Stevie‘s review of Something True (Out in Portland, Book 1) by Karelia Stetz-Waters
Contemporary Lesbian Romance published by Forever Yours 13 Jan 14
Much as I love the various niche and specialist publishers, especially within LGBT fiction and subsets thereof, it always gives me a thrill to see a major mainstream publisher take a chance on a branch of romance different from their norm. If there’s any fairness in publishing, then we ought to see more lesbian fiction taking off in the wake of the mainstream’s (partial) adoption of m/m romance. But, first of all, the mainstream needs to publish lesbian fiction that’s readable and that will appeal to a broad enough audience. Hopefully Something True will help kick off the trend.
I don’t know much about Portland, but the glimpses we get in this book make me want to learn much more about the city and hopefully visit there one day. Tate is a long-term resident, having dropped out of her degree and the promise of a successful career in academia to help in the coffee shop run by the woman who took her in as a teenager when no other adults seemed to care. Now the coffee shop is under threat from developers, and none of Tate’s family-by-choice are prepared to let it go without a fight.
Laura is in Portland primarily to close down the coffee shop and redevelop the building it’s housed in. The daughter of a up-and-coming Republican senator who has ambitions of running for president – and who expects his entire family to support his campaign without causing scandal of any sort – Laura has never before acted on her feelings for other women, but decides to take a chance and experiment with Tate – before either knows who the other really is.
Of course, one night together isn’t enough for either of them, but both are fiercely loyal to their families – Tate to her chosen one, Laura to her biological one – and disaster could well result if members of either find out. Meanwhile, others in Tate’s family have problems of their own apart from the threats to their coffee shop, and the repercussions lead Tate and her fiercely loyal Portland friends to embark on a highly risky road trip.
I love this story’s focus on the various types of families and the choices everyone has to make in order to stay true to both their families and themselves. I was really rooting for Tate and Laura to be able to find a compromise that would enable them to stay together and for both of them to find ways of supporting their families without losing sight of what they wanted out of life for themselves – not just romantically but professionally and personally too.
There are strong hints that this book is the first in a series. I really want to meet all these characters again and find out what else lies in store for them.
Grade: A
Summary:
Tate Grafton has a tough exterior, but underneath she’s kind, caring, and fiercely loyal. That’s why she first started working at Out in Portland Coffee-it was her way of repaying the shop’s owner for taking her in as a homeless teenager. Nine years later, the coffee shop is floundering and Tate feels like she’s letting life pass her by . . . until she shares an unforgettable night with a beautiful stranger. When the mysterious woman disappears the next morning, Tate doesn’t even know her name.
Laura Enfield was supposed to be in Portland for only a few days-just long enough to oversee a simple business deal before joining her conservative father on his political campaign. But when the closeted Laura romances an employee of the coffee shop her company is shutting down, things get suddenly complicated. Now, the lies she’s told for years are beginning to unravel, and her biggest secret is about to be exposed. Laura can’t stop thinking about the barista with the soulful eyes, but after a lifetime of deception, can she finally embrace something true?
No excerpt found.
