Dale Miller, mom of three, is a contractor.
After her ex wiped out Dale’s finances, she’s been struggling to make ends
meet. One big project in the offing could set her well on the path of financial
recovery. Except that when she meets the potential client, Mai Li, they start
off on the wrong footing and Dale walks away from the job.
Apologies set thing right and the two women
start a tentative work association on renovating a long-closed restaurant with
living quarters on the upper level. Decades of being closed and neglect have
made the place quite precarious, but Mai wants to renovate it because it is her
childhood home. Mai used to be one of the two hosts of a TV show which got
cancelled. She, however has enough saved for the renovations. Just about enough
for the renovations and nothing else. So when the roof of her childhood home gives
way, Mai has no place to stay. Dale gives her shelter.
Both the women feel an incredible
attraction towards each other, but do not want to jeopardize the job and fight
against it – till they can’t any more.
The environment of the book is very, very
real. The pacing of the book is good and the sex is really, really good.
Dale is a great character. She’s made poor
relationship choices in the past and is clearly rather overwhelmed with
everything she is handling. Yet she moves with dignity, strength and
confidence. She tries her best for her children and is human enough to not meet
all expectations at all times. As a person, she is large hearted and giving. As
a woman, she is sexy as hell (Aside: we’re completely enamoured by Sexy Dale). Her
past relationship fails make Dale uncertain about opening her heart again but
she knows how to be in and handle a relationship (One more aside:
Relationship Dale is really all that).
Mai started off quite likeable. Her interactions
with Dale and Dale’s youngest, seventeen-year old Noah, establish her to be a
sensitive and mature person. She is a wonderful sister. An experience in a
diner and her subsequent reaction shine light on the homophobia and racism she
is subjected to on the regular. However, Mai fails when it comes to her
relationship with Dale. With Dale, Mai is quick to take offense, unwilling to
give the other woman a chance, doesn’t offer to explain her point of view ever,
is incapable of seeing or even trying to see where Dale is coming from, doesn’t
apologise or do any damn thing to make the relationship work.
Dale really makes the relationship work. In
fact, she makes the whole book work. Okay, the books works because of Dale and
the sex.
On the whole, an okay read.
