What do you think?
Rate this book
On The Record #1
The Red Files
ASIN moved from less recent edition
Rival reporters team up for the story of their careers in this lesbian romantic suspense filled with humor, twists, and one fierce ice queen.
Ambitious Daily Sentinel journalist Lauren King is chafing on LA’s vapid social circuit, reporting on glam, A-list parties while sparring with her rival—the formidable, icy Catherine Ayers.
Ayers is an ex-Washington DC political correspondent who suffered a humiliating fall from grace, and her acerbic tongue keeps everyone at bay. Everyone, that is, except knockabout Iowa girl King, who is undaunted, unimpressed and gives as good as she gets.
One night a curious story unfolds before their eyes: One business launch, 34 prostitutes and a pallet of missing pink champagne.
What on earth does it mean? King and Ayers join forces but they might find a lot more than just a passion for news on the dusty road to Nevada.
Rival reporters team up for the story of their careers in this lesbian romantic suspense filled with humor, twists, and one fierce ice queen.
Ambitious Daily Sentinel journalist Lauren King is chafing on LA’s vapid social circuit, reporting on glam, A-list parties while sparring with her rival—the formidable, icy Catherine Ayers.
Ayers is an ex-Washington DC political correspondent who suffered a humiliating fall from grace, and her acerbic tongue keeps everyone at bay. Everyone, that is, except knockabout Iowa girl King, who is undaunted, unimpressed and gives as good as she gets.
One night a curious story unfolds before their eyes: One business launch, 34 prostitutes and a pallet of missing pink champagne.
What on earth does it mean? King and Ayers join forces but they might find a lot more than just a passion for news on the dusty road to Nevada.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 31, 2015
192 people are currently reading
5955 people want to read
About the author
Lee Winter
35 books2,902 followersLee 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
Want to get in touch? Email: Leewinterauthor@gmail.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 468 reviews
June 27, 2021
I realized that the next review I did, was going to be my 400th Goodreads review. I decided to put down the ARC's and pick out a book that I have wanted to read for a long time. I absolutely loved Winter's, Requiem for Immortals, and after hearing such good things about The Red Files, I thought there was a good chance I would enjoy this. I'm happy to say this book absolutely lived up to my expectations.
I do have to admit, at the beginning of this book, my heart plummeted. I did not like it. I don't like that stereotypical vapid LA personality, and this was filled with it. Luckily that all started to change when the two mains were really introduced to us as readers. You have the Midwest farm girl, Lauren King vs. the ice cold "Caustic Queen", Catherine Ayers. What a yummy set-up for two characters to fall for each other. I had just read another book that looked like one of the mains was going to be this cold kind of character. But then the author pivoted and made her a total sweetheart. I'm glad Winter kept Ayers tough exterior. It kept the relationship on its toes, and made for some unbelievable chemistry. The kind of chemistry that jumps off the page at you. Winter, mentioned she modeled Ayers after Miranda Priestly from (DWP), to kind of give you an example of her type of attitude. She was tough and did hurt Lauren, but it made the payoff, of the relationship, all that more enjoyable.
I love a good mystery, love how the clues unfold, and trying to put together the pieces. I was so very impressed how Winter put the whole story together. I was totally sucked into it and really enjoyed it. It even had a bit of excitement to keep you as a reader on your toes. What also is good about this book is that you don't have to be a mystery fan to enjoy this. The mystery is not too hard hitting. Also, the chemistry, little bit of angst, and the flow of their relationship should work really well for romance fans. I would love to see if Winter will ever write a more hard hitting detective or PI type of mystery. The way her mind works, she could absolutely pull it off.
I know I'm late to the party on this one. So many of my Goodreads friends have already read this. I'm happy to say, the hype is real. Winter keeps impressing me with every book she writes. If you have this book on your to read list, don't keep putting it off like I did, it's too good to miss.
I do have to admit, at the beginning of this book, my heart plummeted. I did not like it. I don't like that stereotypical vapid LA personality, and this was filled with it. Luckily that all started to change when the two mains were really introduced to us as readers. You have the Midwest farm girl, Lauren King vs. the ice cold "Caustic Queen", Catherine Ayers. What a yummy set-up for two characters to fall for each other. I had just read another book that looked like one of the mains was going to be this cold kind of character. But then the author pivoted and made her a total sweetheart. I'm glad Winter kept Ayers tough exterior. It kept the relationship on its toes, and made for some unbelievable chemistry. The kind of chemistry that jumps off the page at you. Winter, mentioned she modeled Ayers after Miranda Priestly from (DWP), to kind of give you an example of her type of attitude. She was tough and did hurt Lauren, but it made the payoff, of the relationship, all that more enjoyable.
I love a good mystery, love how the clues unfold, and trying to put together the pieces. I was so very impressed how Winter put the whole story together. I was totally sucked into it and really enjoyed it. It even had a bit of excitement to keep you as a reader on your toes. What also is good about this book is that you don't have to be a mystery fan to enjoy this. The mystery is not too hard hitting. Also, the chemistry, little bit of angst, and the flow of their relationship should work really well for romance fans. I would love to see if Winter will ever write a more hard hitting detective or PI type of mystery. The way her mind works, she could absolutely pull it off.
I know I'm late to the party on this one. So many of my Goodreads friends have already read this. I'm happy to say, the hype is real. Winter keeps impressing me with every book she writes. If you have this book on your to read list, don't keep putting it off like I did, it's too good to miss.
August 12, 2018
Ok read! I was expecting so much more because of all the hype & hooplah that was surrounding this book but i just could not get into the plotline -- something just was not connecting with me. Only a touch of action here and there,pretty enjoyable chemistry between both leading ladies,nice interactive stories between the spies and those fickle detectives running around trying to solve all these terrible things happening. Upside to this book is the enjoyable conclusion because it sure leaves us/readers with that plot twister for the next.
October 4, 2015
Investigative reporters are a relatively rare breed in lesfic. Getting two of them together in one book and having them actually chase after a story the old-fashioned way is even rarer. That alone should be a good reason to snag this book.
But is it any good? Let's see.
Brash, ambitious and a with a good ear for the news, Lauren King got from writing about butter cows in Iowa to celebrity parties in L.A., but unfortunately, no further. On the other hand, Catherine Ayers career went in the other direction, from celebrated bureau chief of a news desk in Washington DC to lowly gossip columnist. Lauren had hoped her hard work, earnestness and interest in 'real' news would impress Ayers and net her a mentor and ally, but Ayers is cold, dismissive and downright vicious. An unusual development at a corporate launching pricked Lauren's news sense enough to raise an alarm. But Ayers smells it too and proposes a collaboration. Can Lauren stand going after the story with the Caustic Queen at her side 24/7 ? Can she even be trusted with not stealing the story for herself, knowing Ayers is itching for THE exclusive scoop to get her back in the game.
The author has a good ear for witty dialogue, and a keen eye for situation comedy. Her skits are laugh out loud and often ROFL-funny. But as the chase for the story begins to unearth dirty secrets and people start disappearing, the mood changes appropriately to one of urgency and danger. At first the mystery will seem silly and contrived (so much so that I was already prejudging the book as a lightweight romp) but nothing is as it seems, as our intrepid duo eventually find out. Twists and turns guarantee the reader's attention till the very end. I also liked how the author imbued such cliche supporting characters (gay bff, hacker pals, powerful supporter) with enough personality and stuff to do to make them stand out. Best of all, I liked how the romance (or almost lack of it) went. Ayers has had a lifetime building up her glacial front, and I was afraid the author would take the easy way out by having Lauren thaw her in one hot road trip. Its not that there isn't romance (its scorching hot when it flares, btw), just that the MCs don't let it get in the way of the all-important 'story'. When that's settled, a huge, huge payoff await the patient romantic (loved the angst!). A pack of tissues will come in handy. :)
This book joins a very rare club in my f/f reading history: Only two other books have ever hurt my tummy (from laughing) and my heart (from breaking) alternately in the same book: The Blind Side of Love and Mina Borsalino Flips Out. This is the third.
5 stars
P.S. Huh, I can't believe the author is Ozzie! Could have sworn she's Iowan, lol. Good job with the Americanisms!
ARC received from Netgalley
But is it any good? Let's see.
Brash, ambitious and a with a good ear for the news, Lauren King got from writing about butter cows in Iowa to celebrity parties in L.A., but unfortunately, no further. On the other hand, Catherine Ayers career went in the other direction, from celebrated bureau chief of a news desk in Washington DC to lowly gossip columnist. Lauren had hoped her hard work, earnestness and interest in 'real' news would impress Ayers and net her a mentor and ally, but Ayers is cold, dismissive and downright vicious. An unusual development at a corporate launching pricked Lauren's news sense enough to raise an alarm. But Ayers smells it too and proposes a collaboration. Can Lauren stand going after the story with the Caustic Queen at her side 24/7 ? Can she even be trusted with not stealing the story for herself, knowing Ayers is itching for THE exclusive scoop to get her back in the game.
