The Awkward Truth

Truth #2

by Lee Winter

This funny opposites-attract lesbian romance digs up the awkward truth about what really matters in life.

Ambitious ice queen and corporate lawyer Felicity Simmons has spent her life focused on one thing: scuttling up the career ladder. She’s achingly close to taking charge of a media empire for her boss when she’s sent to investigate a South Bronx charity that helps homeless people’s pets.

Has the charity made off with her boss’s generous donation? And who on earth is that gorgeous soft-butch veterinarian who looks as if she could toss a Shetland pony over one shoulder? Not that Felicity has any interest in some opinionated Amazon or her adorable fleabag of a dog.

Felicity is quite sure she will not be distracted, thank you very much. She has a minor mystery to solve, a mentor to impress, and her life’s dream to fulfil. Even if a distraction might be exactly what she needs.

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Audiobook, Contemporary, Butch Femme, Queer

ebook

First published December 6, 2021

About the author

Lee Winter is a former award-winning veteran newspaper journalist who has covered courts, crime, news, features and humor writing for almost three decades around Australia. Now a full-time author and part-time editor at Ylva, Lee is also a two-time Lambda Literary Award finalist and a multiple Golden Crown Literary Award winner.

Want to get in touch? Email: Leewinterauthor@gmail.com

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 Stars. Loved it! I felt really lucky this week as I got to read new books by my two favorite sapphic fiction authors. To have a new release by both Lee Winter and EJ Noyes is like mind blown. While I have so much love for many authors in this genre, Winter and Noyes seem to be on their own little island while everyone else is in a row boat, circling around looking for a good place to land. When it comes to the past five years, no one has just dominated sapphic fiction like these two women have and I feel lucky to get to enjoy their fantastic stories. This book was a great addition to The Brutal Truth universe and I really enjoyed it.

This is actually a paraquel (I know sidequel is the more popular term, but every time I hear it I think of something small, something ‘on the side’, and for me Felicity’s character is anything but small so the book geek in me has to go with the newer term paraquel instead) of Winters book The Brutal Truth. It’s always hard for me when someone asks ‘what is your favorite Lee Winter book?’ since I love so many of them. It always seems to come down to Requiem, and The Brutal Truth, but in the end The Brutal Truth always wins because of Elena Bartell, the best ice queen ever! And while I read that book for Bartell, I was always interested in the character of Felicity. Another ice queen that seems poised for her own story. I realized that even more after reading Winter’s short collection Sliced Ice, that has a short staring Felicity called Five Times Felicity Met Elena, that could technically be a prequel to this new book. After that I was really interested in Felicity so this book was one of my most anticipated of 2021, and I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint.

I know I’m rambling a bit in this review but I don’t want to give too much of the storyline away since it was such a good read. If you are a Brutal Truth fan, this book really is a must. Not only did this have a really sweet romance, with a bit of steam, but the book also had a little mystery too. I love when Winter mixes it up like this because it guarantees that you will keep turning the pages. Even some of the best romances can sometimes slow down a bit in places, but not here. This was the perfect blend of romance, with a little corporate intrigue, that made it so that I wasn’t going to stop reading until the book was done, sleep be dammed.

There was only want small part I wasn’t crazy about, I thought one angsty moment was a little forced. - Yes, she should have asked if she wanted the promotion, not just given it to her, but that didn’t seem like such a big blunder to me. With how important the charity was to her, and how she was making new programs for it, thinking she would want to run it doesn’t seem so out there. I just don’t think it was bad as it was made out to be, but in the grand scheme of things that is one very small complaint. In the end, it actually leads to the chapters on wooing which I absolutely loved. It was funny and sweet and just the kind of really good romantic ending that I want from a romance book.

TLDR: If you are a Lee Winter fan, or just a The Brutal Truth fan, then this book really is a must. Winter has another hit on her hands and I think people will really enjoy this one. I loved the mix of romance and a little corporate intrigue, since it kept me up reading past 3am. This is also a good book for animal lovers and it really was a joy to read. I’m so glad we finally got to read Felicity’s full story and I hope this won’t be the end of The Brutal Truth universe.

An ARC was given to me for a review.

[Diane Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

**'Storytelling is part magic, part craft. There's nothing a writer can do about magic; they either have it or not.But then learning the craft is always possible..'

3.5stars!
Good follow-up or can be considered as an extension to 'THE BRUTAL TRUTH' -- a story within another story.
Recommended!

[pipsqueakreviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felicity!

Okay first up, that dog on the cover totally deserves a mention. So goofy, love it!

For fans of The Brutal Truth, this book is a definite must-read because the books are connected. This story takes place before the epilogue of The Brutal Truth and Felicity takes centre-stage. Felicity has always caught my attention with her brusque behaviour towards Maddie, but to be honest, this Chief-of-Staff turned Deputy COO of Bartell Corporation never quite caught my interest until now. I think it's because we never got to know her and the only part that I'd been curious about was whether her feelings for Elena were romantic or purely hero-worship. So I'm glad those feelings get discussed in this book.

Felicity has so many layers that it's fascinating once we get to know her. She is an ice queen and although she models herself after Elena in some ways, she's not Elena v2. Lee Winter is the best writer of lesfic ice queens and the most amazing part is that no two ice queens are the same. While Elena is a natural conqueror, underneath Felicity's ambitious nature also masks her insecurities and vulnerabilities. I love the storyline that has Felicity interacting with people in charities. I love that Winter pairs her up with Cooper who's inherently different from what Felicity is used to and believes in and that Cooper cares enough to want to know the real her. Cooper has the one quality that Felicity has buried deep - kindness - and I love that she brings that out in Felicity. At the same time, I love that Cooper can also hold her own against that tough cookie.

I've waited for this book for months and was incredibly excited when this ARC came by. Winter didn't disappoint. The storyline is good, the characters made it even better and the couple's chemistry is outstanding. We also get to see Elena and Maddie again as side characters, so that's a real treat. But really, is anyone surprised at what Winter can do to make us want more?

