Whenever I get to read a book by Georgette Kaplan, I can count on reading something different from your usual romance or action adventure novel. She has a quirky kind of writing style that I find rather refreshing. That style is very evident in her latest book The Woman at the Edge of Town.
This is the story of Sarah Key, a twenty year old who dropped out of college and moved back home with her widowed mother in the small town of Bathory. Neither Sarah nor her mother has recovered from the death of her father, and Sarah is not happy even though she has her friends and boyfriend in her life. When she accidentally meets the town’s rich recluse Nina Rose, her life begins to change. There is an attraction between the two from the moment they meet, and when Nina offers Sarah a job as a part time gardener at her home, the chemistry grows exponentially. However, Sarah not only has to deal with her feelings of attraction for a woman, but her mother doesn’t like Nina for some reason. Nina herself has many secrets that could derail any relationship the two might have.
This is a story with several tropes. It is a coming out story since Sarah realizes she is attracted to women, Nina in particular. It also is an age gap story (though I honestly don’t think seven years is really that much of an age gap). The book is set in a small town, so you have the small town effects as part of the tale. I will mention here that there are explicit sex scenes in the book and elements of light BDSM as well.
I liked the story. The quirkiness of the characters and their actions caught my attention and kept me interested throughout the book. I liked the main characters and could easily see the chemistry between the two. There were a few questions raised in the story that were never really answered. It bothered me a bit that they weren’t addressed. It left me feeling as though I had missed something, but I still enjoyed the tale overall.
If you enjoy a good steamy romance with interesting and quirky characters, you might enjoy The Woman at the Edge of Town.
I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.
Rainbow Reflections 