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Hot for the Holidays #2
Higher
Where do dreams go to wait?
Tali Blue is definitely going back to finish her last semester of rabbinical school...eventually. When she moved back to her hometown seven years ago to help her grandparents raise her younger sisters, she planned on it being temporary. Now though, she has a stable job and a stable life surrounded by the people she’s known forever. It’s all just fine - and then there’s the incredibly annoying surprise of Maple.
Maple never meant to be successful. She just wanted to make weird art and practice her Ladino. And just like that, 15 years of adulthood has built a solid career, a great reputation as an art instructor, and a lackluster love life. It doesn’t help that she’s been spending all her free time consumed with making it as a Sephardic Jew into the Jewish art world that never seems to have space for her. And it definitely doesn’t help that she’s strictly a butch for butch lesbian. And then comes a sex goddess in the form of short, chunky, smoking hot, and incredibly nervous, butch, Tali Blue.
When Tali’s love of family, Maple’s art ambitions, and a Rosh Hashanah effort to #savethebees force these two together, both of them may learn that the only way out is up, together. This new year the honey is dripping on a lot more than apples. Higher is a steamy, butch for butch, grump-sunshine sapphic romance about what happens when you choose to take your dreams higher.
This is the sweet and sexy second volume in the "Hot for the Holidays" series, a collection of queer Jewish love stories that can be read in any order and all year round.
Find all content notes on the author's site.
Tali Blue is definitely going back to finish her last semester of rabbinical school...eventually. When she moved back to her hometown seven years ago to help her grandparents raise her younger sisters, she planned on it being temporary. Now though, she has a stable job and a stable life surrounded by the people she’s known forever. It’s all just fine - and then there’s the incredibly annoying surprise of Maple.
Maple never meant to be successful. She just wanted to make weird art and practice her Ladino. And just like that, 15 years of adulthood has built a solid career, a great reputation as an art instructor, and a lackluster love life. It doesn’t help that she’s been spending all her free time consumed with making it as a Sephardic Jew into the Jewish art world that never seems to have space for her. And it definitely doesn’t help that she’s strictly a butch for butch lesbian. And then comes a sex goddess in the form of short, chunky, smoking hot, and incredibly nervous, butch, Tali Blue.
When Tali’s love of family, Maple’s art ambitions, and a Rosh Hashanah effort to #savethebees force these two together, both of them may learn that the only way out is up, together. This new year the honey is dripping on a lot more than apples. Higher is a steamy, butch for butch, grump-sunshine sapphic romance about what happens when you choose to take your dreams higher.
This is the sweet and sexy second volume in the "Hot for the Holidays" series, a collection of queer Jewish love stories that can be read in any order and all year round.
Find all content notes on the author's site.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2021
11 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
About the author
Roz Alexander
12 books48 followersRoz Alexander, a Chicagoan and obsessed gardener, writes smutty sapphic romance.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 9, 2022
3.25
A sexy, fun, quick read. This book showed up and did what it needed to do. It didn't really go above and beyond for me and I did find myself still wanting more from it at the end, but all of my complaints are really about what was missing, because I enjoyed nearly every aspect of what I did find on the page. I just felt that it could have been stretched out to be longer to offer even more growth for the characters and for us to see more of their lives and their struggles and their love.
TW: antisemitism, racism (discussion of racism in Jewish spaces), absent parent (father), adoption, sexual content (onscreen), homophobia/butchphobia (internal, external in chapter 16), chronic illness (migranes)
A sexy, fun, quick read. This book showed up and did what it needed to do. It didn't really go above and beyond for me and I did find myself still wanting more from it at the end, but all of my complaints are really about what was missing, because I enjoyed nearly every aspect of what I did find on the page. I just felt that it could have been stretched out to be longer to offer even more growth for the characters and for us to see more of their lives and their struggles and their love.
TW: antisemitism, racism (discussion of racism in Jewish spaces), absent parent (father), adoption, sexual content (onscreen), homophobia/butchphobia (internal, external in chapter 16), chronic illness (migranes)
July 3, 2023
Trigger warnings: homophobia, transphobia, death of a parent (in the past)
2.5 stars
Look, the romance here was cute and I did enjoy the dynamic between the two of them. But given that the whole premise of the two of them meeting is an event at the synagogue, I felt like I knew NOTHING about how Maple was connected to the event, what the event was, how planning was going etc. Add in the fact that this book takes place over MONTHS and yet I had no sense of time passing, this just...wasn't really for me.
