Rescued Heart by Georgia Beers, Lesbian fiction

Rescued Heart by Georgia Beers is a contemporary romance. It is the first in her new Puppy Love series. If the rest of the books are as good as Rescued Heart, I will be one happy reviewer!

Ashley Stiles is a volunteer dog walker at Junebug Farms, a local no-kill animal shelter in upstate New York. She loves volunteering and is often there when she’s not at her day job baking and decorating cakes and cookies. But no matter how friendly she is, she just can’t seem to get through to the shelter’s standoffish intake and adoption coordinator, Lisa.

Lisa Drakemore learned the hard way at 18 that it’s safest not to count on others when her mother left and it was up to her to run the house and raise her brothers. Almost 15 years later, she’s alone with her pets and her job at the shelter and that’s the way she likes it. If her mother would stop trying to reconnect after all these years, life would be just about perfect. After all, she has her aunt and best friend. What else does she need?

Ashley breaks down in tears one day when her favourite elderly dog is adopted. Not only is Lisa the last person she expects to comfort her, but Lisa is just as surprised. They can’t stop noticing each other after this, and it’s only a matter of time before some pretty amazing kissing happens, even though Ashley is seeing a very sweet woman and Lisa’s life is fine as it is, thank you very much.

The Characters

If the names Lisa Drakemore and Junebug Farms sound a little familiar, that’s because they came up when Andrea adopted Zeke, the cutest kitten in lesfic, in A Little Bit of Spice. Lisa’s is the heart in need of rescue, and she comes so far in the book, it’s easy to feel proud of her. She’s not cold as much as she’s made a decision not to engage with the people around her, and I loved watching her open up to Ashley ever so slowly.

While Lisa changes the most, I also appreciated Ashley’s arc and how she admits that her newfound bravery is due to Lisa. She’s better for it, and is better equipped to be a partner. I really wanted to high five her when she told Lisa she wouldn’t chase her again.

Between other shelter staff and volunteers, as well as Lisa and Ashley’s friends and family, there are enough side characters to flesh things out and keep them interesting. That said, Clark Breckenridge is the perfect embodiment of entitled male privilege and affluenza. I wouldn’t be sad to hear he died in a car accident or cocaine overdose in between books. You know. However assholes die.

The Writing Style

This book is by Georgia Beers. Come on. Of course it’s written well.

Remember when I talked about how much she stepped up her sex writing in my review for A Little Bit of Spice? Well, she’s done it yet again. Lisa and Ashley don’t sleep together until well past the halfway point, after they’ve both been through quite a lot of character growth. When they do finally make it to bed together, the way they have sex reflects who they have become and where they are at with their relationship, and it’s beautiful. I’ve only ever seen something like that in erotic romance, so brava, Georgia, for showing it can be done in contemporary romance too. You’ve impressed me.

The Pros

There’s so much to love about Rescued Heart, between the main characters, the overall sense of community, Aunt Joyce and her brash ways, and the animals. It’s highly readable, with authentic, relatable situations and characters, and I enjoyed every minute.

[tweetthis]How is it possible for one woman’s lips to be this soft?[/tweetthis]

The Cons

The book ends a little abruptly and could have benefited from an epilogue. However, given that it’s the first in a series, I’m looking forward to seeing more about Lisa and Ashley as their relationship has time to mature.

Tara's Favourite Novels reviewed on on TheLesbianReview.comThe Conclusion

I can’t wait to read the next installment in the series (is it Catherine and Anna? Or just Catherine? Or just Anna? Or maybe Jessica?! I need to know!). If you want an easy read with satisfying character growth, pick up a copy of Rescued Heart.

Excerpt from Rescued Heart by Georgia Beers

How is it possible for one woman’s lips to be this soft?

Lisa couldn’t get the thought out of her head as Ashley pulled back a little bit and looked into Lisa’s eyes. Lisa wondered if hers had gone as dark as Ashley’s, if her own desire was as obvious. She didn’t wait for an answer; she grabbed Ashley’s face in her hands and kissed her again. Less gentle this time. Less tentative.

And Ashley kissed her back.

Hard.

And Lisa never wanted to stop. It was a thought that zipped absently through her mind, and it should have shocked her silly, but it didn’t. She grabbed Ashley’s shirt and held on for dear life, pulling her closer, pushing into her, letting Ashley push back. Senses blurred for Lisa until there was nothing but red-hot eroticism. Good God, this woman could kiss…

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[tweetthis]I just read this review for Rescued Heart by Georgia Beers [/tweetthis]

 

Puppy Love Series

Rescued Heart

Run To You

Dare To Stay

Bits and Bobs

 

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