This is my favorite time of romance, completely character-centric, no external plots. Just two people attracted to each other navigating that attraction until it becomes love. My only gripe is that it was an extremely slow burn, I definitely got impatient and frustrated a few times. However this worked well to build the chemistry and attraction between the characters. Their interactions were a delight to read.

3.50 Stars. This was a good WLW traditional romance. I have been a fan of Ronica Black for a while. I like that her books tend to feel either a bit different than the norm or more intense. Unfortunately, the last couple books of hers, that I’ve read, were just stuck in the okay category. I’m happy to say that this was much more like the Black that I remember and enjoy. This felt like her old school writing style that I appreciate and the book was a good read.

This is a slow-burn traditional romance. While there is a little family drama thrown in, this book is almost entirely about what the characters are feeling and the romance. Now I have to be honest that I’m not the biggest traditional romance fan. I prefer to have some other type of plot, included with the romance, not just the romance by itself. I have to admit that there were times when I was getting a little bored. Not saying that will happen to you, just that that is a personal me thing. I was hoping for more of the family drama, but instead that was only little bits and pieces. Luckily, the romance was very good so I was still able to enjoy this read.

This book really is all about the romance. It is a slow, slow-burn, which was perfectly fine for me. I definitely yelled “finally” when there was actually progress, but because it was so slow, I actually believed in a possible HEA which is always important. I mentioned earlier that Black can be intense in her writing and she made this romance intense at times. There were certain times when the chemistry was boiling hot. I could tell I was blushing just from dialogue between the characters it was so well done. The chemistry actually builds and builds as the book goes on and then the sex scenes were really well done too -which is not a surprise coming from Black-.

This is going to be a shorter review for me since there is not that much to discuss in this book besides the romance. I will say that I think fans of Black will be very happy with this one. I would also recommend this to fans of traditional romance. I do wish there was a little more story plot for my personal tastes, but the romance was very satisfying so I can’t really complain.

The lesbian closet is a scary and frustrating place. What or who "gets you out" can be just as scary and frustrating. Carla Sims is a high school teacher in Arizona. When her beloved grandmother becomes ill, she heads home to be with her. Janice Carpenter is a divorced literature professor peeking out of the lesbian closet. This is a read about embracing who you are and standing up for self. It is also a read about family, love, and caring. Carla, Janice, and a host of family and friends all have a voice and a stake in what is happening with Carla and her grandmother which creates tension. This is also a slow burn with Carla planning to return to Arizona after her affairs are in order and Janice struggling with her desire for Carla. There is quite a bit of self-talk and back and forth (will she or will she not). In general, it is a warm story that pulls you in.

Lovely
Carla is a happy high school teacher who loves her job and her life. When she gets a call that her grandmother is dying, she rushes back to the small town she left behind years ago. Janice is a divorced professor with a secret. When Carla came out, it made her realize she had feelings for the woman. There are so many problems with that, not the least is Janice’s best friend is Carla’s aunt… When Janice offers Carla a place to stay, its not long before their mutual attraction is explored. With feelings on the line the pair need to figure out if they have a future together…

This well written story had lots of lovely conflict and angst with just the right amount drama. Carla is a strong woman who finds herself in the middle of family conflict. She has a lot on her plate but in spite of everything she doesn’t let things get her down. Janice is struggling with so much. She is facing her truth but there are so many things that are standing in her way to living her life her way. I enjoyed watching both women solve their problems while they grew close. The romance was sweet and tender, full of emotions, hope, despair, grief and joy, fear, relief and love just to name a few. This is an enjoyable gently love story with a tender HEA.

This book focuses a lot on having the guts to be who you are in a small town, and taking the chance on love in spite of the people closes to you. For a Ronica Black book, it was actually much slower paced when it came to the romance than many of her books, and I appreciated the difference. Don't expect the two MCs to hop into bed anytime soon when you start the book.

I liked most everyone in the book, although Maureen annoyed me a bit. BUT, everyone has that annoying/lovable family member who gets into everyones business even though they shouldn't. I just thought she was a bit harsh with Carla constantly. In fact, Carla was much more forgiving of her family members than I would have been.

Janice had more guts than I thought she was going to have, for being the closeted older character. Normally they are written as demure, but she was a bit more of a firecracker. It made her more appealing. I also found it adorable that she's harbored a crush on Carla for so long.

Speaking on the "age gap", it was only 7 years, so not as big as I was expecting. Minor note, but one I was surprised about nonetheless.

Overall, a solid book that I would recommend.

This was a great age-gap romance. It was filled with a lot of different emotions, those of love and those of loss. I felt very investing in the characters stories.

I'm a big fan of age-gap romances and an even bigger fan of Ronica Black, but I just couldn't really get into this book. I made myself keep reading because of my love for the author. Janice has had feelings for Carla for years and when Carla returns after the death of her beloved grandma, the two get closer. There was a lot of push/pull between the two and a lot of family drama after the grandma's will was read. As always with a Ronica Black book, it is well written but I just didn't really like the plot or the character's chemistry which was lacking. Many people will enjoy this book, I just because it wasn't for me, don't let it stop you from reading.

