Williams has a unique voice and style which makes this such a wonderful read and a nice change from the standard lesfic. There's some paranormal and some romance with characters who are intelligent, and humourous. Strongly recommend.

Stevie‘s review of As the Crow Flies by Karen F. Williams
Contemporary Lesbian Paranormal Romance published by Bold Strokes Books 13 Nov 18

As a student, my flatmates and I were presented with an abandoned baby rook to take care of. The bird and I never really bonded, although he liked my flatmates well enough, and eventually he matured enough to make a home with other rooks in a wood well away from our city centre home. With all that in mind, I was intrigued to see how this book’s principal heroine copes with her corvid companion.

Samantha Weller first met Bertha the crow during Hurricane Bertha, when stopping to rescue the fledgling led to her avoiding certain death by a falling tree; now she regards her crow as a talisman, especially since a series of paranormal detective novels starring Bertha the crow launched her previously faltering writing career. The same cannot be said for Samantha’s love life; most of her dates seem put off by Bertha and don’t stick around for a repeat meeting. Samantha wouldn’t be without her bird, and when she comes across a bookend depicting a crow, she is keen to learn more of the piece’s history and perhaps match it up to its pair.

Via her sister’s antiquarian sister-in-law, Liz, Samantha makes contact with Dr Gwen Laraway, an academic and keen collector of items made by the pottery that produced Samantha’s bookend, who has the matching piece in her collection. The women agree to meet, and Liz tags along, keen to see the rest of Gwen’s collection. Gwen lives with her niece, Isabel, who works in the family business and also takes in stray animals, and when the four women get together, Samantha is very taken with Gwen and Liz is equally so with Liz. However, Gwen worries that she is too old for Samantha, while Isobel has never dated in the course of her adult life.

The two pairs of women continue to meet up after the bookends have been ‘married’ off, and affections slowly develop; Gwen’s estate is haunted, though, and the ghost seems to resent Samantha’s presence. Meanwhile, Bertha the crow finds new friends amongst the birds on the estate.

While the paranormal elements of this book were a little different from my usual reading material, I enjoyed the discussions the women had on art, antiques, and metaphysics. I also appreciated watching the friendship develop between Liz and Samantha, although I got frustrated with both of them at times as they pursued their respective love interests. Overall, this was an excellent introduction to a new-to-me author and I’ll certainly be looking out for her other works.

Grade: B

Karen F. Williams has written an adorable paranormal romantic story. There is a crow that saves a life, a ghost, and 4 women and their relationships. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. I would recommend this and I hope to read more from this author.

As the Crow Flies is a well-crafted romance with ghostly elements. Romance is woven in and around the paranormal with two couples – a cerebral middle-age duo and a millennial pair. Included along with the main story lines are factual anecdotes that are interesting and informative, such as facts about crows. The prose and the story are delightful and make for a very enjoyable read.

This was an immensely dense book. Not just because of its length, but, more because there were two almost full plots, or three if you count the one with Alley the dog.

The other two were romance stories, and unlike usual, they really were pretty equal in regards to how much time was given to the story of Sam and Gwen vs. to the one about Liz and Isabel.

Liz and Sam are also sorta related. Liz is an antique dealer, Sam a writer of Paranormal mysteries. And Isabel is Gwen's neice. Gwen is a retired professor and Isabel helps run her family paper business.

Both Liz and Sam seem to fall in love at first sight with Isabel and Gwen. But, each of the couples has stuff to work through.

And, of course, there's the spirit. That was quite the subplot. And I had no clue how it would be concluded until I read it. Pretty cool.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.

This book is one of those that you have to sit back and take in just what you have read. I had to take a breath and absorb the story and how it made me feel. Karen F Williams is an extremely talented writer and her exquisite prose captured me from the start. I found myself slowing down as I neared the end as I wanted it to last just a little bit longer. I couldn’t tear myself away from mystery writer Sam, her crow Bertha and Gwen, the alluring professor that Sam has become enamoured with. Sam’s sister-in-law Liz and gorgeous but repressed Isabel had an equally fascinating storyline and the interweaving of their lives had me glued to the page. When Sam’s quest to find a matching bookend for the one in her possession brings her into contact with philosophy professor Gwen I was entranced. Their reactions to each other are profound and when their lives become entwined neither could have predicted where it would lead. The story has a perfect mix of enchanting romance, mystery and a ghostly element. It was sweet and imaginative at times and powerfully sexy and quite beautiful. One of the best books I have read this year. Highly recommended.

