Too-Late-I-Love-you-by-Kiki-ArcherToo Late I Love You by Kiki Archer is a delightful romance. This was the first book that I have read by Archer and I was sceptical about all the positive publicity she was getting. To put this into perspective, I am sceptical about all publicity. Coming from a media background, I know all about marketing and creating hype, so Archer’s book got a rather unfair shake from me right at the beginning. The thing is, within 20 pages she had me convinced that the hype was real.

The story is about Connie. She is a stay at home mom with a toddler. Her boyfriend owns a successful business and is barely home. In an effort to keep herself occupied, Connie goes to the local community centre for weekly playgroup sessions with her son and her gay best friend, Ryan. In the evenings she writes a novel about a woman finding love.

At one of the playgroups a mysterious new woman, Maria, arrives and Connie is drawn to the woman in a way that she cannot explain. Ryan sees the sparks and pushes them together. It isn’t long before they are friends and spend a lot of time together. There is undeniable tension between them and eventually Connie is forced to come to terms with the fact that she finds Maria irresistible.

The Characters

Archer’s characters are well defined and easy to remember. I liked that the story was told from the point of view of Connie and that she embodies a fairly typical female point of view in that she doesn’t feel attractive and is surprised when Maria thinks she is hot.

There were moments when I felt like Connie’s boyfriend’s mother was a little too much of a caricature but it wasn’t bad enough to affect my enjoyment of the story.

The Writing Style

Kiki Archer writes well. She develops lovely moments, writes good dialogue and keeps the story moving at a nice pace. This was a clean book, I found no typos etc.

There are some brilliant plot points at the end that you won’t see coming.

The Pros

I loved this book. The plot is well thought out, unique and beautiful. The story is well written and worth a read.

I also like the cover.

The Cons

The main character in the book that Connie is writing is used to mimic her feelings in real life and when her main character finds love it is with someone who is supposed to resemble Maria. I didn’t see it. Having said that, this didn’t take anything away from my enjoyment of the story.

Sheena's favourite novels - reviewed on TheLesbianReview.comThe Conclusion

This is one of the best books I have read this year. I absolutely loved it. It is well written and will keep you guessing and Archer keeps the story tight.

I would also like to add that the flirting between the women was really lovely and well done. Often writers resort to descriptions of emotions to convey that fluttery feeling of excitement one gets from good chemistry. Archer managed a lot with dialogue alone.

I was hooked from early on right up to the last word.

Excerpt from Too Late…I Love you by Kiki Archer

Connie stopped jigging as the woman entered her space. “I’m so sorry, I think it was Alice, my daughter. Is he okay? There was a tussle with the blocks.”

Connie stiffened as the woman bent down and stroked Noah’s head.

“Alice can be rather forceful at times. I really am sorry. It’s our first time here and already we are causing a fuss.” The woman paused and stretched out her hand. “Hi, I’m Maria.”

Connie stood still, lost in the milk-chocolatey eyes of seduction.

 

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