I enjoyed reading this one, but not as much as I have enjoyed other books by Gun Brooke who is one of my favorite authors in this genre.

Although I've been more familiar with Gun's SF series, she also writes strong contemporary romances. Wayworn Lovers was good, but perhaps not one of her best. Tierney wanders into town, looking for odd jobs, and ends up working as a driver/dog trainer/girl friday for the recluse/agoraphobic composer, Giselle. This is a nice romance if you suspend your disbelief that they would find one another and that their relationship/feelings develop so quickly. I still liked the characters and I enjoyed reading the story - Gun does write a good romance and this one works well.

Two aspects left me a bit exasperated - Tierney's previously undiscovered song writing abilities (what luck she's landed a job with a famous composer) and some plot points/character interactions that kind of fizzled (the mean-spirited neighbour and her cop husband).


Although it is a standalone, there's cameos of characters from Coffee Sonata and if you've read that book they'd make more of an impact/impression.

'NetGalley ARC provided by The Publisher in exchange for an unbiased review'

*'A writer has to read.It's almost as important as the actual writing itself...Believe in your idea.Full stop..'

Fairly okay story!
Having been a fan and read a few of this author's other books i did not hesitate to try another so when it came to choosing WAYWORN LOVERS which sounded so amazing just from its well crafted synopsis that really consisted of some substantive topics but what finally ended up happening is a dud of a storyline with few characters that i seem to cannot connect with. Realism and logistics does not coincide together in the writing--repeating of facetious dialogue way to many times,extremely weird supporting cast and romance between every couple because the author was trying way to hard to impress the readers with these forced friendship/relationship. Despite Giselle's cold reception,for the first time in years,Tierney felt drawn to her and at home which made her eventually start to open up and exorcise more of her past stuff (issues/phobias) while dealing with her being able to embrace an uncertain future and to trust again. WAYWORN LOVERS also deftly explores the subtle nuances of the foster-care system (and some of its many problems),friendship,relationship,a look at different phobias,mental illness and what it means to be functioning in today's society with any psychological or emotional illness,while delighting readers as its unmemorable heroine both act on impulses we might have all been guilty of having i think. For all that was going on in this story,there was not very much action to report or it was not intriguing enough. That said,if you're a fan of Gun Brooke or curious about this book,then go for it.

I absolutely love Gun Brooke’s novels. Coffee Sonata and The Blush Factor are two of my all-time favorites. I enjoyed seeing Mike and Vivian from Coffee Sonata as secondary characters in this book. One reason her books are different from a lot of authors is that the two leads are never “perfect” beautiful people with no problems. Wayworn Lovers is no exception. Both Giselle and Tierney have their share of issues to work through, and watching them getting to know each other is really nice. Also, this is the perfect length to read in one sitting, about four hours from start to finish.

I had mixed feelings about this book.

What I liked:

Tierney. I liked her heart for others whether it be other kids in the system, a dog in need of training or an agoraphobic composer. She quickly develops feelings for Giselle but fears revealing her interest in case it is not reciprocated.

I liked the appearance of Mike and Vivian from Coffee Sonata. I’m not usually a fan of cameo appearances but I fondly remembered these two characters and it was a treat to catch up with their lives. They added some needed warmth to the awkward stage Giselle and Tierney were travelling through in their friendship.

The music. I loved watching Giselle composing and Tierney throwing lyrics at songs with her heart written all over them. I loved the harmonies with Vivian even if many scenes felt uncomfortable thanks to Tierney’s reluctance to showcase her talents.

The late night rescue road trip taken by Tierney and Giselle. I was fully invested in their story during this stage of their relationship.

What I liked less;

Giselle was a difficult person to like thanks to her phobias, depressing inner monologue. She is not an ice queen in the traditional sense of the term but she is hard to warm up to as a character and as a love interest.

While it appears there is instant attraction between both mains it takes forever for the two to even broach the subject of this attraction. Too many hurdles and self doubt left me doubting Tierney and Giselle should be anything more than business partners,

The musical group Chicory Ariose is mentioned twenty one times. I grew tired of listening to this band being referred to every time Giselle sat down at the keyboard. Yes, she is their composer but ugh, so much repetition.

A nice read for music lovers and romantics.

ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I have read novels by Gun Brooke before, and they're always a rather interesting read. This book touched upon certain human conditions I was unfamiliar with due to my lack of experience and knowledge with them. Agoraphobia is something many people seem to suffer with the ease of which technology affords people to interact less face-to-face. One of the main characters, Giselle, suffers from this phobia yet throughout the novel, the reader sees her strive to overcome this, with the help of Tierney, a wanderer and jack-of-all trades who has problems of her own who comes to be Giselle's assistant. Throughout the novel, the women begin to bond over their love of music and fears of wanting to find a place, or a person, to call home. The novel allows the reader to steadily view the lives of these two women and those around them at a comfortable pace. The imagery was spot on and there are many moments where one's heart can be touched by the ordeals these women go through. If you're looking for a slow burn romance, where the romance is not overshadowing the rest of the characters or events that occur in the story, this is definitely the story for you.

I don't feel that this is one of Gun Brooke's best. I couldn't connect with either characters. The whole story was lacking strength, it was limb and boring. I found myself wandering off during each chapter. Finished it but it took a lot of stamina to stick with it. Not a book for me

Very unusual book in my opinion. Well-written but the story felt very convoluted and unbelievable. Just could not relate to the characters or the plot. Just my opinion.

Fast paced with tons of interaction. You feel like the story covers more time than it does.

Great job of making likable, relatable characters that quickly capture your imagination and empathy.

Everyone has baggage but this group works at overcoming it without being patronizing or arrogant about the effort it takes

I loved this book so much. Tiernany and Giselle were a perfect couple and it's been a while since I cried at reading a romance. They balanced each other out and supported each other perfectly. I really enjoyed how the dogs played such a strong part of the book and I adored Charley. The drama in the third act was done very well and Brooke wrote it very well. I'd definitely pick up another book by Gun Brooke given how much i'd much i enjoyed this one.

I normally like Brooke's work, but this just didn't work for me. I put the book down and didn't anticipate picking it up again, I was so disabused of the characters. I did eventually finish it, but it was a bit of a chore.

I didn't like the characters, I didn't much like the setup, I thought the addition of the kid in trouble was a stretch, and to throw in the celebrity thing as well, was all a bit too much. I didn't think there was any heat between the two main characters, and the sex scene just felt awkward. Giselle was a bit painful, and the other one, can't remember her name, something odd, felt really thin. The back story was complex, but she was far too saintlike to have come from that difficult a background.

It just didn't grab me at all.

Let me say that I love a good romance. I can add that I love this book by Ms. Brooke. The plot was unique and very smooth. From the moment I began reading Wayworn Lovers, I was hooked.

The two main characters in this novel are Giselle Bonnaire and Tierney Edwards. Giselle is suffering from an anxiety disorder and agoraphobia. She has tucked herself away from most people in a cute house surrounded by her garden and her two pets.

Having these disabilities has caused some problems for Giselle. She is a composer and does not go out in public. Instead, her only interaction with her musical friends is when they come to her home and play music in her well-equipped music room. Until she meets Tierney, she finds contentment in her limited surroundings.

Tierney is a free-spirited woman who had a rough start in life. She was raised in foster homes and unfortunately had many bad experiences in that setting. Tierney arrives in town and is looking for employment. She accepts a temporary position with Giselle as a cook and housekeeper.

All the characters are well developed and interesting. I recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I was given this ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

After reading some other reviews I wasn't expecting too much from this book, but it surprised me. I liked it. I found the characters enjoyable and their romance fun (if not entirely believable, but it is fiction after all). Both Giselle and Tierney prove they are stronger together. For the naysayers out there try suspending your disbelief for a little bit not everything in a fictional story has to be 100% accurate (also someone with money and friends in power could indeed pull some strings to bypass the foster systems rules...just saying). Just dive in and enjoy this ride. It will make you happy that all three find a happy place in the end.

ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

So I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. It was just an okay read for me. I really like the author and think she does really good work, but sometimes for me it is just an okay read. I liked the idea and thought the characters were individually good, but together I didn't buy in to their relationship. It just felt flat... I liked the character of Giselle and felt like she could have really had some awesome moments. I think for a character written such as her it would take a very special character to help her overcome such a fear. I didn't feel that in the book. Not that I disliked Tierney... it just would have taken more than her I feel to overcome such fears. I felt as though some of those fears were overcome too easily. Overall it was an okay read, but for me not one of Brooke's best books.

