Wild Wales
by Patricia Evans Cox
GENRE: Lesbian romance
Aisling Moss is balanced on the crystal edge of success as one of the most sought-after wedding planners in London…until one ill-advised move brings her career crashing down around her feet like a toppled tower of champagne flutes. The next day, a letter from a family solicitor arrives at her flat, and she has to choose between picking up the pieces of her career in London or taking the next flight to Wales to honor the wishes of someone she loves.
Finn Morgan was forced to end her fighting career after an injury sidelined her dreams of being a star in the cutthroat world of professional women’s boxing. Her job as a short-order cook in a Brooklyn diner certainly doesn’t compare, but it also doesn’t require her to think about what she wants to do with her life. Sleeping with her boss’s wife and spending quality time with a punching bag is all she needs, until the day she comes home to find a letter from across the pond, surrounded by a pool of warm sunlight, on her entry table.
Once in Wales, long-kept secrets and unexpected demands surface for both Finn and Aisling, and they are forced to make hard decisions about their futures: Do they return to rebuild the lives they had, or take a chance on love in wild, windswept Wales?
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Excerpt
Aisling spoke slowly, more to herself than to Finn. Her voice trailed off, but she snapped back to reality after a few seconds and looked back at Finn across the kitchen.
“I kissed the wrong person, I guess.”
Finn waited for her to go on, but she didn’t.
“How do you lose an entire career from one kiss?”
Aisling smiled, letting the silence speak for her.
“Oh shit,” Finn said slowly. “You didn’t kiss the groom, did you?”
She laughed and pulled the pen out of her hair. “Um, no…not the groom.”
“Then it can’t be that bad. What’s the big deal?”
Aisling ran her fingers through her hair and loosened the waves until they fell over her shoulders. “It was the bride.”
“Wow.” Finn shook her head, smiling, and folded what was left of the charred cardboard box into the trash. “I did not see that one coming.”
“I thought not. Most people don’t.”
Finn smiled and stepped into the living room, then leaned back in as soon as she passed the doorframe.
“This fire is beautiful. Did you do that while I was folding myself into the bathtub?”
Aisling didn’t answer, just walked slowly into the room, where a cheerful fire crackled and warmed the air. When they’d walked into the house an hour ago, it had been empty and dark, but now the entire room looked gilded, as if the firelight had melted into gold over every surface. Once again, the hearth had been swept clean and even the dented copper bucket next to the fireplace had been filled with freshly cut wood. Aisling stared into the flames, then slowly raised her eyes over Finn’s head and up to the ceiling.
“What are you looking at?” Finn said, following her gaze to the cracked plaster ceiling arched above her head, secured at the apex with an unfinished wooden beam.
“Nothing,” Aisling replied, her eyes scanning the room, half expecting to see the golden orbs of light she’d seen in the castle. But there was nothing. “Just a memory, I guess.”
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This sweet sapphic romance novel involves one very career-driven woman and one hard-working yet discouraged woman coming together to heal a small village in Wales. This was the first Passport to Love novel that I’ve read, and I really enjoyed it! I hope to be able to read the rest of the novels on my own time soon.
Aisling and Finn both have their lives turned upside down when they are given a letter that instructs them to travel to Wales on a whim. Aisling’s career had recently been ruined, so she has nothing to lose by leaving London. Finn is trying to escape an affair that has gone too far, so she also doesn’t have a problem with leaving NYC for a while. Once in Wales, they find out they’ve inherited a pub and house from their grandmothers, which were a secret couple for quite a while. They need to stay in Wales to fix up the pub for at least a year, and they will need to get to know one another to do so.
This book is filled with romance, friendship, and a little bit of magic. I loved reading about how Aisling and Finn explored the new buildings they’d inherited, and found out the secrets behind them all. Life in a small town can either be awful or absolutely adorable, and this one was adorable. I loved Arwen especially, I wish there was a sequel just to learn more about her character specifically.
Aisling and Finn had a steamy romance, even though they had only known each other for a few weeks/months in this book. I felt like the love felt a little bit instant, but it wasn’t so fast that I was turned off from the characters. They were such a good fit for one another, another reason why I would want more books to see what ended up happening to this couple in the future. I want to see them raising their children (if they had any) in this small village!
The only two things that brought my rating down from perfect were the woman that kept trying to hit on Finn after she and Aisling were together, and the fact that the book felt confusing timeline-wise at times. The woman that kept hitting on Finn just seemed entirely unnecessary as I didn’t see that she added much to the story. The timeline of the story also felt confusing at times. I was not sure exactly how much time was passing between chapters. This made it difficult whether things were happening too slowly or too quickly. I wasn’t sure if the characters were spending days building up to the point where they started falling for one another, or hours. Overall, these things did not ruin my experience reading this book, so I would still recommend it!
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new small-town romance novel to enjoy!
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
About the Author
Patricia has been slinging ink and falling in love with characters since her boarding school days, and continues to write in her hometown of Eureka Springs, AR.
Her handmade tiny home in the forest, strewn with leather journals and forgotten cups of tea, serves as her writing studio. Her dogs Dublin and Snoo do their best to help by snoring loudly at her feet.
Patricia has lived in Ireland and England and returns there frequently to write, as well as to a much loved tiny island off the coast of Glasgow, where the owner of the local pub saves her the red velvet chair by the fire.
More of her writing can be seen at her website, www.tomboyinkslinger.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/tomboyinkslinger
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/tomboyinkslinger
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Wales-Passport-Love-Romance-ebook/dp/B087QRPJBC/
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Giveaway!
Patricia Evans Cox will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
It was my pleasure thank you for commenting!
Sounds like a great read.
It was one of the best books I have read this summer, thanks for commenting!
Great review & awesome giveaway!
Thank you for commenting!
I appreciate hearing about your book, thanks and for the giveaway also. Thanks so much!
Thanks for commenting!
I like the cover! Thanks for the giveaway.
Thanks for the comment! The cover is beautifully paired with this awesome book.