Hummingbird: Part One

Birds and Butterflies #1A

by Frances M. Thompson

Fourteen years ago I met a woman I've not been able to forget. Her hair was long, her eyes were big, and her gaze kept returning to me from across the room. Her name was Dove. She told me she was straight and I respected that. Or rather, I got grumpy about it and walked away. What can I say? I was young and stupid.

But now she's back. Sitting in my studio waiting to get a tattoo of the bisexual flag on her foot. I never do such small pieces anymore but this woman is different. I've never been able to forget her and I never thought I'd see her again. Nor did I ever imagine she could possibly be interested...

One thing's for certain, I'm not going to walk away from this opportunity. I want to do everything I can to make sure Dove never forgets me either.

Hummingbird is a spicy sapphic novella with sexy times in a tattoo studio, Domme/sub vibes, and a very swoony HEA.

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, LGBT, Contemporary, Novella, Queer, Adult

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2022

About the author

Frances M. Thompson writes stories about bisexual disaster heroes usually getting the HEAs they deserve in her spicy contemporary romance... but sometimes getting into a lot of trouble in her suspense thrillers.

Frances loves chatting with her readers and the best places to do so is in her Facebook Readers' Group or on Instagram.

Originally from London, UK, but now based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Frances is the author of the contemporary (and steamy!) romances, Five Sunsets, The Moon Also Rises, and Let Love Rule, sapphic romances Hummingbird and Butterflies, three short story collections (Shy Feet Short Stories Inspired by Travel, London Eyes Short Stories, and Nine Women: Short Stories), a collection of poetry called Lover Mother Other, and the London Killing series of fast-paced urban thrillers, including The Wait and The Weaker Sex.

To find out about Frances' upcoming books first, sign up to her newsletter.

You can find copies of her books (and more!) in her shop.

Frances also works as a freelance writer and blogger. You can read her (oft-neglected) blog, As the Bird flies. She is also the creator of WriteNOW Cards, positive affirmations cards designed to help writers build and enjoy a writing practice they love.

Follow Frances on href="https://www.instagram.com/FrancesMTho... or on TikTok @francesmthompson.

Reviews

[sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was going fine until she asked a woman she barely knew to sit on her and act as her weighed blanket 😭 i'm sorry i couldn't stop laughing after that

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hummingbird is a super satisfying novella. The characters are very well-rounded, especially for a novella, and the plot is full of gorgeous details. I really enjoyed tattoos as a theme and the mention of one of my favourite music artists enhancing a key moment ;) A little cameo from a character we met in Five Sunsets was also fun! Oh, and did I mention it’s steamy?
Dove and Keeley are definitely opposites attract and I love how they compliment each other. Dove’s character growth in particular was very enjoyable to read.

NB I was offered an ARC in return for an honest review and it was absolutely my pleasure.

[Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost, I loved this novella. Sometimes with novellas you are left with wanting more, or it feels rushed, or something is just missing. That is not the case with this book. Don’t get me wrong I definitely wish I had more of this story but that is not because it was missing anything, it’s because it was so well written and I loved the main characters. If you get a chance to read this story please do, it’s got so much packed in to such a small package. Have I mentioned that this book also is spicy hot, well it definitely is that too. Please keep writing more sapphic books, you definitely have a reader in me if you do.

Arc provided by the author in exchange for honest review

[Aunt Missa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and spicy novella. The author writes excellent kissing scenes. The writing shows that she really likes writing them and building up to the first kiss. This is a second chance, opposites attract, coming out story. Love, love,love that one character is a little chonky! Us chonky girls need more representation.

It’s a fantastic little pallette cleanser to get out of any angsty reading. Delightfully smutty with bi- representation.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

damn!

This book was hot!! 🥵 wish it was longer! 😭 I need more Dove and Keeley! Can’t wait for the sequel 😏

[Rafaela Viana · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5⭐️

[& · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quem nunca teve uma conversa em uma noite com uma garota a 14 anos atrás e ainda pensa nela frequentemente???? she's so meeee 🤍🤍🤍

[Mir S · Rating 3 out of 5]

⚠️Spoilers⚠️
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I gave this book an average rating bc there were things about it I really liked, and things I really didn't.
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As a queer afab person who identifies as bisexual, I appreciated the narrative discussion of the validity of bisexuality, and of the issues that older bi women who have recently come out can face. I also very much appreciated the clear consent that was established between characters, and the way that briefly crossed boundaries were discussed.
That being said, I found it very weird how much age gaps were focused on for the lesbian character. To me, it felt like it was upholding the "predatory lesbian" stereotype. With a lesbian sensitivity read, I feel like this book could have been a lot more impactful for lesbians as well as bisexuals.
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Overall, this was a quick, average read. I would recommend it if someone was looking specifically for a tattoo-themed queer smutty romance.