I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

[Lau ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

a golden retriever veterinarian is all you need to make an ice-queen lawyer fall to her knees


It was supposed to be another day in the office, getting ready to take charge of her boss’ media empire, but Elena has a last challenge for her: figure out what happened with her million-dollar donation to a charity that takes care of homeless people’s pets. That’s how Felicity Simmons ends up immaculately dressed in a dirty van next to a very sexy disheveled veterinarian in order to figure out where the money went without involving the police. If only it wasn’t so difficult to keep pretending how much she hates the situation…


At first sight, Felicity Simmons is everything I hate in a person: full of prejudice, disdain, coldness and complete lack of empathy. The only reason I kept reading was because I found pleasure in seeing her hate herself every time she tried to have a normal conversation with someone. It was like her own mouth was giving her karma for being like that. But Felicity isn’t a reliable POV and the cracks don’t take long to start being noticeable, especially in the presence of soft pets she claims to hate yet she can’t stop dreaming about touching.


I went from finding pleasure in her being socially awkward to waiting to hug her and shake her to stop behaving as she thought a cold lawyer should in order to be accepted. I loved her POV so much I didn’t even miss Cooper’s-even though having more Cooper is always a yes. Her character development was beautiful to admire, even if it took her a lot of time figuring out ambition is great as long as it doesn't make you feel miserable.


As for Cooper, I appreciated that she may be a golden retriever but she always knew her worth. It’s so hard to find sweet characters able to say ‘no’ and make ice-queens grovel.


My main surprise was how well-done the ‘mystery’ part was handled. I was expecting it to just be an excuse to put Cooper and Felicity on the same vehicle but I ended up being super curious about what had happened with the 1,4 million-dollar donation. If you enjoy having a light mystery on the background of your romances, I would highly recommend picking this up.


I skipped book one-sorry, have you compared the covers?-, so I can admit this works wonderfully as a standalone but I’m kicking myself for not closing my eyes and reading them in order. I’m reading book one now and Felicity as a secondary character is not something you want to miss. It must have been priceless, seeing her fall head over heels in love after enduring her cold attitude for an entire book.


This is my first book by Lee Winter and I can’t wait to read all her backlist. If I’m being very picky, I would have liked more dates and moments between the two women, but having less of that in exchange for character growth and a bit of suspense wasn’t the worst trade ;)


🎧read as an audiobook

↬ Truth series:
1.The Brutal Truth: 2.5 stars
2. The Awkward Truth: 4 stars

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Awkward Truth” by Lee Winter is an extremely opposites-attract romance that has some humor and a small mystery thrown in.

Felicity Simmons is about to take over as chief operating officer of Bartell Corporation from Elena Bartell. Elena just has one more job for her, she has to find out why a charity Elena made a sizeable donation to is about to go under. While investigating, she meets Dr. Sandy Cooper, the head vet at the charity and while the two couldn’t be more different, the sparks start flying.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year and I’m probably going to be an outlier here, but I was not crazy about this, overall. So, while there were certain aspects I definitely loved about this, I can’t say I was a fan of Felicity. As you can imagine, not caring for the main character made it difficult to really appreciate everything about the book.

Felicity is so focused on her ambition and impressing Elena Bartell (I don’t blame her for this one) that she’s basically blind to everything else. She makes no room for friends, family, pets or anything else that may take her focus elsewhere. She’s just so completely emotionally inept and although it led to several funny scenes with her either being called out or coming to some self-realization, I just couldn’t warm to her personality.

On to the things I loved, firstly all the pets! I love animals in general so I was besotted with Brittany and Loki and all the other pets mentioned. Talking about the pets leads to Cooper, who I thought was really great. She’s kind and funny and I love that she’s able to see more to Felicity than most people do. I did think her part in the black moment was a little out of character but it didn’t bug me too much. I do wish we had gotten her perspective as well but I can see why this was solely focused on Felicity. I also loved how Winter carried over some things from The Brutal Truth like “we’re done” and Maddie’s long winning streak, hah!

Although I wasn’t absolutely crazy about this, it’s still a good read and I still do recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of the Brutal Truth. I also think animal fans will get a lot of enjoyment out of this too.

I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Ps. please no hate :)

[Gaby LezReviewBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a “sidequel” to The Brutal Truth, a funny term to convey that a secondary character from a previous book is featured as a lead. Readers got to know Felicity Simmons as the chief of staff of media mogul Elena Bartell in The Brutal Truth. Felicity is also featured in Lee Winter’s short stories collection Sliced Ice. The story, called Five Times Felicity Met Elena, acts as a prequel to this book and I recommend reading it before this one as it gives context to this story, or even better, listening to the fantastic audiobook version narrated by Angela Dawe.

When Felicity’s boss, Elena Bartell, asks her to investigate how a homeless people’s pets charity used her generous donation, she wants to impress her boss who is about to promote her. But Felicity wasn’t expecting how the charity’s work would change her perspective on homeless people or how attractive Sandy Cooper, the head veterinarian, was…

It’s well known in the world of women-loving-women fiction that Lee Winter writes ice queens like no other. Ms. Winter shows their aloofness brutally (no pun intended) and, at the same time, provides hints of the almost imperceptible cracks on the ice of her characters. Seeing them melt, not for anyone, just for the person they cannot help to fall in love with, is an absolute delight and something I always look forward to reading in her novels.

I have to admit that I couldn’t warm to Felicity completely. I think I needed the perspective of a woman adoring her, a bit like Maddie’s infatuation with Elena in The Brutal Truth which makes the reader also love her from a distance. As this novel is told from Felicity’s perspective, being in her headspace almost constantly didn’t help me to admire her, not even to like her much. I might be in a minority here but the character defensive walls, her prejudices and her isolation from family and friends made her too icy for me and the melting process wasn’t hot enough. I clarify that this is a matter of personal taste and has nothing to do with Ms. Winter’s ability to write a good story.

