Desire by Starlight

I have a copy of every book Radclyffe has wriiten. I find her books amazing, Ii can not wait to dive into them. Each one has been a mind bending can't wait to turn over the next page. Some of her books are series and we feel as if those people are our familes, that we know each one intimately. If you want to read a book that keeps you on your toes, and after you read it through fast, you can't wait to read it again (yes they are that good) then buy a book by Radclyffe. She is truly amazing!!! I read 2-5 books a week and have a few favorite authors... Radclyffe is right up there in the top 3... so do yourself a favor... make up your own mind if you like her books... purchase one.. and then you will be hooked...

I have read mostly all of Radclyffe's books. The is my least favorite of them. The plot is very thin. I would have liked to know why the Aunt left the house to Jenna. And what about the paintings from the Aunt?

Dr. Gardner Davis, a strong, sexy, gorgeous and guarded Little Falls, Vermont County Coroner/veterinarian meets Jenna Hardy aka Cassandra Hart, a stunning, yet stubborn, award-winning author. Jenna is in dire need of a break from her hectic writing and promoting schedule when she falls ill. Despite her strong protests, Jenna's agent cancels the rest of the book tour so she can take time off to recuperate.

While Dr. Davis leads a full professional life, her personal life has a few holes in it. Between taking care of the animals in her charge, she puts on her coroner cap and telephones Ms. Hardy to inform the grand-niece of Elizabeth Hardy that she is the next living relative of the deceased, and that she has inherited a farm and everything else. Gard is surprised and a bit offended at Jenna's rude response and atypical reaction to her call. But when Gard and Jenna finally meet face-to-face their preconceived notions virtually fly out the window. Their attraction and ensuing courtship is perfectly conflicted from the very start. Jenna finds a way around taking it easy when she opts to stay at her late aunt's farmhouse and Gard has more than her hands full when she takes Jenna's "...cold indifference personally. She should know better than to lose her temper, but the woman's perfunctory, dismissive manner had hit every one of her sore points. She knew this kind of woman--the one for whom simple human niceties didn't even register on her radar. Jenna Hardy was either too busy being successful or too used to the insulation provided by her wealth and power to care about how her actions affected others."

Radclyffe's latest character-driven romance drips with emotional turmoil and palpable longing carried out by witty dialogue, revealing narrative, and unspoken vibes. The attraction between them literally sets off sparks and the combination of that and so much more, along with compelling characters, kept my Kindle thrumming. Internal dialogue helps put the reader inside a character's head and Radclyffe has a knack for nailing this device time after time, for example: "Gard made her [Jenna] feel treasured, and realizing just how much that mattered scared her down to her toes." It's amazing how portraying angst can be a more dramatic plot twist than road rage at times, another example: "Gard pulled away, knowing they were both pretending everything was all right. When she looked back, Jenna stood on the porch, watching her go. Leaving her made her want to howl in protest. She wanted to slam the truck around, gun it back there, and take her right where she stood. Driving away hurt so much, she was surprised she wasn't leaving a trail of blood behind her on the road." These examples are much stronger when taken in context, which is why you have to read the book to get the full impact.

Radclyffe packs huge wallops, as she delves deep into her characters' souls, adding engaging detail, while happily leaving some things to her reader's imagination. Radclyffe delivers and readers stay glued. Desire by Starlight is well executed and thoroughly engaging. I give it five stars and highly recommend it.

Spoilers below

This is pretty standard Radclyffe fare, two women meet, are instantly attracted to each other, there's some push and pull over whether they should sleep together and then they have fabulous sex and live happily ever after. Oh, and one is butch and has a masculine name and the other is femme, which is also to be expected in a Rad book, she never seems to deviate from that theme. The bonus is that at least neither character is a doctor, cop or firefighter, so that's something different.

As usual we don't get to delve too deeply into the characters, and they manage to fall in love within a short time span. I think it's less than two weeks. There's also a plethora of other lesbians populating their world, even though they have to import some from out of town, as the book is set in a rural location. And even though they come from two different worlds, that's easy enough to gloss over once Rad realised she'd run out of chapters and then we have the standard rushed ending. It's a quick read, and if you like Radclyffe books, you'll probably enjoy it. I'd give it 2.5 stars.