2.5 stars
Look, the romance here was cute and I did enjoy the dynamic between the two of them. But given that the whole premise of the two of them meeting is an event at the synagogue, I felt like I knew NOTHING about how Maple was connected to the event, what the event was, how planning was going etc. Add in the fact that this book takes place over MONTHS and yet I had no sense of time passing, this just...wasn't really for me.
September 25, 2021
This was a real gem of a book! It captured the personalities and characters of the protagonists immediately in a way which really grabbed at me, and had me rooting for their relationship from the off. I especially loved the way that their butch and the stone identity played out through the book, and the impact on the development of the dynamics between them. There was so much to love in the discussion and reconfigured assumptions that led to them finding their compatability.
The role of community and religion here was a real stand out for me too, the whole book was packed with detail and consideration, and really filled with the kind of live and support that I needed so much to read.
This is a book I will be rereading regularly I can tell! And I'm definitely looking for my books by this author.
*I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
The role of community and religion here was a real stand out for me too, the whole book was packed with detail and consideration, and really filled with the kind of live and support that I needed so much to read.
This is a book I will be rereading regularly I can tell! And I'm definitely looking for my books by this author.
*I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
November 14, 2024
Easily the best of the trilogy! In comparison to the other two books, Higher had a bit more space to breathe, and the characters and side plots greatly benefited from that. Have a buttload of both bigger critiques and personal gripes as always, but suffice to say, if you’re already here, this book is probably for you :)
September 24, 2021
This is the second book in the series although it can definitely be read as a stand-alone. Both main characters are Jewish; Tali works as an assistant to Simon a Rabbi and Maple is an artist. Tali is fully involved in her religion whilst Maple is on the sidelines looking in and wanting to play a bigger part in their community.
This was a good read about two butch’s throwing stereotypes to the wind and getting involved after quite a bit of to-ing and fro-ing.
The supporting cast were great, especially Anna and the story pace was good.
My only bugbear was there was just a little something lacking in the book between the characters. The subject of topping was widely discussed but Tali seemed to lose all her inhibitions a little too quickly and easily.
Enjoyable book, it gives a good insight into the Jewish way of life.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a good read about two butch’s throwing stereotypes to the wind and getting involved after quite a bit of to-ing and fro-ing.
The supporting cast were great, especially Anna and the story pace was good.
My only bugbear was there was just a little something lacking in the book between the characters. The subject of topping was widely discussed but Tali seemed to lose all her inhibitions a little too quickly and easily.
Enjoyable book, it gives a good insight into the Jewish way of life.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
dnf
May 30, 2023DNF at 67%
I picked this back up after setting it aside for a few days but I’m too annoyed with how wishy washy Tali is and how no one in her family has any boundaries. I like that this series centers around Jewish holidays but the writing style isn’t working for me.
Characters: Tali is a 33 year old white Jewish butch lesbian. She dropped out of rabbinical school 7 years ago and works at the synagogue. Maple is a brown Jewish butch lesbian artist in her mid-30s. This is a Rosh Hashanah romance.
Content notes: chronic migraines, past death of Tali’s mom (brain hemorrhage), Tali is adopted (mom’s best friend got pregnant as teen; her grandmother took her but Tali’s mom became her mom, even though she was also a teen), Tali’s mom used sperm donor for her two sisters, parental pressure for grandkids, mutual masturbation, alcohol (present but neither MC drinks), marijuana reference, gendered pejorative, gender essentialist language, ableist language
I picked this back up after setting it aside for a few days but I’m too annoyed with how wishy washy Tali is and how no one in her family has any boundaries. I like that this series centers around Jewish holidays but the writing style isn’t working for me.
Characters: Tali is a 33 year old white Jewish butch lesbian. She dropped out of rabbinical school 7 years ago and works at the synagogue. Maple is a brown Jewish butch lesbian artist in her mid-30s. This is a Rosh Hashanah romance.