The author has a good ear for witty dialogue, and a keen eye for situation comedy. Her skits are laugh out loud and often ROFL-funny. But as the chase for the story begins to unearth dirty secrets and people start disappearing, the mood changes appropriately to one of urgency and danger. At first the mystery will seem silly and contrived (so much so that I was already prejudging the book as a lightweight romp) but nothing is as it seems, as our intrepid duo eventually find out. Twists and turns guarantee the reader's attention till the very end. I also liked how the author imbued such cliche supporting characters (gay bff, hacker pals, powerful supporter) with enough personality and stuff to do to make them stand out. Best of all, I liked how the romance (or almost lack of it) went. Ayers has had a lifetime building up her glacial front, and I was afraid the author would take the easy way out by having Lauren thaw her in one hot road trip. Its not that there isn't romance (its scorching hot when it flares, btw), just that the MCs don't let it get in the way of the all-important 'story'. When that's settled, a huge, huge payoff await the patient romantic (loved the angst!). A pack of tissues will come in handy. :)
This book joins a very rare club in my f/f reading history: Only two other books have ever hurt my tummy (from laughing) and my heart (from breaking) alternately in the same book: The Blind Side of Love and Mina Borsalino Flips Out. This is the third.
5 stars
P.S. Huh, I can't believe the author is Ozzie! Could have sworn she's Iowan, lol. Good job with the Americanisms!
ARC received from Netgalley
July 13, 2025
➥ 4.5 Stars *:･ﾟ✧
REREAD (rounded down): Can’t believe it’s been 3 years. Surprisingly, this one didn’t hold up as strongly as I thought it would upon reread. A lot of the ice-queen…ing “acerbic” remarks were dated and didn’t age well. It just didn’t land…some we’re even a bit offensive. Catherine pokes fun a /lot/ at Lauren’s eating habits and where she’s from. The beginning felt more like workplace bullying than a truly competitive beat-for-beat dynamic thay I personally prefer. Later it’s a bit better, but I can’t help feel thay it could have been done better. My trouble is mainly with the romantic development. It’s choppy and it didn’t feel like Winter had managed to make the most of the romantic/vulnerable moments that there /were/. Like the nightmare, or the intimacy of spending such a long time road-tripping, or the danger they went through together. Winter needed to wring it for more, which I think she’s improved at over time. I will say that the plotline remains phenomenal though. I had completely forgotten the mystery before rereading, and it was just that good once again. I actually enjoyed Lauren a lot more upon reread. She was endearing: strong armed, a little rough around the edges, but sweet and earnest. I love the typical ice queen character, but Catherine really didn’t budge until she did a whole 180 at the very end. It needs to be more gradual to feel believable. Catherine and Lauren’s dynamic had a lot of potential, and I’m still endeared to it. But I could have done with seeing Catherine be a bit sweeter/more amorous like…ever? Like I said, at the end she’s PHEW, very wifey, but it was a bit whiplashy.
Ladies and gentlemen, Winter continues her streak of leaving me with my jaw hung and swinging as well as...blushing. For a while, Requiem for Immortals had been my favourite Winter book (before it was recently dethroned by The Awkward Truth), and I had mentally divided Winter's books into two categories: thriller + romance with darker themes, and romance focused with light elements of mystery, if any. Given the cover and title, I presumed this would be most aligned with the former category and I do believe I was largely correct in my assumption. Though...I feel like this is more of a middle ground between the two because both of our fmcs are regular people. Not...ahem...assassins. Lol. However, there are evident elements of crime and mystery, which were incredibly well done, in my opinion. I truly could never predict what was going to happen next in the trajectory of the story, so I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
I would say though, that considering Winter's tendency to write fantastic characters, both main and side, I was slightly disappointed with those here.
Apart from the characters, I have to say that I just love how Winter always knows what she's talking about. Although that sounds silly, I mean to say that I love the depth of every aspect of the book. I loved following journalists, and the fact that Winter has experience in that field is more than evident. Seeing these and other details just added so much to the story, and really allowed you to be sucked into this world.
Regarding the romance, though, I was left slightly wanting more. I loved the forced proximity of Lauren and Catherine having to go on a road trip and stay in hotels together, but I felt like there were so many missed opportunities to have will-they-won't-they situations. When , I would have liked for there to have been a moment where they both let their walls down, even just temporarily, to help their romance build up and progress.
Because of this lack of...progress...? I'd say that the first 60% of the book is quite dry in terms of romance. That's not to say that it was dreadfully boring, but since this novel is a mix of romance and mystery, I'd like to have seen a bit more balance of the two, rather than have larger chunks of each. Even the could have had more wrung from it, in my opinion.
Regardless, I absolutely adored , but also just Lauren spending time at in general. Catherine had more discrete ways of showing her love: .
I did love how they went by largely last name basis (Ayers and King), and who doesn't love that one gooey moment when they finally call each other by their first name in a moment of tenderness?
Anyway, as mentioned, I'd still like to have seen more of Catherine's, and even Lauren's soft side. When Catherine is she's described in such a soft, natural state, I found it breathtaking.
It's that intimacy only someone close to them get's to see. She was also in her pajama top, while Lauren was in hers. Overall just a small, yet touching moment.
Plot-wise, it was clearly elaborately thought out and therefore a pleasure to read. No complaints from me. I appreciate how there were no unnecessary side-character deaths (I hate when authors do that), though, I don't know how to feel about this plot being extended through to a sequel. I guess only time will tell, thus, my Winter binge continues!
“Inside,” she gasped.
Ayers paused as if considering whether to obey.
“Please.”
Lauren didn’t even recognize the plea as her own until Ayers’s face split into a knowing smile.
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
REREAD (rounded down): Can’t believe it’s been 3 years. Surprisingly, this one didn’t hold up as strongly as I thought it would upon reread. A lot of the ice-queen…ing “acerbic” remarks were dated and didn’t age well. It just didn’t land…some we’re even a bit offensive. Catherine pokes fun a /lot/ at Lauren’s eating habits and where she’s from. The beginning felt more like workplace bullying than a truly competitive beat-for-beat dynamic thay I personally prefer. Later it’s a bit better, but I can’t help feel thay it could have been done better. My trouble is mainly with the romantic development. It’s choppy and it didn’t feel like Winter had managed to make the most of the romantic/vulnerable moments that there /were/. Like the nightmare, or the intimacy of spending such a long time road-tripping, or the danger they went through together. Winter needed to wring it for more, which I think she’s improved at over time. I will say that the plotline remains phenomenal though. I had completely forgotten the mystery before rereading, and it was just that good once again. I actually enjoyed Lauren a lot more upon reread. She was endearing: strong armed, a little rough around the edges, but sweet and earnest. I love the typical ice queen character, but Catherine really didn’t budge until she did a whole 180 at the very end. It needs to be more gradual to feel believable. Catherine and Lauren’s dynamic had a lot of potential, and I’m still endeared to it. But I could have done with seeing Catherine be a bit sweeter/more amorous like…ever? Like I said, at the end she’s PHEW, very wifey, but it was a bit whiplashy.
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
Ladies and gentlemen, Winter continues her streak of leaving me with my jaw hung and swinging as well as...blushing. For a while, Requiem for Immortals had been my favourite Winter book (before it was recently dethroned by The Awkward Truth), and I had mentally divided Winter's books into two categories: thriller + romance with darker themes, and romance focused with light elements of mystery, if any. Given the cover and title, I presumed this would be most aligned with the former category and I do believe I was largely correct in my assumption. Though...I feel like this is more of a middle ground between the two because both of our fmcs are regular people. Not...ahem...assassins. Lol. However, there are evident elements of crime and mystery, which were incredibly well done, in my opinion. I truly could never predict what was going to happen next in the trajectory of the story, so I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
I would say though, that considering Winter's tendency to write fantastic characters, both main and side, I was slightly disappointed with those here.
➥ Catherine Ayers (h) was the character I liked more, between the two. She is the ice-queen here (of course) and I admit, she absolutely did have her (hot) moments. Just like with any of Winter's ice-queens, I would absolutely do anything they asked of me and I would in fact fall flat on my face with a splat if I were to meet them, but...I'm not sure if Catherine can compete with Felicity, Amelia, Elena and Elizabeth. Well, actually...maybe she can. But, her actions towards the end seemed a bit nonsensical, and I've been spoiled by Winter's tastefulness when creating conflict. So this at the end, felt odd. Though, I do passionately admit that Catherine was something else in the following novella, Flashbang. I just wish we had seen more of her tenderness in this book too.
➥ Lauren King (h), I was even less impressed by. I just found her to be generally annoying, and her expression was unrealistic. She was quite comical when interacting with Catherine, always yelling and exclaiming and saying silly embarrassing things. I much prefer the sunshinier heroine to be more like Summer from Breaking Character, which, to be fair, was published later, so it's nice to notice Winter's improvement in her novels. Still, because I couldn't quite love Lauren, it was marginally harder to enjoy the romance in general.
Apart from the characters, I have to say that I just love how Winter always knows what she's talking about. Although that sounds silly, I mean to say that I love the depth of every aspect of the book. I loved following journalists, and the fact that Winter has experience in that field is more than evident. Seeing these and other details just added so much to the story, and really allowed you to be sucked into this world.
Regarding the romance, though, I was left slightly wanting more. I loved the forced proximity of Lauren and Catherine having to go on a road trip and stay in hotels together, but I felt like there were so many missed opportunities to have will-they-won't-they situations. When , I would have liked for there to have been a moment where they both let their walls down, even just temporarily, to help their romance build up and progress.
Because of this lack of...progress...? I'd say that the first 60% of the book is quite dry in terms of romance. That's not to say that it was dreadfully boring, but since this novel is a mix of romance and mystery, I'd like to have seen a bit more balance of the two, rather than have larger chunks of each. Even the could have had more wrung from it, in my opinion.
Regardless, I absolutely adored , but also just Lauren spending time at in general. Catherine had more discrete ways of showing her love: .
Ayer's hands slid up into Lauren's hair, gently caressing, and her mouth dropped to near her ear. "What am I going to do with you? This can't happen. You must know that." Lauren recaptured her lips, kissing the protests away.
I did love how they went by largely last name basis (Ayers and King), and who doesn't love that one gooey moment when they finally call each other by their first name in a moment of tenderness?
Anyway, as mentioned, I'd still like to have seen more of Catherine's, and even Lauren's soft side. When Catherine is she's described in such a soft, natural state, I found it breathtaking.
Scrubbed free of make-up she looked much younger, as though the bruising weight of the world added a burden in years that she only carried in the waking hours. Her thick, auburn hair fell messily around her shoulders. Everything about her seemed softer.
It's that intimacy only someone close to them get's to see. She was also in her pajama top, while Lauren was in hers. Overall just a small, yet touching moment.
Plot-wise, it was clearly elaborately thought out and therefore a pleasure to read. No complaints from me. I appreciate how there were no unnecessary side-character deaths (I hate when authors do that), though, I don't know how to feel about this plot being extended through to a sequel. I guess only time will tell, thus, my Winter binge continues!
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
January 28, 2023
The Caustic Queen.
I re-read this book in anticipation of the two new ARCs that would feature the main antagonist of this series. Having read this one 3 years back, my memory was a little hazy. I knew we had two protagonists (both journalists) running around a lot trying to chase a story and I remember loving both these women, Catherine and Lauren, to bits. What I couldn't remember were the specifics and wish I did, especially how much Michelle Hastings, the antagonist, had hurt Catherine. Michelle doesn't appear in the 1st book but is discussed and the damage she had caused Catherine is apparent, both emotionally and professionally. After suffering a major blow to her reputation as a Washington political correspondent some years back, the icy Catherine now works at the same news agency as the young and ambitious Lauren.
I thoroughly enjoyed my re-read for several reasons. One, for most of the story, Catherine and Lauren chase a big story together and I've decided after my re-read that I really enjoyed their journey uncovering the truth. Two, Lee Winter is the author of ice queens and Catherine is one of the best. Catherine earned her title as the Caustic Queen and as a fan of the ice queen trope, I have a serious crush. Lauren is the complete opposite of Catherine and is one of the most sociable people around and I found myself liking her too. The difference between them is what makes them interesting and also one of the best matched couples I've come across. They start off like oil and water but they challenge each other and complement each other really well. Simply put, they have really good chemistry.
I think the re-read was better. I've never considered this to be one of my favourite of Winter's until now.
I re-read this book in anticipation of the two new ARCs that would feature the main antagonist of this series. Having read this one 3 years back, my memory was a little hazy. I knew we had two protagonists (both journalists) running around a lot trying to chase a story and I remember loving both these women, Catherine and Lauren, to bits. What I couldn't remember were the specifics and wish I did, especially how much Michelle Hastings, the antagonist, had hurt Catherine. Michelle doesn't appear in the 1st book but is discussed and the damage she had caused Catherine is apparent, both emotionally and professionally. After suffering a major blow to her reputation as a Washington political correspondent some years back, the icy Catherine now works at the same news agency as the young and ambitious Lauren.
I thoroughly enjoyed my re-read for several reasons. One, for most of the story, Catherine and Lauren chase a big story together and I've decided after my re-read that I really enjoyed their journey uncovering the truth. Two, Lee Winter is the author of ice queens and Catherine is one of the best. Catherine earned her title as the Caustic Queen and as a fan of the ice queen trope, I have a serious crush. Lauren is the complete opposite of Catherine and is one of the most sociable people around and I found myself liking her too. The difference between them is what makes them interesting and also one of the best matched couples I've come across. They start off like oil and water but they challenge each other and complement each other really well. Simply put, they have really good chemistry.
I think the re-read was better. I've never considered this to be one of my favourite of Winter's until now.
June 11, 2018
I finally came around to reading The Red Files, my second Lee Winter adventure (after The Brutal Truth). It solidified my opinion (like many other readers) that she is a formidable writer. I love a good Ice Queen character in my story and Winter does them so well.
Many have exalted over the book already (I am rather late in prying it out of my to-read pile) so I won’t go over the plot. The mystery was intelligent and complex and kept me guessing along the way, the romance was slow burn with just enough teasing build-up to keep us keen, the characters were well fleshed out and entertaining and the dialogue flowed well. All in all a really entertaining read.
It just makes me happy to know I still have 5 Lee Winter books to catch up to including the sequel to this one.
f/f explicit
Themes: Lauren is good with her hands, Catherine Ayers retains an air of mystery throughout, journalism at its finest, opposites attract, Ice Queens are so damn sexy.
4.2 stars
Many have exalted over the book already (I am rather late in prying it out of my to-read pile) so I won’t go over the plot. The mystery was intelligent and complex and kept me guessing along the way, the romance was slow burn with just enough teasing build-up to keep us keen, the characters were well fleshed out and entertaining and the dialogue flowed well. All in all a really entertaining read.
It just makes me happy to know I still have 5 Lee Winter books to catch up to including the sequel to this one.
f/f explicit
Themes: Lauren is good with her hands, Catherine Ayers retains an air of mystery throughout, journalism at its finest, opposites attract, Ice Queens are so damn sexy.
4.2 stars
October 14, 2018
First ever novel by Ms Winter I’ve read and definitely won’t be the last! Not a typical romance book for me but since recommended by a fellow GR friend, I decided to give it a go.
2 strong lady leads in journalist Lauren King and disgraced political journalist Catherine Ayers aka Caustic Queen. Nemesis in the field which they were assigned and hated - celebrity parties and gossip; both are forever taunting each other until they found a scoop and decided to work together. And that’s where the storyline got interesting!
Story got it all - mystery, suspense, romance, humour and some angst. Not going to write too much on the synopsis of this book given that there are plenty of it from GR readers but I won’t hesitate to recommend this book!
Moving on to the sequel now... 🚶♀️🚶♀️🚶♀️
2 strong lady leads in journalist Lauren King and disgraced political journalist Catherine Ayers aka Caustic Queen. Nemesis in the field which they were assigned and hated - celebrity parties and gossip; both are forever taunting each other until they found a scoop and decided to work together. And that’s where the storyline got interesting!
Story got it all - mystery, suspense, romance, humour and some angst. Not going to write too much on the synopsis of this book given that there are plenty of it from GR readers but I won’t hesitate to recommend this book!
Moving on to the sequel now... 🚶♀️🚶♀️🚶♀️
October 19, 2024
“It’s a scary thing,” Lauren suggested quietly, “to be so vulnerable to a simple look.”
Wow! I read this in one sitting, staying up until 5 a.m. because I just couldn’t put it down. I came for the love story between Catherine and Lauren (which I’ll get to), but I stayed for the incredible plot Winter created. The mystery and intrigue surrounding the news story Lauren and Catherine were covering was so well written—it had me hooked from the start! I’m honestly in awe of how authors like Winter can create such detailed worlds and characters, and then seamlessly weave them together into a well-rounded story.
The love story between Lauren and Catherine started a bit slow for my taste, only really picking up steam (excuse the pun 😉) around the 60% mark. But once it did, I was all in. The drama, the way they protected each other—it was all so gripping. I loved watching them go from enemies to lovers, and how realistic it felt set against everything they were dealing with in the world of political espionage. There wasn't a single eye-roll moment where their romance felt cliché or overly dramatic. I was wholeheartedly rooting for their relationship throughout the entire book.
Now, I’m off to read the second book in the series, Under Your Skin—I can’t wait to spend more time with my two favorite reporters!
Wow! I read this in one sitting, staying up until 5 a.m. because I just couldn’t put it down. I came for the love story between Catherine and Lauren (which I’ll get to), but I stayed for the incredible plot Winter created. The mystery and intrigue surrounding the news story Lauren and Catherine were covering was so well written—it had me hooked from the start! I’m honestly in awe of how authors like Winter can create such detailed worlds and characters, and then seamlessly weave them together into a well-rounded story.
The love story between Lauren and Catherine started a bit slow for my taste, only really picking up steam (excuse the pun 😉) around the 60% mark. But once it did, I was all in. The drama, the way they protected each other—it was all so gripping. I loved watching them go from enemies to lovers, and how realistic it felt set against everything they were dealing with in the world of political espionage. There wasn't a single eye-roll moment where their romance felt cliché or overly dramatic. I was wholeheartedly rooting for their relationship throughout the entire book.
Now, I’m off to read the second book in the series, Under Your Skin—I can’t wait to spend more time with my two favorite reporters!
July 8, 2017
I loved this book SO MUCH. Oh goodness. The dialogue is so crisp, the banter to perfect I was swooning at Lee Winter's writing ability. This is the best enemies-to-lovers story I've read, one of the best workplace romances, and my favourite 2015 book.
Full review at The Lesbian Review here: http://www.thelesbianreview.com/the-r...
2016 reread: I still love this book. It's not as tightly written as her other book, Requiem for Immortals, but The Red Files is still so specific to my tastes.
Listen to Brooklyn and I talk about it on our podcast here: http://thelesbiantalkshow.podbean.com...
Full review at The Lesbian Review here: http://www.thelesbianreview.com/the-r...
2016 reread: I still love this book. It's not as tightly written as her other book, Requiem for Immortals, but The Red Files is still so specific to my tastes.
Listen to Brooklyn and I talk about it on our podcast here: http://thelesbiantalkshow.podbean.com...
May 30, 2018
Winter really likes the caustic ice-queen. Fortunately so do I. This is a fantastic, fast-paced read about a bitter, seasoned political reporter fallen from grace and a younger, determined journalist stumbling across an oddity at one of the celebrity events they are covering. The oddity leads to questions, which leads to more questions and cover-ups.
There is not a lot of love lost between Lauren and Catherine but it makes for wonderful and witty dialogue. The mystery they have to unravel is unpredictable and riveting. I struggled to put this down, even though homework beckoned... loudly.
There is not a lot of love lost between Lauren and Catherine but it makes for wonderful and witty dialogue. The mystery they have to unravel is unpredictable and riveting. I struggled to put this down, even though homework beckoned... loudly.
April 24, 2021
Review of The Red Files by Lee Winter, audiobook narrated by Victoria Mei
I’ve read this book when was first released in 2015 and absolutely loved it but for some bizarre reason resisted listening to the audiobook. Maybe it’s because I’m not that familiar with narrator Victoria Mei even though I’ve only heard great things about her talent. I’m glad I’ve finally decided to give it a go, it was so much worth it.
Lauren King is a junior entertainment journalist with the dream of becoming a political columnist and an ice queen for a boss. Catherine Ayers was once a top political correspondent in Washington DC who was demoted to the newspaper entertainment department after a story gone wrong. Ayers seems fixated on making Lauren’s life miserable but when Lauren discovers a lead that could develop into a giant corruption story, both women start investigating together and, in the process, making enemies and falling for each other.
This is a mystery novel mixed with a heavy dose of romance. The romance is very typical of this author: opposites-attract, age gap, and ice queen tropes mixed in an explosive combination. Ms. Winter writes ice queens exquisitely in a witty, sardonic but oh so alluring way and Catherine Ayers is a fantastic example.
The novel is written in third person from Lauren’s point of view which makes Ayers even more aloof and intriguing, Ms. Winter writes beautifully the way Ayers’s walls start to crumble thanks to Lauren’s own appeal as an honest, naive, and straightforward county girl. Slowly but surely, the author builds rapport between the characters, all in the midst of a mystery that they need to solve until it’s impossible for them to deny their mutual attraction and hard not to act on it. Ms. Winter finds the perfect balance between action, mystery and romance that promises to keep the fans of both genres happy and entertained. The Red Files is Lee Winter’s debut novel which makes it even more impressive.
The audiobook is narrated by Victoria Mei who doesn’t seem to read much lesfic which is a pity because she does an excellent job. This is hands down the best female narrator for interpreting male voices, even better than Abby Craden or Angela Dawe, which says a lot. Considering there are quite a few male characters in this book, Ms. Mei was an excellent choice. The rest is equally impressive: her voices are all distinctive, the performance of emotions outstanding, the narration pace spot on. It definitely added value to an already excellent book. Highly recommended. 5 stars.
Length: 11 hours, 17 minutes
Available on Scribd
I’ve read this book when was first released in 2015 and absolutely loved it but for some bizarre reason resisted listening to the audiobook. Maybe it’s because I’m not that familiar with narrator Victoria Mei even though I’ve only heard great things about her talent. I’m glad I’ve finally decided to give it a go, it was so much worth it.
Lauren King is a junior entertainment journalist with the dream of becoming a political columnist and an ice queen for a boss. Catherine Ayers was once a top political correspondent in Washington DC who was demoted to the newspaper entertainment department after a story gone wrong. Ayers seems fixated on making Lauren’s life miserable but when Lauren discovers a lead that could develop into a giant corruption story, both women start investigating together and, in the process, making enemies and falling for each other.
This is a mystery novel mixed with a heavy dose of romance. The romance is very typical of this author: opposites-attract, age gap, and ice queen tropes mixed in an explosive combination. Ms. Winter writes ice queens exquisitely in a witty, sardonic but oh so alluring way and Catherine Ayers is a fantastic example.
The novel is written in third person from Lauren’s point of view which makes Ayers even more aloof and intriguing, Ms. Winter writes beautifully the way Ayers’s walls start to crumble thanks to Lauren’s own appeal as an honest, naive, and straightforward county girl. Slowly but surely, the author builds rapport between the characters, all in the midst of a mystery that they need to solve until it’s impossible for them to deny their mutual attraction and hard not to act on it. Ms. Winter finds the perfect balance between action, mystery and romance that promises to keep the fans of both genres happy and entertained. The Red Files is Lee Winter’s debut novel which makes it even more impressive.
The audiobook is narrated by Victoria Mei who doesn’t seem to read much lesfic which is a pity because she does an excellent job. This is hands down the best female narrator for interpreting male voices, even better than Abby Craden or Angela Dawe, which says a lot. Considering there are quite a few male characters in this book, Ms. Mei was an excellent choice. The rest is equally impressive: her voices are all distinctive, the performance of emotions outstanding, the narration pace spot on. It definitely added value to an already excellent book. Highly recommended. 5 stars.
Length: 11 hours, 17 minutes
Available on Scribd
March 23, 2018
I finally read this one. I have so many books in my shelf, sometime it’s difficult, to chose the next one. I always love a story which takes place in the media world. Maybe because I’m working for a newspaper too.
So this story is about two journalists, who are like fire and ice. There’s the ambitious Lauren King from the farmlands of Iowa, who, in the near future, want’s to be a political journalist and Catherine Ayers, the ic cold «Caustic Queen», who once was a respected political journalist in D.C. Catherine has suffered a humiliating fall from grace and was now reporting on the A-list parties in L.A. When Lauren begins to work in the same newspaper office, they are always clashing together and bitching. But when they decided to work together on a big story, which will be much bigger than they imagined, they have to find a way to overcome they differences.
I was hooked to the story they were looking for, from the beginning, it kept me on my toes. Winter describes and narrate very well all the twists and turns of the story, when they were revealed, including some mystery and angst.
It’s written from Laurens POV, and it worked very well, though normally I like it more from both main characters POV. But in this case, it keeps the excitement in the romance part. The romance is a really slow burning, but it was, what it needed. Otherwise it would have been too simple. I loved the banter, wit and conversations of Lauren and Catherine. Although sometimes Catherine was such a cold bitch.
I liked Lauren from the beginning, what I couldn’t say from Catherine. But Cat is a very interesting and multilayered person, every time, I was liking her a bit more, she acts like the most poisonous ice queen. Nevertheless, there was chemistry between the two.
For my taste, I would really love it, if there were a continuation. I would like to know how the story of them would go on.
My rating 4.75 stars.
So this story is about two journalists, who are like fire and ice. There’s the ambitious Lauren King from the farmlands of Iowa, who, in the near future, want’s to be a political journalist and Catherine Ayers, the ic cold «Caustic Queen», who once was a respected political journalist in D.C. Catherine has suffered a humiliating fall from grace and was now reporting on the A-list parties in L.A. When Lauren begins to work in the same newspaper office, they are always clashing together and bitching. But when they decided to work together on a big story, which will be much bigger than they imagined, they have to find a way to overcome they differences.
I was hooked to the story they were looking for, from the beginning, it kept me on my toes. Winter describes and narrate very well all the twists and turns of the story, when they were revealed, including some mystery and angst.
It’s written from Laurens POV, and it worked very well, though normally I like it more from both main characters POV. But in this case, it keeps the excitement in the romance part. The romance is a really slow burning, but it was, what it needed. Otherwise it would have been too simple. I loved the banter, wit and conversations of Lauren and Catherine. Although sometimes Catherine was such a cold bitch.
I liked Lauren from the beginning, what I couldn’t say from Catherine. But Cat is a very interesting and multilayered person, every time, I was liking her a bit more, she acts like the most poisonous ice queen. Nevertheless, there was chemistry between the two.
For my taste, I would really love it, if there were a continuation. I would like to know how the story of them would go on.
My rating 4.75 stars.
January 19, 2023
Update January 19, 2023: this is still so good! Read in prep for Winter’s new books.
Since I started with my discovery of Lee Winter’s books I have yet to be disappointed. Every time I finish a Winter’s book I am in awe of her writing and makes my expectations for the next read ridiculously high and every time I am pleasantly surprised.
No one writes an ice queen like Winter and a story with main characters who work in a setting Winter is very familiar with, make for a stellar combo. The story the mains are chasing for the paper shows in depth knowledge of the world of journalism. The pieces they need to fit into their puzzle are unexpected and leaves you wanting more.
Our mains, Lauren and Catherine, don’t like each other. Catherine is known as the Caustic Queen and Lauren is a bit more bubbly, and dreamy. The beginning of the book was a bit too LA with parties and hate between the two mains. But when the mains got hold of a real story, which just becomes a bigger mystery every time they find a new piece of the puzzle, the story really clicks into gear and the characters really click for me as well. Catherine is actually a sweetheart, which the author reveals slowly, but she keeps her tough exterior. That’s nice, you usually see an ice queen melt completely, but in my opinion this is better.
The characters are matched well, but if you are expecting some steamy romance your out of luck a bit. They aren’t really together for most of the book. When they do finally hook up, it’s just that. I love them together, but having the story be more about the journalism and the “friendship” is a nice change of pace. I have more books of Winter to discover and I can’t wait. I hope there are some more mysteries in there, I think she would write an amazing one.
Since I started with my discovery of Lee Winter’s books I have yet to be disappointed. Every time I finish a Winter’s book I am in awe of her writing and makes my expectations for the next read ridiculously high and every time I am pleasantly surprised.
No one writes an ice queen like Winter and a story with main characters who work in a setting Winter is very familiar with, make for a stellar combo. The story the mains are chasing for the paper shows in depth knowledge of the world of journalism. The pieces they need to fit into their puzzle are unexpected and leaves you wanting more.
Our mains, Lauren and Catherine, don’t like each other. Catherine is known as the Caustic Queen and Lauren is a bit more bubbly, and dreamy. The beginning of the book was a bit too LA with parties and hate between the two mains. But when the mains got hold of a real story, which just becomes a bigger mystery every time they find a new piece of the puzzle, the story really clicks into gear and the characters really click for me as well. Catherine is actually a sweetheart, which the author reveals slowly, but she keeps her tough exterior. That’s nice, you usually see an ice queen melt completely, but in my opinion this is better.
The characters are matched well, but if you are expecting some steamy romance your out of luck a bit. They aren’t really together for most of the book. When they do finally hook up, it’s just that. I love them together, but having the story be more about the journalism and the “friendship” is a nice change of pace. I have more books of Winter to discover and I can’t wait. I hope there are some more mysteries in there, I think she would write an amazing one.
March 13, 2020
I read this book ages ago but apparently this was before I did reviews. I believe it was my first by Ms. Winters and I remember being floored by it's detail, wit and multi-faceted story. Fast forward to now where I finished the audio version, and I still love it.
MC Catherine Ayers is an ice queen extraordinaire working as a "lowly" entertainment writer after a massive fall from grace as a reporter in Washington. No one knows all the details as to why, but everyone knows she's not warm and fuzzy. MC Lauren on the other hand is from Iowa, also writing for entertainment trying to get her big break, but is friendly, assertive and a total fire-cracker. She is ambitious and driven. Lauren stumbles upon some questionable activities and her and Catherine end up working together on an in-depth corruption story.
What I really liked about these two MCs was that the intense dislike of one another starts right from page one, as they have been working together the the Sentinel for awhile and have nothing but insults and barbs towards each other. This adds so much tension from the get go, rather than other stories where it's a newbie being introduced to an ice queen, or vice versa. Ms. Winters was stellar at building up dialogue, from snappy and insulting to a gradual understanding to friendly to loving. Never overdone, never cheesy, just a perfect pace.
The story itself involved many characters that I did mix up a few times, but ah well. There's payroll gone awry to politics to missing champagne to hookers to hackers to assassins in designer suits. Its a riot!
I had some issues with the ooozy inflections of the narrator for the first few chapters, mostly with Catherine's voice, as she sounded so much like Samantha from Sex in the City, and y'all know THAT voice. Yes she was the best character on the show, but her up and down voice normally talking about multiple orgasms all of a sudden coming through my ear buds invoking insults and judgment and payroll details had me VERY confused.
I digress.
I ended up getting used to and enjoying the narrator, her voice for Lauren was perfect, and I loved that by listening, I felt more of a connection b/w the characters from just reading. Even though the women are so, so different, they work together throughout the book for a common goal, gradually building respect and admiration, showing vulnerabilities, challenging each other like no other lesfic couple I have read. Solid 4.5/5 enthusiastic stars.
MC Catherine Ayers is an ice queen extraordinaire working as a "lowly" entertainment writer after a massive fall from grace as a reporter in Washington. No one knows all the details as to why, but everyone knows she's not warm and fuzzy. MC Lauren on the other hand is from Iowa, also writing for entertainment trying to get her big break, but is friendly, assertive and a total fire-cracker. She is ambitious and driven. Lauren stumbles upon some questionable activities and her and Catherine end up working together on an in-depth corruption story.
What I really liked about these two MCs was that the intense dislike of one another starts right from page one, as they have been working together the the Sentinel for awhile and have nothing but insults and barbs towards each other. This adds so much tension from the get go, rather than other stories where it's a newbie being introduced to an ice queen, or vice versa. Ms. Winters was stellar at building up dialogue, from snappy and insulting to a gradual understanding to friendly to loving. Never overdone, never cheesy, just a perfect pace.
The story itself involved many characters that I did mix up a few times, but ah well. There's payroll gone awry to politics to missing champagne to hookers to hackers to assassins in designer suits. Its a riot!
I had some issues with the ooozy inflections of the narrator for the first few chapters, mostly with Catherine's voice, as she sounded so much like Samantha from Sex in the City, and y'all know THAT voice. Yes she was the best character on the show, but her up and down voice normally talking about multiple orgasms all of a sudden coming through my ear buds invoking insults and judgment and payroll details had me VERY confused.
I digress.
I ended up getting used to and enjoying the narrator, her voice for Lauren was perfect, and I loved that by listening, I felt more of a connection b/w the characters from just reading. Even though the women are so, so different, they work together throughout the book for a common goal, gradually building respect and admiration, showing vulnerabilities, challenging each other like no other lesfic couple I have read. Solid 4.5/5 enthusiastic stars.
February 5, 2019
Two words: Lee Winter
June 28, 2019
I loved this book. It was exciting, funny, well written, had great characters and a lovely romance. I won’t say more than this as others have already written great reviews. 5 stars
October 30, 2015
This one starts off slow and I struggled to keep interested as Lauren King, intrepid entertainment writer for the Daily Sentinel bumbled about in the opening chapters. She traded barbs with the cold and professional Catherine Ayers and I thought this would be another down-on-her-luck country girl falls for glamorous former Bureau Chief romance novel. Cue the make out, break up, make up of a traditional romance.
Wow, was I wrong. Once these two reporters sniffed out something amiss in a room full of celebrities and Nevada hookers the story took off and I was drawn into the investigation. I was impressed with the author’s ability to build depth and tension into what initially seems like just an odd set of circumstances. It was a pleasure to watch the growing relationship between the two women as they dug through the clues and used any and all contacts to ferret out the truth. The witty dialogue was a nice balance to the increasing danger levels they faced. Their quirky collection of friends added another level of fun and complexity to the novel.
Best of both worlds, we get to enjoy a slow burn relationship along with a first rate investigative story that rivals anything the big name mainstream authors are marketing. Well done.
4.5 stars
ARC received from publisher via NetGalley for review.
Wow, was I wrong. Once these two reporters sniffed out something amiss in a room full of celebrities and Nevada hookers the story took off and I was drawn into the investigation. I was impressed with the author’s ability to build depth and tension into what initially seems like just an odd set of circumstances. It was a pleasure to watch the growing relationship between the two women as they dug through the clues and used any and all contacts to ferret out the truth. The witty dialogue was a nice balance to the increasing danger levels they faced. Their quirky collection of friends added another level of fun and complexity to the novel.
Best of both worlds, we get to enjoy a slow burn relationship along with a first rate investigative story that rivals anything the big name mainstream authors are marketing. Well done.
4.5 stars
ARC received from publisher via NetGalley for review.
December 1, 2015
So, I'm going to list all of the problems with this book now:
...Shortest review I've ever written. Perfect.
Okay, maybe that's too short, though it does hit the most important parts. I'd list everything the book did right, but no one has enough time to read a list that long. So, highlights:
• The characters are fantastic and fully realized.
• The mystery is exceptional.
• The editing and proofreading couldn't be better.
• The pacing is perfect.
As mentioned, there are more items I could make note of, so many more, but even a complete list wouldn't do this book justice. It's smart and funny, it's endearing and exciting. It's greater than the sum of its parts, and it's what this website was named for: a good read. So read it. Are you reading it? Good.
5 stars. Welcome to my favorites shelf.
...Shortest review I've ever written. Perfect.
Okay, maybe that's too short, though it does hit the most important parts. I'd list everything the book did right, but no one has enough time to read a list that long. So, highlights:
• The characters are fantastic and fully realized.
• The mystery is exceptional.
• The editing and proofreading couldn't be better.
• The pacing is perfect.
As mentioned, there are more items I could make note of, so many more, but even a complete list wouldn't do this book justice. It's smart and funny, it's endearing and exciting. It's greater than the sum of its parts, and it's what this website was named for: a good read. So read it. Are you reading it? Good.
5 stars. Welcome to my favorites shelf.
June 17, 2018
I have to thank everyone I follow on here for being so vocal about their love for this book, mainly because I was somewhat warned about the beginning, though it passed quickly, and that it was going to be amazing. They were all correct.
I have to start out with the fact that I don’t usually enjoy age-gap relationships, I have no concrete reason why other than that I shy away from them. I was a little “...” about this at the start and it all smoothed itself out into “!!!”’s quickly.
Lauren King, after we get more than a moment with her, is an unashamed country girl from Iowa that is itching to be a political journalist, but is biding her time as a party/celebrity reporter. She’s overqualified but inexperienced and is working closely with a previously lauded and now shamed fellow journalist, Catherine Ayers, who used to work the political beat and run her own newspaper bureau in DC, doing the celebrity gossip beat. What looks like catty infighting between two colleagues is veiled flirting and oneupmanship, and you can see the chemistry between the two early on despite the barbs and jabs the two readily toss at one another.
But let’s be real, this book isn’t a romance. At least it’s not just a romance. It’s a political mystery/thriller. What starts as a political party gone weird, turns into a race to find out what the deal is with a case of cheap pink champagne, a bunch of working girls bussed into LA from Nevada, and how all of this ties into an event for a new banking and payroll company.
This had me reeling, it’s all intrigue and twists and turns and clever jabs to distract from the truth that while two woman are desperately trying to uncover the truth and potentially a huge scandal, they’re also falling for one another. The scandal/overall plot and the way it unraveled (from pulling a loose thread, as Lauren or Catherine might say) kept me on my toes, I was too wrapped up in where it was going with them that I didn’t have time to speculate on who had been culpable outside their musings, and at the end I’m sat here wishing I’d thought ahead to look and see when the next book was published before finishing as I now have an agonizing three day wait. The horror.
A non-stop rollercoaster of a thriller with a shot of adrenaline and an abundance of chemistry. A must read.
I have to start out with the fact that I don’t usually enjoy age-gap relationships, I have no concrete reason why other than that I shy away from them. I was a little “...” about this at the start and it all smoothed itself out into “!!!”’s quickly.
Lauren King, after we get more than a moment with her, is an unashamed country girl from Iowa that is itching to be a political journalist, but is biding her time as a party/celebrity reporter. She’s overqualified but inexperienced and is working closely with a previously lauded and now shamed fellow journalist, Catherine Ayers, who used to work the political beat and run her own newspaper bureau in DC, doing the celebrity gossip beat. What looks like catty infighting between two colleagues is veiled flirting and oneupmanship, and you can see the chemistry between the two early on despite the barbs and jabs the two readily toss at one another.
But let’s be real, this book isn’t a romance. At least it’s not just a romance. It’s a political mystery/thriller. What starts as a political party gone weird, turns into a race to find out what the deal is with a case of cheap pink champagne, a bunch of working girls bussed into LA from Nevada, and how all of this ties into an event for a new banking and payroll company.
This had me reeling, it’s all intrigue and twists and turns and clever jabs to distract from the truth that while two woman are desperately trying to uncover the truth and potentially a huge scandal, they’re also falling for one another. The scandal/overall plot and the way it unraveled (from pulling a loose thread, as Lauren or Catherine might say) kept me on my toes, I was too wrapped up in where it was going with them that I didn’t have time to speculate on who had been culpable outside their musings, and at the end I’m sat here wishing I’d thought ahead to look and see when the next book was published before finishing as I now have an agonizing three day wait. The horror.
A non-stop rollercoaster of a thriller with a shot of adrenaline and an abundance of chemistry. A must read.
September 28, 2017
A friend of mine on Good-reads told me I should read this. So it came very highly recommended from someone who rarely gives out five stars, and who gave this if I remember correctly 4.5 stars rounded up to five. So, who am I to argue. She hasn't steered me wrong yet. So after reading this book I have to agree as I gave it five stars also.
I am seriously starting to really enjoy Winters books. I read Requiem For Immortals and was hooked after this Winters is now in my top ten authors. I will admit that the book starts a little too slowly, but it soon turns into a gripping mystery. The two main characters are from completely different walks of life. Lauren is from a farming community and Catherine from L.A. Both reporters and agree to work together to find their story. Me?, I just enjoyed the ride.
This book is full if intrigue, romance and even humor. Also a little mystery. Plenty of clues to keep you interested. But the red herrings threw me a few times. It is really well written and I really enjoy Winter's writing style. I would definitely recommend this book. Enjoy!
*ARC provided by publisher via Ylva Publishing*
I am seriously starting to really enjoy Winters books. I read Requiem For Immortals and was hooked after this Winters is now in my top ten authors. I will admit that the book starts a little too slowly, but it soon turns into a gripping mystery. The two main characters are from completely different walks of life. Lauren is from a farming community and Catherine from L.A. Both reporters and agree to work together to find their story. Me?, I just enjoyed the ride.
This book is full if intrigue, romance and even humor. Also a little mystery. Plenty of clues to keep you interested. But the red herrings threw me a few times. It is really well written and I really enjoy Winter's writing style. I would definitely recommend this book. Enjoy!
*ARC provided by publisher via Ylva Publishing*
September 17, 2021
26/09/2020: This was my third Lee Winter book and I can now say without a shadow of a doubt that she is my favorite wlw writer of all time!! All the books are masterpieces! This one included! Just wow! So good 🤩 All that mystery and journalistic research was such a thrill. I was so excited while reading as if I was there with the main characters trying to find out what was going on. Not to mention the chemistry!!! Lauren and Catherine 🔥 PHEW! Lauren the sweet softie and Catherine the ice queen = mind-blowing intensity and all that banter just had me smiling so hard. Simply amazing! I love when plots don’t focus only on the romance but give us an actual plot as well. And this book did exactly that 🙌🏻😍 100% recommend!
16/09/2021 (reread): Just bloody amazing!!!! Listened to the audiobook this time and wow! Lee Winter’s masterpiece stories are legit everything I’ve ever wanted and more 🥰
16/09/2021 (reread): Just bloody amazing!!!! Listened to the audiobook this time and wow! Lee Winter’s masterpiece stories are legit everything I’ve ever wanted and more 🥰
November 4, 2021
It took me long to start reading this book. Shame on me. Especially because I love ice queen romances, and it is a truth universally acknowledged, that Lee Winter's ice queens are just out of this world.
Now I'm continuing with "Flashbang", and later with "Under Your Skin".
Now I'm continuing with "Flashbang", and later with "Under Your Skin".
January 21, 2023
If it's possible, I loved this book even more the second time!
June 30, 2016
God, and to think I almost gave up on this book because the first chapters weren't catching my interest. That would've been such a huge mistake I'm very glad I didn't make.
What a fantastic book. It nailed everything: great, complex characters; interesting, well-paced mystery; amazing romance; and if that wasn't enough, some parts had the feminist in me almost shedding tears of joy.
I can't stress how amazing the characters were. Lauren too, but especially Catherine — her backstory was revealed just slowly enough so that from the beginning I had an idea she couldn't be entirely bad, but kept me waiting anxiously for the details of what happened. And when it finally did, all I could think was, damn, this is an extraordinary character. You can't write a story about female journalists in politics without at least acknowledging how much sexism they must put up with to get anywhere, and this book did that and more — it was incorporated directly into Catherine's backstory and why she was the way she was. Sexism played a huge role in her fall from grace, and she's got that rage and determination to get back everything that was taken from her. Catherine fucking Ayers is a full-fledged badass, and alongside Lauren King, they're absolutely unstoppable.
The way their dynamic was developed was outstanding. Lauren was fearless and mercilessly dragged Catherine out of her comfort zone, and she was just what Catherine needed in her life. But it wasn't easy, and I felt the heartbreak along with both of them. Nothing about it was cliché or predictable, and it was a joy to read.
Jem, Tiff and Jenna already said everything I had to say in their wonderful reviews. Everything about this book makes it more than deserving of a spot in my favorites shelf. It's a shame Lee Winter hasn't published anything else except for a short story from this book's universe, because I would honestly read anything else written by her.
What a fantastic book. It nailed everything: great, complex characters; interesting, well-paced mystery; amazing romance; and if that wasn't enough, some parts had the feminist in me almost shedding tears of joy.
I can't stress how amazing the characters were. Lauren too, but especially Catherine — her backstory was revealed just slowly enough so that from the beginning I had an idea she couldn't be entirely bad, but kept me waiting anxiously for the details of what happened. And when it finally did, all I could think was, damn, this is an extraordinary character. You can't write a story about female journalists in politics without at least acknowledging how much sexism they must put up with to get anywhere, and this book did that and more — it was incorporated directly into Catherine's backstory and why she was the way she was. Sexism played a huge role in her fall from grace, and she's got that rage and determination to get back everything that was taken from her. Catherine fucking Ayers is a full-fledged badass, and alongside Lauren King, they're absolutely unstoppable.
The way their dynamic was developed was outstanding. Lauren was fearless and mercilessly dragged Catherine out of her comfort zone, and she was just what Catherine needed in her life. But it wasn't easy, and I felt the heartbreak along with both of them. Nothing about it was cliché or predictable, and it was a joy to read.
Jem, Tiff and Jenna already said everything I had to say in their wonderful reviews. Everything about this book makes it more than deserving of a spot in my favorites shelf. It's a shame Lee Winter hasn't published anything else except for a short story from this book's universe, because I would honestly read anything else written by her.
June 12, 2024
Lee Winter… Everybody told me that I simply had to read her. And I’d added a number of books onto my TBR pile. Goodness knows why I waited so long to get to any of them. As it happens, I just started an audio of another of Ms. Winter’s books when I bumped into The Red Files on NetGalley. Well, yes please, I’d love a peek at those!
An earlier novel in Lee Winter’s career, The Red Files didn’t hit with me immediately in the way one of her more recent books, the one I first read (listened to) did. This features the common tropes of opposites attract and ice queen, but for me, in the opening chapters, I felt the two girls were too far apart in their stories and scenes together.
Of course this is Lee Winter, and I quickly learned that I should have no fear about how the story will progress and pull me into it. Even if you feel similarly to me (tho you likely won’t cos I was probably comparing one Lee Winter book I loved with this one, but too early) and it feels like you need a few chapters to get into it, then hang in there because the journalistic investigative mystery on its own sustains the story. Within the plot the romance is weaved within, this is a slow-burn romance, and I promise you that you’ll enjoy it all the more for that. That’s not always the case for me, but most definitely was here.
Lee Winter, I’ve found, writes flowing prose and inter-character narrative and dialogue that fully sparkles. By the end of the story, I was utterly in love with both girls and their journey to each other, and I immediately procured a copy of the sequel, which I think is recommendation enough, right?
4.5 stars bumped up to 5 because it climbs higher and higher the more you progress through the pages, and by the end, Lee Winter leaves you panting for more!
Thank you to the author, to Ylva Publishing, and to NetGalley for the chance to read this and give my honest opinion.
An earlier novel in Lee Winter’s career, The Red Files didn’t hit with me immediately in the way one of her more recent books, the one I first read (listened to) did. This features the common tropes of opposites attract and ice queen, but for me, in the opening chapters, I felt the two girls were too far apart in their stories and scenes together.
Of course this is Lee Winter, and I quickly learned that I should have no fear about how the story will progress and pull me into it. Even if you feel similarly to me (tho you likely won’t cos I was probably comparing one Lee Winter book I loved with this one, but too early) and it feels like you need a few chapters to get into it, then hang in there because the journalistic investigative mystery on its own sustains the story. Within the plot the romance is weaved within, this is a slow-burn romance, and I promise you that you’ll enjoy it all the more for that. That’s not always the case for me, but most definitely was here.
Lee Winter, I’ve found, writes flowing prose and inter-character narrative and dialogue that fully sparkles. By the end of the story, I was utterly in love with both girls and their journey to each other, and I immediately procured a copy of the sequel, which I think is recommendation enough, right?
4.5 stars bumped up to 5 because it climbs higher and higher the more you progress through the pages, and by the end, Lee Winter leaves you panting for more!
Thank you to the author, to Ylva Publishing, and to NetGalley for the chance to read this and give my honest opinion.
October 17, 2018
Stop! If you're looking for a straight up romance, then pick another book but do come back to this once you're looking for a joyride and romance, of course. This book pushes my adrenaline button on, it makes me giddy with anticipation on how innocent this big corporation is and the very influential individuals behind it.
The two reporters, despite their mutual dislike, makes a deal to work together without backstabbing and killing each other along the way to uncover the truth. Throughout their investigation, they face dangers at almost every corner, work with a limited financial+time budget, interview interesting witnesses[including a very sharp minded Madam] and discovering the disliked feeling have changed to admiration, trust, and love :)
The outcome?
The reveal of one of the biggest scandal of the decade, career upgrades for both and the best of all, the hs continued the next part of their lives as a couple.
Catherine Ayers and Lauren King are pretty terrific on their own but together they are phenomenal and if you are a villain, you should lawyer up immediately.
This book is unavailable on KU / Available on Scribd. Kindle price is USD9.99
The two reporters, despite their mutual dislike, makes a deal to work together without backstabbing and killing each other along the way to uncover the truth. Throughout their investigation, they face dangers at almost every corner, work with a limited financial+time budget, interview interesting witnesses[including a very sharp minded Madam] and discovering the disliked feeling have changed to admiration, trust, and love :)
The outcome?
The reveal of one of the biggest scandal of the decade, career upgrades for both and the best of all, the hs continued the next part of their lives as a couple.
Catherine Ayers and Lauren King are pretty terrific on their own but together they are phenomenal and if you are a villain, you should lawyer up immediately.
This book is unavailable on KU / Available on Scribd. Kindle price is USD9.99
January 14, 2021
This was a decent investigative mystery with romance elements that worked in the end, but only barely.
The plot had a strong and steady pace and that held my interest throughout. I had to consciously suppress what I know about the details because I'm more than passingly familiar with tech and security (fields that lie at the heart of their investigation) and while the trappings hold together fine the details simply don't. Which is frankly to be expected and Winter does a great job putting together the framework such that the motivations driving the various parties involved hold together amazingly well. And I particularly liked that she gave many of the opponents Lauren and Catherine face complex backgrounds that made their interactions move from cooperation to opposition in a fluid, but reasonable, manner.
Until the epilogue, I was going to say that the romance felt rather lacking, however. This is mostly down to Catherine being so closed off for so long and holding onto her standoffishness all the way through a dark moment. At that point, I didn't actually buy that what they had had enough foundation to last at all. It was a beginning, but it didn't feel like enough. And I was skeptical that an epilogue could pull it together, but that turned out to be a premature evaluation. And it wasn't even that the epilogue was idealized or anything. Quite the opposite, in fact. Instead, it showed the compromises they had made and many of the accommodations in their relationship. But better than that, though, is that it showed how they had become a team and why it is that they stayed together. And why they'd make the choices and sacrifices in future to remain together. It was a really fantastic piece of work, frankly, and redeemed the whole romantic arc for me.
So this ends up with a wobbly 4½ stars that I'm rounding up for the romantic redemption, the strong mystery, and the next note that surprised me in a great way.
A note about Politics: Winter does a great job keeping this apolitical, which is an achievement when the story is fundamentally about government corruption. No parties are mentioned and we don't meet any politicians who are pure and good or anything like it. So while the primary corruption is in Nevada (and presumably involved Republicans), there are explicit indications that it reaches into everything everywhere. Her characters, dedicated journalists, even call out the sad state of modern journalism for being shallow and too willing to take a party line for their own story angle, even, and including, their acknowledged model, Helen Thomas. This was unexpected for me because I'd think that the one subgenre where you didn't need to worry about offending a large percentage of your audience for taking sides would be a lesbian romance. I know that no single group is monolithic in outlook, but those in the audience who weren't actual Democrats would at least be used to messages from that perspective in their art and entertainment. So Winter did an incredibly good job with a difficult thing that she probably didn't have to do at all. It maybe helped that this was published in 2015, so before some of the more heated polarization the last four years have been.
A note about Steamy: There is a single explicit sex scene, though with a memory back with more detail later. It's the light side of my steam tolerance. I actually didn't like how it played out on the emotional/intimacy level, though it was completely in character all around.
The plot had a strong and steady pace and that held my interest throughout. I had to consciously suppress what I know about the details because I'm more than passingly familiar with tech and security (fields that lie at the heart of their investigation) and while the trappings hold together fine the details simply don't. Which is frankly to be expected and Winter does a great job putting together the framework such that the motivations driving the various parties involved hold together amazingly well. And I particularly liked that she gave many of the opponents Lauren and Catherine face complex backgrounds that made their interactions move from cooperation to opposition in a fluid, but reasonable, manner.
Until the epilogue, I was going to say that the romance felt rather lacking, however. This is mostly down to Catherine being so closed off for so long and holding onto her standoffishness all the way through a dark moment. At that point, I didn't actually buy that what they had had enough foundation to last at all. It was a beginning, but it didn't feel like enough. And I was skeptical that an epilogue could pull it together, but that turned out to be a premature evaluation. And it wasn't even that the epilogue was idealized or anything. Quite the opposite, in fact. Instead, it showed the compromises they had made and many of the accommodations in their relationship. But better than that, though, is that it showed how they had become a team and why it is that they stayed together. And why they'd make the choices and sacrifices in future to remain together. It was a really fantastic piece of work, frankly, and redeemed the whole romantic arc for me.
So this ends up with a wobbly 4½ stars that I'm rounding up for the romantic redemption, the strong mystery, and the next note that surprised me in a great way.
A note about Politics: Winter does a great job keeping this apolitical, which is an achievement when the story is fundamentally about government corruption. No parties are mentioned and we don't meet any politicians who are pure and good or anything like it. So while the primary corruption is in Nevada (and presumably involved Republicans), there are explicit indications that it reaches into everything everywhere. Her characters, dedicated journalists, even call out the sad state of modern journalism for being shallow and too willing to take a party line for their own story angle, even, and including, their acknowledged model, Helen Thomas. This was unexpected for me because I'd think that the one subgenre where you didn't need to worry about offending a large percentage of your audience for taking sides would be a lesbian romance. I know that no single group is monolithic in outlook, but those in the audience who weren't actual Democrats would at least be used to messages from that perspective in their art and entertainment. So Winter did an incredibly good job with a difficult thing that she probably didn't have to do at all. It maybe helped that this was published in 2015, so before some of the more heated polarization the last four years have been.
A note about Steamy: There is a single explicit sex scene, though with a memory back with more detail later. It's the light side of my steam tolerance. I actually didn't like how it played out on the emotional/intimacy level, though it was completely in character all around.
December 25, 2015
Whoa, wow, awesome! These are some of the adjectives that may fly out of your mouth as you finish The Red Files by Lee Winter. What an amazing book. Ms. Winter did everything right with this one. The mystery is multi-layered, the characters are fascinating and tenacious. Oh yeah, the romance is pretty damn good too! To say I was blown away would be an understatement.
Lauren King is a journalist for the LA Centennial. She writes about the celebrities glittering the screens of Hollywood and what parties the who's-who are attending. She has zero desire to do this type of frivolous reporting. Lauren is an ambitious investigative reporter who is chomping at the bit to get the go ahead to report real news. Lauren is smart, thoughtful and fearless.
Catherine Ayers is a blue blooded, ex-Washington bureau chief. She has been abused by the good-ol boy club that runs politics. She was forced out of DC by a political maneuver that took her career and all her supposed friends. Ayers is now being forced to suffer out the remainder of her contract by being the Centennial's gossip page reporter. Catherine is vicious, cold and has a tongue that will slash her foes to threads. She is also extraordinarily intelligent, honest and at the perfect moments, she is tender.
Catherine and Lauren are like oil and water. These two get extreme pleasure out of making the other one squirm. It is delightful! They treat each other as arch rivals. Both of these women are being held back career wise, so they use the other as their scratching post. Claws out! Their banter is legendary, quick wit that is not only humorous, but also very smart. There were times the barbs they threw at each other caused me to wince, but every time they redeemed themselves.
The meat of the book is a muti-layered mystery involving a start-up corporation and with a big brother complex. I won't go to any details, I definitely do not want to ruin this for any would-be readers. The story is so good! This is fast paced novel, by a great storyteller. The book is the perfect length, I never felt like we were rushing to wrap it up and put a bow on it. This book is solid gold.
Lauren King is a journalist for the LA Centennial. She writes about the celebrities glittering the screens of Hollywood and what parties the who's-who are attending. She has zero desire to do this type of frivolous reporting. Lauren is an ambitious investigative reporter who is chomping at the bit to get the go ahead to report real news. Lauren is smart, thoughtful and fearless.
Catherine Ayers is a blue blooded, ex-Washington bureau chief. She has been abused by the good-ol boy club that runs politics. She was forced out of DC by a political maneuver that took her career and all her supposed friends. Ayers is now being forced to suffer out the remainder of her contract by being the Centennial's gossip page reporter. Catherine is vicious, cold and has a tongue that will slash her foes to threads. She is also extraordinarily intelligent, honest and at the perfect moments, she is tender.
Catherine and Lauren are like oil and water. These two get extreme pleasure out of making the other one squirm. It is delightful! They treat each other as arch rivals. Both of these women are being held back career wise, so they use the other as their scratching post. Claws out! Their banter is legendary, quick wit that is not only humorous, but also very smart. There were times the barbs they threw at each other caused me to wince, but every time they redeemed themselves.
The meat of the book is a muti-layered mystery involving a start-up corporation and with a big brother complex. I won't go to any details, I definitely do not want to ruin this for any would-be readers. The story is so good! This is fast paced novel, by a great storyteller. The book is the perfect length, I never felt like we were rushing to wrap it up and put a bow on it. This book is solid gold.
February 24, 2017
As mysteries go, this was a pretty good one. The mystery aspect is not predictable at all which is unique. We don't know the who, why, or the how and it takes a long time to get there which is intentional.
The author has a journalism background herself and I think that really lent to the story. The leads get one nugget of information that connects to another and then another and we're right there on the journey as things are figured out. I didn't even bother guessing around the mystery, instead just going along for the ride. The plot is quite complex but it all weaves together nicely and the whole unraveling of the actual crime was really interesting. It also has a very topical feel.
This is a really different type of mystery which I think *could* be a spoiler so if you don't want to know, skip the spoiler hyperlink and, if you're curious, read on...
For the romance, it's a slow burn and the interactions between Lauren and Catherine feels real. It's the classic love/hate buddy film type setup and the author made both characters really strong in different ways so they worked well as a team. I never found the book "funny" but it's definitely entertaining.
All of the characters from big to small were fleshed out and completely distinct. Most characters were so vivid they jumped right off the page. Also, something about the book made it highly visual for me.
As for the balance of mystery to romance I felt the ratio was something like a 60/40 split.
I didn't come away *loving* this book but I certainly liked it.
Recommend.
The author has a journalism background herself and I think that really lent to the story. The leads get one nugget of information that connects to another and then another and we're right there on the journey as things are figured out. I didn't even bother guessing around the mystery, instead just going along for the ride. The plot is quite complex but it all weaves together nicely and the whole unraveling of the actual crime was really interesting. It also has a very topical feel.
This is a really different type of mystery which I think *could* be a spoiler so if you don't want to know, skip the spoiler hyperlink and, if you're curious, read on...
For the romance, it's a slow burn and the interactions between Lauren and Catherine feels real. It's the classic love/hate buddy film type setup and the author made both characters really strong in different ways so they worked well as a team. I never found the book "funny" but it's definitely entertaining.
All of the characters from big to small were fleshed out and completely distinct. Most characters were so vivid they jumped right off the page. Also, something about the book made it highly visual for me.
As for the balance of mystery to romance I felt the ratio was something like a 60/40 split.
I didn't come away *loving* this book but I certainly liked it.
Recommend.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 468 reviews