AUTHOR: Ashley Herring Blake GENRE: LGBT+ Romance PAGES: 400 RELEASED: 22 February 2022 SERIES: Bright Falls #1 SYNOPSIS: Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it’s a different woman every night, but that’s just fine with her. When Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there’s some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls, after all. Having raised her eleven-year-old daughter mostly on her own while dealing with her unreliable ex and running a bookstore, Claire Sutherland depends upon a life without surprises. And Delilah Green is an unwelcome surprise…at first. Though they’ve known each other for years, they don’t really know each other—so Claire is unsettled when Delilah figures out exactly what buttons to push. When they’re forced together during a gauntlet of wedding preparations—including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé—Claire isn’t sure she has the strength to resist Delilah’s charms. Even worse, she’s starting to think she doesn’t want to… Sometimes what you didn’t know you needed is in the place you’ve been running from...
It’s been twelve years since Delilah Green hightailed it out of Bright Falls for New York, and for the most part, she’s never looked back. But now her step-sister is getting married and has hired Delilah to be her wedding photographer, which includes all pre-wedding events in the two weeks leading up to the big day. Delilah and Astrid have never really been close, but with her wicked step mother offering a large cheque, Delilah really can’t say no. As Delilah pumps herself up to spend time with her sister and her best friends Claire and Iris, what Delilah doesn’t expect is the mutual attraction between herself and Claire. Hooking up with her sister’s best friend is just the kind of thing that will piss Astrid off, but as Delilah gets reacquainted with Claire, it’s the last reason she has for getting close to her. And when Delilah, Claire and Iris start working together to try and secretly help Astrid see that her fiancé is horrible, Delilah can’t help but feel like she’s got more in common with Astrid than she realised, and that maybe running away from Bright Falls in the first place wasn’t the answer to all her problems.. I adored every single second of this book. These characters were an absolute joy to be around, the location of Bright Falls was fun, and I could not get enough of Delilah and Claire’s developing relationship. And it wasn’t just the romance that sucked me into the story – the development of Delilah and Astrid’s sisterhood was also so intriguing, especially as it was paired with flashbacks to when they were children. The fact that all these characters already had so much history together was one of my favourite parts of the story, and actually made it feel like I as the reader had known these characters much longer as well. The history that all these characters have added so much more depth to the story, and I actually really enjoy Delilah and Claire’s relationship so much more because of it. Ashley’s writing style was just so easy to consume, even when things got heavy and could have bogged down the storyline and flow. This was my first time reading one of Ashley’s books but it felt like I’ve already read her stuff 100 times before – it felt familiar and comforting, and like coming back to an old favourite. I don’t want to call it this early on, but I think this is my favourite read of the year. This was a book I couldn’t put down but also didn’t want to finish just so I could spend forever with these characters. These characters wormed their way into my heart and I can’t wait for Astrid and Iris to get their own happily ever after in future books. I’ve not read too many queer romances as yet, but this is 100% my favourite. An absolute must-read for any romance fan, but particularly those looking for more queer reads to add to their bookshelves. It has everything you could want in a Sapphic romance and more. |
Categories
All
Affiliates
See DISCLAIMER.
|