Wow! I LOVED the LGBTQI focus of this book - It's got such a brilliant blend of darkness and romance and mystery that I've never read before! As someone who is so happy to see nice representation that is honest and involved, I certainly say read this booK!!!

What a great story. It was a fun, romantic, clever, eerie and scary mystery. The characters are very colorful and likeable. You really care about their future. And the dialog is very clever, funny and natural. The romances are slow burns with a very comfortable pace. The first half was fun and very interesting and then the story starts to turn, bouncing between the 2 main romances and some strange happenings. And then the story really takes a turn and I couldn't read fast enough. I was not putting this book down until I found out what happens. Count on a very exciting ending AND it all comes together and makes sense....(If you suspend your disbelief...a bit) and isn't that what story telling is all about.
I recommend this book and I will be looking forward to Karen F. Williams next book.

What a fantastic read! As the Crow Flies was everything I hoped for. Author Karen F. Williams delights with a fantastic urban fantasy novel and takes plenty of time to flesh out not one but two yummy romances. And it all starts with a crow bookend.

As soon as novelist Samantha Weller meets beautiful professor Gwen Laraway she’s instantly smitten with this woman. The attraction seems mutual but Gwen (who is about 15 years her senior) thinks she is too old for Sam and is extremely reluctant to let it go beyond friend level. That will prove to be very hard as Sam is persistently wooing her.

The other blossoming romance is between Sam’s young sister in law Liz who’s a bit of a player and Gwen’s niece Isabel, the eternal virgin. I think there was a nice contrast between both romances because there were different things at stake. All four main characters were very likeable.

So while this romance times two is nicely developing we are in the midst of some very interesting goings on with a ghost, a pet crow and a couple of loveable dogs. The author gives us something to put out teeth in and there was never a dull moment as the plot moves along. Intelligent writing is such a turn on so I can only highly recommend you read this.

f/f explicit but tastefully done

Themes: to marry a bookend, impressive collections, pet crow Bertha, age difference, ghost activity galore, wealthy heiress, fast cars, a suspicious house keeper, twin flames, lots of interesting tidbits to absorb, sweet romance.

5 stars

* A free copy was provided by Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books Inc. for an honest review.

Some of my favorite subjects in one book; lesbian romance, metaphysics, ghost stories, the afterlife and a character that is a writer. As the Crow Flies had me reading with delight from start to finish. Plus, one of the characters is a crow, next to owls in Harry Potter I think this detail is the cherry on top.

A great paranormal romance with even four interesting leads and some well done characters of animals. A real page turner that kept me interested from start to finish. The story totally worked for me and I enjoyed it without any real complain. Recommended to all fans of paranormal romantic stories with ghosts especially for those who love animals, pottery, books, art, antiques, philosophy ... and interesting trivia and facts about it.

4.5 Stars. This book was wonderfully written. I have never read Williams before. I realized I have an old paperback copy of her book Nightshade. After reading this book and realizing the quality writer she is, I’m really intrigued to finally read Nightshade. This a wlw romance with a light paranormal flare.

An interesting twist, this book actually includes two romances; a younger potential couple and an older potential couple. This book is a nice long length so there is plenty of time for all four characters and their potential romances to shine. While all four characters are completely different, they are all likeable and you end up rooting for both pairs. I also have to mention, one of the characters is a writer. This felt like one of the truer author characters I have ever read before. The characters are really crafted and very realistic.

I do want to mention this book is a little more cerebral. It’s the kind of book you might learn a few things. There is some talk about philosophy, art, life after death, and even car racing. The really nice thing is the book never felt preachy. The topics were also explained on a level that didn’t talk down to us as readers, but it doesn’t go over your head either. It was a really nice balance. This is the kind of book that won’t get a lot of attention, but it really should because the quality or writing is that good.

I mentioned this does have some light paranormal aspects. There is a ghost in this story. It is not the kind of ghost you might normally expect and it’s only one part of the book. There are some of us who believe in ghosts, some who don’t, this was a take on a ghost that one could actually believe might be true. Besides the paranormal aspects there is even a little excitement so the story kept me turning the pages.

