Take Me There by Julie Cannon is a lesbian romance about having a second chance at love—in more ways than one.
Sloan Merchant is an attorney at Foster McKenzie, one of the largest venture capitalist firms in the US, and she’s damn good at her job. One day, when she shows up for an investment negotiation, Sloan is confronted with the last thing she expects to see—her old college girlfriend. Sloan is stunned to find Adrienne across the table, and old memories of her first love come rushing back faster than Sloan can handle.
Adrienne Phillips knew she’d be seeing Sloan, but she wasn’t prepared for the feelings and memories that their meeting would bring up. It’s been three years since her wife, Brenna, died and left her alone to raise their daughter, and even the first hints that Adrienne may still be attracted to Sloan feel like a betrayal. Brenna was Adrienne’s soulmate, but how long can she keep her life on hold, especially when she sees what a good, caring person Sloan is?
The Characters
Adrienne and Sloan are both well written. Thanks to flashbacks, we see them in their college relationship as well as when they get to know each other again in the present. They’re both vulnerable for very different reasons, with Adrienne still grieving over Brenna and raising their daughter with the help of her parents, and Sloan drifting from woman to woman as she avoids serious relationships. They each have a ways to go to make space for the other in their lives, but I was happy with how they did it and I’d love to read a follow up with these characters to see where they are a few years later.
Fans of Julie Cannon’s first book, Come and Get Me, will be happy to hear that we see a lot of Elliott and Lauren, since Elliott is Sloan’s boss and Sloan is friends with both women. They’re married, still very much in love and incredibly happy.
The Writing Style
Take Me There has an easy style to it that’s engaging and keeps the pages turning (or, er, keeps the Audible app going?). It does feature a lot of flashbacks though, so keep that in mind if those aren’t your thing.
The Narration
Charley Ongel did a great job narrating this book and I’d happily listen to other books she’s narrated in the future.
The Pros
This is a solid second chance romance. I mentioned in my intro that that’s true in more ways than one, and that’s because not only do Sloan and Adrienne get a second chance at love together, but Adrienne has another chance at love after losing her wife. I haven’t seen that done before in lesbian romance and it worked well.
The Cons
I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but it has too much sex. There are a few scenes with Elliott and Lauren in bed, some flashbacks with Adrienne and Sloan, and then finally Adrienne and Sloan during the present timeline. Readers here know that I love erotic romance, so it’s not that I don’t enjoy reading sex scenes or that any of them were badly written. It’s just that in this case they sometimes took away from the story, except for the scene with Adrienne and Sloan in the present—that one was excellent and necessary to both the story and the relationship.
Also, the cover design doesn’t work for me. I get that it aligns with the cover for Come and Get Me, but it makes it look like something from the Bold Strokes Books backlist. Someone who isn’t paying attention might pass it over when they’re looking for a new release.
The Conclusion
If you love second chance romances or you’re a fan of Julie Cannon, you should definitely check out this book.
Excerpt from Take Me There by Julie Cannon
“This is my attorney, Adrienne Stewart.”
The attorney’s back was to Sloan during the introduction, but she noticed something familiar about her. Sloan wracked her brain trying to place her. Elliott turned her way.
“This is Sloan Merchant, our corporate counsel.”
Sloan greeted Robert, but her heart stopped when she shifted her attention and looked into familiar deep-green eyes. Very familiar, very knowing eyes.
Sound refused to penetrate her brain, and their voices sounded as if her hands were over her ears. The world was spinning, and she leaned against the table to steady herself. She was having a hard time breathing, and the last thing she wanted was to faint in front of Elliott. Elliott, hell. The last thing she wanted to do was faint in front of Adrienne Stewart.
“Ms. Merchant,” Adrienne said, extending her hand.
Sloan knew it would be impolite to rebuff the greeting but wasn’t sure if she wanted to touch Adrienne again. Years ago, a simple touch could instantly ignite her, which often led to other heated things. The recognition in Adrienne’s eyes said she remembered the same thing.
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Bits and Bobs
- ISBN number: 9781626399174
- Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
- Audiobook Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Inc
- Narrator: Charley Ongel
Julie Cannon Online
Note: I received a free review copy of Take Me There by Julie Cannon. No money was exchanged for this review. I will always review books as honestly as possible and on occasion I refuse to review books.
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