Content notes: chronic migraines, past death of Tali’s mom (brain hemorrhage), Tali is adopted (mom’s best friend got pregnant as teen; her grandmother took her but Tali’s mom became her mom, even though she was also a teen), Tali’s mom used sperm donor for her two sisters, parental pressure for grandkids, mutual masturbation, alcohol (present but neither MC drinks), marijuana reference, gendered pejorative, gender essentialist language, ableist language
October 1, 2022
This took me a while to get into, which is unfortunate for a novella, but I still generally enjoyed reading it. After reading A Masc for Purim and Matzo Match, I was surprised that this one started long before Rosh Hashanah, so there wasn't really as much happening during the holiday as I was expecting.
CW: past parent death, homophobia
CW: past parent death, homophobia
September 18, 2021
A hell of a mind adventure. I loved it.
I have never read a story quite like this one! I was completely out of my element and loved every second! Starts with a bang! Reels you in, hook line, and sinker with beautifully constructed and realistic characters. These are people we all know.
So well written that I forgot I was reading it. I felt like a voyeur into the love lives of strangers I longed to meet. So steamy I had to wipe the fog from my glasses! Definitely worth reading!
I have never read a story quite like this one! I was completely out of my element and loved every second! Starts with a bang! Reels you in, hook line, and sinker with beautifully constructed and realistic characters. These are people we all know.
So well written that I forgot I was reading it. I felt like a voyeur into the love lives of strangers I longed to meet. So steamy I had to wipe the fog from my glasses! Definitely worth reading!
February 8, 2023
what am I gonna do with myself now that I don't know when their next book is coming out.
If we want to get technical, this one is probably my least favourite in the series so far but that might be more due to my mood than the actual book. Their first meaning was so good (and so hot), I was sad when that tension tapered off even if I liked the sibling storylines. Maybe I wanted a bit more of the art incorporated, maybe I wasn't feeling the relationship complications.
But I still think Tali and Maple had great chemistry and ultimately won me over.
If we want to get technical, this one is probably my least favourite in the series so far but that might be more due to my mood than the actual book. Their first meaning was so good (and so hot), I was sad when that tension tapered off even if I liked the sibling storylines. Maybe I wanted a bit more of the art incorporated, maybe I wasn't feeling the relationship complications.
But I still think Tali and Maple had great chemistry and ultimately won me over.
September 6, 2021
Roz Alexander writes such intricate, thematic stories that are such a pleasure to read. It’s rare to find butch4butch romances, and reading this one felt really honest and personal for me. Like with their first, I wouldn’t necessarily call this erotic romance; I think steamy/spicy is a better descriptor. The conflict of this one fell a little flat for me, but overall it was such a fun, intimate read.
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January 14, 2023DNF @ 6%. I mean the realism is impressive but I have spent enough of my life being a pseudo-parental figure/life coach for my younger siblings as they decide what to do with their lives, it’s too stressful to also read about it in fiction. Every time I try to read something contemporary it’s boring or this lol.
February 3, 2023
You have to let go one day or more.
Tali is an enemy to herself. If she can have a thought as to why not then she will walk away. Maple is her sometimes friend with benefits/ girlfriend. Tali left rabbi school after her parents died and took care of her two sisters along with their grandparents until she met Maple. Two opposites, two with being a top, who wins? Enjoy!
Tali is an enemy to herself. If she can have a thought as to why not then she will walk away. Maple is her sometimes friend with benefits/ girlfriend. Tali left rabbi school after her parents died and took care of her two sisters along with their grandparents until she met Maple. Two opposites, two with being a top, who wins? Enjoy!
May 16, 2022
I really liked this sassy read where major grump meets sunshine and two butches navigate a possible relationship. Several times I had to chuckle - always a good sign! I esp. loved the insights into Jewish life. And what a battle sex is for two tops ::))
January 30, 2024
really enjoyed this, only wish it was longer!!! and that the library had more books by this author!!! this book saw straight into my life and put it on the page and if that isn’t a good time, idk what is!
September 5, 2021
Super cute, spicy romance between two Jewish lesbians. One's grumpy, one's sunshine and they're just both so adorable. It was a short read and I enjoyed it immensely.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews