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misthios_pat's review
4.0
Quite an amusing reading, all the "tension" between them was so enjoyable to see and at first I thought they'd be the typical nagging-each-other couple you know, but it wasn't like that and honestly, it was quite sweet. I loved these two together and the lack of real drama. And although what happened in the end was "fast" it didn't feel quite like that. Feeling like they were together for much longer because of how the story was told.
Sometime is quite hard getting out of the funk you're deep in so kudos to Rook, better late than ever with the help of Carmen.
p.s.: so I've read most of the reviews before reading this novella and there was a mention by AnnMaree of an error of continuation about Rook's first kiss, 14 and 18, but I think I got it. What happened is that she said the first kiss that MEANT something to her happened at her 18th birthday, so this was the catch.
Sometime is quite hard getting out of the funk you're deep in so kudos to Rook, better late than ever with the help of Carmen.
p.s.: so I've read most of the reviews before reading this novella and there was a mention by AnnMaree of an error of continuation about Rook's first kiss, 14 and 18, but I think I got it. What happened is that she said the first kiss that MEANT something to her happened at her 18th birthday, so this was the catch.
charlieavocado's review
4.0
3.5 rounded up to 4 because I like not always having a ton of drama. Not a 4 on its own because of continuity errors that made my brain cringe.
ambientmagic's review
Cute, but the writing style didn’t appeal to me enough for me to stick with it
eline_lovelyaudiobooks's review
5.0
This is a review I wrote for my audiobook blog Lovely Audiobooks.
So, we start out with Rook, genius Grandmaster chess player, failing at live. She has no direction and is fairly immature, despite being in her 30’s. I liked her right away though. She’s a funny little punk 😀 Twists and turns make her run into Carmen, her polar opposite in many regards: An extremely driven beauty queen.
It’s a quite fascinating set-up and both protagonists are adorable, interesting and “real”.
First and foremost, this is a very romantic book though! I really like how Em Stevens follows what I would call a “standard Romance recipe”. That sounds kind of bad but it really isn’t. It’s what I want to read and what I’m often missing in lesfic. The story ventures into the forbidden love trope but it does so in a Romance way, not in a “coming out” way. It was actually an unexpected twist and done really well.
I love Ainslie Caswell’s voice. It fits the two women perfectly and her narration is very captivating. She wasn’t always exactly on point in regard to using the correct intonations and sometimes the voices weren’t so easily distinguishable because of it. Nevertheless, it was an engaging, fun narration style and I was invested in the story.
If you’re looking for a sexy, romantic audiobook with two women, I wholeheartedly recommend this one!
So, we start out with Rook, genius Grandmaster chess player, failing at live. She has no direction and is fairly immature, despite being in her 30’s. I liked her right away though. She’s a funny little punk 😀 Twists and turns make her run into Carmen, her polar opposite in many regards: An extremely driven beauty queen.
It’s a quite fascinating set-up and both protagonists are adorable, interesting and “real”.
First and foremost, this is a very romantic book though! I really like how Em Stevens follows what I would call a “standard Romance recipe”. That sounds kind of bad but it really isn’t. It’s what I want to read and what I’m often missing in lesfic. The story ventures into the forbidden love trope but it does so in a Romance way, not in a “coming out” way. It was actually an unexpected twist and done really well.
I love Ainslie Caswell’s voice. It fits the two women perfectly and her narration is very captivating. She wasn’t always exactly on point in regard to using the correct intonations and sometimes the voices weren’t so easily distinguishable because of it. Nevertheless, it was an engaging, fun narration style and I was invested in the story.
If you’re looking for a sexy, romantic audiobook with two women, I wholeheartedly recommend this one!
vixdag's review
3.0
*** No Synopsis ***
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I thought both of the main characters were original and well fleshed out with enough emotional depth to keep me interested. I've never read a book in this genre about a Chess Grandmaster so I was very intrigued. Rook is a little off putting and at close to 40 it's hard to still pull off being a smart ass, but I was willing to go with it. Carmen is delightful and really flips the script on what most people assume about beauty queens. With her determination and unwillingness to let Rook treat her like an infant, I can definitely understand why Rook was willing to change her ways for Carmen. The events which threaten to break up the newly happy couple were very plausible. I hate it when authors come up with something idiotic that would NEVER happen in real life and have it be the obstacle to their happiness. I liked how Rook opened Carmen's eyes to the circumstances for the young homeless LGBTQ youth and how it was a catalyst for change in Carmen. I wish there had been a little more written about that, but on the whole this was a very good read.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I thought both of the main characters were original and well fleshed out with enough emotional depth to keep me interested. I've never read a book in this genre about a Chess Grandmaster so I was very intrigued. Rook is a little off putting and at close to 40 it's hard to still pull off being a smart ass, but I was willing to go with it. Carmen is delightful and really flips the script on what most people assume about beauty queens. With her determination and unwillingness to let Rook treat her like an infant, I can definitely understand why Rook was willing to change her ways for Carmen. The events which threaten to break up the newly happy couple were very plausible. I hate it when authors come up with something idiotic that would NEVER happen in real life and have it be the obstacle to their happiness. I liked how Rook opened Carmen's eyes to the circumstances for the young homeless LGBTQ youth and how it was a catalyst for change in Carmen. I wish there had been a little more written about that, but on the whole this was a very good read.
erinreadssapphicbooks's review
3.0
Would have been better without the blatant biphobia from the main character: 'Rook's nose wrinkled. She hated remembering that Carmen had been with a man. "It's so gross to think about."'
isalaur's review
4.0
Very enjoyable story
This is my first f/f romance and I really enjoyed it. The two main characters, Rook and Carmen are well developed and both of them tug at the reader’s heartstrings, even when Rook is being a surly, arrogant witch. The story arc is well done. I really enjoyed the way the story progressed and focused on character development. I’m a big fan of character driven stories so this was a win for me.
This is my first f/f romance and I really enjoyed it. The two main characters, Rook and Carmen are well developed and both of them tug at the reader’s heartstrings, even when Rook is being a surly, arrogant witch. The story arc is well done. I really enjoyed the way the story progressed and focused on character development. I’m a big fan of character driven stories so this was a win for me.
qace90's review
4.0
I read Critical Hit first and while this one wasn't quite as spectacular, I look forward to more from Em. I love the geeky characters and the depth. I did find the beauty queen getting in trouble for relationship a little less my taste, but the dynamic worked very well. Light on sex scenes (which I was a-okay with), but what was there was definitely steamy.
A quick read and a very enjoyable one. I want more of these cute geeky lesbian romances!!
A quick read and a very enjoyable one. I want more of these cute geeky lesbian romances!!
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