Having said that, I really enjoyed the mini mystery aspects of the book and the descriptions of the lives of homeless people and their pets. I like when a book gives me food for thought and this was definitely one of them. It even managed to challenge some of my misconceptions along with giving me an interesting insight into a world that I know very little about. It’s really commendable to deal with homelessness in such a critical manner in the context of a romance. It goes to show Ms. Winter’s amazing talent as a writer.

Overall, this was a very good read despite that I couldn’t connect with one of the mains. 4 stars.

[gloria .☆ﾟ. · Rating 5 out of 5]

➥ 5 Stars *:･ﾟ✧

“Not a date, huh?” Cooper laughed against her lips. “Not taking this anywhere, huh?”
“Oh, shut up,” Felicity snarked back and reached for her again, kissing her fiercely.

━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━

Unfortunately, this is another instance where a more than deserving book fell into my pile of "rtcs" and never got reviewed. Well, here I am, but obviously, I won't be able to speak about it with as much exactitude and spark as when I had just finished the book.

The Awkward Truth has officially dethroned Requiem for Immortals as my favourite Lee Winter book...*collective gasps*...*I solemnly nod*.

In part, this is because I was intensely taken by both Felicity (h) and Cooper (h). As noted on the blurb, they are complete opposites. Personalities you never thought would meet each other in the middle but, oh, how they do! Felicity is a serious, no-nonsense, success-driven corporate woman who is assigned to investigate the way in which a charity (that helps take car of homeless people's pets) is using her boss's extremely generous donation. Here, she meets Cooper, practically the epitome of the 'golden retriever' personality archetype, ironic as it is that she is a vet.

Usually, Winter seems to write in either of two categories: dark, gritty, mystery plotlines with some romance weaved in, or tastefully crafted contemporary romance. So, I turned curious when I noticed that this was a sort of merge of the two. A contemporary romance, with characters who are regular people, that follows a plotline of light mystery. Which was an element I found to be very nicely pulled-off, I might add.

Obviously, Felicity being the angular, woman-in-suit that she is, being in an environment with animals was not her strong-suit, but gosh it was fucking adorable to see her really melt and soften for the animals she meets, and I loved learning the backstory to her initial difficulty with interacting with animals.

As Cooper realises that Felicity is out of her element, she curiously prods at Felicity, in attempt to figure her out and find out why she's so uptight. And let me tell you, that was a real treat. I loved seeing her just rile poor Felicity up. As Felicity was sent there to do a somewhat 'undercover' investigation, she asked Cooper questions at all times. So when she's left a little speechless...

“So quiet. Should I be afraid?” Cooper asked, tone faintly teasing.

But, as I mentioned, my brain no longer lingers on the specifics, but I can tell you, that I absolutely adore Felicity and Cooper together. Cooper the gentle giant was nothing short of adorable, hot too.

Felicity grinned, then pulled off her bra and panties and headed for the tub.
She slipped herself between Cooper’s powerful thighs and pressed her back against those tempting, pillowy breasts. She sighed. This felt like home.
“You’re such a softie,” Cooper murmured in her ear.

But I found Felicity to be just as lovely too. Actually, since I read The Brutal Truth I'd already been so interested in Felicity, because she's someone who is so goal/career-oriented and so hard on themselves that you know there's more to it. She was always so serious and cold and blunt, but here we see who she really is, when she gets to love and be loved 🥺💞.

She nudged Cooper in the ribs. Sprawled out as she was, she took up a lot of space. “Come on, make room for me.”
Cooper didn’t speak for a moment, then said softly, “For as long as you want.”

Let's be real, Felicity's obsession with how tall and soft and big Cooper is was so real. She deadass wanted to be crushed by Cooper and I've never related to anything more. And Felicity's a fucking romantic too, but one of those that'd never admit to it.

Felicity slipped her hand over Cooper’s waist and held her tight. She actually had a life now, full and filled with promise, and it was one she was proud of. “But just a head’s up, Dr. Cooper: I’ve formulated a new plan, thought it over in great detail, and implemented it.”
“Oh?”
“I’m never letting you go.”

I'm not even shitting you, I ugly cried after reading that. Like gasping for air, tears soaking my clothing type of crying. They're so fucking perfect for eachother and I love them so horribly much. I'm so entranced by Winter's ability to write unique characters with unique dynamics and backstories. It's such a fucking treat every damn time. I can only wish she'd made fewer of their sex scenes fade-to-black 💔. Regardless, Felicity and Cooper are my everything 💘.

━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━

[Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do I really need to introduce this book? It’s Felicity Simmons’ story. Felicity, as in Elena Bartell’s chief of staff. If you’ve read The Brutal Truth, you know who I’m talking about. If you haven’t, read it. It’s not paramount to read these two books in order. Since this one takes place during the last half of the other one, the order doesn’t matter as far as the timeline is concerned. Reading The Brutal Truth first, however, will allow you to get the entire measure of who Elena Bartell is and why her approval is so important to Felicity.

The Awkward Truth begins with Elena asking Felicity, who’s about to become acting COO of the Bartell media empire, to investigate a charity tending to homeless people’s pets, that seems on the verge of closing down despite a substantial donation Elena made anonymously. In the process, Felicity meets gorgeous vet Sandy Cooper, who will change her outlook on life and priorities.

Humour is the most personal thing. We obviously don’t all laugh at the same things. The first third or so of this book has a slapstick comedy feel that didn’t really work for me. Now that’s a feeling I’m used to, missing the funny in a scene while everyone around is rolling on the floor. I grew up in a Marx Brothers-loving household. You can’t see me right now but my eyes rolled so far back in my head they might fall off (if my head was empty, which it’s not). Intellectually, I see the talent, I can tell it’s funny, but it does nothing for me. And that’s how I felt for the first third of The Awkward Truth.

