Say You Love Me by Rachel Murphy is a contemporary age-gap romance about allowing yourself to have a second chance at love.
Brooke Lewis who had her heart broken and her life turned upside down two years ago by her wife, swore she’d never find love again. Nor did she even want to. Reluctantly agreeing to her best friend’s pleas to get back out into the dating world, she experiences a set of truly disastrous dates. Brooke begins to question everything when the bartender on one of her dates leaves Brooke her number on a napkin.
Taylor Thompson doesn’t necessarily believe in soulmates or happily ever after, what she does believe is the connection she feels with Brooke which only gets stronger the more time they spend together.
While Taylor starts falling head over heels, Brooke tries to navigate her newfound feelings for Taylor along with balancing her emotions over her mother’s increasing health complications. Brooke’s carefully ordered world starts to crumble.
This steamy age-gap romance will have you rooting for these two women who just can’t seem to tell the other exactly how they feel.
Writing
Rachel Murphy’s ability to keep readers privy to both Taylor’s and Brooke’s feelings and emotions throughout the story is excellent. This technique makes the book all that much more engaging. The story moves quickly with charming dialogue and descriptive details. Murphy also did a great job incorporating some of New York City’s highlights into the story.
As someone who lost her mother to cancer several years ago, I was able to identify with Brooke’s grief and sadness surrounding her mother’s difficult battle with stage three lung cancer. I commend Rachel Murphy for her handling of that entire plotline with great care and compassion.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
Brooke’s ex-wife’s infidelity and dishonesty really did a number on her and while she’s not looking for a relationship, she does accept Taylor’s date invitation. Since her divorce, she’s become extremely self-conscious, and untrusting, and questions each one of Taylor’s motivations, which she never voices. Their age gap worries her because she continuously feels that they’re in different stages of their lives, yet again, she doesn’t share those worries. I vacillated between wanting to hug Brooke and wanting to shake some sense into her because it was clear as day that Taylor was crazy about her and would do anything to make her smile.
Taylor’s forwardness in asking Brooke out while she was on a date is gutsy but also totally hot!! As she gets to know Brooke, her feelings enter the no going back territory, but she’s all in because she’s unafraid of her strong feelings yet terrified to tell Brooke how deep her feelings run. She is such an unassuming and sweet person that it wasn’t hard to fall a little bit in love with her.
Say You Love Me is the most perfect title for this book because while Taylor and Brooke enter into a relationship that they both want to last, Taylor doesn’t tell Brooke how head over heels she is for her, and at the same time Brooke has one foot out the door despite being absolutely smitten with Taylor. Normally, I would find this lack of communication to be annoying, but with this story, it totally works. In reality, it is extremely difficult to tell someone how you feel for fear of rejection. Their chemistry is off the charts and I was firmly planted in their corner rooting for them!
Heads Up
The death of a parent due to a terminal illness could be a sensitive topic for some readers.
The Conclusion
Say You Love Me by Rachel Murphy is an intriguing age-gap, contemporary romance about two women navigating their developing feelings for one another. It’s about overcoming past hurts and insecurities while leaning into vulnerability. It has dynamic characters that are relatable and a plot line that is descriptive and engaging. The heavy elements are perfectly balanced with sweet and spicy moments to create a story that is both moving and memorable. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from Rachel Murphy.
Excerpt from Say You Love Me by Rachel Murphy
“You know there’s a reason why they say three strikes you’re out,” a sultry voice said to bring Brooke back into the present from her internal abysmal thoughts. She looked up to see the young bartender leaning on the bar in front of her. The chair next to Brooke was vacant and Brooke hadn’t even processed that Laura got up. She did vaguely hear herself say ‘okay’ which was probably in response to Laura saying she was going to the restroom. Given the fact that her bag was still on her chair, she clearly didn’t leave the bar. Not that Brooke would have been offended or cared if she did leave.
“Are we talking about baseball?” Brooke questioned with a raised brow.
“Yes and no,” the woman said with a smile. Brooke couldn’t help but watch her lips as they moved when she spoke. The way they parted with each word and seemed to be inviting Brooke closer. “Three strikes and it’s time to sit down and wait for the next chance. Kind of like you.”
“What about me?” Brooke asked with a touch of hostility in her voice, no longer lingering on the supple, glossy lips a foot away from her. Who did this woman think she was to be talking to her like this, seeming to pass judgment on her?
“Tonight is the third time I’ve seen you here with a different woman, and each time it didn’t seem to be going well.”
While this was completely true, Brooke didn’t appreciate having a complete stranger point out that her dating experience lately was a complete joke. Only she was allowed to do that. Brooke didn’t really know why she chose this bar again for her two last dates other than it was convenient. It was a relatively quiet bar, by New York standards, where she could enjoy a good cocktail and conversation with someone new that she was supposed to be getting to know. When the first date was a bust, she just recycled the location for the next, and the current. She didn’t think anyone would notice. Except for the apparently attentive and painfully attractive bartender.
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 979-8395422194
Publisher: Indie Author
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