Jenna Hardy, who is best-selling romance writer Cassandra Hart, has managed to overcome a childhood full of abuse and poverty. She has life under control, with no intention of letting go of the reins. In the middle of a signing tour, however, her life begins to spin out of control. After a fainting episode, she is told by an ER doctor that she must reduce her stress, begin to eat more than junk food and caffein, and slow down.

Gardner Davis, coroner and veterinarian in rural Vermont, calls Jenna to tell her that a distant relative has died and Jenna is the dead woman's only heir. Reluctantly, Jenna agrees to go to Little Falls to deal with her relative's estate. Jenna feels the tug of attraction for the handsome vet who is hiding a past that nearly destroyed her. While she is in the small town, Jenna reluctantly begins to see her life for what it is and what it isn't. Gard, like Jenna, thinks she has her life under control.

Both women have told themselves so often that they don't need anyone in their lives that they've come to believe it - right up to the point in time when they meet.

Little does Jenna know that a trip to a small town will change her life, and Gard's, in unimaginable ways.

Radclyffe spins a tale of discovery and, of course, romance. Fans of Radclyffe won't be disappointed by this outing - there is romance and lots of love scenes that tend to undermine the overall story. The storyline of two strong women discovering what life has to offer, that change isn't always awful, and that letting someone in isn't always a disaster should resonate with readers. Radclyffe is a strong writer and her characters are, as always, interesting.

Jenna Hardy, who is best-selling romance writer Cassandra Hart, has managed to overcome a childhood full of abuse and poverty. She has life under control, with no intention of letting go of the reins. In the middle of a signing tour, however, her life begins to spin out of control. After a fainting episode, she is told by an ER doctor that she must reduce her stress, begin to eat more than junk food and caffein, and slow down.

Gardner Davis, coroner and veterinarian in rural Vermont, calls Jenna to tell her that a distant relative has died and Jenna is the dead woman's only heir. Reluctantly, Jenna agrees to go to Little Falls to deal with her relative's estate. Jenna feels the tug of attraction for the handsome vet who is hiding a past that nearly destroyed her. While she is in the small town, Jenna reluctantly begins to see her life for what it is and what it isn't. Gard, like Jenna, thinks she has her life under control.

Both women have told themselves so often that they don't need anyone in their lives that they've come to believe it - right up to the point in time when they meet.

Little does Jenna know that a trip to a small town will change her life, and Gard's, in unimaginable ways.

Radclyffe spins a tale of discovery and, of course, romance. Fans of Radclyffe won't be disappointed by this outing - there is romance and lots of love scenes that tend to undermine the overall story. The storyline of two strong women discovering what life has to offer, that change isn't always awful, and that letting someone in isn't always a disaster should resonate with readers. Radclyffe is a strong writer and her characters are, as always, interesting.

Radclyffe delivers another deliciously sexy romance with Desire By Starlight. She consistently-and there is nothing wrong with being consistent--blends strong character development with the end result being complex, likeable characters who we can't help but cheer for, interesting settings, this book being set in the country of upstate New York, a dash of angst, and of course a romantic happy ending, to create enjoyable read after enjoyable read. Lovers of true romance will love Desire by Starlight and as with the rest of Radclyffe's books, you won't want it to end.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. I thought it was well written and told a good story. Certainly I like some of Radclyffe's stories better than others which is entirely subjective. However it seems to me these 1 and 2 star ratings are too harsh.

I have almost all of Radclyffe's books and I do have to say that this one left me wanting more, don't get me wrong it is still a very good read and the characters are very nicely created, I still love her writing style and I'm waiting to see whats new lol but still this one just didn't reached the 5 stars goal at least for me.

On another note that has nothing to do with my 3 star review I was wondering if anyone knows why any of the new bold stroke book are not coming out in kindle format, its very troublesome to go buy them trough their page and then download it to the kindle specially at times when you are traveling and dont have your laptop handy. Just wondering =) thanks to all and many Blessings!

In my opinion, this was one of Radclyffe's sweetest romances ever and includes some of her most romantic erotic scenes.
I have read and loved nearly everything Radclyffe has written, and she did not disappoint me with this one. I highly recommend anyone who loves lesbian romance to buy Desire by Starlight, read it to yourself, and then to the one you love.