Then it shifted to a different kind of comedy that’s a lot more my thing. More than once I was reminded of Katharine Hepburn, whose movies I adored growing up, before realizing how sexist they were. The last two thirds of The Awkward Truth have most of what I love in these films minus the misogyny, and that makes up for the doubts I had at the beginning. Also, a bisexual version of all these Hepburn characters? Teenage dreams do come true.

Lee Winter loves writing ice queens, and what makes me want to read her books is the range of shades she gives them. Felicity is different from Elena Bartell, Catherine Ayers, or Amelia Duxton (I still don’t see Elizabeth Thornton as an ice queen). She’s full of contradictions and Cooper can see right through them. Cooper on the other hand is consistent, in her kindness as well as her desires. I didn’t completely buy the conflict when it arrived, it seemed to me that Cooper was giving up a little too fast, which didn’t sound like her. I also didn’t completely believe what made Felicity cut herself off from feelings so thoroughly, but we all react differently to events, and who am I to judge?

Another issue for me was that most of the story happens over a week. I get that the investigation couldn’t last for much longer than that, but it’s an awfully short time to set a romance in. Even though I’m all for instalust and instalove, it felt rushed.

There are a lot of things I liked, however. Besides the MCs, I liked the mystery arc, which allowed Felicity to show off her smarts, dedication, and humanity, I liked the array of secondary characters, I liked seeing Elena Bartell from Felicity’s point of view, and, of course, I liked all the animals. I’m not sure I’d be able to leave empty-handed if I spent even ten minutes with a bunch of kittens crawling all over me.

I’ve read a few books recently that started as 3⭐️ and that I enjoyed more and more as I kept reading. The Awkward Truth is one of them.

[Cammy Chareon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Came for Elena Bartell, stayed for Felicity Simmons.

Felicity Simmons is the personification of ambition. She is highly driven, and she has no time to play nice. Reaching the corporate summit has been her goal and she will stop at nothing to achieve that, even if it costs a healthy social life. Her boss and mentor, media mogul Elena Bartell, assigns her to look into a charity that caters to homeless people and their pets. That is where she meets the humble and kind veterinarian, Dr. Sandy Cooper. Felicity and Cooper can’t be any more different, but sparks fly and Felicity can’t help but be drawn to the simple and good-natured doctor.

This is an opposites-attract book that is equal parts funny, entertaining, and compelling. Lee is wordsmith, truly a master at her craft. Her writing is absolutely top-notch. There are no boring parts and I kept on turning the pages until I reached the end.

Fans will be delighted as there are numerous gems you can catch, such as the mention of Eight Little Pieces and Elena’s “We’re done.” We also get little peeks into Elena and Maddie’s moments together, but don’t let that take your attention away from the story. It’s a solid story in its own right, with so many pets!

It was so fun to read about Felicity – you can’t help but admire her wit and laugh at her snarky quips. I loved getting to know more about her, seeing her depth and her growth throughout the book. We get to learn more about her family as well as the experiences that shaped her.

Although the investigation only spanned a week, Felicity and Cooper spent a lot of time together. The attraction didn’t come out of nowhere and Lee made sure to take her time in developing something there.

The mystery is also intriguing, but not over-the-top. I felt that there were no loose ends and I was left extremely happy and satisfied.

Note that there are not one, not two, but three beautiful love stories in this book, so it will definitely make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I have been missing Lee Winter’s books recently, so this came at the perfect time. This book is such a treat for fans of The Brutal Truth, but even those who haven’t read it will still appreciate this book! :)

An arc was given in exchange for an honest review. :)

[MZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars, need I say more? Ok a little bit then.
I decided to listen to the audiobook, which is something I usually do when driving or walking and because of that I end up listening to a book spread over multiple days. This one though, I couldn’t stop, I had to finish it all at once (luckily it was the weekend). Narration by Angela Dawe was just perfect, all these different accents is no easy task and she does a wonderful job.

Another excellent ice queen and of course also some appearances of the mother of ice queens, Elena Bartel. I’m not going to say more, but I enjoyed Felicity’s journey here. Besides ice queens, there are pets, so many adorable pets, you can’t help loving them (right Felicity?).

The humor is on point, I’m having a good week with humor in books, this was another one that really matched my kind of humor. The description of Cooper when Felicity first meets her is the best! And I always like a side story, which in this case is a small mystery that gives this little extra to the story. Long story short, just read it.

[Corrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This funny opposites-attract lesbian romance digs up the awkward truth about what really matters in life.

And that is the essence of The Awkward Truth in a nutshell. A classic Lee Winter and second book in the Truth series. Her ice queens rule!

I had a lot of fun with this one. Felicity Simmons stars in her own love story (and we even get a dose of Elena Bartell on the side). Bonus!

Winter is in a league of her own, so I don’t want to write an exhaustingly long review about how her stories tick all my boxes. And besides, y’all going to read it anyway. And if you weren’t planning on it… what’s wrong with you?!

f/f

Themes: when you reach the top of the mountain and there is nobody to share your success with.

5 Stars

[Heinerway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, wow, wow. Another excellent novel by the queen of ice-queens. Not strictly necessary, but I would recommend reading "The Brutal Truth" first for full enjoyment of this book.

[Della B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the rest of Lee Winter’s fans, I could not wait until The Awkward Truth was available to read. Winter owns the Ice Queen romance genre hands down. Her characters are unforgettable, career orientated, powerful women. Felicity Simmons fits this description perfectly. She was a minor character in The Brutal Truth however Winter knows better than to leave a good ice queen character behind. 
Felicity is being offered the control of an international media corporation if she can find out where her boss’s million dollar plus donation to a charity was spent. The charity is one which helps and cares for the animals of the homeless in the Bronx, NY.  The same charity who publicly declared they are on the precipice of bankruptcy. 
I was girding my loins waiting for the preaching about the homeless to begin and was pleasantly surprised. The sections about the homeless were educational yet they were not as I anticipated. The story overall was hugely entertaining and well written. Being a witness to Felicity’s growth and self awareness was riveting. She is redeemable and we all love an ice queen who becomes softened by love.
4.5⭐️

I received an advance review copy from Ylva Publishing and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Hess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll be the outlier here and say that this book didn't work for me at all. It is funny, well written and moralising as ----. Throughout this book Felicity is the one who does all the growing and makes all of the compromises. It is Felicity who has to adjust her worldview while the other adults around her are all kindly waiting for her to just "wake up and see the light".

