queerafictionado's Reviews (374)

The more Rachel Lacey books I read…the more I want to read! Don’t Cry for Me was SO GOOD! Eve is a frosty, closed off woman…but she has her reasons and they are BIG reasons. My heart ached for both Eve and Josie throughout the story at the losses they have faced and their ongoing struggles with grief, among layers of other emotions and challenges. But their chemistry jumped off the pages (or out the speakers, in my case) from the moment they met. And when they finally let that chemistry turn into action…

This is now the 7th book of Abby’s I’ve read (not including her poetry). And while I have loved all of them…in my opinion this may be her BEST YET! I am truly in awe of Abby’s ability to write such emotionally complex characters. She writes her characters with this beautiful combination of vulnerability and strength, brokenness and wholeness, pain and joy. And I Need Her Love takes this to a whole new level.

I read this in one sitting and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish because I simply couldn’t put it down. I became deeply invested in Rose and her story from the first pages. (Oh…who am I kidding. I’ve loved Rose since No One Compares to Her and I’m so glad Abby gave us her story!) But seriously. I had to keep turning pages because I wanted to know more. I wanted to know what she went through, why she struggled the way she did. I needed to know that she wouldn’t always feel so broken. That she would find peace and wholeness. One thing about Abigail Taylor…you know you are always going to get that HEA. And I needed to know how Rose’s story played out. I didn’t want to wait even one more day to find out.

This book has some needed trigger warnings (see below), but Abby handled these very difficult and intense subjects in a beautiful way. This story was told with such compassion and care, not just for Rose, but for the readers. Abby told Rose’s story in a way that lets readers know the depths of Rose’s traumas without the need to detail every single aspect of them. This book is definitely a bit heavier than some of Abby’s other books, but it is truly wonderful.

The intimate scenes in this book are also incredibly powerful because the storyline surrounding them makes them that much more meaningful! I absolutely loved this book…angst, trauma, spice, and all! I can’t say enough good things.

Thanks for the ARC, Abby! You really outdid yourself with this one! Wow. Just…wow. Beautifully done.

TW: PTSD, family trauma, sexual assault (no graphic details)

This was such a great book and Abby’s narration was, as always, AMAZING! I definitely had a crush on Reed from the start…though the jury is still out on whether that’s because I wanted to do her or be her...

4.5/5 stars - rounded to 5

This was an intense and beautiful book with layers of drama and trauma woven throughout (there are trigger warnings at the end of this post). I absolutely loathed Senator Cleveland. He has not one redeeming quality. But his atrocious character is part of what makes Catharine’s story so powerful. Catharine is the reason her husband has had any success in life, and is a highly successful CEO herself. But she is still very much under his control. It takes a near drowning experience when her boat capsizes and an unlikely rescuer to help her see this arrangement with her husband must finally come to an end. Enter Alex Grey!

For all the confidence Alex has on the field playing soccer, she is anything but confident off the field. But after rescuing Catharine, she finds herself continually drawn to this enigmatic woman. Not just to the polished Senator’s wife that the world gets to see…but to the woman Alex begins to see glimpses of beneath her masked exterior.

With Catharine’s arrangement with her husband and his aspiring political career, and Alex’s sports career taking off in strides, even their friendship feels taboo and dangerous, let alone more. But they keep finding their way into each other’s lives. Finding excuses to see each other and be near one another. Taking trips and sneaking away for private moments.

They both have troubles and trauma in their past and seem to face a never ending barrage of horrible experiences as the story goes on. Will their love and desire to be with one another be enough to withstand all the trials that lie ahead? Only time will tell. We will find out when the story continues…

⚠️TW: physical violence/assault, emotional/physical abuse and manipulation, blatant misogyny/sexism by secondary characters

Rachel Lacey does it again! I am only two books in and already completely in love with this series! It’s in Her Kiss follows the story of Jules, who we met in Don’t Cry for Me when she won the chance to name the theater kittens! I was so excited to see Josie and Eve and The Dragonfly show up multiple times throughout the story, too. I wish I could go there and have a Midnight in Manhattan with the whole gang!

I absolutely adore this book and I am so glad it is the first in a multi-book series because I need more of it! I wish I could go to the Beatcave and become part of this weird, wonderful, amazingly queer family!

Pam and Lea - my two favorite love sloths! ❤️