rickosborne's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Heads up that this is not a traditional romance, and does not have a traditional HEA. It's still a good story, but if you have traditional opinions about what "romance" means, this may not be the story for you.
Having said that ...
I really enjoyed this story. It's a raw, uncomfortable look at how messy the healing process is when we're wounded. Shawn makes a few good choices, a few bad choices, a few worse choices, and then has to dig herself out of the hole in which she finds herself. This is not a story with magic wands, teflon friends, or convenient plot devices. And it's better for it, IMO.
Sex:
Tags: #CasualConsequences #Cheating #Depression #ImperfectSex #InversionOfControl #NonTraditionalHEA #NuisanceEx #PopCultureReferences #SinglePOV #ThirdPersonPOV
Having said that ...
I really enjoyed this story. It's a raw, uncomfortable look at how messy the healing process is when we're wounded. Shawn makes a few good choices, a few bad choices, a few worse choices, and then has to dig herself out of the hole in which she finds herself. This is not a story with magic wands, teflon friends, or convenient plot devices. And it's better for it, IMO.
Sex:
Spoiler
several R/NC-17-rated scenesTags: #CasualConsequences #Cheating #Depression #ImperfectSex #InversionOfControl #NonTraditionalHEA #NuisanceEx #PopCultureReferences #SinglePOV #ThirdPersonPOV
elvang's review
5.0
When Shawnna Green’s girlfriend of five years cheats on her, her sense of self worth is challenged and her self confidence is destroyed. She leaves Indiana and moves into a townhouse in New Orleans with her best friend Veda who helps her land a job at Stumpy’s Sex Emporium. Shawn needs a better paying job, needs to forget about Courtney and most of all need to get her mojo back. Veda drags her to a gay bar and convinces her to live in the moment and hopefully rebuild the confidence she’s lost. She gets lucky and we readers get to enjoy some extremely steamy and well done sex scenes. One confidence boost and Shawn is hungry for more.
Pink is an interesting study into the fragile psyche of a butch. We love the swagger, the confidence and yes, the dominance we see in women who identify as butch. Look deeper into that courage and control and you peak at fears and insecurities which are masked with bravura and humour. They guard their hearts, rarely allowing anyone to see weakness of any kind.
Shawn struggles with rejection. She needs affirmation that she is worthy of love and worthy of acceptance. The road to recovery she chooses is a rocky one and that's all I can say without giving away too much of the plot. The steamy scenes were first rate. So too was the humour, especially the scenes in the sex shop. I was pulled in by the great writing, Shawn’s magnetic personality and the friends she meets and makes along the way. I loved the positive feel good ending. This may not be a romance but Shawn’s resurrection leaves the reader with the same good vibes and hope for a happy life.
ARC received with thanks from the author for an honest review.
Pink is an interesting study into the fragile psyche of a butch. We love the swagger, the confidence and yes, the dominance we see in women who identify as butch. Look deeper into that courage and control and you peak at fears and insecurities which are masked with bravura and humour. They guard their hearts, rarely allowing anyone to see weakness of any kind.
Shawn struggles with rejection. She needs affirmation that she is worthy of love and worthy of acceptance. The road to recovery she chooses is a rocky one and that's all I can say without giving away too much of the plot. The steamy scenes were first rate. So too was the humour, especially the scenes in the sex shop. I was pulled in by the great writing, Shawn’s magnetic personality and the friends she meets and makes along the way. I loved the positive feel good ending. This may not be a romance but Shawn’s resurrection leaves the reader with the same good vibes and hope for a happy life.
ARC received with thanks from the author for an honest review.
theamandashelby's review
5.0
So I love KD Williamson’s books. I haven’t read the newest Cops and Docs book, but it is on my to read list. When I first started Pink I was really unsure if I would like it. Pink was so different from other books I have read. I kind of see this as a prequel to the romance. It is really all about the bullshit one has to go through after a break up to get back to dating stage. I loved it. Every moment of the book I was surprised how much I liked it. I hope we get to read Shawnna’s love story as well. This book has several laugh out loud moments. I think the author and I just have a similar sense of humor. Those big belly laughs, that is really hard to get while reading a book. It also has a few hard moments. Shawn has to go through several down on herself moments, trying to work back to the loving herself place.
I really like the way Williamson writes. I like her raw language and details. I often read books and think, no one I know talks like this, dresses like this, ect. I like that Williamson’s characters are just regular people. Not overly attractive, and not the 1%. They have jobs, and need to show up to them often to pay the bills. I really enjoyed this book, and hope we see more of Shawn. Really though, KD Williamson does butch characters really well. Pick it up, even if you think you won’t like it. I really think it may surprise you.
I really like the way Williamson writes. I like her raw language and details. I often read books and think, no one I know talks like this, dresses like this, ect. I like that Williamson’s characters are just regular people. Not overly attractive, and not the 1%. They have jobs, and need to show up to them often to pay the bills. I really enjoyed this book, and hope we see more of Shawn. Really though, KD Williamson does butch characters really well. Pick it up, even if you think you won’t like it. I really think it may surprise you.
jediroot's review
4.0
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This is something new from K.D. Williamson for sure. Completely different from her Cop and Doc series and that is a good thing. Often time authors get stuck in writing one type of subgenre and create stories in different scenarios, but still the same in general. This novel is NOT a romance novel and no mystery involved either. I feel like this is something like "true life" story that could happen in real life.
My favorite element of this novel is that K.D.'s sense of humor is fantastic! Some parts of the novel crack me up, especially Shawn's experiences working in the sex shop. Her best friend/roommate, Veda, is hilarious and very sassy.
I think the heart of the story is the friendship between Shawn and Veda as Shawn struggles with getting her life together after a break up with a long term girlfriend. Veda takes her in to help her start over in New Orleans and helps her get a job as well. You can clearly see how tight knit they are by the way they can be blunt with each other and Veda definitely will not take any crap from Shawn when she's being stupid.
There IS good amount of sex in the novel as Shawn rediscovers herself as a single woman back in the local lesbian scene. At first it was a good thing for her to get herself out and feel empowered, but eventually it became a problem she needs to face. There is a hint of romance though, but it's more of an "open ending" thing where romance is a possibility.
I definitely recommend this novel!
This is something new from K.D. Williamson for sure. Completely different from her Cop and Doc series and that is a good thing. Often time authors get stuck in writing one type of subgenre and create stories in different scenarios, but still the same in general. This novel is NOT a romance novel and no mystery involved either. I feel like this is something like "true life" story that could happen in real life.
My favorite element of this novel is that K.D.'s sense of humor is fantastic! Some parts of the novel crack me up, especially Shawn's experiences working in the sex shop. Her best friend/roommate, Veda, is hilarious and very sassy.
I think the heart of the story is the friendship between Shawn and Veda as Shawn struggles with getting her life together after a break up with a long term girlfriend. Veda takes her in to help her start over in New Orleans and helps her get a job as well. You can clearly see how tight knit they are by the way they can be blunt with each other and Veda definitely will not take any crap from Shawn when she's being stupid.
There IS good amount of sex in the novel as Shawn rediscovers herself as a single woman back in the local lesbian scene. At first it was a good thing for her to get herself out and feel empowered, but eventually it became a problem she needs to face. There is a hint of romance though, but it's more of an "open ending" thing where romance is a possibility.
I definitely recommend this novel!
renareads's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
More...