I thought Cooper lacked an enormous amount of empathy. Strip away the socially & politically correct job title, and you have a character who judges Felicity for her awkwardness within minutes of meeting her & repeatedly thereafter. Throughout this book, it's either Cooper's way or the high way. At no point do Cooper, or any of the supporting characters, attempt to find merit in the way Felicity is at the start of the book. Instead, the general assumption appears to be that she's emotionally crippled and must be "helped?" as soon as possible.

I'm probably in the minority, but I found this attitude infuriating.

Demanding that someone must fit your worldview before they can fit into your life (even if I happen to agree with that worldview) is not a loving thing to do.

Nor is it kind.

I thought Felicity deserved better.

[K.J .]

Felicity Simmons is a brilliant lawyer. Felicity can rip through a contract like Edward Scissorhands. Felicity, the acting COO of Bartell Corp, is a force, albeit with prickles and edges and a chainsaw. Felicity Simmons finds people inexplicable, believing it is much more logical to work with numbers and paperwork and corporate takeovers than with humans. Humans have…human-ness.

Felicity only has two settings in life; brutal or awkward.

A brutality where people are simply not interesting. Their lives, their pets, their families are unnecessary information. That has no value if it can’t be used in furthering her career. She is the abrasive extra coarse sandpaper used to prepare hardwood floors.

Awkwardness like asking a worried employee why she would bother procreating if her children were going to fall ill.

So, yes. Felicity doesn’t understand people.

When her boss, media mogul Elena Bartell, gives her the task of investigating inconsistencies in the accounts of the charitable service, Living Ruff, which assists the pets of the homeless with free treatment and care, Felicity knows this is the task for her. After all, finding holes in contracts, accounts, and businesses in general, then ripping those holes apart to expose irregularities is Felicity’s forte. Plus she has a boss to impress. Elena’s approval would be the final boost that Felicity needs to reach the top rung of her ladder of ambition.

Felicity is quite sure she will not be distracted. She has a minor mystery to solve, a mentor to impress, and her life’s dream to fulfil. Even if a distraction might be exactly what she needs. How unfathomable.

Marching into the charity’s office in her Manolo Blahnik heels and business suit will certainly make a strong impression. Terrify the director. That sort of thing. Usually erases any need for pleasantries.

Dr Sandy Cooper, one of the vets at Living Ruff, wouldn’t know a Manolo Blahnik if she fell over it. But Dr Cooper, as Felicity discovers, is a rather striking and gorgeous soft-butch who looks as if she could toss a Shetland pony over one shoulder. Not that Felicity has any interest in an opinionated Amazon or her adorable fleabag of a dog even if both cause Felicity’s Manolos to stutter to a halt.

That’s a distraction. Isn’t it?

The problem with the highly distracting Dr Cooper is that she comes with baggage, such as pets and homeless people; neither of which Felicity has any interest in interacting with. There is no room in Felicity’s life for fluffy, cute and furry, or dirty, bitter and resigned and why would the two even need to be related?

Lee Winter investigates the macro, the big picture, looks out over the trees. There are homeless people in New York. Macro. There are charities who assist homeless people. Macro. Then she brilliantly researches the micro. It’s faultless. Do you know how many steps you have to walk up from the street to a charity’s front door in South Bronx? No? Lee does and research like that means that we can truly understand the juxtaposition of Felicity and her $4000 business suit, blinking in astonishment at a homeless person and their dog slumped against a brick wall, their possessions bundled into a shopping cart.

So, yes, The Awkward Truth is a commentary on a character - Felicity Simmons who has the social skills of an ice berg and we laugh at her ineptitude when she needs to interact with…well, anyone. We laugh at her awkwardness.

But this story is more. It’s a commentary about the awkwardness people feel when confronted by social chaos, social issues such as homelessness, and how and why the homeless find love and place and protection in their pets because love and place and protection have been stripped from their lives.

Living Ruff and the charity’s associated characters; Dr Cooper, Harvey Clifford (I don’t enough space to talk about Lee’s deliberate choice in naming this character Clifford), Mrs Brooks, Mitch and the various animals, including Brittany, an English cocker spaniel who burrows under Felicity’s hard exterior, waves from the parapet and yells, “Look! I found a heart!” drift through Felicity’s line of sight that her original mission loses focus.

Felicity’s objective is climbing the ladder of ambition. That vertical ladder of ambition. She is so close to the top and she has people to impress, people who will applaud her achievements, laud her ruthlessness at reaching that pinnacle. The problem with arriving at the top of that mountain…well, not only would you freeze to death, but you’ll shout from it in triumph and the silence will be deafening. You’re alone because the people who don’t matter won’t care and the people who do will wonder where you’ve gone.
But what if Felicity discovers that ambition is horizontal? What if horizontal ambition is a collective, gathering people who need protection, possibilities, a promise? What if Felicity begins to see that both directions are possible? What if she looks inside and discovers the possibilities and promise within?

Sometimes the truth can be awkward.

But mostly the truth smooths the edges, the prickles, and puts away the chainsaw.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story a lot, and Cooper and Felicity are somehow a great team even though they are such very different characters. Most of how their relationship grows is lovely, and the lively style of writing is great to deliver some dramatic and funny twists and turns. So, basically a clear 5 out of 5 stars book. However, it took a while to get used to Felicity, and some of what she thinks and does is ridiculously over the top. That being said, Felicity grows due to some painful experiences she has to go through and turns into a rather lovable character over time. So, without this growth I would have subtracted one star, but with it The Awkward Truth is definitely worth 5 out of 5 stars.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Brutal Truth is one of my absolute favorite books and Felicity Simmons one of my favorite supporting characters. In The Awkward Truth, Felicity is front and center, as she was always meant to be and I couldn't be happier that Lee Winter has given us this gift.

