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Swann Song
Christine Swann (30) is a world-famous singer/songwriter and lesbian icon, known for her edgy style and heart-pounding songs. Gorgeous, rich and miserable. Her music has always been her life, her escape from an unimaginable childhood, and choices no thirteen-year-old should have to make.
Now, pushing thirty, she wants out. From all of it.
Willow Bowman (35) lives in the farmhouse her beloved grandmother left her, with her husband. A pediatric nurse and small-town girl, she relishes in the safety of her marriage that keeps difficult questions at bay and keeps her life quiet and peaceful, because that makes sense to her.
Until one night when Willow is driving home and is about to cross the old, rickety Dittman Bridge not far from the farmhouse, and she sees a figure jump off into the cold waters below.
The moment she jumps in and pulls the woman dressed in leather pants out, both their lives change forever.
Now, pushing thirty, she wants out. From all of it.
Willow Bowman (35) lives in the farmhouse her beloved grandmother left her, with her husband. A pediatric nurse and small-town girl, she relishes in the safety of her marriage that keeps difficult questions at bay and keeps her life quiet and peaceful, because that makes sense to her.
Until one night when Willow is driving home and is about to cross the old, rickety Dittman Bridge not far from the farmhouse, and she sees a figure jump off into the cold waters below.
The moment she jumps in and pulls the woman dressed in leather pants out, both their lives change forever.
303 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2022
8 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Kim Pritekel
74 books152 followersKim Pritekel is a published author living in Denver, Colorado. She is also a very popular online author of many novels, novellas and short stories. She is the Royal Academy of Bards 2005 Hall of Fame Author.
Her love of writing began at age 9, and she wrote her first novel at age 12, wishing to follow in the footsteps of childhood idol, S.E. Hinton. She was published for the first time at age 24 with her novel, First.
Kim has followed her dreams right into the film industry, writing screenplays for production companies in Los Angeles, as well as for her own production company, Asp Films with business partner, Kelly Neal. Their first feature film, Self Portrait – written, directed and co-produced by Kim – premiered in Denver in June of 2013.
She enjoys spending time with her family, friends and her beloved cats. She is always adding to her ever-growing collection of swords and historic memorabilia. She is a huge fan of music, including musical theater. The "musical" love of her life is Sarah Brightman, who she tosses a mention of in every book she can.
Kim is a writing machine, so come back often to see what she's working on next!
Her love of writing began at age 9, and she wrote her first novel at age 12, wishing to follow in the footsteps of childhood idol, S.E. Hinton. She was published for the first time at age 24 with her novel, First.
Kim has followed her dreams right into the film industry, writing screenplays for production companies in Los Angeles, as well as for her own production company, Asp Films with business partner, Kelly Neal. Their first feature film, Self Portrait – written, directed and co-produced by Kim – premiered in Denver in June of 2013.
She enjoys spending time with her family, friends and her beloved cats. She is always adding to her ever-growing collection of swords and historic memorabilia. She is a huge fan of music, including musical theater. The "musical" love of her life is Sarah Brightman, who she tosses a mention of in every book she can.
Kim is a writing machine, so come back often to see what she's working on next!
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 21, 2022
You guys have to check this out! The pacing is a little fast but such a good book!
June 4, 2022
I've always been a huge fan of Kim Pritekel, since the good ol' days of lesbian fanfic. And certainly this book hasn't disappointed me at all. I have found it very entertaining and easy to read. Moreover, we meet here again a few main characters of other books by this writer.
May 23, 2022
Pritekel is still one of my best loved authors.
May 15, 2022
A good book with loads of lines I loved and plot developments I didn’t see coming but when they did I realised a trail of crumbs had been left. Many books I’ve read detail everything, every event the main attends. The writer doesn’t do this, so there is a passage of time that makes the evolution of the relationship believable. I would have perhaps liked to be shown a wee bit more of the mains friendship before things moved on. That is not a criticism, rather a compliment to the writer for the chemistry and her standard of writing. Read it!
May 15, 2022
I was provided an ARC for an honest review.
Christine, a famous rock star called Swann, is rescued from her suicide attempt by Willow, a nurse working in a small town hospital in Colorado. Forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement by Christine's manager, Willow keeps the incident to herself, until Christine invites her and a friend to her post-rehab concert in Denver. Instead of taking her husband, Willow brings her lesbian best friend. Christine brings Willow up on stage and sings her a song she wrote thanking her for saving her life.
The two begin a slow but steady communication while Christine is on tour that turns into a friendship and then more. This leaves both women at a crossroads that pushes them toward major life changes.
