Stevie‘s review of Worth the Wait (Out in Portland, Book 3) by Karelia Stetz-Waters
Contemporary Lesbian Romance published by Forever Yours 19 Jun 18
Portland is a popular setting for LGBT+ romance stories, and I really must visit the city some day; in the meantime, though, there are series like this one to remind me of all the fun I seem to be missing. Or not, in the case of how our story opens. I quite like school and college reunions, but I know that’s not true for everyone. It certainly isn’t for Merritt Lessing: fully aware that attending her high school event means coming face to face with her planned date for the prom, who unceremoniously dumped her on the night in favour of a man. To make matters worse, said failed prom date is the guest of honour at the reunion. Avery Crown is now the star of a reality house restoration show, partnered by the man she took to the prom all those years before. He’s attending the reunion with her, but she’s not looking exactly forward to seeing Merritt again, no matter how much she regrets the loss of their friendship after the prom disaster.
When the two finally meet at the reunion, they put old misunderstandings behind them and try to catch up on the missing years. Avery longs to stop living the lie that she and her co-star are an item and come out as a lesbian, but she fears the wrath of her mother (and agent), as well as worrying what work either star will get if the show is cancelled. Merritt, meanwhile, has become a success in her own way, rebuilding the hardware business bequeathed to her by her favourite uncle, not long after Avery left, into a successful buildings reclamation and vintage materials centre. Having worked construction to make ends meet in the early years, Merritt now saves her skills for special projects and is in the process of buying the now dilapidated building her uncle once lived in to create her perfect forever home.
Avery and Merritt explore Portland together; Merritt shows off the house and details her plans for when she owns it, while Avery talks about her rekindled excitement at filming the show’s next series in her old hometown. They spend the night together, but then Avery discovers the next day that the show runners have lost their deal on the house the crew were supposed to be renovating, and their proposed replacement is going to devastate Merritt when she finds out.
At this point, I feared the whole book was going to revolve around one big misunderstanding between our heroines, but actually that issue was dealt with quite neatly. Instead, the major dilemma has far more to do with how the pair could be together without destroying the careers of the many people working on Avery’s show. Avery’s mother has filled her mind with insecurities of what will happen if she comes out, coupled with the idea that Avery is a good enough actor for reality TV, but not for ‘real’ screen or theatre work. Nevertheless, our heroines work at making the most of the time they have together, although they can’t dodge the press forever. When they’re spotted in a gay club, even though Avery’s co-star is with them and tries to protect her, it looks like all Avery’s fears are going to come true.
Although I loved Avery’s last-minute escape from the cover-up attempt that’s forced on her, I did feel that the overall ending to the story felt a little rushed with just a few pages and an epilogue to give our heroines a happy ending and catch us up to where all their friends had ended up. On the other hand, I did love those friends and hope to see more glimpses of them as the series progresses.
Grade: B
Summary:
A second chance at first love…
For fifteen years, Avery Crown tried to forget her best friend Merritt Lessing. The late nights studying, the whispered confidences, and the little touches that never turned into something more. Unfortunately, her efforts have not been as successful as her TV career as the queen of home renovation. So when she runs into Merritt at their high school reunion, Avery asks for one night with the woman she’s always wanted…Merritt spent high school pining after Avery, but never made a move-their friendship meant too much. The one time it seemed things might change, Avery chose her budding career. So Merritt did the same, throwing herself into her remodeling business. Now Avery’s back, and while Merritt still hasn’t forgiven her for walking away the first time, they can’t keep their hands off each other. But when their professional paths cross, and it seems like Avery is choosing her career once again, Merritt will have to decide if she’s willing to let go of the past and give herself a second chance with her first love.
No excerpt available.
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