I love the premise of this book and thought the romance was honest and believable. I liked the art world ideas even though I don’t know much about it myself. There were places this book really dragged and I had to push through. But overall a good effort and I’d read more from this author.

I didn’t think this was really going to be my bag but I’m glad I gave it a go. The storyline was original, I think the romance between Josephine and Edith was a good support story to the main event of Molly and Georgina’s relationship. I did, however, find the art stuff slightly boring at times but that’s just because I’m not hugely interested in it.

Better than I expected, actually a really interesting story. The characters were well written and quite likeable and even charming. Good storyline, lots of passion

This book surprised me. It was deep, a nice plot and slow burn build up between the main characters. The mystery behind the portrait was as intriguing and sobering. Definitely recommend this one, especially if you are an art and history aficionado.

Molly is a quirky, warm hearted character who is an art curator at a museum outside of London. She is wonderfully bright in spirit and mind so when she meets Georgina, the wealthy and standoffish woman who is now in charge of her deceased father’s bequest to the museum, a light shines for both of them. They work together to uncover the mystery of a painting of two women in the past. Dreamy and genteel, moody and quietly romantic, this one made me deliriously happy from beginning to end.

Beyond ticking off my favorite boxes of beautiful writing, just enough angst, sharply smart women and did I mention gorgeous scenes carved out by words that are both lyrical and strikingly visual., the book struck me to my core. Loved this one.

"It's a bit depressing how facts seem to hide more than they reveal." - Molly Goode, museum curator

Less than a year on the job, Molly finds herself tasked with at a make-or-break crossroads with Evelyn Fox, the frosty and exacting Director. In order to carry out the final bequest of their longtime benefactor, George Wright, Molly must work closely with his daughter, Georgina. While Georgina expresses no interest in the arts, the unknown provenance of a cherished watercolor portrait of her ancestor Josephine, compels her to enlist Molly's assistance. As they delve deeper, becoming increasingly invested in the discovering the identity of the artist, Edith Hewitt, and her relationship with Josephine Brancaster-Wright, the two women's chemistry builds. However, Molly struggles with the line between professionalism and her heart; while Georgina grapples with the ever-present wounds of her relationships with her parents. Author Anna Larner combines a satisfying mix of humor, bittersweet revelations, family and workplace dynamics, drama, opposites attract romance, and history.

"Love's Portrait" explores personal histories obscured by dominant narratives and available information, particularly as it effects the stories passed down from queer lives. Fragments of Josephine's and Edith's relationship in 19th century England surface as Molly and Georgina discover records. The novel does not have dual narratives, however, as most of the story focuses on the contemporary romance and the protagonists goal of honoring queer history in the present-day. Larner's uses of fragmentary glimpses mirrors the frustrations of the contemporary time sleuths with the limitations of preserved & available records and ephemera.

Oh my. What a wonderful, wonderful book. It’s beautifully written. Once i started reading I couldn’t put it down. It’s insightful, heartbreaking, and sweet. What a good first read from the author. Absolutely a must-read.

Molly Goode wants what's best for the community where her museum lives. Georgina's father recently died, and though he left his collection to the museum, she is having trouble parting with his things and settling his estate. Molly is appointed to convince Georgina that handing over the pieces should happen ASAP, but when Georgina finds a portrait not cataloged anywhere, she enlists Molly to help her discover its history. As the two uncover the mystery of the lady in the portrait, they grow closer and Georgina will have to face old emotions if she wants a future with Molly.

I work part-time in an art museum, and aside from the promise of romance, that's mainly what drew me to this book. I loved Molly and her enthusiasm for what she does and her desire to reach more people rather than just protect the legacy of some old, white dudes.

I also loved the story within the story. I was as invested in Josephine and Edith's story as I was Molly and Georgina's budding romance. It moves quickly, and I loved the dynamic of Molly's quirkiness and Georgina's seemingly buttoned-up nature. There is plenty of history and lots of romance, so definitely check it out if that sounds up your alley.

This is a very interesting book and one that was hard to put down once I started it. The main story involves Molly an art curator who is trying to bring innovative ideas to the museum where she works, however her boss Evelyn is very resistant in making change. When museum benefactor Georgina brings a portrait into the museum and asked for help to get history on the portrait. Georgina is a very closed off woman who is good at business and not at all happy to be the sole heir of her family’s artwork and philanthropic endeavors. Molly gets very excited about doing the history on the portrait painting and while doing so becomes closer to Georgina. Both women are self-reliant and closed off to the idea of seeking a relationship when deep down both women really want someone to love who will be beside them in life‘s journey. Is it possible for these two women, one extremely wealthy and the other a working poor woman to let their walls come down and explore the possibility of a relationship?

What I liked about this book was that there was a terrific mystery surrounding the history of the portrait and the efforts that Molly takes to bring to life the story of that painting against all odds. The author does a beautiful job slowly building the potential for a romance between two women who have a very difficult time trusting. I highly recommend this book because the story is great and the author is a really fine writer.

