{"id":2361,"date":"2016-02-11T00:00:04","date_gmt":"2016-02-10T22:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/?p=2361"},"modified":"2023-06-13T17:52:45","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T15:52:45","slug":"release-the-stars-harper-bliss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/release-the-stars-harper-bliss\/","title":{"rendered":"Release the Stars by Harper Bliss: Audiobook Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Release<\/a>Release The Stars by Harper Bliss<\/strong> is a full length romance novel.<\/p>\n

There are things I love about it and things that frustrated me, but ultimately I was glad I stuck with it all the way to the end.<\/p>\n

Charlie Cross is a successful novelist, newly transplanted from New York to LA so she can consult on her book\u2019s adaption into a TV show. Her best friend, Nick, loves to tease her about her dating rules because from now on, she will only ever date someone who is 100% lesbian for the rest of her life, no exceptions. It\u2019s been months since her ex left her for a man, and she just can\u2019t risk her heart on someone who isn\u2019t completely committed to only loving women.<\/p>\n

When Nick\u2019s husband is busy, he takes Charlie as his plus one for a dinner party hosted by none other than her bigtime crush, Ava Castaneda. Ava is the gorgeous, charming host of a popular cooking competition show, and even though she\u2019s straight, she sure seems interested in Charlie. Except, the more time Charlie spends with Ava, the more Ava flirts with Charlie. It\u2019s not long before Charlie learns Ava is bisexual, but can she possibly take a risk on someone who isn\u2019t 100% lesbian?<\/p>\n

The Characters<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Charlie was infuriating for such a huge portion of the book that I almost stopped reading it several times. Her rule about only ever dating someone who was completely lesbian\u00a0was beyond obnoxious, but I appreciated that Charlie\u2019s friends teased her mercilessly about it. I\u2019ve also read enough Harper Bliss *cough*everything*cough<\/em>* that I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt where I would have bailed on another author, and I\u2019m glad I stuck with it. Charlie\u2019s rule is there for a less obvious reason that it takes a while for her to understand, and her come to Jesus experience is powerful and beautiful.<\/p>\n

Release the Stars is told entirely from Charlie\u2019s perspective, so we don\u2019t get to learn as much about Ava. However, we do see through her interactions with Charlie that she\u2019s beautiful, passionate, playful, and not afraid of grand gestures, even if they mean outing herself thanks to the ubiquity of smartphones and social media. She\u2019s no pushover, including with her ex, Eric. I so loved seeing her put him in his place when he was being a jealous jerk.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to ruin anything, but Jo, the traitor ex, and her boyfriend, Christian, were wonderfully used in a pivotal scene.<\/p>\n

The Writing Style<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After putting out reams of short stories, novellas, and serial novels, I\u2019m happy to see that Harper Bliss has well and truly tackled the full length novel form. The writing is clean and engaging, the story is paced well, and the sex writing is just as hot as you\u2019d expect from Ms. Bliss.<\/p>\n

The Narration<\/b><\/h3>\n

Alexandra Shawnee does a solid job of narrating this book. Her voice is a choice for delivering Charlie\u2019s story, and if you prefer listening to books over reading them, Release the Stars would be a good choice.<\/p>\n

The Pros<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The friends and supporting cast in Release the Stars is excellent. Charlie has a major, hard earned change. Ava is just wonderful. Also, it has one of the better lesfic covers I\u2019ve seen in a long time.<\/p>\n

[tweetthis]Someone out and proud and secure enough in her sexuality to not leave me for a man. [\/tweetthis]<\/p>\n

The Cons<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As I\u2019ve already said above, Charlie can be difficult to take before she wakes up to her issues.<\/p>\n

The Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you like stories from Harper Bliss, you\u2019ll probably like this book. If you just generally like sexy contemporary romances, you\u2019ll also probably like this book. I\u2019m glad I stuck it out, because I was very happy with how it ended.<\/p>\n

Excerpt from Release the Stars by Harper Bliss<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Charlie expelled a sigh. \u201cWhat I\u2019m looking for in a woman is really very straightforward. Someone out and proud and secure enough in her sexuality to not leave me for a man. Personally, I think my wish list is quite fair, but someone like Nick, for instance, never fails to give me a hard time about it. He claims I\u2019m too rigid with my requirement that a woman be completely lesbian. He thinks I\u2019m afraid and looking for excuses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd already, even after only one kiss, you\u2019re convinced that, if we were to embark on\u2026 something, I would leave you for a man in the end?\u201d Ava narrowed her eyes. She didn\u2019t say anything else.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s certainly a possibility.\u201d Charlie looked into the remains of her coffee. \u201cAnd once it\u2019s in my head, it\u2019s there to stay.\u201d She cut her glance to Ava. \u201cBesides, why would someone like you be interested in someone like me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean \u2018someone like you\u2019?\u201d Ava put her mug down.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re an ex-model. You\u2019re on TV. You could have anyone you wanted, really.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut not you.\u201d Ava made it sound like a statement, not a question. \u201cI make my living by how I look, Charlie. I might have picked up some cooking and presenting skills along the way, but if I\u2019m being truly honest, all the success I\u2019ve had in my life is based on my appearance. You, on the other hand, have this amazing mind out of which the most beautiful sentences are born. I find that extremely attractive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get It Online<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When you use the links in this review and buy within 24 hours of clicking then we get a small commission that helps us run the site and it costs you nothing extra. <\/em><\/p>\n

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[tweetthis]I just read this review for Release The Stars by Harper Bliss[\/tweetthis]<\/p>\n

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Bits and Bobs<\/strong><\/h3>\n