The strength of this book is the two MCs, both well drawn and interesting. The pairing was believable. The problems had to do with plotting. First, after Willow is brought up on stage and Christine tells the audience how Willow saved her life, Willow gets no media attention and goes back to her normal life. This stretches reality. Second, once Willow and Christine are together, there's little tension left in the plot. Even the issue with Willow's husband is quickly resolved.
On balance this is a three star read.
Christine, a famous rock star called Swann, is rescued from her suicide attempt by Willow, a nurse working in a small town hospital in Colorado. Forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement by Christine's manager, Willow keeps the incident to herself, until Christine invites her and a friend to her post-rehab concert in Denver. Instead of taking her husband, Willow brings her lesbian best friend. Christine brings Willow up on stage and sings her a song she wrote thanking her for saving her life.
The two begin a slow but steady communication while Christine is on tour that turns into a friendship and then more. This leaves both women at a crossroads that pushes them toward major life changes.
The strength of this book is the two MCs, both well drawn and interesting. The pairing was believable. The problems had to do with plotting. First, after Willow is brought up on stage and Christine tells the audience how Willow saved her life, Willow gets no media attention and goes back to her normal life. This stretches reality. Second, once Willow and Christine are together, there's little tension left in the plot. Even the issue with Willow's husband is quickly resolved.
On balance this is a three star read.
July 16, 2022
This book Drew me in straight away. It’s one of those books that has a great start and I was a little worried it was going to peak to soon and not keep me interested. Oh how wrong I was, at one stage I picked it up while it was quiet in work to read 1 chapter and lost a whole hour.
There is a concert scene in this book that is so beautifully written that it transported me right there, my heart was pounding and I had tears in my eyes when I read/listened to the song Safe Harbour that was performed. Because not only did Kim Pritekel write this fabulous book, she wrote 3 songs to go with it and had them recorded!!! She was kind enough to send me the recordings and they are so moving. The music and it’s presence in this book is a character in its own right and I adored it.
The main characters in this book are well developed and won me over from the start. You get back stories for each of them throughout the book and you know that they met at just the right time, before they where both lost to the path their lives were on. These women were disappearing before they got to know each other, One to a past that she hadn’t dealt with and one to a present she’d decided to settle with.
Christine Swann is a rock star who is at the peak of her career. From the outside it looks like she has it all, but she’s troubled by her awful childhood and is controlled by her manager who holds it over her. she copes by ‘self medicating’ on anything and everything which leads to drastic consequences.
Willow is a nurse who has settled for living a ‘normal’ life. In the beginning of the book She’s absent from her life and marriage but doesn’t know it. She loves her job and is brilliant at it but her home life is stagnant. Her husband is a bit controlling but she just goes along with it and she has no desire to get to know herself because her life is ok and uncomplicated.
I loved both of these women. Like I fell in love with them. The journey they take is so delightful that you can’t help but will them to be together. You can’t be mad at either of them because it’s so clear that they’re meant to be together. The love just jumps off the page.
If you like music and books that are full of emotion, love and self discovery than this one’s for you. I loved it. It left my heart full and my soul nourished
(I received this book and it’s music as a review copy)
There is a concert scene in this book that is so beautifully written that it transported me right there, my heart was pounding and I had tears in my eyes when I read/listened to the song Safe Harbour that was performed. Because not only did Kim Pritekel write this fabulous book, she wrote 3 songs to go with it and had them recorded!!! She was kind enough to send me the recordings and they are so moving. The music and it’s presence in this book is a character in its own right and I adored it.
The main characters in this book are well developed and won me over from the start. You get back stories for each of them throughout the book and you know that they met at just the right time, before they where both lost to the path their lives were on. These women were disappearing before they got to know each other, One to a past that she hadn’t dealt with and one to a present she’d decided to settle with.
Christine Swann is a rock star who is at the peak of her career. From the outside it looks like she has it all, but she’s troubled by her awful childhood and is controlled by her manager who holds it over her. she copes by ‘self medicating’ on anything and everything which leads to drastic consequences.
Willow is a nurse who has settled for living a ‘normal’ life. In the beginning of the book She’s absent from her life and marriage but doesn’t know it. She loves her job and is brilliant at it but her home life is stagnant. Her husband is a bit controlling but she just goes along with it and she has no desire to get to know herself because her life is ok and uncomplicated.
I loved both of these women. Like I fell in love with them. The journey they take is so delightful that you can’t help but will them to be together. You can’t be mad at either of them because it’s so clear that they’re meant to be together. The love just jumps off the page.
If you like music and books that are full of emotion, love and self discovery than this one’s for you. I loved it. It left my heart full and my soul nourished
(I received this book and it’s music as a review copy)
May 6, 2022
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I finished this book last night and the first words that come to mind is WOW! The plot is very well adapted and the characters, Willow and Swann fit very well together.