This was a very sweet "Fairytale ". Everything turns out rosey. Which was nice but very predictable. The love story between the two main characters is very warm and sweet, the museum and art information is interesting and the portrait back story is tragically sad but typical for its time. And that is the basis for the story. The romance is intimate but no sex scenes, which I missed. The most intimate was a first kiss in a lone restaurant in the moonlight. Overall I enjoyed the story and I would recommend it.

Wow. I really loved this book. It started off slowly but despite that, held my interest throughout. I found myself thinking about the book while I was away from home and longing to be able to pick it up and start reading again - truly a sign of a good book.

The characters were sweet, funny, and likable. How could you not want them to fall in love and live happily ever after? The subplot about Georgina's ancestor was heartbreaking and intriguing and added depth to the novel.

This is a book I'd recommend to others. Kudos to the author.

Molly Goode is a art curator at a museum an hour outside of London. She is a feminist and wants to bring more diverse works to the museum. She really does have a challenge because her boss is no nonsense and not so eager to hear her ideas. In steps Georgina Wright. Her father has passed away recently leaving her over the Wright trust which is the museum's biggest contributor. .In a bid to impress Georgina, Molly's boss puts the pressure on her to help Georgina with a 19th century painting of family member Josephine Brancaster. This sets a ball in motion that neither Molly nor Georgina can ignore.

So Love's Portrait is the love story between Molly and Georgina and Josephine and Edith Hewitt. One story is a forbidden love buried deep over the years and the other is a new love that comes as they discover what happened to the women and the love they had for one another.

I really must say I enjoyed this story. There is chemistry between Molly and Georgina and their courtship takes place over several months. This gives the two MC's the opportunity to get to know each other and share things about their past that is important to move forth. The one thing I wish I could change was the length. I did feel that some of the back story about Josephine and Edith was not necessary for the telling of their story.

I rate this one 4.25

Love's Portrait is one of the most enjoyable books I have read this year. Without repeating the blurb, Anna Larner gives us a well-woven story, wonderful characters, and some of the most beautiful and well-written prose I've seen for a while. This book is also just the right length for the story - not too long to drag, but also not trimmed to excess.
I loved reading Love's Portrait and it really does deserve a 5-star review and my highest recommendation.

When Georgina Wright's father passes away, he donates his art collection to the Leicester museum. She must work with the museums curator, Molly Goode, to bing his collection on display in the museum. One of the paintings in her father's home has no instructions to be part of the display. The gorgeous watercolour of Georgina's relative Josephine Wright is so unlike the others and the artist is a mystery. She takes the painting to Molly and together the two uncover the mystery of who painted the beautiful watercolour. The two women grow closer as they spend time together, but family matters and pressures from Molly's boss threaten to tear them apart.

I really really enjoyed this book. It was a bit on the slower side, but it worked well for me. I thought that it was beautifully paced and perfectly balanced. There are a handful of scenes set in the past with Josephine and Edith woven into the story. It really brought their story to life. I'm a sucker for historical romance so I could have used a whole lot more of their story, but the way it was written was the perfect amount to please everyone.

Molly and Georgina were so beautifully matched in their wit and spirit. They were both little bit vulnerable but also had great strength in complementary areas. I loved their relationship. It was very mature and beautiful and sexy.

The writing was stellar, and this story just came to life for me with the author's words. The cities, the artwork, George Wright's home... Just brilliant.

This is my first book by the author and I'm sure it will not be the last.

I received an ARC vis NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Molly Goode draws you into to book and into her from the first dialogue. Committed, passionate, idealistic, open, funny, giving…she is completely adorable. The other MC, Georgina Wright, starts off tilting towards being an Ice Queen, but is mercifully, as open to Molly as Molly truly deserves.


Brief synopsis: Molly is a newly appointed art curator of a museum. Wright Foundation is one of the main benefactors of the said museum. Georgina’s father willed a fairish number of artefacts to the museum, and now Georgina has to hand over the bequest. She seems to be dragging her feet and Molly is assigned the task to get Georgina going on it. However, the first time the two MCs meet, Georgina has come to the museum to find the provenance of one particular painting of one of her ancestors’, Josephine. At that point Molly doesn’t know who Georgina is. The painting captures Molly’s imagination and the story unfolds on two levels: the growing relationship between Molly and Georgina and the relationship between Josephine and Edith (the painter of the portrait) two hundred years back.


This was a complex story to cultivate but has been excellently executed. While all the characters are beautifully developed but the tortured Josephine and completely loveable Molly really burrow into your heart. The relationship between the two MCs grabs you and the chemistry is oh, so there.

Definitely recommended.

I love the depth a dual story line gives to a novel and even more so, when the duality is spread across time and interlinked with the present characters. When the city museum is about to receive a bequest from the estate of one of the benefactors, Molly Goode, a new curator, is asked to assist the benefactors daughter in ascertaining the origins of one of the paintings. Georgina Wright has just lost her father, is having to deal with his estate as well as keep up with her high-powered financial investor position in London. Molly is a little nervous of working with such a businesslike and aloof person but when and inscription on the back of the painting comes to light they both find they’re invested in finding out who Edith was to Georgina’s ancestor, Josephine Wright.

