slightly longer/fleshed out.