Felicity is in training to take over as COO for Bartell Corp once her boss and mentor moves permanently to Sydney to helm her fashion magazine. Felicity is thrilled all of her hard work has paid off but is still clueless as to the other reason Elena is moving to Australia. Elena gives Felicity the assignment to investigate Living Ruff charity. Felicity doesn't know what to make of Dr. Sandy Cooper and those gorgeous strong thighs, she can't seem to take her eyes off of.

The more time they spend together, Cooper sees cracks in Felicity's well constructed walls. She's not the heartless woman she projects, she actually loves animals, has compassion that she has worked so hard to hide and is filled with insecurities.  And Felicity, who was attracted to the "Amazonian goddess" pretty much from the moment they met, finds herself even more drawn to Cooper for her kindness.

There is really no writer I love more than Lee Winter. She is the absolute best, not just at ice queens, but at witty banter. Felicity never means to be hilarious but when one's filter is removed you never know what will come out. Felicity so intrigued me when I read The Brutal Truth because you just know that someone with that much snark has to have some deep-seeded insecurities.

The conversations Felicity has with Elena are spectacular and I love seeing Elena not only mentor her professionally, but also help her to realize she needs to be more empathetic. Felicity still not clueing into the nature of Elena's relationship with Maddie just makes me laugh. And in the same way Maddie's kindness helped to soften Elena, Cooper does the same for Felicity.

The Awkward Truth is fantastic but I would expect nothing less from Lee Winter. She's brilliant, Felicity Simmons is a delight and you should read this book. We're done!

ARC Provided by the author for an honest review.

https://sapphicbookreview.com/review/...

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felicity Simmons ! What can I say about Felicity that hasn’t been said ? She is one feisty lady and I simply adored all of her awkwardness, sassiness, iciness ! The lady knows what she wants and has no qualms going after it 😊 An excellent and enjoyable read.

5 ⭐️

Available in Scribd

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s nice to be surprised by the scope of a book that you thought might just be about the melting of a Ice Queen. This book proves itself to be so much more, …. that I binged the last third of it in one sitting.

Felicity Simmons is the Ice Queen, a corporate lawyer and soon to be the next COO of a large corporation, who is blunt beyond measure, doesn’t need friends and is driven to succeed and to always win. Her last task, before assuming the control of the corporation is to investigate some missing money, 1.4 million dollars, donated by her boss to a charity that provides veterinary services to the homeless. During her investigation, she meets Dr. Sandy Cooper, chief veterinarian for the charity (and very nice person). Felicity makes rounds with Dr. Cooper and learns about the plight of the homeless, and how many of them have only their pets to keep them company boosting their sprits and helping with their mental health. There is an attraction between the two MC’s and this attraction blossoms while the plot unfolds …. as the two try to solve what has happened to the missing donations.

This book has a couple of major components that become the focus for the development of the story. Homelessness and The price of success.

The scenarios laid out about the homeless population are heartbreaking. Stories about how people (just like you and me) become homeless through no fault of their own, and people who become homeless through mistakes they have made. What they have in common are their animals, something that loves them unconditionally, and what they have to go through in order to keep their animals healthy and physically with them. You feel too many of the stories are true. In this respect the book is very sympathetic to the homeless and the people who try to provide services for them. This provides our Ice Queen with some startling revelations.

Felicity has paid for her success. We see how driven Felicity is, how she is incapable of simple small talk, has no real friends, and is ruthless (she’s not a nice person), During the course of the story you come to understand why she is that way and you see the progress people can make when they really want to. When they have a reason. When they care about someone.

There are all these story lines going around that keep the plot interesting, but the last 1/4 of the book it becomes very clear, that above all else, this is a love story between two different types of people who just want to be in each others company because that’s where they feel wanted/safe/loved. How they get there, and the trials they go through are part of the journey of this book.

Incase that wasn’t enough, the book also has dogs and kittens .

If you need a dose of the warm and fuzzies this is for you.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book I ever read by Lee Winter was The Brutal Truth. I fell in love with her writing because of that novel. After that, I read every book and short story I could find of hers, and adored each & every tale. My favorites list is filled with her stories and now has a new addition with the latest novel by Ms. Winter, The Awkward Truth.

This is a “sidequel” of sorts (a term coined by Shannon Luchies for the author) since the books are set in the same universe and the same time period. With The Awkward Truth, we get to read the story of Felicity Simmons. Felicity is driven to be the best at her job, and to make it to the top of her field. She went from being the Chief of Staff at Bartell Corp to deputy COO for the company. Now she is about to become acting COO…the very top and most powerful position she can achieve in the company. Then the owner, Elena Bartell sends her out to investigate a charity that helps homeless people’s pets. There she meets veterinarian Dr. Sandy Cooper. Cooper is the total opposite to Felicity. Cooper is a soft-butch Amazon-sized vet with a heart of gold and a love for all animals. Felicity is a prim-and-proper ice-queen businesswoman, laser focused on her career. They seem to have nothing in common…except that chemistry that seems to grow each time they meet.

This is the perfect opposites attract, ice-queen romance with lovable characters (both human and animal), discussions of serious real life issues, and a minor mystery that is well written into the story. The tale is heartwarming, heartbreaking, hilarious, sarcastic, and romantic. It has everything you expect from a Lee Winter novel, and more.

You can read The Awkward Truth as a standalone novel if you wish, but I’m absolutely sure that once you do, you will want to read The Brutal Truth as well so you might as well get them both. They have my highest recommendation.

I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.