Molly is a wonderful character and easy to like. She’s irrepressibly positive with an arty sense of dress. She won’t tolerate any disrespect of her car, the antique and temperamental Daisy May. She’s inquisitive and rarely on time for work but also really wants to impress her boss, the bitter and shrewd Evelyn. Georgina is used to dealing with people like Evelyn but working with Molly turns her world upside down.

I expected Georgina to be more distant but she’s surprisingly open and emotional, in particular when it came to Molly, and I warmed to her just as much. The story of Edith and Josephine unfolds through Molly and Georgina’s guesswork, their investigations at the Records Office and also through the occasional flashback. The flashbacks are non-linear and pertain to whatever piece of information Molly and Georgina are worrying about which gave the story a lovely complexity.

There’s a beautiful balance of the sadness of Edith and Josephine’s story in contrast to the hope of Molly and Georgina’s. There were a couple of moments that I wanted the story to move a little more quickly but on the whole, this is a really enjoyable read. It probably helps that I have an interest in curatorship, museums, art and the putting together of loose pieces of history.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

When Molly Goode started working for the City Museum she had just ended a relationship and was ready to move on. Working as the Curator of Fine Arts is her dream job and she has many ideas when it comes to moving the museum towards promoting diversity but she finds some resistance from her boss Evelyn Fox. She wants to celebrate the local history concerning LGBT and other minorities. She gets her chance when she’s asked to organize an exhibition of the works coming from the Wright Foundation.
Georgina Wright wants to follow her father’s wishes in his desire to donate his art collection to the museum. The only problem is she can’t understand why one painting wasn’t included. What was it about the portrait of social activist Josephine (Brancaster) Wright that he wanted kept in the family.
When Molly and Georgina meet they decide to delve into the history of Josephine, discovering the true relationship between Josephine and her good friend Edith Hewitt. Their attraction to each other certainly makes the search into Josephine and Edith’s history all the more interesting.
Even though Ms Lerner’s book is longer than other lesbian romances I’ve read, it is one of the better books I’ve read lately. In some books the length sometimes means you are in for a slow paced book. This doesn’t. Perfectly paced read. Very, very enjoyable story telling.
ARC via NetGalley

I received an ARC copy of the book by the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

This is the first book by this author I have read and what an amazing read it was for me. I was hooked from start to finish. The book is beautifully written. The main characters of Molly, who is a Curator and Georgina, who is a Banker are divine. Molly is just so lovable. Georgina took a little longer for me to fall in love with but by the end I thought they were perfect for each other. The pace was just right and there were some great secondary characters. The twist in the story was my favourite part. I would say that if you only have one book to read this year, then this is the one. It is definitely my favourite so far this year.

I loved this book! Foremost, the setting and characters. Molly and Fran were especially engaging characters. Georgina was suitably broody. Enjoyed the conflicts and also the backstory of Josephine's and Edith's romance. If I had to offer one critique, I would suggest that the Josephine/Edith story could have been fleshed out more. Overall, a very enjoyable read that I couldn't put down. I will definitely read more from this author.

3.50 - Well, I thought I wouldn't like this, but I enjoyed a lot of the book. It's a little heavy on the technical side, but I was fine with that, as the art curation is so intrinsic to Molly's character and the painting is so central to the plot. There are some flashbacks, which were full of emotion, but I thought they were just a little clumsily handled.

This is a story about an idealistic young art curator in Molly who meets an heiress who's got some serious trust issues. Georgina, while holding on to a substantial gallery of art (handed down to her from her deceased father) is not a fan, and is certainly not a fan of people who she considers vultures just coming in to snatch of the last bits of what's left of her dad. She's in mourning, but her only ray of sunshine is the gorgeous, lively woman who almost always eats her lunch in the square in front of her mansion. The woman turns out to be Molly, and they are both struck quite dumb the first time they meet face to face.

I thought the romance was a little on the cheesy side, with both Molly and Georgina pining for each other from up close but not really doing anything about it until later on. Their love story doesn't fall into line with the flash back scenes of Edith and Josephine-the painter of the portrait and its subject respectively- as the modern one comes very close to hitting a lot of the story points of a manic pixie dream girl style story. Molly, being quirky, full of life and smart is Georgina's actual dream girl that she'd been watching from her house almost every day. Georgina is sad, dark, and brooding. Molly helps Georgina out of her funk by showing her the more interesting side of art, and opens up more possibilities for Georgina to have a positive impact on the community that Georgina wasn't aware of before. Also, seeing Molly nerd out on research spoke to me - I'm a research nerd myself, and her enthusiasm and talent for that part of the job was an excellent touch.

If you're into some really really sappy romance points, then this is for you. It also gives a chance for the technical side of art history and curation a chance to be a huge part of the story. That's what makes it stand out from a typical romance, and something that helped me enjoy the character's enthusiasm more. I know it's a 3 stars, but it's a very positive 3 stars, simply because I wished there was a different way to have the 1800's flashbacks included in the story.