Customer Reviews

Fated Love

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New employee Quinn Maguire shows up at Philadelphia Medical College's ER/Trauma Unit on a quiet Monday morning, but before she's even had a chance to be introduced to the lone woman sitting behind the intake counter, a gunshot victim is wheeled in. Quinn looks around, can't find an attending physician, and immediately takes over the victim's care with the help of a nurse and the woman who first greeted her whom she assumes is a resident. Big mistake. Instead, it's Honor Blake, the chief of emergency services. Fortunately, Honor doesn't hold Quinn's assumptions against her. While both women are secretly impressed with the skills the other displayed in saving the patient's life, they're also wary of the other.

So begins an uneasy alliance during which circumstances draw Honor and Quinn together, and they find themselves unaccountably attracted to one another. Honor can't figure out why a surgeon as skilled as Quinn chose to leave a prominent position at a big-time New York hospital to be an attending ER doctor at a university hospital in Philly. And Quinn can't figure out why Honor shies away from her when it's clear there's an undeniable pull between them. Both of them have secrets they refuse to divulge. How can they work together, much less become friends-or more-so long as each is so carefully guarding her own little world?

The story of these two women's lives-and the twists and turns that take place to bring them to the same place-is impossible to put down. With ample angst, realistic and exciting medical emergencies, winsome secondary characters, and a sprinkling of humor, FATED LOVE turns out to be a terrific romance. It's one of the best I have read in the last three years. Run-do not walk-right out and get this one. You'll be hooked by yet another of Radclyffe's wonderful stories. Highly recommended. ~Lori L. Lake, author of lesbian fiction and freelance reviewer for Midwest Book Review, Golden Crown Literary Society's The Crown, The Independent Gay Writer, and Just About Write.

"Fated Love" is an engrossing romance and an excellent representation for the genre. Radclyffe brings to life the relationship and romantic love between two noteworthy characters who command respect and admiration. In a compelling medical setting, with prose that often rings poetic, and with a most satisfying conclusion, Radclyffe delivers what romance readers expect and what this reviewer and many readers believe is her best romance yet.

What makes a great romance? Simple, two loveable and intriguing characters that not only capture each other's hearts but the reader's heart as well. Radclyffe makes an art out of writing appealing characters that readers find fascinating.

Dr. Quinn McGuire is brilliant, tender, easy-going, patient, drop-dead gorgeous, and has a keen sense of humor. It is easy to fall in love with her and wish she were not only real, but cloned too. At twenty-eight, having completed a trauma fellowship, she has a promising surgical career in a leading New York City hospital. One has to wonder why she would leave it all for an emergency room position at Philadelphia Medical Center. The career change is a step down but things look up when Quinn sets her sights on the lovely Dr. Honor Blake. Honor can't deny the attraction to the newcomer of the department but her heart is under lock and key. In addition, she is leery of why a highly skilled surgeon would take a demotion. What is Quinn hiding? Quinn could ask the very same question of Honor as she has hidden secrets too.

Quinn is a real charmer when she tells Honor, "With everything that's going on in my life right now, I can't figure out why I should feel so happy, but I do. I think it has something to do with being with you" (p. 152). She is so romantic even without trying. Honor finds it impossible to ignore her feelings for Quinn but she fights it as best she can.

Honor is an equally admirable character. She's sensible, smart, responsible, loyal, and has a propensity for honoring the woman whose wedding ring she wears. She captures Quinn's attention from the moment she gazes her way.

Radclyffe also imparts words of wisdom the reader can draw upon. Quinn describes how she deals with stress. "I'm not actually calm. I just seem to have this place inside me where things stop moving for a while. I go there, I guess, when everything outside of me is moving too fast" (p.150). It sounds like a very good idea.

Medical professionals will appreciate the authenticity Radclyffe weaves into her work and laymen will feel privileged to be privy to the world of medicine. The author takes special care to ensure that readers don't have to be physicians to understand the medical jargon or to feel a part of the action.

"Fated Love," a 2005 GCLS award-winner, is a sizzling, sexy, and satisfying romance. Adept characterization make Quinn and Honor easily feel like close friends. I highly recommend this tightly constructed, well-crafted, entertaining, thought provoking romance to everyone who has a heart. It is that good!

There is an old Yiddish proverb that - roughly translated -counsels: "A man plans, and God laughs." Read one way, the aphorism suggests a cruel power governing the universe - a sadistic deity who chortles merrily as we go about our lives making plans that will never come to fruition because of forces beyond our control. Certainly, to the two central characters in FATED LOVE - the latest offering from Radclyffe (lesbian romance's answer to Nora Roberts in both quality and prolificness) - the fates have seemed unkind. Both Quinn Maguire - a precociously gifted trauma surgeon - and Honor Blake - the ER chief who is her new boss - once thought they'd achieved everything they'd ever desired in this life. Quinn was poised on the brink of the career she'd trained for; Honor had built a home with her high-school sweetheart and their daughter. And then, in a heartbeat, all was lost. Two lifetimes of plans were dashed.