Unfortunately I got into a literary hangover and had to abandon this book. I was really enjoying this book but I don't think I was able to fully enjoy this story. I will give another opportunity soon because I know that this book has the capabilities to become a favorite.

Despite having read only 40% I recommend it. A book with incredible characters and a magnificent story. The chemistry between the two characters is one of the best I've ever read.

Read this book, which in my opinion, could become the contemporary lgbt of the year.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a digital Arc in exchange for a honest review.

Enjoyed this age-gap romance about love, family and taking a leap for what you really want.

Carla Sims goes back home to rural North Carolina upon the death of her grandmother. There she reconnects with family and friends, including long-time family friend Janice Carpenter. Janice has a secret. After Carla came out as a lesbian to her family a few years back, a switch flipped for Janice. She is attracted to women, and quite specifically, to Carla.

In a roil of emotions, the two become closer and CLOSER. But Janice may not be willing to explode her life with the reality that she is in love with Carla Sims.

Wow is one way to describe this story.
It is full of emotions. From giving to love. On one hand you loose someone you love on another hand you gain someone you care about and love.
This story is full of discovery from feelings to where person is meant to be. With whom the person is meant to be. It doesn't even matter that you are scared.
In this story the feeling wins. Obviously if you find the person you are meant to be with you find your home.

Carla Sims, a high school science teacher, receives a call that her beloved grandmother is not doing well and is not expected to live much longer. She catches the first flight from Arizona to head back home to North Carolina. Carla has the opportunity to say goodbye to her grandmother before she passes away. Then the funeral, burial, and family dinners ensue. Carla just needs to get some rest but can't seem to do so while sleeping on her Aunt Maurine's sofa bed, especially with so many people coming by following the funeral. Maurine's close friend Janice Carpenter offers Carla the use of her spare bedroom.

Janice is a literature professor at the local university and has been divorced from her husband for a few years. While Carla remains in North Carolina to help with the estate settlement, Carla and Janice begin to spend a lot of time together. They eat their meals together, have long discussions, and share details about their lives.
Janice however has a secret that remains hidden that she can't even tell Carla.

The latter part of the story revolves around Janice figuring out and eventually admitting her sexual orientation through a soul searching process that involves her growing relationship with Carla.

Having never read a book before by Ronica Black, I found the characters to be well written, their conversations with each others sincere to the point of some being brutally honest, and the chemistry between Janice and Carla was awakening. I would definitely recommend this author and this book to other readers. 4 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars. Carla Sims is a high school teacher in Arizona. She has to come home to the south after her grandmother falls ill and dies. She stays in town with her aunt, who is 7 years older than her, to deal with her grandmother's affairs and take some time off. Janice Carpenter is a divorced professor who has been best friends with Carla's Aunt since they were kids. Janice cannot help but feel nervous around Carla ever since Carla came out three years ago. It made Janice think about Carla differently and maybe be attracted to her. When Janice offers to let Carla stay at her house while she deals with her family and cannot help be be more and more attracted to her.

Their relationship evolved at an okay pace. It seemed to evolved slowly, but once it got there, it seemed to go at light speed from like to love, which I never like. I am not sure I would recommend this one as there are better novels. I did like the tension in the novel with the two main characters and how unsure they were with each other. That was good, but I did not like the tension and this book was a little forgettable.

I really did enjoy A love that leads to home. It's a slow burn, moving story about two women, Janice a recently divorced professor, closeted lesbian and Carla, a school teacher who as had her heart broken and is an out and proud lesbian.
When Carla need's to return home, she spends more and more time with Janice who struggles to keep her own feelings about Carla hidden. As the book continues you witness how Janice struggles about her sexuality as well as hearing of Carla's own struggles with family issues.
One of the reason's I really enjoyed this book was because many woman will relate to this story in one way or another. This really is a wonderful romance. I really do recommended it. It's very emotionally in parts and hits the heart strings.

When you notice details about a story as it unfolds as you read it, means the author did an amazing job. The backdrop of the scenery, homes and surroundings of the main characters transport you into their lives. Carla and Janice had known each other the whole of Carla's life. Never did they expect to mean so much to each other. This is a story about love, family, letting go of fear and following one's heart. This story will leave you with all sorts of feels. Amazing!

This is a book that really needs to be read slowly to appreciate the full impact of Ronica' Black's powerful layered novel in which a middle-aged closeted Professor becomes undone by her best friend's out lesbian schoolteacher niece.

The journey these two go on , as Ronica Black hauls them through the trauma of family dynamics played out in full view to themselves, yet unable to tell one another how they are feeling. There are lots of really good scenes and moments in this book. Lots of different layers to the main storyline. The impact on family, the revelation of Janice's Aunt and her lover, and more. There are lots of times when you want the storyline to zoom ahead, or slow down. Their first love scene is beautifully written full of evocative language, and unhurried.

