AfterEllen.com Book Club discussion

This is still on its way to meeeee in the mail, but I know a bunch of people have already read it. So discuss away!

Jill wrote: "This is still on its way to meeeee in the mail, but I know a bunch of people have already read it. So discuss away!"

This one i would like to read

*spoilers!*
Some of you had mentioned this one was originally a fanfic,(based on Angie Hartman, I think?)and it read just like a fanfic. Meaning, it was very simple, fun, sexy, tension filled, and then a nice happy ending. I have never read an actual purchased novel that had been a previously posted fanfic (that I am aware of). It was a bit strange after spending so much time on sites reading them for free. And not to take away money from any of the authors, but maybe we can somewhere post links or discussions from some of our favorite fanfic stories. But maybe there are already enough of those forums.
Anyway, I liked the book well enough. It was a nice, breezy summer read. The only thing I did not like AT ALL was the violent attack on Caid. I keep wondering why that had to happen. (And very thankful that she was not sexually assaulted, too.) I don't think the attack and violence was needed. It did not further or strengthen any of the plot points. Otherwise, I liked the book and story enough for it to have been a fun, quick read.

Sorry..Angie Harmon.

SPOILERS!!!!



I think the attack on Caid was supposed to serve as conflict - something this book very much lacked. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the genre if it indeed is supposed to be fan fic (I've honestly never read any), but novels are supposed to have conflict that then is resolved in the end of the book. The author kept hinting at the conflict being that Caid and Robyn's relationship would become public knowledge, and they'd have to navigate the reality of being out lesbians in Hollywood, but the author just didn't have the guts to take it there. Instead she used the violent attack as proxy conflict; it was a poor substitution at best.

I also felt that Robyn was very uneven as a character. She became so enthralled with in Caid, and as a reader, I had no idea why. Their attraction was more of a plot point than actual character development. And she was willing the drop the sham relationship with Josh so quickly, which doesn't make sense for someone who had so carefully managed and cultivated that relationship for so long and had so much to lose by being out. Her character was just so unrealistic and simple... she's beautiful and has commitment issues... except she doesn't.

These two issues alone made for a very frustrating read for me.

*SPOILERS*

I read this book last year, so I may be mistaken, but I believe Robyn was willing to drop her sham relationship with Josh after Caid's attack. Maybe Robyn re-evaluated her priorities after getting so close to losing Caid?

To me Robyn felt as an honest character, she was insecure with this relationship from the start, due to her other relationship problems in the past.

SPOILERS!


Yoly, you're right that Robyn decided to drop her relationship with Josh after Caid's attack, and it's very possible that getting so close to losing Caid might have been the reason for the move. However, those dots were never connected, at least not to my satisfaction. And it wasn't even the first time that Robyn thought she had lost Caid (recall the hiking, "thought you had been kidnapped and murdered" incident earlier in the book). I guess what I'm saying is that it seemed like a hurried way to wrap things up in an all together, unrealistically happy way.

As far as Robyn's character, yes, I think she was supposed to be insecure with the relationship from the start, but I think that while the author was trying to convey insecurity, it came off as flaky, flighty, and fickle. To me, it read "I love you so much... no, nevermind, I've got to disappear for a while... no wait, I love you." I see what the author's intention was, but I just think it was poorly executed. Really Robyn's whole source of insecurity was only revealed in one comparatively brief conversation about a previous S&M-type relationship that ended badly. For me, that wasn't enough to explain and validate her behavior. Again, good idea, but poorly executed in my opinion.

I understand that the attack on Caid was supposed to serve as conflict. And I believe her being lost on the trail or "missing" was the reason Robyn finally confessed her true feelings to Caid. I know there was a need for some other conflict or moment of losing Caid that would cause Robyn to act. My big problem is that this moment was written as the brutal assault to Caid. A brutal assault caused by a mentally unstable person that, at first anyway, had homophobic undertones. I mean, why couldn't she just be in a car accident or something?

"...To me, it read "I love you so much... no, nevermind, I've got to disappear for a while... no wait, I love you..."

I know what you mean, I think that makes her more human, we usually mess up, specially when it comes to important decisions. But maybe I'm biased because I tend to be indecisive as well, hahaha.

I mean, why couldn't she just be in a car accident or something?
Maybe to add to the drama?
She was attacked because of her relationship with Robyn, which was another thing to worry about people finding out.

**Spoilers!**

I agree that this is a fun easy summer read. The story started out as fanfic, and as such, it's a given that the 2 main characters will meet, be attracted to each other, and fall in love. The characters are TV stars, so has Hollywood lives and problems - eg.the sham heterosexual relationship and even the attack by the stalker. Maybe the characters and the back-stories could be fleshed out a bit more, but at the end of the day, I enjoyed reading this book.

SPOILERS!!!



I'd guess that Caid was attacked (and not just in a car accident or something like that) because it was the author's attempt at conflict, as I mentioned in an earlier comment. Sure, there would have been some "conflict" in Caid being in an accident, causing Robyn to realize (again) that she loved Caid and wanted to be with her. But the stalker attack had more impact because it was directly because of the relationship, and not just a "wrong place, wrong time" thing.

