Stevie‘s review of Captain’s Choice (Fairview Station, Book 1) by VK Powell
Contemporary Lesbian Romance published by Bold Strokes Books 12 Dec 17
Estranged lovers reunited years later is a common trope in romance novels, although it works best for me when both lovers have already worked through the reasons for the original estrangement and are prepared to talk things over like grown-ups when they meet once again. The scenario has more likelihood of working in LGBT+ stories than in heterosexual romances, I find, because the opportunities for teenage angst and confusion are so much greater, as are the chances that these emotions will be resolved with maturity. Add in the extra complexity of potential parental disapproval becoming diminished as dependence lessens, and all the ingredients are there. Except… what if, as the years have passed, the parents have become the dependent ones for one or both former lovers?
Kerstin Anthony finds herself in just that situation; having built up a successful career as an architect, and on the verge of being able to start her own firm, her plans are disrupted when her overbearing mother suffers a stroke, which leaves her with mobility and memory impairments. Kerstin is able to call upon a maternal aunt for help, and the pair share live-in carer duties in order that both can continue their careers and social lives while Kerstin’s mother recovers. This recovery is progressing well, when Kerstin is called upon to take over a project in the family’s former hometown at short notice. The job seems to be a perfect next step in progressing her career, until Kerstin discovers that her liaison for the project is the woman who apparently dumped her as a teenager, right before Kerstin’s family moved away.
Bennett Carlyle comes from a long line of police officers. Newly promoted to captain after her predecessor’s spectacular fall from grace, she feels that she would be better occupied out on the streets setting a good example to her subordinates, rather than being stuck in an office or off on site visits overseeing the conversion of an old building into a new police station and community hub. This displeasure only increases when Bennet finds out that the new architect for the project is the only woman to break her heart. When Kerstin’s father walked in on the two girls kissing, Bennett denied that they were having a relationship to spare Kerstin from her father’s anger, figuring they would work things out later; however, none of her phone messages were passed on in the short time between the event and Kerstin leaving town as a result of her parents’ divorce. Now the two women have a perfect opportunity to fix what once went wrong, and work out if the reason neither has managed a successful adult relationship is partly due to the fact that they belong together.
Meanwhile, the project that has brought the two back together is beset by difficulties due to their respective predecessors’ ethically challenged natures and attempts at cost-cutting with no regard for building codes. Kerstin also has to rush back to see her mother at regular intervals, and worries how she will be able to carry on a long-distance relationship with Bennett in the face of maternal disapproval. Bennett, by contrast, has a very approving family, but worries that Kerstin lacks commitment for the long haul.
I liked this book a lot. At times I wished the main characters would just sit down and talk things through, but this dissatisfaction was counterbalanced by the sheer joy of meeting the various members of Bennett’s family, especially the two matriarchs. I was greatly charmed by Kerstin’s aunt and was cheered immensely to see her start on the road towards her own happy ending. Definitely a series I want to follow as more of the characters are developed in their own right.
Grade: B
Summary:
Newly promoted police captain Bennett Carlyle considers being project manager for the new district substation the way to prove her worth in the male-dominated upper ranks of the department. But when the first girl she loved returns as the architect with little understanding of the operational needs of a police station, Bennett’s career and her heart could face permanent damage.
Architect Kerstin Anthony believes the new police substation will be the springboard to her own firm and the necessary resources to care for her mother. When she confronts the girl she kissed in high school, now a tantalizing police officer with unrealistic expectations about the new facility, Kerstin’s path to success becomes littered with unexpected hurdles. Along with tight deadlines, budget restraints, and architectural challenges, she has to battle both past and present feelings for the woman she was torn away from years ago.
Read an excerpt.
