Like First Love, Again by J.J. Arias

 

⭐⭐⭐☆

This one is a straightforward friends-to-lovers romance, written pretty well. The common factors in all of J. J. Arias' books are fully intact in this one too — Cuban-American MCs, great chemistry and some explicit scenes of intimacy.

Tori (Victoria) and Mia (Maria) are high school friends. Tori is gay with a huge crush on Mia. Mia is straight (as far as she knows) who is slightly beyond-the-norm physical with Tori — which is pretty much torture for Tori. So, as soon as they go to their respective colleges, Tori ghosts Mia. And thus things stand, till Mia makes a reappearance into Tori's life. Which is when Mia first gets to know about Tori's sexuality, questions her own past physicality with Tori and things start changing.

I enjoy Arias' writing style on the whole, but there are some parts in this book that made it a little bit of a force-myself-to-read situation. For one, till a little over a third or so of the book, it felt like Mia was alone in the relationship. Which makes me both, sad and mad. Of course, the author takes pains to make sure we know about Tori's headspace too, but if you put yourself in that situation (I do), you wonder how Mia is able to keep chasing Tori. 

Then there is the whole Mia and her losses story. It is in the background while the romance is the focus... and then suddenly it takes centre stage for a bit, then it fades back into the scenery again. It feels like this one should've actually been written as two books — one dealing with just the romance, and a second, more in the literary fiction genre, dealing with Mia, her life, emotions, resilience and rebuilding. 

Also the frequent refrain of Mia doing something (kissing Tori, hugging her...or really anything) for "all the times she didn't" got a bit much. The first time — very nice, The second, okay-it's-been-said-before-but-I'll-live-with-it. After that, please-enough-already. 

I'm seriously uncertain about how to rate this book. On one hand, J. J. Arias' books always have excellent chemistry — as does this one. On the other, there are those parts — though well written — that strike a note of dissonance in the flow. It didn't let me settle into either storyline completely. But maybe that's just a me problem. 

For a recommendation, the best I can say is: Have at it, if you really want to. 

⭐⭐⭐☆

Back to Ruby's (Ruby's Bar Book 2) by KC Luck

⭐⭐⭐

This book is like reading an episode of a dramatic lesbian TV series.

A group of seven friends hang out together regularly. The group comprises two couples, one desperately want-to-be couple and one happy-to-mingle single. This is the story of the couple that wants-to-be: Rey and Marty. Rey and Marty are roommates who need to move soon. They both nurse hidden feelings for the other. They are keen on moving together but can't find the right place, so the possibility of moving separately is getting real. One of the other couples, Liza and Tate, have having relationship problems. The third couple, Allie and Vivian seem to have got it all together with their personal and professional lives, but things are not quite what they seem. Exes turn up to throw spanner in the works.

The Rey-Marty relationship is agonising. There is only assumption and non-communication between them. So much so that the angst only feels irritating and you actually want to beg them to have one blessed conversation. Just. Plain. Irritating.

The best thing in the book is how staunch Allie and Nikki are. We're not particularly fond of the great butch-femme binary and typecasting which this book has. But that pairing seems to have its takers, so who can argue about that?

While not a great read, this is nevertheless an easy read.

⭐⭐⭐

Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Friends-to-enemies (sorta)-to-friends-to-lovers. This one covers a wide range in the relationship of the two leading ladies with excellence.

Megan Harris and Scarlett Andrews used to be inseparable in school. But that ended when Scarlett ditched Megan in college. They were supposed to go together but at the last minute Scarlett decided to go a more prestigious college elsewhere. Then when one tried to reach out to the other they were ghosted. Now they don’t have anything to do with one another though they live in the same town. Their school group used to be a trio with Juliet completing the triumvirate till she moved to Quebec. Now Juliet is getting married and would really like her two best friends to be there. So with all sorts of reservations, Megan and Scarlett decide to make a road trip from Florida to Quebec, together.

As they start travelling together, they rediscover each other. Learn things about the other that they didn’t imagine. Gain insights and understanding about their own and the other person’s behaviour.

Megan and Scarlett are everyday women written with such depth and detail that they become real. Their fears and anxieties resonate. Their hopes and dreams are tangible. Their disappointments and self-doubts are empathise-able. The attraction between them is believable. Particularly the back history when one had an unspoken crush on the other and the other had a feeling that she didn’t recognise because she was unaware of her sexuality.

Initially there is quite a bit of what each found wrong in the other when they were friends. While this sounds like they didn’t really like each other, it is something that is so, so real. When we’ve split from someone it is easier to focus and remember what we didn’t like about them rather than all the great things about them that leave us pining for what is not.

The only thing that was not quite easy to swallow was the easy nudity and un-understandable comfort with masturbating in the other’s presence. That didn’t flow too well with the otherwise perfect narrative of re-finding their old friendship.

As always, we have a soft spot for the person who is braver about going out on a limb with their emotions, so Scarlett wins for us. Not only for her bravery towards the end but her vulnerability throughout, for her honesty and for the way she puts Megan first.

This one was a lovely read which we completely recommend.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Revel by Bryce Oakley

⭐⭐⭐★

Being forced to share a room, especially while attending a marriage, is such a popular setting in Lesfic that it is well on its way to become a trope by itself. This setting is used with varying degrees of success. This book is one of the successes.

Isla, a schoolteacher, and Freya, a painter, are the last two singletons in their group of friends. They arrive on a private island for the wedding of two of the group and find that they've been assigned a room together and nothing else is available on the property. All their friends are happily coupled up, the place is romantic and love is in the air. So the universe is conspiring to match them up -- and who are mere mortals to fight aligned stars?

Despite it's short length, Oakley fits in all necessary high points of a typical romance -- irresistible attraction, doubts, interfering friends, heart-to-heart with friend, a couple of sex scenes, some sweet and tender moments between the leading ladies, some fun banter (between leads and with friends), a little misunderstanding and temporary break, a grand(ish) gesture and HEA. And she does it well. 

A quick sweet read that achieves its primary purpose of rounding up all characters making up a group of friends (and a series) in blissful coupledom nicely enough to leave a smile on the reader's face.

⭐⭐⭐★

Sailing With Her Wolf (The Nightstar Shifters #1) by Ariel Marie

⭐☆

This one is a fantasy with a friends-to-lovers storyline with two very, very attractive women on the cover.

It’s a world where shifters are completely accepted in the society. Marley Gerwulf, a wolf shifter met Zara York, a human, in high school when they were both sixteen. Right at first sight, Marley identified Zara as her mate but said nothing. The girls became best friends and remains so fourteen years thence. Marley has watched Zara move from one relationship to another with assorted me during this period. However, her feeling for Zara have never waned. When Zara is in the throes of yet another relationship ending, Marley suggests a three-week cruise to take Zara’s mind off her latest relationship crash. When their yacht is struck by lightning, the two women are adrift in the Pacific and things change between them.

This is a completely one-dimensional (being kind here) story which barely walks the razor edge of spilling into erotica. Mostly, it does spill over. There is a bow to Twilight with a fight between we-want-your-human vampires and Marley, the wolf. It was nice to see Zara pulling her own weight in the fight instead of being a helpless damsel.

This is one book that left us completely flat.

*Stars for the sex scenes only. 

⭐☆