| Title | : | Where My Heart Lies |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 275 |
| Publication | : | First published April 27, 2019 |
Initially dismayed to discover her eccentric parents have hired the beautiful Georgia as a live-in nanny for her two younger sisters, she treads carefully, but slowly, a friendship blossoms that has the potential to bloom into something special.
Discovered in flagrante by her over-bearing mother, Willow packs her bags and returns to Cambridge, intent on spending the remainder of the summer months preparing for the academic year ahead.
A chance encounter between Willow and barely separated university professor, Francesca Marten, is the start of a friendship that extends beyond the confines of student and teacher.
In Francesca, Willow finds a lover who knows what she wants, but for Francesca, Willow is the epitome of the young, carefree girl she left behind twenty years before.
As Willow and Francesca’s friendship blossoms, danger lurks around the corner, as somebody is watching their every move, intent on revenge for what they perceive as the ultimate betrayal.
Together, Willow, Francesca, and a host of others dig deeper to find the tormenter threatening to derail their future paths.
Where My Heart Lies Reviews
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Whiplash, “Wtf did I just read?”, and so beyond melodramatic it skyrockets back into the entertaining category. That is what this book was for me.
This stands out as a unique and definitely bizarre read in women loving women fiction for sure. Except for the lead, Willow, hooking up with women it does not follow any formula that we usually see in lesfic. Like, at all. And that’s both good and…well, strange.
First off, kudos to the cover. It actually looks professional and teases of a sweet love story inside. But, disregard that expectation. I think the story was supposed to straddle romance and thriller but I don’t think it achieved either. It’s too superficial and non formulaic to be romance and too over the top dramatic to be thriller.
What does it succeed at? Comedy. I mean that in a good way. Amidst Willow’s dalliances with women and a caricature villain making her presence on the scene, Willow’s mom, Valerie, plays a pretty large role. Anytime she’s on the page, the banter between her and Willow is actually really well done and amusing. And they have some pretty large scenes together so it’s not an insignificant amount.
So, what do you get with this read? Basically one crazy summer in the life of Willow, a nineteen year old Cambridge University student. We follow her for the first 1/3 of the story as she visits home and strikes up a romance. This is the lighter and more amusing part of the book. But she suddenly returns to school and the story veers off in a different direction. And that’s where a 2nd romance (age gap and student/teacher at that) and the “thriller” aspect kicks in. I think the story wanted to go to a more serious level here but, because of how it started and how the villain was portrayed, I just never felt that impact. Confusion over breaking all formulas and wondering how the author intended for me to feel (is this supposed to be serious or did she write it intentionally melodramatic like “Serial Mom”?) kept me at arms length. And Valerie is brought back into the last quarter of book so comedy gets mixed back in even though the situation and suspense is supposed to be super serious. The tone of the story is all over the place.
The only thing I can compare this to in this genre is “In Reflection” by Angela Peach and that book STILL impacts me because of how absolutely crazy and disturbing it was. I regard that book as genius and both loved and hated it at the same time for how it made me feel. I think this author was going for something similar but where “In Reflection” creeped me the hell out this one left me more or less amused.
I also wasn’t sure how mental illness was supposed to be regarded here. Is it being used as a cheap dramatic device or acknowledged for how serious it is? I could see how it was offensive for feeding stereotypes while at the same time having empathy for mental illness. Like the rest of the story I wasn’t sure how to take this.
Along with the melodrama, what I did note was that sometimes there was a lot of dialogue without descriptions of how the characters were impacted, their expressions, etc. That left the read feeling a little choppy or empty to me despite the dialogue itself being good. There were other moments, like with the mother, where those extra descriptors were added and it enhanced the story.
Willow also was just an okay character to me. I liked her girlfriends a lot more.
On the whole, I kept finding the book to be both good and bad at the same time. Have you ever had that experience? Though I found the book bizarre and over the top I was also weirdly entertained. And, again, I especially appreciated the comedy. I put this around 2.75 stars. -
5 stars is well deserved for this book.
Hysterical in parts, sexy in others, the twist was quite unexpected.
Part romance/part thriller is the only way I can describe it.
Centred around Willow, a sometimes obnoxious university student on a visit home for the summer; we are introduced to her rather eccentric parents, Valerie and Andrew, her twin sisters, and the gorgeous Georgia, nanny to the twins.
