KG MacGregor

In the back of my mind I knew there was a twist, there was more of the book left than I had read, so there had to be a twist. It was sorta like watching an episode of one of the Law and Order franchise shows, they catch the bad guy, but when you look at the clock it's only a half an hour into the show, so you know that there's a twist.

For whatever reason when the twist came, it still, (even though I knew it would be something) came from around its blind corner and whacked me upside the head show more with surprise.

That's major kudos to MacGregor for writing it so well also (i.e. when you go back to the previous chapters you can see the clues, but they're not big enough for most readers to catch the first time around).

The plot isn't groundbreaking. Paula's a hotel shift supervisor and Wynn is a guest and there are serious sparks from the first time Paula has to check in Wynn because it's so busy.

I also like how MacGregor writes families, both in this novel and in her others. They're not always written as perfect, but unlike a lot of authors writing, MacGregor treats the main character's family characters fairly and doesn't turn them into stereotypes (bad ones or good ones). It's one of the things that I like most about KG MacGregor books. show less

[b:Without Warning|1753425|Without Warning (Shaken, #1)|K.G. MacGregor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1359136448l/1753425._SX50_.jpg|1751247] is one of my favorite f/f books of all time. I honestly can't say exactly how many times I've read it. It's in my top five for rereading when I'm in a funk or in need of a literary hug, if you know what I mean. It has everything I want in a romance: crackling chemistry, tons of humor, sweet, sweet - but believable show more - angst, and developed characters that you cheer for. It's damn near perfect for me. Maybe even actually perfect. I've read each of the 3 sequels and enjoyed them all but never as much as that original.

When I saw that there was a new book in the series coming up, I was literally giddy. It has been many years since we've had a look into the Kaklis home and I was curious about what Anna, Lily, the kids, and the rest of the family had been up to. Mostly I was excited to experience that chemistry and humor again. Unfortunately, there wasn't any of that.

No friends, this book is solidly family drama. Timely, politically and socially relevant family drama. Anna is selling her huge auto empire for half-a-billion bucks, Lily is a judge, Andy is nearly 17 and butting heads with Anna on the regular. Georgie and Eleanor are perfect in every way from what I could tell. There are some other family things going on with George and Martine but the focus of this book is really Andy and Anna. I have to say that I really didn't like Anna much at all. By the end, I didn't dislike her but I never got a warm feeling for her again.

Maybe if I had gone into the book knowing it was almost solidly about "The Administration" (the word Trump is never mentioned but implied regularly), I would have felt differently about it. As it was, it was too much for me. I'm about as left as I can possibly be without being on the fringe and I think "The Administration" was evil incarnate and every one of those fuckers should be in prison or worse. But I didn't expect this book to preach to me about the evils of ICE - particularly since I agree with the sermon - in such a heavy handed way. I hesitate to write this because I don't want to come off as a heartless asshole who can't appreciate the tragedy that is our immigration policy.

I expected something completely different - COMPLETELY - and was disappointed with what I got. It happens. I just took a peek at some other reviews on Goodreads and I'm clearly in the minority. Which is awesome! I'm glad that I'm the anomaly. Because Anna and Lily stories should be loved. This one just didn't do it for me.

Thanks to Bella and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to revisit one of my favorite couples in all of wlw. I'll still keep on reading Without Warning whenever I feel down. show less

Stacie heads a small, Greenpeace-like organization that goes around raising community awareness and engendering support for clean energy. Her activism takes her everywhere and anywhere there is a major or minor environmental disaster. It is all very exciting and fulfilling career-wise--but wreaks havoc on the prospects of a long-term relationship for Stacie. Fortunately, her social life isn't a total zilch. There is SappHere (someone should create this ASAP, lol). As the name implies it's a show more mobile dating app specifically for lesbians that discreetly lets you locate a prospective date in your vicinity.

When an oil spill takes her to a remote part of the country, Stacie's trusty app turns up only one hit. Stacie has no expectations beyond a nice, anonymous hookup while she's stuck in Duluth. But they hit it off spectacularly. Her date is beautiful, accomplished, funny, witty and great in bed. Imagine her shock when she finds out she is also the devil incarnate--Cathryn Mack--the public face of the nefarious oil company she is trying to expose.

Sleeping-with-the-enemy storylines always hold such intriguing possibilities. The ladies involved are both mature and driven career women so we thankfully don't get histrionics or too much melodrama but...there is always something about forbidden love that makes it so deliciously tempting. :) Will they or won't they? And if they do...can they get away with it? Will it negate every thing they've ever stood for or fought so hard for?

The author also strikes a delicate balance between humanizing our lead characters and keeping them sympathetic. Stacie may be the pure-in-spirit do-gooder, but she's not above using a legally dubious maneuver to remove a serious threat. And Cathryn may have her heart in the right place and her ethics intact, but a lifetime of having to fight for everything to get where she can has led her to put self-preservation above all else, and colored her view of the sharks surrounding her

In addition to the romance, we also get a very well-researched look into the inner workings of both sides of the eco vs big-business conflict. At the very least, it raised by several notches my previous estimation of eco-warriors and of course, makes me look with suspicion and skepticism at every 'press release' by government officials and big business regarding the 'safety' and economic benefits of the fossil fuel industry. If Ms. MacGregor was pushing an agenda somewhere between the romance and intrigue, she succeeded famously. :)

p.s. I almost forgot to mention this is also a very good thriller. Ms. MacGregor may specialize in romances, but she has a good eye for pacing and cranking up and maintaining the tension and suspense. The plot is also fairly complicated and well-thought out. No glaring plot holes to rant about here. Her only other romance/thriller [b:Malicious Pursuit|1294973|Malicious Pursuit|K.G. MacGregor|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1182554406s/1294973.jpg|1284093] is one of my favorites too. But this is bigger, better and much more sophisticated. show less

Well I thoroughly enjoyed Bringing Me Dreams.

Our two protagonists are brought together through the chat feature on a forum for those grieving a loss due to suicide. What starts out as support and friendship quickly turns to attraction and love but there's more to the story. We've got a jealous ex who seems to have some serious issues, plenty of drama revolving around family businesses - one much more than the other - and a super sweet doggie.

There was a lot going on but it didn't feel like show more too much. I was engaged in the shady stuff going down just as much as I was the romance aspects. No spoilers, but I pegged the twist very early on. Well, not completely - there was still some twisty goodness to catch me.

Glad I got to go on this journey with Keenan and Gianna. Thanks to Bella & NetGalley! show less