Rainbow Reflections: https://rainbowreflections.home.blog/

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hum. This is a 3.5 stars for me. A bit of a disappointment, only cause I was really excited at the idea of the book when I first heard about it. I really liked Felicity as a side character in the Brutal Truth, and I loooved the short story about her in Sliced Ice, but I found myself not really connecting with this story as much.

This is very much a personal preference thing—the fact that so much of this story was about love of animals wasn’t really my thing. I like animals just fine! I even enjoy being around some of them sometimes, but constantly hearing how great cats and dogs are, and how much people are total assholes if they don’t just adore them, and want them around all the time, and jumping on you and in your bed, etc. always annoys me. This book wasn’t quuuuite that, but it sure was “gosh animals are just the absolute best” a lot of the time.

This also felt (to me) a lot more like a character study than a romance story. And once I made that shift in my brain, I started enjoying it a bit more. I enjoyed being in felicity’s head, and I enjoyed seeing her grow, but I never really connected with the relationship between her and cooper all that much. They were clearly attracted to each other, idk, maybe because it takes place mostly over a week I just didn’t quite feel it as much as I was supposed to?

It certainly wasn’t bad by any means. Lee Winter is a wonderful writer, and some of her novels are my favorite sapphic stories out there, but a few of them have just kinda been okay for me, and this was one of them, I think. That said, I will def be excited to listen to this once it is an audiobook too, and I think others will enjoy this a lot more than I did. As it was, it was solidly okay for me and I’m glad I read it.

[Netgyrl (Laura) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars - Audible - Angela Dawe narrator

Lee Winters wrote a fabulous and unexpectedly amusing story. Angela Dawe took that story to the next level with her amazing acting skills and spot on voices and accents.

If you have not read this yet, and I know, as much as I love Lee Winters, I was not really feeling it for a story about Felicity - I have to say I can't reccoment the audio book enough. It's an interesting and engaging story with a bit of a mystery. Getting to learn who Felcity really was under her snarky and somewhat unlikable exterior was fun. Cooper the amazon vet was great. I really enjoyed this audio book a lot. It's is definitely going into my favs list for a re-listen soon.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the Audiobook narrated by Angela Dawe.
This was wonderful book narrated magnificently. Generally I am more of an Abby Craden girl than an Angela Dawe one. I mean she's a close second, but i still jump higher for a new Abby. Yet The Legendary Angela Dawe (as a friend calls her) and the Lesbian Writing God (as she calls Lee Winter) are made for each other. Breaking Character is one of my go to comfort listens for that very reason.
The Awkward Truth is just as subliiiiime. And it features a character from The Brutal Truth: namely the Elena Bartell ice queen mini-me lawyer, Felicity. Elena is grooming her to take her place as COO of Bartell Media Corp but first she sends Felicity on a mission to a charity to follow up on her 1.4 million dollar donation which seems to have vanished into thin air.
Thus follows an unravelling mystery which mirrors the unravelling of Felicity. Is she capable of compassion and empathy? And how will she cope with her attraction to a certain Amazon of a veterinarian who seems to have nothing in common with her.
Please do yourself a favour and listen to this to find out.

[Lexxi Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elena Bartell, star (or at least one of the main characters) of The Brutal Truth, has invested $1.5 million in a charity to help homeless people's pets. It is a bare bones operation operating in the Bronx. Two veterinarians, one receptionist who tackles many many more jobs, and one on site director (plus a board of family members). Computers are from the late 1990s. A charity that has announced, in a news article, that it is days away from closing due to lack of funds. Same charity, as noted, $1.5 million had just been injected into in September of the previous year (it is now March). Charity director, when Elena contacted them, gave every indication of running a scam. Therefore Elena sends her second in command, Felicity Simmons, to investigate. Felicity, by the way, is the 36/37 year old point of view character, and only POV character).

A lot of prickly and "odd" people get swept up in the "ice queen" title/into that category. One of these days I should probably look to see if there is an official definition for ice queen. I say all that becuase Felicity has been tagged with that title, ice queen, but she just seems adjacent/similar. There is just slightly off about tagging her with this title. Eh, I'm not 100% sure what I'm talking about. Elena seems much more of an ice queen (thawed) in this book, and there are certain things she says about herself that kind of shows the difference between Elena and Felicity. But let's just label Felicity the solo POV who gives off an ice queen impression. Also, while this book lies on the lesbian fiction shelf, that is because of the other main character, who is a lesbian. Felicity is bisexual.

Right, so. Felicity spends a week or more investigating that Bronx charity. Finds weirdness and possible issues. And, on first meeting of one of the vets at the charity, both mistakes the other main character as a homeless person trying to rob the charity van, and, once sees them from the front, lusts after the huge Amazonian goddess (or whatever words Felicity internally used). Dr. Sandy Cooper being the name of this Amazonian. Known mostly throughout this book as Cooper.

Felicity, due to a director constantly ducking interaction with Felicity, learns about the charity by following Cooper around as she does rounds in the city (meeting homeless and their pets, showing how incapable of talking Felicity can be), visits the in-house charity vet clinic; and visits a in-park homeless & homeless pet "day" (an event wherein companies give animals baths; have showers available for the humans, etc). That last one, the in-park event, is the one wherein Felicity shows what she is like when she isn't bumbling around failing to provide small talk. She showcases why she is Elena's second in command when she gets the mayor to do something the mayor doesn't want to do. All of which mentioned because this basically gets Cooper want to hump Felicity, or something like that.

I do not normally like solo POV books, but this one seems to do what it needed to do. I liked the characters on display, and the mystery untangled ("where'd that $1.5 million go?"). And the cat, Loki, and the dog, Brittany.

Rating: 4.75

December 10 2021

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really on the fence with this novel because there were things I liked and things that didn't work for me and things I wish I had a better context for since it's been years since I've read The Brutal Truth, which was a book that I liked but didn't love. Considering I can't remember anything about the book tells me my rating was probably pretty spot on. So I'm unsure as to the timeline of The Awkward Truth in comparison to the The Brutal Truth. All that to say, you can read this as a standalone and be okay, but Elena Bartell is a towering presence in this book and it would serve the reader immensely if they've read The Brutal Truth.

