One woman must confront her emotional demons if she’s going to open her heart to love again.
Once upon a time, Sam and Ashley were other girls...
Three years after the loss of her wife to a brain aneurysm, 34-year-old Samantha Parker focuses her energy on caring for her young son, Jake. She can’t imagine ever falling in love again, so she focuses on putting one foot in front of the other and being the best mom she can be. It’s not a perfect life, but as long as her son is happy and her softball team keeps winning, everything is fine. That is, until Ashley Valence, the girl who bullied Sam throughout high school, moves back to New Orleans and joins the softball team. As tensions rise on the field, unexpected chemistry between the two women begins to grow.
No matter how much Sam wants to hate Ashley for the pain and anguish those teenage taunts caused, Ashley’s eyes hold only warmth now. And, as Sam slowly introduces Ashley into her life with Jake, she begins to let go of the past. But as their relationship progresses, all of the former hurts and resentments resurface for Sam, and she lashes out at Ashley. Sam understands that her anger is a byproduct of the events of the past and that Ashley isn’t the same girl she used to be. But when Sam begins to realize that she’s fallen in love with Ashley, she has to decide if she can truly trust her heart and find happiness with the woman who once hurt her so deeply.
*2020 GCLS Goldie Finalist in Contemporary Romance
Signed book copies available. Email for details
Praise for Other Girls
- "Avery Brooks' debut novel, Other Girls, is not only a poignant, heartfelt romance, but it is also a love letter to the magic city of New Orleans. The writing is strong, the characters unforgettable and their struggles to put the difficulties of the past behind them hit all the right emotional notes. Welcome to the world of lesbian fiction, Avery Brooks."
- Cindy Rizzo, Goldie Award-winning author of Exception to the Rule
- "It turns out that this is amongst the best enemies-to-lovers books we've read."
- Best Lesfic Reviews
- "Other Girls doesn't really feel like a debut novel. The writing is excellent, so is the pace, the angst is never forced and Ash's path to redemption just flows."
- Les Reveur
- "Brooks was very successful in making me feel. A character who had been bullied as a kid and was a single mother because her wife had died, I expected this book to choke me up at times. I wanted some drama that needed tissues; I did not want a fluffy romance. Brooks absolutely delivered. While this was not a doom and gloom book, I had to bust out the tissues multiple times, just like I wanted. I love it when an author can make me feel and I'm impressed by how well Brooks was able to do that. This book was the perfect mix of good feels to tissue ratio and I really enjoyed it."
- Lez Review Books
- Lex's List of Best Lesbian Books of 2019-Best Drama Romance.
- Lex Kent, Lez Review Books
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