But in this story of love and loss and pain and healing - and the terror that accompanies these experiences - Radclyffe suggests that perhaps "God laughs" not out of amusement at our despair and shattered dreams. Instead, the fates laugh at our human plans because what the universe has in store is so much more - more intense, more erotic, more wonderful - than anything we might plan on our own. Because the paths of Honor's and Quinn's interrupted lives converge in the Emergency Room where they both work, and Radclyffe's masterful hand guides these two strong, resilient women through the process of moving forward to life, to love, to the future.

FATED LOVE is exquisitely written. There is no writer of lesbian romance working today who conveys pure depth of emotion as truly as Radclyffe. Her characters scale the heights of erotic pleasure just as intensely as they plumb the depths of despair and hopelessness. And it should also be noted that FATED LOVE is a celebration of family - of the true bonds that connect us and of the sanctity of love above all else. Ultimately, love must be the power that guides us - because life is fragile and joy is evanescent. So read FATED LOVE, and be reminded of all the wonderful things the universe must have in store.

I'm hooked by this breed of romance writers -- writers like Radclyffe, Mariane Martin, Lori Lake and Karin Kallmaker -- who know how to tell a fantastic romantic story, add realistic passion and end it with a satisfying conclusion that mirrors real life.

Fated Love is a standalone romance from Radclyffe (who has written several series of action/romance) that deals with women who have believable reasons to avoid romantic entanglements. Thankfully, none of their reasons revolve around being gay, because in this day and age it's tiresome when a character refuses to fall in love because if she did, *gasp* everyone would know she's gay. It doesn't bother me as a theme in older books, which I like to read because they reassure me that the times are changing. But I just finished a novel set in San Francisco where the character spent a year dithering about whether it was "okay" to be gay. I just wanted to slap her and send her to the Castro. Like duh.

I haven't ever wanted to slap a Radclyffe character for being silly, instead she gets me to root for them, cheer for them and hope they can work out their differences. I like how family was a big part of this story because most people I know deal with family and concerns for their reactions really do matter.

My quibbles with the book are small, because Radclyffe really knows her stuff when it comes to well-written and presented prose. A few words were overused, like "fisted" (not what you're thinking). There was some ping-ponging back and forth between the two main points of view at a part of the story that wasn't particularly dramatic, so it was jarring rather than adding momentum. Occasionally there was a side visit to a minor character's point of view that didn't impart new information -- nothing we couldn't have learned from the main characters' observations. So the switch was unnecessary.

I only mention those things because that's *all* there is to mention! If those are the only (extremely minor) flaws there are in the story, and most people won't notice, then this is a well-constructed book. The San Francisco-based novel I mentioned above was full of typos and second-grade grammar, speeches that rambled and sudden arrival of other people's points of view that interrupted the entire narrative. Not to mention cutesy, tedious, saccharine expressions of emotion.

I enjoyed Fated Love very much, especially that the book ended in a very satisfying way that did *not* leave me wanting a sequel. I like romantic stories to *end*.

I highly recommend Fated Love and Radclyffe to anyone who wants to be sure their dollars and time will be well spent. This book has been nominated for a "Golden Crown" - a new award that focuses solely on lesbian literature. It deserves recognition for its overall excellence in the romantic genre. Few of our writers are really up at this level, and Radclyffe (along with my other favorite, Karin Kallmaker) really leads the pack.

This is absolutely my favorite romance novel. I've read it three times already. I have to keep reading it so I can keep saying it's my favorite. I just have to keep making sure. Of course anyone who's read any lesbian fiction has read Radclyffe. I was hooked after this novel, my first Radclyffe. She is excellent at character development, and I just fell in love with Quinn and Honor. The main characters are doctors, Quinn is a trama surgeon and Honor is the ER chief, and they meet when Quinn takes the job working for Honor in the ER. The book is full of mystery about Quinn's past and her health. And of course their is a sweet love story brewing.

What I like most about this story is that it seems so real. Honor is the mother of an 8 year old and she goes about her ordinary life. She's well adjusted and has a great supporting cast of family and friends. It's really touching how Quinn makes an effort to include Honor's daughter in her life as well as Honor. And Honor's best friend Linda, who is also a nurse who works in the ER, is a great addition to the cast of characters. Radclyffe is adept at developing all of these characters and a few more to show one big loving community.

Favorite Scene: I'm almost embarrassed to say it, but it's got to be the scene where Quinn was babysitting Honor's daughter and she couldn't find her pajamas. When Honor arrives home, she finds Arly in mismatched pajamas. It was so cute. Okay, okay. I know there are better scenes, but I love that one!

First Kiss: Oh yeah, Radclyffe gets us good with this one. There is a scene in the ER right after Quinn injures her shoulder and Honor is discussing her situation with her. There is definite tension in the air and the two are mere centimeters apart from a hot steamy kiss when Linda walks in. It was great. I could almost feel the wanting. So it wasn't exactly a kiss, but it was just as good!

Radclyffe has truly done it with this one. I have only been reading lesbian romance for approimately a year now, however, I have read everything by this author. To date this book is My Favorite. Great Story, Great Characters, Great Romance.