Okay, as for The Awkward Truth, Felicity Simmons has worked her ass off to her entire life and it's all culminated into a promotion--or rather The Promotion. She is poised to take over as acting COO of Bartell Corp when Elena Bartell takes leave to go to Australia and focus on editing her fashion magazines, assuming Felicity can successfully handle an important task for Elena before she leaves. A local charity to which Elena donated more than a million dollars in the previous year is advertising they're on the brink of closure, and Elena wants to understand who her money could have been so mismanaged in such a short time. It's an unusual assignment, but if anyone can find secrets hidden in dark corners, Felicity can, which is how she ends up at Living Ruff, a non-profit that serves the veterinary care needs of the pets of the local homeless population. It's also where she meets Dr. Sandy Cooper, Living Ruff's Amazonian veterinarian who Felicity is immediately attracted to. Unfortunately for Felicity, she can't keep her mouth shut and manages to offend Sandy, the homeless, and their pets almost immediately. But despite Felicity's callousness, she's stuck with Sandy and Living Ruff until she finds out where Elena's donation has gone.

Along with Elena and Felicity's relationship/mentorship, the mystery is, in my opinion, the strength of this novel. I was really invested what had happened and how and why, so I'm happy this novel gave me that. The romance left a lot to be desired and I just could not get into it. For someone so smart and confident and successful, Felicity really says the stupidest things--to the point I didn't find it believable. It's one thing to be ice-queenish and cold; it's another to be vile. And the thing is, Felicity isn't vile. And I know this gets explained in the narrative, but it didn't work. I didn't buy it. On the other end is Sandy Cooper who spends most of the novel judging Felicity and preaching at her on how to behave. But I'm supposed to believe she also finds Felicity's boss-bitch persona super attractive? I wasn't rooting against the romance, but I just didn't find them very romantic together. The dynamics, the chemistry was just off. And it never felt right to me, even when I was hoping for Felicity's happiness.

[Astrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tend to stay away from rating books that my publishing house has published. It feels... not okay to do this.

But I have to make an exception for this one. It's fluffy, clever, romantic - has everything I love in a really, really good book. And it has a (baby) ice queen, so to say :-)

So, here comes one of the exceptions to my own rule - kudos Lee Winter! This one really is a hit!

[Guerunche · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars
I was excited to learn that Felicity Simmons from The Brutal Truth was going to get her own book, though I had no idea where Lee Winter was going to go with it. Sure - we knew that Felicity was career-driven, tightly wound, socially awkward, blunt, icy and unintentionally hilarious at times, but what story did the author want to tell through her that was important enough to bring her back around?
Without beating us over the head with it, Winter yet again brings light to an issue that most of us see every day - homelessness. And not just those who live out on the streets, but those who have furry family members to keep them company and often, safe as well. No - this book isn't about homelessness per se, it's more about Felicity's growing awareness of the world around her and herself.
Media mogul Elena Bartell gives Felicity a job to complete before handing the reins of Bartell Corp over to her. After donating a considerable sum to a non-profit who assists those living on the streets with their pets the year prior, a news story is released that Living Ruff is in dire financial straits. Elena tasks Felicity to find out where her money went and why the organization is in trouble.
Felicity isn't worried she won't be able to get to the bottom of this. It's what she does, after all. But she gets much more than she bargained for when she visits the organization and meets their lead veterinarian Dr. Sandy Cooper. Described as a Brienne of Tarth type (Game of Thrones reference) this impressive, tall, strong Amazon of a woman is passionate about what she does and the people she helps. While waiting to speak to Living Ruff's director about the financials, she rides along with Cooper for the day and gets a real view of what these people's lives are like. And not all are who she expected them to be. She is also drawn to Cooper in a way that baffles her because she's SO not her type. Her type is other ambitious corporate lawyers who have a certain image. As her awakening unfolds, so does the mystery of what has happened at the non-profit.
It was great seeing Felicity's transformation in this story - in so many ways. She's been completely focused on her career and is about to reach the pinnacle of what she's always wanted at Bartell Corp, but because of this experience, she begins to realize that maybe there's more to life than corporate success.
This book is a worthy addition to the Brutal Truth universe. It's socially conscious and a bit heartbreaking, but also interesting, fun, and sexy as hell. I mean, REALLY sexy. Go, Felicity! And there's a wonderful new character in Sandy Cooper who, along with Elena Bartell herself, forces Felicity to examine who she is and what she wants.
A really fantastic read.

[Anna Avian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew uptight and awkward Felicity Simmons actually had a compassionate heart deep down.
Although this book can be read as a standalone I recommend reading The Brutal Truth first since the second installment gives some insight into why Elena Bartell chose Felicity as her successor.
Another brilliantly written ice queen with a mystery arc that I enjoyed very much.

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why did this book make me feel so much?? I don’t even know. I love Felicity and her complexity and her journey throughout the story, I love Cooper and her big beautiful heart, and I adore that precious dog Brittany! Even the mystery(?) part, which I normally don’t care about, kept me on the edge of my seat. And dang, this book is just so funny???? AHHH! This might be my favorite book of the year so far?????

Edited to add that I listened to the audiobook narrated by Angela Dawe, and the woman is an absolute goddess at voices and accents. If you’re thinking about listening to the audiobook, do yourself a favor and do it! 😍😍

[Sky Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!!!!!!! It has been so long since I read a 5 star book and this was just the best. Can I just say that Lee Winter honestly writes the best Ice queen books and this just did it for me. I loved everything about this book, absolutely everything. This was so great can't wait until I reread. Absolutely loved both the mains, the chemistry just everything about this. Wow!!!!!!! 5 Glowing stars