Relations between mother and daughter are strained at best, with Valerie unable to keep her often barbed, yet hysterically cringeworthy comments to herself, meaning the two are often at loggerheads.
A indecent encounter between Georgia and Willow causes an almighty row forcing Willow to return early to Cambridge.
Enter Professor Francesca Marten. A forty something married mother of two, coming to the realisation she harbours feelings for women.
A casual meeting between Willow and Francesca ends up in the bedroom, and is the start of life going rapidly downhill.
I can't say anymore because its hard not to give spoilers but there is an almost Fatal Attraction style switch in the second half of this book which left characters in danger and me reeling at the unexpected.
BUT... Valerie Walker is comedy GOLD and so well written, she deserves a book all of her own.
'CUNNILINGUS ISN'T AN AMUSE BOUCHE, WILLOW' - Valerie Walker -
All I can say is WOW!
Didn't expect what happened but LOVED IT!
5☆ -
This was my first book by this author and I absolutely loved it.
I was pulled in to the story has it unfolded, it had me going through so many emotions it made me laugh, happy, sad, and tears happy and sad ones, it also had me on the edge of my seat too.
I felt something was going to happen but I didn't expect what happened to end the way it did even right to end of the book. Fantastic ending!!
This maybe my first book from this Author but it won't be the last. I loved the characters and how she made them come to life, Valerie was a blast I loved her humour she was hilarious!! she had me laughing so much.
Absolutely brilliant!! Well written.
I highly recommend this book and this Author. -
Where do I begin with Luna Lopez's upcoming release? She tackles multiple heavy topics like growth and maturity, forbidden love, owning one’s sexuality, and walking into unexpected relationships. She manages measuring all the right ingredients together and mixing in the proper amounts of sexy, snarky, and suspense creating a multifaceted work based on complex themes which blew my socks off.
I sliced off a taste of the raw dough for this piece, thinking the masterpiece swirled around the idea of a student-teacher taboo prose piece. Where My Heart Lies digs deeper into the final baked good Lopez delivered. The rich ingredients mold together into a savory blend of goodness including mending broken hearts, dissolving a marriage—which is not done through falling out of love but rather recognizing types of love—and strengthening a strained relationship. She cleverly mixes in a scorned ex-lover and a fresh look at a misjudged relationship. Then, Lopez set her words to the proper temperature of sexy time and sprinkled it in areas with enough spice to pull out all the emotions from anger, fear, and guilt to hope, love and laughter. This bakes into a well thought out treat from page one to the end.
Her characters develop in a rich, batter of connection through growth and maturity. The themes dive deep into the richness of discovering what one seeks out of a life lived to its fullest. She truly hit the baker's dozen of novels with Where the Heart Lies and is a must-read. -
I've read this authors short story's, but let me tell you this book is beyond fantastic. I love to see a new author grow, and wow, that she has. Luna has managed to write a story that captures you and brings each character to life. Willow breaks up from her girlfriend and decides to go home when uni ends for the summer, and it's here we get to meet her family, and OMG, her mum cracks me right up. The story had me laughing, but also shocked me. I couldn't put this book down and would highly recommend this book to anyone.
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Another fabulous story from Luna Lopez. She surprises me every time with the twists and turns in her stories and this one is no different. This book has humour, sadness and grief and some very steamy bits. All the makings of an emotionally charged wonderful read. I highly recommend this book!
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A very well written story!
I absolutely loved it.
Brillant ending!! -
I’ve had the honor of following Luna Lopez from the beginning. Starting with her debut novella, First Kiss. Her debut was just a taste of the spectacular writing she has unleashed with her new full-length novel, Where My Heart Lies.
Blogging has given me the opportunity to step outside of my self-imposed reading boundaries. Luna’s stories of lesbian relationships have introduced me to a romance genre I would never have searched out on my own. I, like a lot of readers, get into a comfortable reading zone and stick with it. The tried and true theory. I am glad I took the chance to step out of my reading comfort zone by reading Ms. Lopez’s books.
This was the third book I’ve read by Luna Lopez. Where My Heart Lies grabbed my attention immediately in the first chapter while Willow is traveling home to see her family. The base she sets in the first chapter leads perfectly into the story keeping you interested as the story unfolds.
