Stability

Demands #4

by Emily Alter

For a relationship to work, it is not just love which is demanded. Stability is, too.
Paige is a free spirit, used to never staying in the same place for long and always keeping the ones she loves at a distance, but when she meets Zaira during a research trip to Andalusia (Spain), that fight or flight instinct may be about to shift.

All Zaira’s ever known is her family, and singing her heart out as a cantaora. Things change when she meets an impulsive American girl who fills her head with promises of a place and future where she doesn’t have to compromise her identity, but will that future be a stable one?

Stability is the 4th book of the Demands series. Although they can be read as stand-alones, characters from previous books will make multiple appearances throughout the series.

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 7, 2021

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectly Titled. This is a solid adult FF romance featuring two established-yet-still-young ladies who know themselves and yet still find themselves growing... together. I titled this review as I did because the book really is perfectly titled, as the major conflicts between these women truly do center around the issue of stability and what that can mean for different people in different situations. Some, such as Zaira, more grounded and family oriented may need one form of "standard" stability. Others, such as former child prodigy Paige, may find a more gyroscopic sense of stability in the chaos. Merging the two worlds... well, Alter does a great job of showing the realistic headaches and heartaches that such an attempt can bring about. Excellent story set in an existing world, but within its own corner of it and with prior characters featuring heavily. For those who are less concerned about details of prior books being revealed before the reader actually reads those books, this is absolutely a book you can enter this world in and go back and read the details of the other relationships discussed in the other books. For those who are more concerned about such things... you're going to want to read those other books first. Based on this book - the only one I've read from the author so far - I can tell you that you're most likely going to want to read those books anyway, and when you read them you're going to want to have this one on hand anyway if you didn't read it first. Truly an excellent and seemingly realistic-ish story. Very much recommended.

[Todd Bliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic love story of two people learning how to be together and make their marriage work so they can be together

[Fran Sappharc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads a bit stilted at first and a bit wordy, which is ridiculous thing to say about a book. I didn’t feel I got the flavour of the setting or indeed Flamenco. I struggled with this book.perhaps I am not in tune enough with the struggles being portrayed or perhaps they are not well enough portrayed for someone who has not lived them. This was not for me but does not mean it is not for you. I read recently other books set on paths I have not personally walked and loved them, so I don’t think it’s just me.

[Michael Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author focuses in on 2 characters, Paige and Zaria. Paige plays the cello and Zaria sings Roma which Paige wants to write music for a movie. The characters are completely opposite but manage to have feelings for each other. The plot is good encompassing the habits of Paige and the expectations of Zaria who is from Grenada and a different culture. The emotions range from love to angered are very good.
I had a good time reading this book and was really taken in by the difference of Grenada as o[posed to New York. I recommend this book for romance readers.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I bought this book in paperback right when it came out, because I've been a long-time fan of the author, and once again she did not disappoint!!!

Paige and Zaira (the MCs of this true-to-life, slightly chaotic yet charming romance) learning to share their personal spaces and experiences was such a roller coaster ride I could relate to, that I suffered and rejoiced right along with them! (And when I say suffered, I mean got mad, sad, relieved, happy, miffed again and back to adoring the characters 😌❤️).
Funnily enough, when I picked up 'Stability', I had been struggling with exactly that; living first-hand the hassle and uncertainty of moving to a big, lonely city I knew almost nothing about and learning to coexist with a loved one in their atmosphere, just like Zaira had to (and okay, maybe as I was reading I was a bit of a hardass on Paige and full-on team Zaira, but hey, sometimes *La Rubia* deserved it! 😂).

I also wanted to add, as a Spaniard myself, that I highly enjoyed reading Alter's atmospheric descriptions of flamenco and reliving the concerts I had gone to pre-pandemic with this novel. Flamenco truly is an art that deserves more and better treatment than what it usually gets, and personally, I felt like this book did it justice. So thank you for that, Ms. Alter 🙏

That said, if you too are a gay mess struggling with stability, this is the book for you. ❤️

PS: That last concert scene? The wholesomeness? Melted my heart.