Barnfire

When it comes to May-December romances, my standards were long ago set by Karin Kallmaker's "Touchwood" which set the bar very high indeed for quality in this particular genre with a genre. This is the second time a Montague book has made me think of a Kallmaker book, and I can only say that it has to be because Montague is doing something right! Montague's "A Wild Sea" made me think of "Watermark," Kallmaker's sequel to "Touchwood." Montague is tackling complicated issues of life itself, in the way that Kallmaker does in her atypical "romance" novels. Montague's writing isn't yet the same soul-stirring, heart-pounding prose that Kallmaker manages, but I applaud the effort and I just plain want more. I've given it the same number of stars as "Touchwood," but in truth it is not quite as spectacular, but 4 stars just seemed inadequate when I've given many books weaker than this 4 stars because they showed promise or were pleasing in other ways.I'm glad to see that this book is a bit longer than "A Wild Sea" because the hard stuff of life takes more time to write about and deserves more depth of character. I sincerely hope that Montague continues to stretch into the harder areas of lesbian life and that her sexy, romantic and undeniably compelling books get longer and richer as a result.

What happens when a thirty-something and a forty-something discover their attraction is more than just friendship? And they live on opposite sides of the country. One is a city girl and the other loves the country. 17 years difference in their ages seems to be the least of the hurdles they have to clear. The obstacles to these two unfold gradually and it's interesting to see how they deal with them. And there are two refreshing points to this book. The first is a woman well in her forties who is suddenly discovering who she is, which seems so true to life. Not every lesbian comes out of the womb realizing who she is. The second is that not everything goes well, again realistic. The love scenes are steamy and the book is a pleasant read. Highly enjoyable.

I wasn't sure I even liked these two characters- a spoiled Elizabeth, stillbeing supported by her parents at her age (late 20's), and Chase, almost rude, hermit-like and 17 years older, but I must have, I was rooting fot them both the whole way as they struggled with their confusing feelings and with outside pressures and interference.It was as if they had to find each other to find the rest of their personalities-andwhen they did- I really started to enjoy them and the story. Definitely worth the read. Not the typical romance.