[Finding Sky Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🪵Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
🥵Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
🌈Review:
I’ll be honest, I hated the writing and the characters at the start of this. They felt juvenile and honestly I just wasn’t vibing at all. The whole Insta-attraction, the “do I wanna be her or fuck her but oh no, I’m not gay”… ugh. But THANK GOD for that 14 year time skip, because suddenly the characters felt realistic and relatable! I love the way we have Dove who has now settled into adulthood, and her new found comfortability with her sexuality as a bisexual. Then we repeat Keeley, as Kay who now owns a thriving award winning tattoo parlour. I love the way they meet again! I actually loved that Dove didn’t recognise Keeley immediately until it all clicked post tattoo appointment.

OH MY THE TENSION!! Woooweeeee. I was into it and loved that reunion and first tattoo scene! I loved the anxiety and panic attack representation!! As someone who has these I love to see it represented well!! I loved how Keeley was supportive and non judgmental the whole time. Loved meeting Mari (Keeley’s kiddo) again (shoutout to the NB rep). Then Dove goes back when she realises and OH MY GOD WOOOW. Holy smutty heavens these scenes were good. I love that the earlier boundaries that were crossed were addressed, that there was clear consent established throughout. But wooowee what a hot scene. Yes please thank you and more. Then you time skip again to their future a year later and another birthday tattoo and that scene is JUST as hot. OH MY GOD. They were cute and I really loved the way they were together and how dove approached being apart of a family.

Overall it was good and has a lot packed into a small novella. We have a sapphic (adult) age gap couple 20/28 when they first meet and then reconnect 14 years later 34/42), opposites attract, biphobia and just bisexual acceptance rep in general, anxiety and panic attack rep, clear consent between MCs, NB rep (MCs kiddo).

[Jezabel Nightingale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never really delved into sapphic fiction and I'm not sure why, especially after reading this amazing novella. So inclusive and so beautifully written, especially Mari's character who I hope we hear more from in the future.

As a personal reflection, I love books that explore sexual exploration and discovery, and this was done particularly well. For a novella it is perfectly paced and doesn't feel either compacted or not fleshed out enough. Bravo indeed.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Mari is to much with that Simpson impersonation.... other than that I ate this up especially with the playlist the author made.

debating if I should pick up the second book now or wait till Christmas since it does take place on Christmas or near idk.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (10/26/2022)! 🎁

[Rikki Ziegelman · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s really a 2.5

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Done!

It’s official. I’m in love with Keeley and Dove! lol. What a great quick read! Awesome writing that you can just plow through because you can’t put it down!

[Hailey Zundel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to talk to my bishop now.

[Jennie Hedges · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m typically a slow reader but I read this book in a matter of hours. It was short and fast paced and I loved the sweet love story within.

[Venuss · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.50

I think I would’ve enjoyed this better if it didn’t have a time skip so soon after the party. I didn’t really understand the pinning from Tattoo lady (forgot her name right now sorry) for all those years or really appreciated certain actions made but I can say I’m glad they were apologized for and whatnot

It was really steamy!

[leena.reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute and so sexyyyyyyy

The tension was immaculate. The teasing, the banter, the longing....

Opposites attract, quite literally. But they're perfect for each other.

Keeley and Dove were so great in this spicy sapphic novella.

[sevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

surprisingly good, wasn’t expecting much although you all know how i feel about british people either than that the dialogue never really had me cringing and throwing up

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** ARC in exchange for an honest review***

⭐ WLW romance

🌈 Bi MC
🌈 Lesbian MC
🌈 NB rep (side characters)

I've been excited about this since seeing a post by Frances duetting a TT with spicy sapphic tattooist vibes, and it was totally worth the wait.

Hummingbird is a spicy sapphic novella, with a bi awakening and many years worth of pining.

The characters can often feel a little 2D in a short novella but here we had full rounded characters with developed personalities. We have bi panic, delayed coming out, a rather wonderful session on a tattooing bed, and a sweet and fulfilling epilogue to round the relationship off just right.

Also, I loved that we got to see Jake again, and I loved the little bit of foreshadowing to Five Sunsets right at the beginning 🥰

I thoroughly enjoyed this whole story, and I'm so glad it came to fruition ❤️

Huge thank you to Frances for the ARC and the dedication 😂😘

[Sarah Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s just not for me lol

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you don't know a thing about tattoos, you might get more out of this book than I did. Sure, it's fiction, but that doesn't mean an author doesn't have a responsibility to check their facts, or we'd all be reading all sorts of nonsense.

Remember to pat dry after a shower, and apply Vaseline twice a day if you can.

No way! A quick Google search will tell you...

DON’T apply alcohol, Neosporin, Vaseline or petroleum jelly (they can trap dirt and germs and cause infection).

As for the human blanket that was supposed to be cute. No way, no how. I just couldn't go with it, not even for fiction. A tattoo artist worth their weight in gold would NEVER climb atop a client.

Behind the couch is a glass window that looks into a work room. Through it I see a man lying prone and topless and on top of him is a woman straddling his waist as she works on a large piece covering his back.

