Didn't Stay In Vegas by Chelsea M CameronDidn’t Stay in Vegas by Chelsea M Cameron is a friends-to-lovers romance with quite possibly the most useless (but cute) lesbian I’ve ever come across.

Callyn Stott wakes up in an unfamiliar hotel room with the hangover of the century, a dress she doesn’t remember putting on, and glitter all over her vulva. After a few minutes, she remembers that she’s in Vegas and was at her friend’s bachelorette party the night before, and notices that her best friend, Emma, is in the suite with her. A little while later, with their friends back around them, they discover a piece of paper that says they got married the night before.

Callyn and Emma head back to Boston, agreeing that they’ll get the marriage annulled. Except, Emma suggests they just… wait. Stay married and take advantage of filing joint tax returns and sharing healthcare coverage. Callyn doesn’t really get it, but Emma is the one person she can’t do without, her “go home”, so why not?

When Callyn receives an eviction notice, things get even more complicated for them because she moves in with Emma. But it’s not like she has any feelings for her and Emma definitely doesn’t, so no big deal, right? (Except Emma does have feelings for Callyn and Callyn is TERRIBLE at observation.)

Can Callyn pull it together long enough to figure out what a good thing she has going with Emma and that maybe her happily ever after is right there in the apartment with her?

The Characters

Oooooooooooh boy, Callyn is the most oblivious character ever, and I love her anyway. She’s well known for being impulsive, so their friends aren’t even particularly surprised to find out about the spontaneous wedding in Vegas. Her heart is enormous, however, and it’s clear from the beginning that Emma adores her, even if Callyn hasn’t figured it out yet.

The story is told in the first person from Callyn’s perspective, so we get to know her well. There were times I want to shake her a little and say “that girl over there loves you SO MUCH”, but it was still fun to join her for the ride as she figures it out and makes some other good decisions for her future too, like getting a new job.

I don’t mind that we didn’t see much from Emma, but I’d love to see this story from her perspective too. She’s practical and kind, but with a decent sneaky streak, so I’m curious to know more about her interior life.

The Writing Style

This book has one of my favourite openings ever, which you can check out below as an excerpt. It totally sucked me in and I didn’t want to stop reading from there, because the writing is so fun and engaging. It also has no angst, which is exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up.

Also, this is the fourth book I’ve read by Cameron and she massively stepped up her sex writing game with this one. I enjoyed the sex scenes in her other books, but they on a whole other level in Didn’t Stay in Vegas because they work so well for driving the relationship development, in addition to being incredibly hot.

The Pros

I love these characters, their friendship, and their eventual romantic relationship so much.

The Cons

I don’t want to get spoilery with this, but there was a rapid leap from Callyn not being sure if she could be IN love with Emma (since she definitely loved her) to being 100% committed. That felt kind of sudden, even if I understand the event that triggered it.

The Conclusion

taras favourite lesbian booksI read this book during a very bad week and it was absolutely the perfect choice. It’s adorable and heartwarming, and I highly recommend it.

Excerpt from Didn’t Stay in Vegas by Chelsea M Cameron

I woke up with glitter in my junk. Granted, I also woke up wearing a dress I didn’t remember buying, in a bed I’d never seen before, and with the worst hangover in the history of time. I had to pee as if I’d drunk twelve gallons of liquid and, judging by the intensity of the hangover pounding in my body, I might have had that much in alcoholic beverages.

I groped my way around the too-bright room and found the bathroom, shielding my eyes from the pure white marble and gaudy gold accents. I yanked up the dress to find (with relief) that I was wearing underwear, but then a shower of glitter fell to the white marble floor.

“The fuck?” I said, taking my underwear fully down and folding myself in half to glare at my junk. What was going on down there?

Glitter. Glitter all up in there. Why in the hell did I have glitter on my vulva? I peed and attempted to wipe the glitter off with toilet paper, but it was a lost cause.

Giving up on that, I decided to crawl to the shower and wash when I heard a moan. I guess wasn’t alone in the strange, ostentatious hotel room. I grabbed the closest gold vase and raised it up, preparing to defend myself as I peered around the doorway. Sprawled on a purple velvet couch across from the bed was—

“Emma,” I breathed out, lowering the vase and putting it back on the counter. She let out another moan and then opened her eyes, raising her head slowly and blinking a few times.

“The fuck?” she said, struggling to get into a sitting position. She also wore a sequin-drenched gown that was cut down to her navel in the front. Holy mother of cleavage. One of her boobs was making a break for freedom, so I tried to focus on her face instead. Friends didn’t stare at their friend’s escaping boobs, at least not on purpose.

“I don’t know,” I said. “But I just peed glitter.” Emma squinted her green eyes at me and started to laugh, but then groaned and put both hands on her head, her fingers tangling in her dark hair. “That was a bad idea.”

My brain had started to sharpen and remember where we were and why we were here.

“Vegas. We’re in Vegas.”

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Bits and Bobs

AISN number: B07Y3WTBD2

Publisher: Indie author

Chelsea M. Cameron Online 

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