The central character of Where My Heart Lies, Willow, has a lot going on. In the first chapter, you will learn many details about Willow and her family which made it hard to put my kindle down. I was invested in all of them quickly and needed to know more. Especially about Willow’s mom.
Without a doubt Willow’s mom, Valerie was a side character deserving of her own sassy story. Their mother, daughter relationship isn’t always great, but it’s always worth a good chuckle.
The humor riddled throughout the story caused me to laugh out loud many times. I feel it is only right to warn you. Don’t sip on any drinks while reading unless your E-reader is waterproof. Just don’t if its paperback.
When originally picking up this book, I had a preconceived notion as to how this story would go. Girl meets Girl and they have a relationship. Some sort of spat in the middle, they makeup, and then move on. It’s a romance so that’s how romance’s are written right?
Well, part of it was right until Ms. Lopez threw in a twist that knocked me on my butt. A twist that had me in tears multiple times. Luna Lopez drew emotions from me while reading this story keeping me on my toes and a stack of tissues nearby.
Without giving anything away I will say, I left this story with a pit in my stomach I never expected.
For me, a sign of a great book is when the author has run my emotions through a wringer. The kind where you turn the last page, give a huge sigh because now your head and heart get a rest from the wild ride it was just on.
However, you find you want to get back in line waiting for the author's next release so can jump on that emotional rollercoaster again.
Very well written. Entertaining Story. Great characters. -
"We're going to teach you a lesson, Willow. And then you'll never look at another woman again.
I really enjoyed this book. I'm a big fan of romantic thrillers and this one had me on the edge of my seat!
Willow is heading home for her summer break. Back to her parent's home, and the prospect of non-stop head-butting with her mother. She expected the friction. What she didn't expect was the new nanny, Georgia and the instant attraction Willow has to her. After her mom walks in on Willow and Georgia in an intimate moment, Willow returns to Cambridge, only to find an unexpected friendship and connection to a former professor, Francesca "Frankie" Marten. Frankie, newly separated from her husband and coming to terms with her true self, lets herself experience what she's been fantasizing about for a long time - the touch of another woman.
But, someone isn't going to let it happen. Threatening notes and mysterious texts are putting Willow and Frankie on edge. When the threats become violent, will any of them make it out of this alive? Will Willow live to see Georgia again? Who is behind it all?
This was a great thriller! I loved how this author could make you hate the person responsible, but also feel sorry for them at the same time. I was totally shocked at one particular event but I won't spoil it for anyone. I guess you'll just have to read it and find out if you're shocked too! Grab it now! -
This was a really good book- full of twist and turns. Some parts will have you dying laughing while others hold you in suspense. This book takes you on a thrilling emotional journey into Willows life. There is grief, humor, suspense, pain & suffering, friendship and heartache that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end.
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5 stars
A wonderful suspense novel with a bit of a love story in the middle. The back and forth with mother and daughter is delightful. I recommend this book to everyone for a nice read. -
What an amazing book, I am so pleased that i discovered Luna Lopez as this story took my breath away, so many emotions and tears that I couldn't put it down and when I finished it the emotions followed me for long time. So strong story and characters. Just excellent
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Wow
I loved the book it took me to the edge of my seat it was one crazy ride but I would tell any one to read it it is truly a great read -
Not a happy ending
I thought this book was well written but not what I expected at all. -
Good book but did not like the ending. Hopefully there will be a second part to this story
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I "read" this via Audible. there are parts that I had had to stop because they are absolutely hilarious. Willow's mother is one of the greatest character I have read in a while. This was more of a suspense story that a true love story. The only part I didn't really care for was the antagonist point of view. There is no doubt who the bad guy is right away and personally I would have like it to be a bit more of a mystery. All in all a wonderful read that I will revisit over and over.
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4.5 Stars
A new author to me and a lesbian romance which is also the only one I’ve ever read. I had heard lots about this author and book prior to its release and had been eagerly awaiting its release. If you think this book is going to be set in the bedroom you have been totally misled. Yes it’s a romance, but it’s a rom-com and a suspense all rolled into one very entertaining book.
Willow is a Cambridge student who’s returned to her eccentric family home after breaking up with her girlfriend. Let’s just say that things are strained between Willow and her mum, it was a beautiful thing to see that relationship unfold. I laughed at the craziness, embraced the vulnerability and maturity of Francesca and Miles.