If I were feeling particularly generous to the author, I could say that the attack was also a comment about the voyeuristic quality of our consumption of celebrities, something that gay and closeted stars probably feel more acutely than straight stars. But, as I said, this interpretation is probably more generous than factual. I'm starting the get the impression from those talking about this as having started as fan fic that my issues with this piece are simply features of the fan fic genre, specifically that the writer is taking an already established character that someone else has created backstory for and then just adding to that story in ways that serve whatever tale the fic writer wants to tell. Those genre conventions don't carry over to a novel because we don't already have a collective knowledge of the characters from having watched them on a show, movie, or in another book. Here the author has to do all the heavy character building herself, and in the case of this book, falls a bit short.

Well it was a very easy read, but I won't deny I liked the book. It was fun and sexy and the characters believable (considering they're supossed to be Hollywood stars) In my opinion Caid seemed a little bit desperate at times. Caid's attack was a little troubling for me, I would say it was a hate crime, I understand that, as it has been mentioned above, it was the conflict the couple needed, but it could have been something else not the attack per se.
Still, glad it got picked, I found it refreshing to read something lighter.

Although I can't argue with many of the criticism made in other posts, I have to admit I loved this booked and got hooked very quickly.

I do agree the attack on Caid as a plot device was cheap and the author could have had the guts to deal with their fight directly without having the poor girl attacked so violently.

It did start to lose its momentum towards the end as the Robyn's character was disappearing but still I really did enjoy it and would recommend it for what it is: a light, fun, romance novel.

And after all my criticisms, I guess I should say that I found the book to be pleasant enough. I finished it in 2 days during my otherwise dull commute. I should just stop over-thinking things and let it be the mindless pleasure read it is.

I agree with all of the criticisms, but also, like some of you, I did enjoy the book. It was a very pleasurable read and a happy ending, too. We don't always get that.

In the beginning, I really liked the book, the two protagonists had a great chemistry and it was fun to watch them. But soon I noticed that all the author really does is describe how they look, what they are wearing today, and how beautiful they are. I mean, of course I want to have an idea of how the characters look like, but much more I care about what's going on inside of them.
I agree with what was said before, the characters lack depth, we don't really know them. Robyn behaves like she has multiple personalities, and before it was said that Caid is supposed to be 34, I would have said she's in her early twenties because she's behaving really childish.
I also found that it was written quite simply, just like fan fiction.
The book sounded really good and I was glad it was picked, but it didn't meet my expectations

I could not get into this story at all. Stopped reading, not even halfway through.

I am with Tamara. Great beginning. I really think this could be a great story. But then they act like kids and its geting a little bit ... lame. Good ideas but doesn't use very well. Just a simple love story.

One question to those of you who hated (or just didn't like) this book.

Which novel would you recommend instead of this one (it has to be also a contemporary lesbian romance)?

The reason I ask is because I really liked this novel and would like to know what's "at the other end of the spectrum", hehehe.

I would give this three and a half stars out of five personally. I enjoyed it more at the beginning but like others here it got a bit hard for me after about half way. Part of my problem is I didn't enjoy the main character that much. She was indecisive a lot, quick to anger when she should have tried to understand or else just kept her mouth shut and she was just generally tempestuous in a annoying way.

I think the book's biggest problem was just a general lack of polish. Also I should say that for me personally as a big reader of lesbian romance/thriller/adventure books, I don't particularlly enjoy or spend time reading ones with characters just figuring out that they are gay. I like stories with out, unapologetic lesbians having relationships with other women and holding their heads up. Not that I don't understand keeping it quiet from other characters in the books in certain circumstances (like for instance if the book is set in a place where being out would be dangerous or they are in the closet for their job like in this) but I at least want them to be confident in themselves. That's just me personally though.

Now I have pointed out what I didn't like but as my rating suggests I did like this over-all. I loved the setting and I would very much enjoy more books dealing with TV shows I like. Angie Harmon is a huge crush of mine so it was wonderful seeing her in this. Lane is a talented writer in my opinion. She just needs more books under her belt. I would definitely read another book by her. I wonder why she hasn't published any others.

For Yoly and Jill too who has expressed interest in other books in the genre I'll list a few I really love and ones that I think are much more polished and better as examples of what books like this are capable of.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11...
This is a top notch thriller/adventure. Think somewhat hyper-real James Bond type stuff and don't get too worried by details. Very strong heroines though and they really pace the books in this series well while transporting you into the world of the story. They have some sex in them but it's earned and not thrown around every other chapter like some books I've read.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...
I love this book so much. I love Gill McKnight so much. I think she's one of the best writers in the genre and while the whole Garoul series is great, this is still my favorite.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...
Cassandra Duffy just keeps getting better. She's really imaginative, funny, sexy and lets her books have room to spread out and put you in the world she's created. I really like how she takes her time and lets her story stand up for itself.

Thanks for the suggestions, Erin!

Thank you for the recommendations Erin. Dying to Live seems interesting.

Man, I love how many comments this has gotten, including the criticism, a lot of which I agree with and which I think you all explained really well. You guys have actually given me a lot of ideas about what I'm going to write about this book for the site this week. For now I'll just say thank you Erin for that list!! I look forward to hopefully reading those or including them in the book club for another month!