Finding Home (Romances (Bold Strokes Books))

This book was sweet, inoffensive, and a pleasant way to spend a couple of evenings. It was a little tough to get into initially, because we jump right into the rather depressed (and ill-advised) actions of Sarah, who struggles with alcohol-induced issues throughout. But the author kept events and decisions moving along at a rapid pace, which was a relief, because some of the set-up was bland and I didn't want to dwell on it.

The best parts of the book (and really all of her books) were where Georgia's strengths at character interactions and emotions were on display. Some authors are really good at set-up, but can't write realistic relationships. This author does not have that problem. She shines once Natalie and Sarah begin interacting, and thankfully we get to that point fairly quickly. She has a gentle way of portraying their humanity, and expressing emotion and angst so that the reader gets a feel for it as well.

The strengths in the book outweigh the weaknesses in my opinion. The little bit of late sex we got was hot.

I do want to know what makes authors in this genre think that once they get the characters together the book can just end. The abruptness that many reviewers repeatedly complain about isn't necessarily the literary technique of ending with the climax, but rather the fact that there are so many obstacles and issues brought up on the path to love or romance that often there are still loose ends by the time they get together. But they're just all dropped. That's the sense I get from this book, anyway.

There's also the little annoyance of repeating certain situations and descriptions more than a couple of times, yet with no new effect. We get it already! You're readers are minimally literate! Trust them.

I'll look for more of this author's work. I hope her next book is a touch more tightly plotted, however.

P.S. If you don't like dogs, you should probably steer clear.

What a delightful Sunday afternoon reading!

I really like Georgia Beers' books, with the exception of Thy Neighbor's Wife, and this one delivered as well.

I think her strength is coming up with realistic scenarios and filling them with believable characters. I enjoy that so much in contrast to far fetched plots and super-human women that sometimes inhabit lesfic. Her writing is solid, dialogs well written with a feeling of authenticity, for lack of a better word, to them.

All of that is true for this book as well. I was a bit 'scared' when I read that a dog had such a bit part in the book, but that as well is really well written.

I really loved this book. It took me a day and a half to finish it because I was so glued to the story. If you are looking for a cute, well written lesbian love story this is it!

After Too Close to Touch and Fresh Tracks, both good romances, I was looking forward to more of the same from Ms. Beers. Her romance, Mine, didn't capture the feeling and Finding Home seems to have missed the mark by an even wider margin. Still. I love dogs, so the canine hero of this book, Bentley, compensated a bit for what was a tepid romance with characters that felt like they were just going through the motions.

One of the things I've always liked about Ms. Beers' romances is that they're light and entertaining without being shallow. This is a sign of a good author. Her characters have had depth and it's been easy to identify with them. This time, it's as if the author thought that if she threw Sarah and Natalie together in a quirky twist of fate and they agonized for awhile and then decided they were in love, that was enough. It wasn't for this reader.

I suppose, like a lot of women, I bought this book because I've had good experiences in the past and I thought Mine was an aberration not the start of a downward trend. Also, Finding Home has a very appealing plot. Unfortunately, it never gets off the ground the way that it could. This book is not in the same class as several other Bold Strokes romances I've reviewed recently. Maybe that's just a matter of personal taste or maybe it didn't help that I read this book in between others that were far better in every department. But I usually like Ms. Beers' novels, so I was surprised not to enjoy this one.

It's not easy to keep writing good romances, I'm sure. I can only think of about three authors who have written more than ten romances that are all excellent. I wish Ms. Beers better luck next time.

When I sit down to read a novel I expect to find angst, good characters, a story that moves forward with every page, and sex. For those of you who also look for these things, this book doesn't meet the requirements. It's a nice story and the characters are well developed, but, for me, the other things were lacking. (Ok, there was one sex scene, but it came at the very end of the book). From reading her other novels (Turning the Page and Thy Neighbor's Wife), I expected more than I got from this one.