This was an excellent quality story that was really well written. I see paranormal anything, and I grab it. However, I honestly didn’t expect this to be so good. I’m very happy that I read it.

I LOVED this book! I was a little hesitant as made my way through the first chapter, but a few hours later it was all forgotten and the book was done and I was devastated I couldn't keep reading this beautiful world with lovely characters.

Samantha is a mystery writer on the hunt for a mate for her crow bookend. With her antiquarian friend and "out-law" Liz, they meet the beautiful Gwen Laraway and her niece Liz who might be the answer to all their prayers, bookends included. Gwen and Samantha, and Isabel and Liz, pair off and form fast friendships with undeniable sizzle's of attraction. Gwen is afraid of the age difference between herself and Samantha. Liz was never one to settle down with just one woman, but Isobel changes everything. Isobel has never been interested in a romantic relationship, let alone with a woman, but meeting Liz has been eye opening and life changing.

Gwen and Samantha together was such a beautiful meeting of minds, I loved the discussions they had. They fit together so perfectly those two, it was a beautiful love story. Isabel and Liz in another sense had that extra level of connection over art. It really deepened their friendship and eventual relationship. Isabel's journey and growth over the book was gorgeous to experience.

This was a gorgeously written book, the style, the characters, the beautiful setting, the beautiful women, add in some fascinating animal friends, as well as art and antiques. The culmination of all these elements created such a vibrant and warm book to read.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved reading this. It was a wonderful meandering journey of four women getting to know each other. Samantha Crowley is a paranormal mystery writer with a pet crow, Bertha, that she met by accident. Having found a beautiful bookend with a crow on it at a yard sale she takes it to her new in-law, Liz Bowes, for appraisal. Liz’s sister and Samantha’s brother were recently married and Liz and Sam find that they really enjoy each other’s company, more so than their own siblings. In a quest to find a matching bookend they’re referred to Dr Gwen Laraway, a collector, philosopher and heiress. She lives on her estate with her niece Isabel. Samantha is drawn to Gwen from their first ph0ne call and when they meet it feels like déjà vu.

Liz, confirmed player, has never met anyone quite like Isabel. They connect immediately through their shared love of antiquities. Gwen is reluctant to even consider anything beyond friendship with Sam because of their age difference. Isabel confuses Liz because she shuts down at the mention of anything related to relationships or intimacy. There are other things at play too, like the housekeeper who makes the sign of the cross when she sees Sam and the stray dog at the pond.

This was a really gentle read (for much of the novel) and I enjoyed its genteelness and elegance. I loved learning about a myriad of new things ranging from crows, to race cars, to Art Deco, to pottery and to aspects of philosophy. And mostly through the dialogue which is my favourite way to gain knowledge. I liked all four main characters; Sam with her odd relationship with a crow, Gwen with her obvious intellect and charm, Liz with her vibrancy and exuberance and Isabel with her love of speed but desperate fear of intimacy.

The paranormal aspect is subtle but strong enough that there’s always a subliminal tension and you just know that something is going to happen. The way it’s written thoroughly appealed to me but I’m not sure that it will have a wide appeal.

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

Karen F. Williams has written a adorable paranormal romantic story. There is a crow that saves a life, a ghost, and 4 women and their relationships. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. I would recommend this and I hope to read more from this author.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book remind me of those romantic comedies.

To me even though it has paranormal expects in this book it sort took a back seat because this book was more about four women who has a instant connection.

It starts with Samantha Weller who is a paranormal novelist with a pet crow name Bertha who saved her life one night and because of that owes the crow her life and writing career.

When one day she buy a old bookend that looks like her crow she believes that the old bookend has a mate. She decide to visit her sister in-law Liz aka outlaws they call each other because theirs siblings are married to each other.

Liz owns antiques furniture store and she also a interior designer when she calls in connection it leads them to Gwen Laraway and her niece Isabel.

When the four meet a bond is form between them. Samantha is smitten with Gwen but Gwen is concern of their age difference can Samantha change her mind and see they are made for each other.

Liz and Isabel are attract to each other but Liz never had a long term girlfriend and first time in her life she wants one but she doesn't want to scare Isabel way because Isabel hasn't had a date since high school and she doesn't realize she like Liz because I wouldn't call her Lesbian because I believe she the type of person who needs to feel a connection to the person to open herself up.

Overall a great read!!