Never Mine: A Lesbian Romance

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On the bird feed I saw that some self published authors were getting some grief for self publishing. I don’t care how an authors get their work out there, but in my opinion self publishing is brave and if you make it look as good as Bryce Oakley does, why would you do it any other way? Having full creative control makes for great books by Oakley and I applaud her for doing it al herself. As is with other of Oakley's books, this is an enjoyable slow burn, and this time with a fake dating profile- it adds to the fun. What if their fake relationship wasn’t ever just pretend?Sage Carson has a messy reputation. Sure, she’s a soccer star with World Cup trophies and Olympic medals, but she’s almost as well known for her rebellious behavior off the pitch. She’s left... I thought that the banter between the two main characters was really funny and I liked the chemistry that slowly built between the two of them. Their relationship progressed in a believable way. I thought that them writing songs together was an organic way to have them grow closer. This was a pretty short book so it never got too deep, but I did enjoy some of the commentary it had on the music industry and fame as a whole. However, one thing I did enjoy was the way the characters bounced off each other. You could tell from the get go that Sage and Willa really connected as friends and the sexual chemistry between them definitely wasn’t missed either, which then brings me onto the explicit content. I’ve read a few of these books where they start off cute and then bam! They throw in explicit content and I have to say, it does surprise me sometimes but I’d honestly be lying if I said it wasn’t a welcome surprise. Let’s be honest, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of R Rated content every now and then and I definitely wasn’t complaining with this one.

Never Mine by Bryce Oakley | Waterstones

Vero De Luca is always in the limelight for making mistakes. The daughter of a famous musician, she’s trying to make smart decisions for the first time in her life as she sets off on a solo career after years in a popular all-female group. Though she knows she’s fully capable of writing her own songs, the label insists that her first single needs a major name behind it, not just her own. So... I really needed this, a lesbian love story that doesn't goes around them being lesbians. It's just how it is. I needed to read something sapphic treated exactly the same as something straight in straight books and I found this in here. It's a fun, simple and entertaining story. And it came just in the right moment.

Sage grinned, her mouth quirking up at the edge in lopsided amusement. “I did. And you were… Lachlan’s little sister.” i loved this book so much. the plot, the characters, the romance, everything was just so good & i didn’t want it to end 😩😩 Oh, yeah, it was soccer, if I remember correctly,” Willa said with an exaggerated thinking face, her brows pulled low as she tapped her chin. Sage needs to project a more professional image so that she can land a big endorsement contract. Willa needs a plus one for her ex’s bachelorette trip. When they meet up at their high school reunion they decide to form a mutually beneficial partnership. But surely real feelings won't actually get involved… right?

Never Mine - Archivo de Anna - Anna’s Archive Never Mine - Archivo de Anna - Anna’s Archive

Did I think Sage's reasoning for needing a fake girlfriend could use more work? Sure. But I just went along with it. And it was awesome seeing them develop an understanding that extended into their songwriting and let them create beautiful music together (sorry, I couldn't resist a dip in the trite). Oakley is at her best depicting the collaboration and music and I liked how she showed the intent and message of the lyrics but only gave enough detail to see refining and honing without giving so much that you get bogged down in trying to see it as an actual song. It was a good choice not trying to replicate actual lyrics so it worked exceptionally well. Yeah, I know.” Willa snorted, then caught herself. Her eyes widened as Sage turned to slowly look at her. Cool, now she was about to come off as a stalker. But could Sage honestly believe that people from her high school hadn’t watched her win gold in the Olympics? Honestly? Ah, there it was. She nodded, trying to keep her pleasant smile plastered to her face. “Sure was. Am. I mean, am. He’s alive. Currently alive.” Stop talking. “Not at all dead, don’t worry. He’s in sales now.” She couldn’t shut up. “For, uh… Google.” Sage was nodding, but Willa had the sinking feeling that she was losing interest. She should start searching for a path to hide under the giant inflatable seashell.Overall, I enjoyed the story. I'm just starting to read my way through Oakley's work and I'm looking forward to reading more. Sweet, sunshiny Willa Bellamy has a crisis on her hands. She’s used to it — as an events coordinator for the Denver Zoo, it’s her job to handle crises. But when she receives an invite to her ex’s wedding, she’s not so sure it’ll be as easy to handle as an escaped emu during a Girl Scout sleepover. Even worse, when the bachelorette party invite mentions that couples are welcome, she realizes she’s the sole single person invited. I found this audiobook on Storytel. It's the first book of the Kaleidoscope series and the only one to date with an audio version. I really love the narration by Lori Prince and think she's the best choice for this story. Their friendship is great, how they grow as individual characters, but also as a couple, even when they really aren’t a couple is very well done. The story has a nice flow and the characters, in true Oakley fashion, are very likeable. The book is written from alternating third person POV for both Willa and Sage and that is something I always like as well.

Never Mine by Bryce Oakley | Goodreads Never Mine by Bryce Oakley | Goodreads

I also found the humanity of the main characters to be so well done that I felt like I knew them in real life. It’s interesting because more often than not fauxmance books tend to have a main character who is a bit of an ice queen. I realised with this book that I also love it when both characters are nice people that I want to cheer on. In Never Mine me meet two women: Sage Carson, a nation-wide celebrity, the first soccer player brave enough to come out in such a straight environment, and Willa Bellamy, who works in a Zoo making contracts and organazing events. They two meet and start a fake relationship that then becomes something more. Sheena: One of my favourite things about this book is how effortless it was to read. The writing flowed as smoothly as a good cup of coffee.I like the description of the way Billie "invites" her muse as well as the lyrics diary and I have also enjoyed the description of the atmosphere in the studio, when they record the demo. The best bit, though, is the tenderness that develops between Billie and Vero, once they start being honest with themselves and one another.

Never Mine: A Lesbian Romance by Bryce Oakley

I liked both characters a lot. But especially Sage. For some rea Now I love a typical faux romance story, especially when it’s F/F. You always know how it’s going to end and this one was no exception but I went into it, knowing exactly what I was getting myself into. I’m sure they’re totally fine even though they look…” Willa gestured towards the pitiful veggie tray. “Store-bought.” Why did she feel the need to defend cut vegetables? Billie was only looking to fill some time with an interesting opportunity when she had nothing better to do. Songwriting with Vero was a change-up and unexpected and likely to be a pain, but it was better than nothing and it stood a chance of draining the pop songs that her muse had been throwing up at her since her normal collaborator had gone dry. I liked that she was careful not to prejudge Vero, even though she wasn't perfect at it. And I liked that she kept trying to communicate and understand even in the face of resistance.This turned out to be a fun, light read. The MCs were lovely, I just wanted more from the romance than I was given. Sage and Willa spent a great deal of time apart, and the days they spent physically together were shorter than I would've liked. This was extremely slow burn where they only accepted their feelings for each other so far down the book. But if I were to describe their relationship, I'd say they were well on their way to falling in love, I just needed a bit more convincing that they already were by the end of this story. Instead of blowing up, though, Willa realises that there is an opportunity here for her to bring Sage with to the bachelorette and at least make it look like she isn’t the loser she feels. Genre: Contemporary Romance Themes: Fake Relationship / Marriage of Convenience Slow Burn Sports Heat Level: Medium (sex scenes are included and may use mildly graphic description) Geographic Monica: The easy answer is the puns and pop culture references that Oakley expertly infuses into her writing. You aren’t going to convince me that “No, but you’re a fancy person, so the possibility of escargot has escar-lated” is anything other than permanent literary canon dialogue at this point.