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. This was a very sweet read, Brooke was able to dig deep into anxiety and phobias that made the characters more relatable and 3 dimensional. The plot was very good but what really made me like this book was Stephanie, the relationship between her Giselle and Tierney. I was very invested in what happened to her, and this book gave me a great ending for Stephanie's future. The only issue I had with this book was the love story between Giselle and Tierney, the chemistry wasn't there, which had me the loose investment in the two characters. Stephanie and Charley are what kept me turning pages. Overall a very nice read, if you like Gun Brooke you will enjoy this book.

I like this book. It was well-written and flows easily, as I’d expect, and I think had an interesting premise and great contrasting characters. Tierney is the never-settled nomad, Giselle doesn’t really leave her property, but they really click despite both being casualties of their very different upbringings. No spoilers but I was happy with the way it all turned out.
I really like the “sort-of-sequel” stories where the writer’s other characters become important to the story, and this works well here. I liked Fierce Overture and Coffee Sonata very much and have always been a fan of Mike.
Overall this is a very good read, but I think that if I wasn’t already familiar with the guest characters it might have been less enjoyable. Personally, I think these three books would work very well as a named collection. Recommended, as is anything by Gun Brooke.

Giselle is a famous composer whose housekeeper/assistant Frances has just left and she doesn't know when Frances is coming back. Enter Tierney, who is in every way Giselle's opposite, a wanderer with a restless spirit.

They get thrown together, mostly of necessity for both of them. Giselle has severe anxiety and some agoraphobia, and so she needs someone to do things like walk her dog and get groceries. (Charley is super cute, but I wanted more of the cat as well.)

Tierney is new in East Quay Rhode Island, just passing through, but needs to earn some money, and so they wind up opposites who are thrown together.

They get closer together, each getting more involved in the others life. And there are some big things that happen too that throw them together in new and different sorts of ways.

I really liked the slow build up that happened for most of the book, but, then at the very end I sorta thought that it felt a little rushed too.

Overall I liked the twists and turns, and the secondary characters were awesomely drawn. A fun read from beginning to end for sure.

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.

This is a romance that includes the protagonists of the previous books of this writer, [book:Coffee Sonata|219100] and [book:Fierce Overture|8244339], the members of the musical group Chicory Ariose. But in this book the two protagonists are Giselle, a composer with problems of agoraphobia and panic attacks and Tierney, a woman who lives a nomadic life after having had a childhood in multiple sheltered homes without a lasting home or affective ties.

The story is actually a little bit sweetened, like the other two books that I mentioned earlier. Somehow they resemble the book series Virginia Clan by [author:Lynn Galli|26257], in that the main and secondary protagonists are almost perfect, they have the ability to connect and trust each other and have the solution for all their problems. It is amazing how they realize the problems of others and how they empathize with one another even without really knowing each other. But it's an ideal world, right?

I am sure that not everyone appreciates this type of books, but I really like to read one of these from time to time. Somehow it makes me believe in the goodness of people and the good things of this world. I recommend it.

<i>An ARC was sent to me from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley for an honest review </i>

*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion*

3 Stars. I enjoyed book, but I also had some issues with it. This book was about Giselle, a recluse composer who has agoraphobia and hasn't been outside in a long time, and Tierney, an orphan drifter who finds herself as Giselle's assistant. Tierney starts as Giselle's assistant and starts to walk her dogs, and make herself at home. Their relationship evolves as they get to know each other and they spend more time together. My main complaint with this book is it really takes place over a week or maybe two, and it seems like their relationship evolves way way too fast for that time period. Giselle has a lot of fears and they seem to just disappear so quickly. It seems like what is happening in the book should have been over a longer period of time.

It was an alright book with the character development and how the book is paced. I am not sure if I would recommend this book as it was just alright and not my favorite book. I mostly felt like both characters moved too fast away from their personalities, they had changed within a week. There was so much that happened within that time period that it seems crazy. It does have a good story otherwise, but there are other books that are better than this one.

This is an unusual premise. A woman suffering from agoraphobia, Giselle, has recently lost her driver and housekeeper. She finds a replacement in a nomadic woman, Tierney, who has just turned up in her town. Like I said, unusual. Tierney is a jack of all trades it seems, as she is training Giselle’s dog to be a emotional support dog for Giselle.
As the woman spend time together, their differences disappear and the attraction grows. This is unlike any other lesbian romance I have read. There are twists and turns that are thrown into the story that I won’t mention so no spoilers.
If you want something different from the norm, check this book out!
Received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.