awesome book - great spectrum of out-or-not experiences

I loved this book in so many ways.

One thing I didn't put together until my second reading, was the variety of "out of the closet or not" experiences. Eleanor was out, but when she moved to a small Florida town, she chose to go back into the closet, fearing that a more conservative environment would cost her her job as a teacher. Randi has always been out and, while she's sympathetic to Eleanor's closetedness, she struggles with it, especially as it constricts their social activities. Eleanor's lesbian co-workers are out, but she doesn't realize it until later, after nearly losing Randi. Their teacher jobs aren't as safe as one would like, but it's not as bad as she'd feared.

The love affair between Randi and Eleanor goes along in fits and starts. It is a wonderful story, and the sex is hot. Definitely read it as soon as you have a chance!

After a heartbreak, Randi becomes A one night operator in order to keep your heart safe. That plan seems to work until she meets "the one", Eleanor. So it should be smooth sailing from this point on as both women are deeply drawn to one another and appear to want to relationship. However there are major complications as Eleanor wants to live and love in the closet, Randi does not. Are the two women in June before they get started working and one woman completely changed her life for the woman she loves? Sometimes this is just not as simple as it seems. Hang on for the ups and downs and see sweet love story ends.

I was excited to read this book because as a queer woman, I don't feel like there are many options on the market for quality lesbian literature. However, this book was just too repetitive. The story line was interesting and I appreciated where the story went, but the sex scenes were just too often and too predictable. Sometimes less is more when it comes to sex scenes in books and for this one, a few really great scenes would have been preferable to the way it was written .

I didn’t like any of the characters. Not one. I forced myself to read all of this book hoping something would happen that would change the way I felt. It never did.

Randi Hansen works for Animal Rescue in a small town in Florida. She is a player never bedding the same woman twice but once in a while she might spent another night if the mood is right. Eleanor Bremer has moved from San Francisco after finding her partner cheated on her. She gets a job teaching school in the same small town Randi lives. Randi is out and proud but Eleanor isn’t sure she can do that and not endanger her job. I really hate giving a bad review but after reading Exposed by Ms Williamz I feel I have no choice. I didn’t like any of the characters. Not one. I forced myself to read all of this book hoping something would happen that would change the way I felt. It never did. I know Ms Williamz can write. I’ve read some of her earlier works and really enjoyed them but this isn’t one of them.
eARC via NetGalley

After coming home on her lunch break. Eleanor finds her lover in bed with someone else. So she sells her house and moves across the country. To a small community and she a new teacher. So she doesn't want people to find out she’s gay. She meets Randi when she finds an alligator in her backyard and calls animal control. Randi is openly gay and doesn't want to go back in the closet. I have read other books by this author and liked them. This one is just so repetitive. And I can not believe how much she has them drinking and driving. I am really put off by that. So if I were you I would try one of her other books.

I always look forward to books by MJ Williamz. To me the plot was a little thin here and the dialogue wasn’t up to her usual standards, but it was still entertaining nonetheless.

This book just didn’t do it for me. I wasn’t convinced of the attraction between the characters- their lovemaking being no more remarkable than their love scenes with other women. Every encounter resulted in multiple orgasms and verged on being repetitive. Hopefully this works for other readers but not my cup of tea I’m afraid 😟

Serial erotic scenes linked together by a story about a teacher's fear of homophobia in a small Florida town. Technically well written but not much plot.

Heartbreak and betrayal has sent Eleanor from California to a small town in Florida. An alligator in her overgrown yard brings Animal Control Officer, Randi, to the rescue. Once the alligator is relocated, Eleanor offers to take Randi to dinner and Randi offers to assist Eleanor with cleaning up her yard. Randi is the local lesbian player and always manages to find someone to warm her bed. Eleanor is the Accelerated English teacher at the local school but is in terror of being identified as lesbian for fear of losing her job and being discriminated against.

I guess this would be categorised as an erotic romance but it’s not the kind of erotica that appeals to me. It’s too overt, too repetitive and with far too many on-page sex scenes. There is nearly one per chapter, and often more than one, and in a book with 28 chapters there needs to be some ingenuity and phenomenal dialogue to keep it interesting.
The dialogue during the intercourse scenes was fairly staid and lacking in sexiness.

“I love how easy you are.”
“I should be embarrassed.”
“No, you shouldn’t. It’s wonderful.”
“Are you sure?” Eleanor said.
“I’m positive.”
“Okay. If you say so.”
“It means I turn you on,” Randi said. “How can that be a bad thing?”
“That’s true. And you do. Big time.”
“Most excellent.”
“So now it’s my turn again?” Eleanor said.
“No, thanks, baby. I’m fine for now.”

The dialogue in the rest of the story is also pretty pedestrian. I don’t really need to know every time one character offers the other a beer or glass of wine. And I really don’t need to know every time they accept the offered beverage. It’s almost like a first generation reality TV show, you know, when they were still pretending it was reality and not doing much editing.

I struggled a little with my belief in the story line too. If Eleanor was out and proud and in a relationship with a woman for years before moving to Florida, is it likely that she would climb back into the closet with such fear of discrimination? Maybe, I don’t know. I found a tragic incident in Randi’s life lacking in depth too. Her reaction was superficial and at odds with what was happening. Overall, I think this is the last Williamz book for me. I keep hoping my experience will be like the first book I read by her but maybe my reading tastes have changed.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

This was a good read and a good storyline. I felt an instant connection with Randi. She is smart, confident, good looking (in my mind), the only thing I didn’t like about her was that she is a player. Eleanor however was a different story. Although you could feel a connection of sorts with Eleanor & Randi I just couldn’t feel a connection to the character myself. I felt a better connection with Eleanor when she hooked up with Haven that one time. I don’t know what it was about the character of Eleanor but I just couldn’t find anything to like about her.

This is the first book I have read by this author.

4 STARS