The ending came faster in the end than it needed to. It could have had more special moments, more dates, and been more stretched out in terms of content and time required to read it. That's really my only complaint :)

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. 4.5*

Is it a good thing that I tend to love toaster-oven romance more than most other tropes? A story where at least one party is figuring out their sexuality almost always focuses more on the development of the relationship, and I love an extremely slow-burn book where both characters try to understand what they are feeling for each other. Reading toaster-oven romances is often like experiencing falling in love all over again, and Black's "A Love that Leads to Home" is one of those beautiful works.

Carla Sims is back home for her dying grandmother. When her aunt Maurine, who is more of a sister than an aunt, takes her in on her living room sofa, Carla finds it hard to relax during the stressful times. Then Maurine's best friend Janice Carpenter offers Carla her guest bedroom. Janice, who is struggling with her attraction toward Carla, has no idea that housing Carla is going to change her life forever. Neither does Carla.

While Carla and Janice weren't best friends, they have known each other through Maurine and spent a great deal of time together when they were younger. And since another trope I love is best-friend romance, especially those with years of friendship before anything romantic, this friends-to-lovers aspect is an added bonus.

There are so many things I love about this book, and almost everything has to do with the language. I especially love the almost excessive internal dialogues. As readers, we get to clearly see Carla's and Janice's struggles with themselves and discomforts as they try to justify their own behaviors and thoughts. Sometimes, these dialogues are discontinuous, incoherent, and erratic, and I love this honest presentation because that’s what feelings are. I also love how the writing is laced with powerful emotions. I love how they talk, how they are both so careful in picking and choosing words, how their interactions are always almost poetical. And I love the first part of the first sex scene that lasted six percent of the book. It was beautiful it left me speechless.

The side story Janice's great aunt Mamie introduced is the best thing apart from the main romance. And the eighty-six-year-old is truly a great lady. The close relationship she and Janice have also mirrors the ties Carla has with her grandmother.

I connect with both Carla and Janice a lot, thinking at multiple occasions that they are doing what I would have done in similar situations. Though Janice is struggling with her own sexuality and is always avoiding discussing it with Carla, all other parts of their dialogues are deeply honest, and I really love that.

Apart from some ambiguity during a few of the conversations where I had to reread to determine who was talking, I had no real complaints of the book.

While I love almost everything about this book, I understand that it might not be for everyone. If you love a slow-burn romance where the characters are carefully dancing around each other while being incredibly adorable, this story is for you. If you like rom-coms where most of the book focuses on fighting through obstacles instead of figuring out their own feelings while being entertaining, this book might be a bit of a drag. It was an emotional read for me, and if you want a good heart-wrenching story, read it.

Sometime in the future, I'd like to revisit "A Love that Leads to Home" for the intricacies of Carla's and Janice's thoughts, and one of the most beautiful sex scenes I've read to date.

I was initially attracted to this book by the gorgeous cover but wasn't disappointed when I read it. This story really focuses on Janice , a recently divorced literature professor who doesn't really feel comfortable with herself. She has been fascinated by her best friend's daughter, Carla, for several years since Carla came out. When Carla returns home due to her grandmother's illness, Janice is happy to offer her a place to stay. As the two become closer, Janice starts to look at herself and her own life and fears in order to make sense of herself.
This was a great read. Janice's fears and growing feelings were sensitively portrayed an the chemistry between the two main characters was great. I found the ending quite touching and was happy that Janice finally manages to find some peace.

Whoa! Now that’s how you create chemistry in a book. I men, it starts right off after Carla returns home, it was totally believable and worth reading. To be honest, Ronica Black is one of the better authors on the market and I have loved her books for years now. The writing is fantastic, her books are well edited, and they just make you want to read all day and night and forget work, the kids, and everyone else.

Carla is happy she has great group of friends a job she loves and she single and likes it that way. When she gets a call from her aunt that her her grandmother is ill she returns to home to be with her.

Janice is recently divorce and she never could get Carla out of her head especially when she came out three years ago she finds her intriguing and her attraction towards her is intensify when she offer Carla to stay while she in town.

As they grow closer Janice starts to feel she found her place in the world but she fears what others would think. I like how the author shows the fear of being yourself and finding where you belong and that sometimes finding the right one can help you accept yourself.

This was a good read the MC chemistry was on point the dialogue you could feel the attraction the longing and when they act on it you’ll be rooting for them to live HEA.



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

When Janice heard her best friend’s niece, Carla come out 3 years ago, it awakened and stirred something within her. In the following years she secretly pinned for a world outside the one she lived in and the very person who triggered such emotions in her. Hiding the truth from everyone, her self imposed constraints were put to the test by Carla who came back to town when her grandma became ill.

The delivery and depiction of Janice’s coming out fears were perfectly executed in this book. You could feel her awe when she found her place in the right relationship yet agonise with her when she feared how others would view her sexuality. Coming out is never easy, the author was painfully on point with Janice’s processing and eventual acceptance of herself. The culmination of Janice and Carla’s admission to their attraction was intense and you could feel the desires and longing for each other bouncing off the pages. Having rooted for the couple, the ending was pleasing and a very satisfying read for me.

I just reviewed A Love that Leads to Home by Ronica Black. #NetGalley