I couldn't put it down. I read this in one sitting and have read it two more times since then. This is an excellent story. Again I love the hospital settings and the surgeons. Radcylyffe has a way of TRULY bringing her characters to life. There is no way you can't love Honor and her undying devotion to her late wife. Radclyffe does an excellent job in portraying her reluctance to pursue Quinn, but in the end you want them to be together. I also loved Arly.

Excellent, Excellent, Excellent!

To call this my favorite Rad book is like saying "Chunky Monkey" is my favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream. It's ALL good, my friend. But "Fated Love" has a great deal of emotional connection to it that puts it on a whole new level for me. The pace is superior, the character development is fantastic and the resolution is, well, "aww shucks." I'm a sucker for a sweet ending. I highly recommend this book on so many levels.

You know what you are getting with Radclyffe: a well-written, well-edited, multi-dimensional romance with characters dealing with disappointments or painful pasts, leading to an ultimately happy ending. This is a tried and true formula, and curling up with one of these books is a delight.

As far as specifics regarding this novel, I love it when Radclyffe uses a medical setting, because she's able to so deftly make it a realistic and interesting world. Quinn was an intriguing character with a bit of a mystery surrounding her undisclosed health reasons for leaving her surgical career. Honor was a sympathetic character in trying to deal with her grief, and balance a family and professional life. Chemistry sparked, but even beyond that the gentle way Quinn pursued inserting herself into Honor's life, her delight with Arly (Honor's daughter), the way she just couldn't help but pursue this woman despite the fact that she clearly had issues, all these elements combined to create a rich narrative.

This book sets itself apart with the realistic or unflinching way it deals with falling in love again after having lost a previous partner. The pacing lags a touch as the characters sometimes seem to be endlessly retreading the same ground on issues. But I appreciate the weight that this author gives to serious themes, versus just glossing over them like a less-experienced author might in order to get to the "real" story, while ending up missing the real story.

The themes of moving on after great loss are represented in a variety of ways, through both Honor's grief and Quinn's coping with finding new ways to embrace happiness apart from the career she'd dreamed of having. This whole set-up was rife with believable road-blocks to happiness for our protagonists, ones it was fulfilling to follow them in overcoming. We also get a delightful little interlude in the end with Sax Sinclair and Jude from "Passion's Bright Fury" as a bonus.

A very good read, as was expected, and a book I'll be keeping in my collection.

I am a big fan of Rad and "Fated Love" is one her best romances. Uber is absent, and that was welcome to me. The characters of Quinn and Honor are therefore built from the ground up and seemed fresh and new. They both have secrets but neither is "tortured and dark."

What keeps a writer's work in lesbian romance fresh, to me, is one of two things. Either she plays with the basic formula or she does the basic formula *really well.* To me, Radclyffe has done the basic formula *really well* in "Fated Love." So I'm puzzled by reviews that suggest this book "breaks" the romance formula. How so?

Two women meet, are undeniably attracted, but separated by a variety of factors. Over time they learn to respect, then to admire and like, and finally to admit to love. Together, they overcome the things that separate them. This journey is where all the fun is. This is the "straight up" romance plot of 80% of the lesbian romance books produced. The difference between novels is the writer's talent (Rad's is undeniable!) in breathing life into the story so that the reader experiences this familiar tale in a brand new way.

"Fated Love" follows this precise, tried-and-true journey. It does so consistently, with zest and eroticism, in an exciting, fast-paced setting. As with "Love's Tender Warriors" (same basic outline) Radclyffe knows how to form, stir up and satisfy our expectations. Her erotic scenes are powerful and realistic.

If anything, I liked "Fated Love" more than Warriors because the issues that separated Honor and Quinn were the kinds of things I, or any friend of mine, could be dealing with. Family concerns and health, career and outright terror to find yourself falling in love. They are Rad's usual strong-willed and extremely talented women, but both are fragile for different, realistic reasons. They are super women, but not superwomen.

There are so many novels out there that follow this formula and do it with tired, mechanical, uninspired, forgettable stories that use the basic formula in the most mediocre way. (There are a few writers who seem to do little more than search-and-replace to change the character and place names before they call it a brand new book!) Only a few can do the beloved, familiar romance formula again and again and each time tell a story that is fresh and entertaining. So perhaps that's why some feel "Fated Love" is not a formula romance -- where Rad has broken the rules is in doing the formula *really well.*

This *is* a formula romance for lesbians, and it's one of the really good ones. Good characters, exciting storytelling, excellent craftwomanship, hot sex and a truly believable conclusion. It's about as "straight" up as a lesbian romance can be!

This book combines the Ying and the Yang. It creates a professional bonding that is so powerful it makes your heart expand for all that is good in the world.
The characters are well developed proffessional women who personify dedication and integrity.
The love for a child, a mother-in-law, and for a lost soul mate is very powerful.
I found myself feeling the heart renching discovery of memories lost but never forgotten.
An absolutely amazing read, which leaves the reader wanting more, but never questioning that these characters will live happily ever after.
Devlyn