Donna K. FordCritiques

I wanted to like it but just couldn't. Flat characters, extremely predictible story and mystery, and a few other things kept me from caring.

Dane has lost her job and her best friend and is spiraling a bit. So she decides to go home to Appalachia in Tennesse and try to find out more about her mother's family. Her father has never been forthcoming about anything about that side of her family, and she thinks that maybe if she learns more about them that she'll learn something about herself as well.

Her journey takes her into Emma's bar where she and Emma get off to quite a rocky start, but, Emma rents a room to Dane anyway and Dane and Emma's brother Curtis get a little close as well. Curtis was a cool character, he was written in a really amazing way, right on the border of adult and just a tiny teeny bit childlike, but, not in a straightforward way. I'm probably explaining the character wrong, but, it was something that I'd never quite read before, and, it tickled me to read about him after I'd just recently gotten done with reading the Stumptown books with Ansel in them, and the awesome new TV show with Ansel as well.

Curtis is the main thrust of the book because he always seems to be in trouble and his sister always seems to need to be getting him out of trouble. But, this time he may be in more trouble than even he .... and Dane can get him out of. And, it doesn't help that Dane is asking questions about her family and the people in the area do not like that since they're a very closed community.

It was an interesting story and a fun read. It didn't surprise me a lot in its twists and turns, but, the characters were all unique and amazing.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.

This was horrible. I mean, it was great, but it was also intensely horrible.

It's the story of Greyson and Olivia. They meet when the literally collide. But, then they go their separate ways. Except that's not quite how it goes.

They both get taken, although in definitely different ways. And then they both wind up captured by a slave fight club. And then they're thrown together as well.

Of course, this is a lesfic romance, and so while going through hell they also get closer. and that was interesting since I thought Ford kept a balance with them vs. their situation pretty well.

The characters were all really well crafted and all so unique and some of their stories were intense. I did feel like we only got a quick look at their lives, etc. But, what we got was intense.

That was the word that was always on my tongue as I read this book. Intense. At some points it was so unrelenting that I had to put it down, but I also had to pick it back up because I very much needed that happily ever after ending.

As I said, it was horrible, more specifically the topic, but how it was written about was really good and even with its theme I definitely think it's worth a read.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.

Andi Massey is clearly a damaged soul, severely traumatized by something in her past, she has retreated to a small town where nobody knows her history and she keeps everybody at emotional distance.

Gwen Palmer finds herself dumped by the woman she loved and out of work as a consequence. Despite resistance from friends and family she decides to start again as far away from the city as she can get. She has been hurt once too often by women who use her and is tired of one-night stands and short-term relationships.

Within hours of Gwen arriving at her new home she and Andi are literally thrown together when Gwen’s giant mastiff bowls Andi over. Their attraction is obvious. Gwen is not afraid to go after what she wants, but Andi is determined to resist the attraction. Can Gwen wear down Andi’s resistance? Will her self-confidence survive the mixed messages? Or will Andi’s fear of the past prevent them exploring any future together?

———

No Boundaries is an interesting tale that combines many elements of the traditional LesFic romance with the suspense of a traumatised past and the fear of an endangered future. The plot is well thought through, cleverly weaving characters mentioned in passing into the plot and maintaining the suspense. Ms Ford keeps us on tender hooks about exactly what happened to Andi until the very last minute and cleverly replaces one waiting game for another.

The romance between Andi and Gwen is charming as we see the insecurities of the outwardly confident Gwen battling the self-imposed outward isolation of Andi. Their combined histories make for an interesting and challenging romance.

The characters of Andi and Gwen are delightful, as are favorites such as Mrs Peterson and the small cast we eventually get to meet from Andi’s past. Ms Ford creates real people whose doubts and fears, wishes and regrets, have a structural integrity that enables us to identify and bond with them.

There were places in the book where I could have wished for slightly tighter editing when the occasional repetition of words and frequent repetition of names distracted from the dialogue and action.

This was a good story, a sweet romance and a book that I enjoyed. I will certainly be looking out for more from this author.

(publisher review copy received)

A great new novel from Donna K Ford, with all the usual elements of a traditional romance, a strong dose of suspense and her own unique twist.

Rhea has just been released from prison where she has served her sentence for killing her father. Scared of the world she left at 17, determined not to go let anyone near her and unwelcome to her family and neighbourhood, she finds herself dependent on her parole officer for a new start. Finding work and a home with her PO’s sister, Rhea is like skittish colt, always on the verge of bolting.

Morgan has a heart of gold and as an ex minister she instinctively takes in waifs and strays. But the cost of her past weighs heavy, and she is constantly trying not to let anyone one in. Between them they have enough trust issues to sink any chance of a relationship, despite the growing affection, but ultimately it is trust which will save them both.

The characters are interesting and their specific issues are unusual. Rhea is particularly well written and well developed. We watch her battle her own demons to overcome her childhood fears and fight her way into adulthood in the world. Having been incarcerated since 17 she has a lot of learning and adjusting to do and Ms Ford does an excellent job of describing her gradual change. Morgan is less defined, we know her issues, but don’t really explore them and aren’t made to empathise so strongly. My only complaint would be that we could have delved further into Morgan’s psyche and filled her out with more depth, I wanted to know more about her inner workings. However as a foil to Rhea she is perfect.

There is a great tension throughout, on many levels. Will Rhea find a way to survive in the world is a question that permeates the whole? Will Rhea and Morgan allow themselves to open up, or stay in their shells built of fear? Will they survive the external threats to their happiness? Ms Ford balances all of these emotional intricacies extremely well and winds them into an intense and forceful backdrop to the Rheas growth.

Overall a very interesting combination of suspense, romance and character development, handled lightly despite the dark subject matter. Love’s Redemption is well written and thoughtfully plotted to use the storyline development and strands of emotional growth to create a sense of anticipation. I really enjoyed this one, and look forward to more of Ms Ford’s intriguing characters.

(publisher review copy received)

This is the story of Rhea and Morgan. Rhea has just gotten out of jail after being in for fifteen years for killing her father. Although we the reader know the reason for this act of Rhea's almost immediately (or at least, I realized the reason almost immediately while I was reading), Morgan on the other hand takes a leap of faith when she allows her sister JJ (also Rhea's parole officer) to convince her to take Rhea on as a worker on her farm. Morgan is an ex-priest with a twisty turney backstory of her own.

They slowly heal themselves and perhaps find that they can help heal each other as well. And then when things start happening at the farm, there's the question, who is this mysterious person going after, Rhea or Morgan? And will anyone actually believe that they're in danger before it's too late?

I liked the characters. And the small bit of thrillerness-ish that was in there as well. I wish that the reveal of the who had been a little less obvious to me, but perhaps it wasn't supposed to be a mystery (or perhaps I've read wayy wayy to many mysteries). I also loved how the dog was written as well. What a cutie patootie (who was also not to be messed with.)

I got this advanced galley through Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.