What kind of place is this? Again, just no!

However, there is the base of a good story here, hence 3 stars instead of 2.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating⭐⭐⭐.75
Tropes/Themes: Queer Rep, Tattoo Artist & Client, Sapphic Romance, Found Family
Amount of spice: 🔥🔥🔥
Explicitness: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

My thoughts
This was quick, sexy and very sweet. There is some fantastic representation, found family, and in only 120 pages the author managed to give these characters so much depth and personality. My only gripe is that I wish they had had a slightly longer conversation in the beginning or that the relationship had built for a little longer because it didn’t make complete sense that they would be so enamoured with each other even after so many years when their initial conversation had been so brief and surface level. All in all, I really did enjoy it and would recommend it if you're looking for a sweet, spicy romance that will make you just a little emotional and give you a whole lot of warm fuzzies.

[KateJoanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was perfect and adorable and I loved every second of it, I just wish there was another 100 pages of it! I need more!
Well written and the characters are all far too easy to love, a variety of gay, bi and non binary characters as well.

I absolutely love Dove, bless her anxious and overly-apologetic, relatable soul. She is such a sweetheart.
And Keeley is attractive even though the page, their relationship and chemistry is perfect, I honestly inhaled this book.

‘I am finally kissing a woman. Before this moment, I always imagined it would feel so otherworldly or dreamlike that I would almost feel capable of floating away in the moment, or disappearing, vanishing into my fantasy. But I know exactly where I am, and I know exactly what I'm doing. And it feels so very, very real. In fact, it's the realest thing I've done in years. And it's the most real I've ever felt. ‘

[Me Liv · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first third was reasonably well written. Good characters built with some depth and thought. Then it seemed like there was a sudden jump in time and I realized it was a novella. If that hadn't been the case, I think this might have been a five star book. There were a few things toward the beginning that were mentioned in a way that leads the reader to expect more, but those threads were never woven through the book to their full potential because of how short it is. There were a few pieces of unrealistic dialogue and a couple things said in a character's voice the really sounded more like the author was saying them instead, but overall this was a decent read. I would try this author again.

[YuannaReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and Sweet

This was a cute short and sweet book…it said it was Domme/sub but I didn’t really get that in this book because the very few parts where you would think she would be dominant it didn’t show that. The FMC KEELEY which is supposedly the domme one is a goth tattoo business owner with a kid who is non-binary and the other FMC is a Bi Supposedly sub. There is a small age gap of 7 years between both FMCs the story line is a cute and good storyline I just wanted more. I would have really liked to see more character development especially being that there is a 14 year time jump in the story. Overall I think the story just needed more detail and because it has an HEA I would say more romance. Spice 3/5

[The Bookish Chimera - Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It will go on the bridge of my left foot, my dominant foot, the leg I lead with as I walk around the world.”

I liked this first part of Hummingbird a lot, especially thanks to the Bi affirmation after a very long relationship (and what an affirmation it was, quite empowering), especially after the story’s introduction. Even though it felt a bit rushed and lacked some conflict and some building in the relationship –but that was clearly because it’s a short format– I loved the spice (nothing to say about the tension here!) and both Dove and Keely.
I’ve read this story a couple of months ago and I still think about them and the tattoo studio setting. I can’t wait to read the second part.

[Nia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is some feel-good romance!

The author wrote about her own novella:
Hummingbird is a spicy, steamy, smutty novella.
She hits the nail on the head!

But it's also so sweet and full of intense moments.
I love the detailed steamy scenes and how addicted these two get to each other!! It's just wow!

It's a short love story featuring a super cute and mostly flustered „Dove“ (so cute when she's nervous) and a cool, confident and mostly dominating „Keeley“.
I hope to see them again in another book or in another story of Frances M. Thompson.

I received an arc for a honest review.

[JP Munroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Hummingbird” by Frances M Thompson is a well crafted and surprisingly satisfying, sumptuous novella. I was left wanting more of Dove and Keeley, purely because I didn’t want to leave them or their love story. Thompson’s writing is effortless and evocative. She packs so much intense emotion into these few pages, as well as a cast of fully rounded characters with complete narrative arcs.

This novella strikes the balance between steamy and sweet with a wonderful focus on desire and consent which is frankly really sexy. I’m really impressed Thompson was able to convey so much in such a short format.

I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.

[Stellar Space · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully Sweet, Sexy and Hot!!!

This is a beautifully sweet sexy novella of two encounters between two women. Where the flirtatious banter of their first meeting ends in hesitancy, denial and anger. But then fourteen years later when they unexpectedly meet in a tattoo shop their dreams and longings awaken and ignite.

However hesitancy and fear once again erect walls that pushes this second chance away until one comes storming back to take a risk. And whew, does it get hot!

And though much of this story takes place in this tattoo parlor, the author richly draws the MC's and their encounters so we experience their growth individually and as a couple.