A woman lost and a woman just existing, are brought together in a very unusual way. Swann feels so lost she does the only thing she can think of doing to escape her pain. Willow, passing by on her way home, does what anyone would do in the same situation.
Willow gives no more thought to the woman after that night, except to wonder if she was ok, and Swann during her recovery, comes to terms with many things.
Swann had a very rough life as a child, and then she was thrown into the limelight and never had time for herself. All she could feel is pain and unhappiness and deals with it with drugs and alcohol.
Swann goes into rehab and while there, she comes to terms with her life, past, present, and future. When she leaves rehab, she starts writing songs again and creates a video saying thank you to the woman who saved her. (can’t say anymore or I’ll give away spoilers)
She doesn’t know her name, but she puts it over the internet & Willow sees it and is surprised. She had no idea who the woman was.
Willow is a nurse, married and living on a farm that has been in her family for many years. Her marriage is comfortable, but nothing to write home about.
Willow contacts her to thank her for the video and the begin communicating with each other. The author well defined their communication and what developed from it.
Each of these women find their strengths and things they want to change as the story progresses.
I’ve said enough and you will have to read this great book to immerse yourself in the rest of the story.
You won’t regret it!
I finished this book last night and the first words that come to mind is WOW! The plot is very well adapted and the characters, Willow and Swann fit very well together.
A woman lost and a woman just existing, are brought together in a very unusual way. Swann feels so lost she does the only thing she can think of doing to escape her pain. Willow, passing by on her way home, does what anyone would do in the same situation.
Willow gives no more thought to the woman after that night, except to wonder if she was ok, and Swann during her recovery, comes to terms with many things.
Swann had a very rough life as a child, and then she was thrown into the limelight and never had time for herself. All she could feel is pain and unhappiness and deals with it with drugs and alcohol.
Swann goes into rehab and while there, she comes to terms with her life, past, present, and future. When she leaves rehab, she starts writing songs again and creates a video saying thank you to the woman who saved her. (can’t say anymore or I’ll give away spoilers)
She doesn’t know her name, but she puts it over the internet & Willow sees it and is surprised. She had no idea who the woman was.
Willow is a nurse, married and living on a farm that has been in her family for many years. Her marriage is comfortable, but nothing to write home about.
Willow contacts her to thank her for the video and the begin communicating with each other. The author well defined their communication and what developed from it.
Each of these women find their strengths and things they want to change as the story progresses.
I’ve said enough and you will have to read this great book to immerse yourself in the rest of the story.
You won’t regret it!
January 11, 2026
Loved the book and the songs. This story will stay with me for some time.
May 26, 2022
Christine, after walking out on a her tour, ends up jumping of a bridge, Willow on her way home sees this and immediately jumps in to save her. After this christine and willow stay in contact. Willow figures out what it is she has been missing in her relationship and Christine, after therapy gets a better handle on her life and what she wants from it. After the initial few pages there is less angst then you would expect from the premise and nothing is particularly drawn out. I enjoyed the book and will probably read again.
July 9, 2023
I love how the kindness of just one person can save and change so much. Both women are lost, one in the trauma of the past, and the other in a dead end marriage. Through one selfless act of bravery, the two form a tight bond, and are able to help one another move past the hurdles blocking them from happiness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2023
Kim Pritekel
Swann Song
For some time now, I have been a fan of this author's books. However, this particular story resonated with me in a way that others had not. It tells the tale of two women who were unaware of the impact they would have on each other's lives.
Willow Bowman was content in her life as a nurse and a loving wife. She enjoyed bringing joy to children by dressing up for special occasions during the holidays. But when she met Christine, her perspective on life changed. She began to question whether she was truly happy or simply complacent.
Christine appeared to have it all - money, success, beauty, and youth. However, she was tormented by her inner demons and felt lost. She made the decision to end her pain, but in doing so, she met Willow. Through their connection, Christine discovered that she could live again and that Willow was the missing piece she had been searching for. This story challenges the notion that money can buy happiness and demonstrates that one needs more to feel complete.
The author of "An Entanglement Down Into The Present" delves into family history and how it shapes us. This book is truly unique as the two main characters spend a significant amount of time apart. However, this separation makes sense in the context of the story and adds to its natural flow. The scenes where the two characters are together are beautifully written, and their chemistry is undeniable. Willow's understanding and acceptance of Christine's pain and bravery is truly remarkable.
This story is full of unexpected twists and turns, keeping the reader engaged until the very end. I am grateful to have stumbled upon this book and will undoubtedly read it again. It has earned a place among my top ten favorite books.
Swann Song
For some time now, I have been a fan of this author's books. However, this particular story resonated with me in a way that others had not. It tells the tale of two women who were unaware of the impact they would have on each other's lives.
Willow Bowman was content in her life as a nurse and a loving wife. She enjoyed bringing joy to children by dressing up for special occasions during the holidays. But when she met Christine, her perspective on life changed. She began to question whether she was truly happy or simply complacent.
Christine appeared to have it all - money, success, beauty, and youth. However, she was tormented by her inner demons and felt lost. She made the decision to end her pain, but in doing so, she met Willow. Through their connection, Christine discovered that she could live again and that Willow was the missing piece she had been searching for. This story challenges the notion that money can buy happiness and demonstrates that one needs more to feel complete.
The author of "An Entanglement Down Into The Present" delves into family history and how it shapes us. This book is truly unique as the two main characters spend a significant amount of time apart. However, this separation makes sense in the context of the story and adds to its natural flow. The scenes where the two characters are together are beautifully written, and their chemistry is undeniable. Willow's understanding and acceptance of Christine's pain and bravery is truly remarkable.
This story is full of unexpected twists and turns, keeping the reader engaged until the very end. I am grateful to have stumbled upon this book and will undoubtedly read it again. It has earned a place among my top ten favorite books.
December 2, 2023
OK, so, I completely lost it during the concert scene, and that was only like 20% in.
Basically, I thought this was fantastic. The leads were great, the story was great, there was enough going on between spouses and managers and history to keep up the tension even after the relationship got going, it just really worked for me.
If there was one thing I’d ask for, it would be more. I wanted to see Christine and Willow perform at the hospital, for instance. There were some kids here and there in the story, but almost no time actually spent with them, even though a future with kids was an important point of contention in the story. That first concert scene was so good, I would have happily taken another, and maybe seen how everything worked out with the band, or the other thing Christine was working on. As I write this I guess I’m realizing there were some loose-ish ends… I’m not sure there’s enough to justify another book, but I’d read it if there was. :)
Basically, I thought this was fantastic. The leads were great, the story was great, there was enough going on between spouses and managers and history to keep up the tension even after the relationship got going, it just really worked for me.
If there was one thing I’d ask for, it would be more. I wanted to see Christine and Willow perform at the hospital, for instance. There were some kids here and there in the story, but almost no time actually spent with them, even though a future with kids was an important point of contention in the story. That first concert scene was so good, I would have happily taken another, and maybe seen how everything worked out with the band, or the other thing Christine was working on. As I write this I guess I’m realizing there were some loose-ish ends… I’m not sure there’s enough to justify another book, but I’d read it if there was. :)
November 29, 2023
High praise for Swann Song
Wow! I picked up Swann Song to read and just couldn't put it down! Successful rocker is saved by a rural (& married) nurse, & the chemistry is off the charts. Love the story, love the character developments, the struggles, the glories, the beautiful happy ending - all of it, simply fabulous!! Pick it up & you'll get just as caught up in the story of Christine, Willow, & Kevin!
Wow! I picked up Swann Song to read and just couldn't put it down! Successful rocker is saved by a rural (& married) nurse, & the chemistry is off the charts. Love the story, love the character developments, the struggles, the glories, the beautiful happy ending - all of it, simply fabulous!! Pick it up & you'll get just as caught up in the story of Christine, Willow, & Kevin!
June 26, 2022
I was honored to read Swann Song by a fellow author. The characters are believable and will definitely speak to many readers. The dialogue and story lines are well written. It is a story fraught with complications, however, the love that develops between the two main characters (Willow and Christine) is a love many hope for in their own lives. Great read!
July 17, 2022
What an amazing and touching story. I could not put this book down! The main characters were flawed, but likable. There was so much character growth and development. It was the type of book that will stick with you!
July 26, 2022
A great story where fame isn't all it's cut out to be but love is. Engaging characters, beautiful romance, coming out and the challenges of change. very much worth reading.
October 6, 2024
Very good book. Dark in spots, but mostly an awakening, for both main characters.
December 28, 2025
3.5
good plot and good characters but no real tension
good plot and good characters but no real tension
September 4, 2023
This was an awesome read that explores two peoples lives and the results of their actions. The music was the icing on the cake.
These characters were well developed and the plot moved along quickly. I hope to have a sequel to this story. Although, in some ways it would be best to stay its own story.
These characters were well developed and the plot moved along quickly. I hope to have a sequel to this story. Although, in some ways it would be best to stay its own story.
January 16, 2024
5 Stars
Despite the fast pacing, I really enjoyed this book and both MCs are very likeable. Highly recommended.
Despite the fast pacing, I really enjoyed this book and both MCs are very likeable. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews