ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hmm. Ok, I usually enjoy Gun’s stories, and this is an off-shoot of Coffee Sonata, which is one of Gun’s better stories, but I couldn’t get into this one.

This features MC Gail, a concert violinist with an arm injury, and Romi, a homeless 22 year old who is returning to East Quay on the run from the law. Romi is arrested for no reason, and then makes a run for it and heads back to her aunt’s abandoned house, which Gail has just bought. Romi doesn’t know that Gail is moving in and her aunts house conveniently has a bomb shelter in it that Romi can live in and Gail doesn’t know about, even though you’d think the people who sold her the house would know it existed. The house has been abandoned for years, but everything in the bomb shelter still works perfectly, which was one of many conceits that had me shaking my head in disbelief.

So, even if you want to accept this off-the-wall contrivance, things then get further muddied by Romi immediately falling in with the East Quay crowd, and though they don’t know her, in mere minutes she has a job with the choir run by Manon and is hobnobbing with them all at dinner, as you do. She’s also getting to know Gail, who doesn’t realise that Romi is living in her house. Romi can hear what Gail does through some magical vent that only transfers noise one way, because she never suspects Romi is living beneath her feet. Romi feels bad about this and moves out and into another terrible living situation. Gail and Romi fall in love (practically overnight) but there’s still time for an overwrought breakup that then features an even more over-dramatic resolution, and honestly, I rolled my eyes so much at that point they were in danger of falling out.

The other major issue is that there’s an age gap in this book (which is not unusual, all of Gun’s books feature an age gap), but this is the first one I found creepy. Romi is 22, but seems much younger. She’s homeless, has barley any prospects and the imbalance between them is huge. Romi had more in common with Stephanie (adopted daughter of Tierney and Giselle from book 2), who I think is about 15 here. Several times I thought she’d have been a better match for Romi. I couldn’t get past the age gap here, the whole relationship felt off and rushed, but Romi’s situation just made it worse.

I’ve re-read Coffee Sonata several times, but this one won’t be in my re-read pile. 2.5 stars, rounded up just because it’s Gun and fans of the other books may enjoy the cameos by the characters here.

I love the women of East Quay, RI. You can always count on women who you’d love to be friends with and also wild adventures that are usually totally unexpected. Gun Brooke wrote a story about Romi and Gail that is not only heartbreaking but heart lifting. In the mix of the story she brings in old friends Vivian and Mike along with Mamon and Eryn, These four wonderful women more in the book Coffee Sonata by Ms. Brooke. I love stories that bring back favorite characters and this book does it incredibly well.

Romi is a young woman who runs away from New York when she is arrested, and being homeless for the last six years she had nowhere to go to except home to East Quay. She remembers that the basement of her old home had a shelter that she could stay in and as luck would have it there was also shelves of canned fruit and vegetables that were still good, these were left over from her aunt. Believing the house is abandoned an empty Romi makes her self comfortable and starts to devise a plan on how she can earn money. While living in New York she earn money by singing on the subway. Then one day much to her surprise she realizes that someone is living in the house. She meets the woman, Gail, and by helping her out the to become friends. When singing at an open mic event in town Mamon and Eryn realize that she has an amazing talent and they want her to conduct a chorus they have established. Romi desperately wants to take the job but she knows when they look into her background and see she was arrested that will be the end of their relationship. Or will it?

At the same time Romy and Gail develop a beautiful relationship as they’re both very perceptive of each other‘s moods , needs ,and facial expressions. They both realize that there is something deep that is developing between them But Romi knows if Gail finds out her secret she will leave her, and Gail fears that the age difference between the two women would never work in a lasting relationship. With the odds stacked against them can these two women find them selves willing to take a risk to find true love or is the relationship doomed?

Gun Brooke has a marvelous way of writing romantic fiction that draws you in from the first few pages because she is so adept with character development. This is clearly a book on my “to read again list “ as well as Coffee Sonata because they’re just that good. This is an excellent book , but be aware once you buy it and start to read it you won’t be able to put it down until the last page.

Romi is a homeless young woman who goes to the closest place to home she knows in Rhode Island when she finds herself on the run from the law. She knows of a secret room in her Aunt's old house and goes there.

Only there's one problem, Gail has bought the house and is moving in. Oops. Gail has problems of her own too. She used to be a violinist, but, because of a car accident her bow hand has been destroyed.

Their journey towards each other isn't quite like others I've read. At some moments I was a little worried that it was going to far in the mother-figure sort of way, and on more than one occasion Romi read way younger than 24. But, I think Brooke for the most part fixed the former problem and by the end I mostly believed Romi and Gail's relationship.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.

This story was about overcoming tremendous odds to find happiness, stability, and a home. Two very different people that slowly realize they need each other. Romi Shepherd, is a well-written character that you want to cheer for and care about. What a life she lives taking care of herself by singing in subways. The description of her homeless life really pulls at your heart strings. Gail Owens, talented and successful violinist decides to step away from her career after a car accident damages her hand and takes refuge in a farmhouse in Rhode Island. I like the fact that the author continued the age gap relationships and included characters from Coffee Sonata. Such supportive and caring women that want to help. This is a read that leaves you believing that challenges can be overcome and people want to be helpful. What a setting for lesbians, to perfect maybe??

This was my first book I have read by this author. I have some of her earlier books to read so will be on a reading binge soon.

Comi is homeless and runs away back to East Quay from New York City where she was singing in Subways to try and make some money. Gail is a famous Musician (Violinist) who has had a car accident leaving her unable to play. The violin is her life, and she is devastated that she cannot play that she flees to the sticks to be on her own.

It took me a few chapters to really get into this book. Once I got into it, it was hard to put it down. I enjoyed the story line, and I loved Comi from the beginning and Gail took me a little longer. I felt that the age gap was a bit much for my liking, although; I know there are bigger age gaps that work out perfectly well (it's just not for me). The pace was just about right in some parts and a little slow in others but it didn't take my enjoyment away from the book. The secondary characters were a great bunch. All in all I enjoyed the book and would recommend reading it.

If you like age gap romances and or rich/poor then this will be the book for you.

Interesting ideas that grab your attention as there is more here than just a straight forward romance. Lots of old friends from other books are here too, but it doesn’t feel stale as they are incorporated well. A bit more suspense, such as hearing noises, wondering if the house is haunted, would have added some intrigue to the plot, but overall an enjoyable read.

It’s not something I’d want in all my books but once in a while I love it when almost every character is gay. It feels safe and relaxing. Insult to Injury takes place in East Quay, in the same universe as Coffee Sonata and it was great to spend time with such wonderful characters as Vivian, Mike, Manon and Eryn again. The new ones, MCs Romi and Gail, and the secondary cast are really good too.

The structure of the book is different, it’s told in the first person alternating between Gail and Romi’s POVs.

After a car accident ends her career as a violinist, Gail moves to an old farmhouse in East Quay, far from her world. She meets Romi, a younger woman, whom she soon finds is one of the few who can reach beyond the walls she has erected around herself. But Romi’s secrets stand between them. Romi is back in East Quay after having run away when she was sixteen. She spent the following years on the streets of New York and only came back to flee the police. She moves into a secret room in the basement of the house she grew up in only to realize that the house is now occupied by the fascinating Gail.

This novel tugged at my heart all the way, much the same way as Coffee Sonata. It’s a story of new beginnings, of rediscovering oneself, of trusting again (both others and oneself). I haven’t read many of Gun Brooke’s books but this one makes me think I should.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What I noticed most about this book, besides the solid plot, was the dialog between the two main characters really defined who they were. It's rare for an author to be able to morph into different characters and write the dialog that is so different but that matches them so well.

It's always nice to find a book where the plot is unique and this is one of those books.

Romi Shepherd is a bit of a waif, a street busker, brought up by her strict and disapproving aunt Clara, and has escaped a bum rap in New York City to go back to her aunt's old home in Rhode Island. Unfortunately, it is now owned by...

...Gail Owen, who is quite the diva, and a violinist whose injury in a car accident has made it impossible for her to continue her craft. For this reason, she is frustrated and resentful, not knowing what to do with the cards she's been dealt. Romi takes refuge in an old bomb shelter, built by her aunt and uncle during the Cold War scare of the 1950s in the basement of the home now owned by Gail, until her guilt drives her to leave the shelter and camp in an old building on the property.

Meanwhile, Gail notices Romi walking through her property and as things happen, they meet and become attracted to each other. Romi feels such deep feelings for Gail, but her guilt at having lived in Gail's basement bomb shelter without telling, her is growing day by day. It threatens to derail whatever good will come to these two fragile, damaged women. Will love be enough to get them through the guilt and damage caused by the events of their lives?

This is another book featuring characters that appeared in Coffee Sonata and Wayworn Lovers, previous books of this author, to enlarge the community of women living in East Quay. The society recreated in this series of stories is certainly ideal, capable of recovering physical and emotional damages from any woman who, whatever the cause, comes to live there.

Because, what are the odds that a woman fleeing the police after having spent a few years homeless end up having a relationship with a prestigious violinist, quite sullen and secluded, recovering from an accident that has left her unable to play?

And all this without much drama, everybody seems to accept the new additions without many questions, there is a lot of insight and understanding between women that have just meet, all of it is ideal and wonderful. But with this author I always end up finding a lot of emotional and romantic snippets, just the way I like.

I don't mind reading easy and uncomplicated stories, but I can see that some readers will consider this one as too simple. Whatever. I've enjoyed it and for a quick read romance, it's pretty good.

4/5 ⭐️
This was a wild ride from start to finish. I really enjoyed that the characters were adults. I also really liked how it wasn’t a “insta love “ type of romance. The characters saw each other and over time grew into something more. Surprisingly this book had me a bit Geary eyed by the end so congrats to the author!

2.75 stars - Insult to Injury by Gun Brooke is about Romi, a 22-year-old who ran away from home when she was 16. Trying to escape charges made against her for something she didn’t do in New York, Romi returns to East Quay where she thinks her aunt’s home is uninhabited and sneaks into the basement to find shelter. Gail, a world-renowned violinist, retreats to East Quay after her hand was injured in a car accident taking away her livelihood and passion.

This was my first Gun Brooke, and so, I didn’t have any expectations, really. The synopsis really drew me in, and I was looking forward to discovering a new author (I have some of her backlisted books on my TBR and still plan on reading them).

I hate to say this, but I was a bit let down by this read. I was immediately pulled into the story, I wanted to know what would happen, but at the same time, I feel the story is too simple and overly dramatic at times. I’m still confused about some of the events that took place.

The writing is decent, and the story is told in first person from both Romi and Gail’s POVs which is something that I really enjoy. However, even though we get insights from both MCs, I still cannot believe in this romance. I have no idea why they are attracted to each other and I didn’t feel any chemistry between them. Gail is not someone who trusts easily, yet she doesn’t even bat an eyelash when she learns that Romi had been sneaking into her basement? Not to mention that Romi’s character reads like a teenager. If she’s been living on her own, out in the streets, surviving for 6 years, she’d be a lot more mature. I get more of a mother/child sort of relationship from their interactions than anything romantic.

Apparently, in East Quay everyone’s gay and musically inclined. Even though I never read anything else by Brooke, I figured out that some of the characters from her previous books make appearances in this one, and that’s always something that I really enjoy. This said you don’t have to have read the author’s previous books to read this one. It’s a standalone.

So overall, this book was alright. Nothing is inherently bad about it, but the characters or the story aren’t that memorable. It’s a shame because this had the potential to be a lot deeper and more heartfelt. I’m still going to read more books from Gun Brooke.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books for providing me with a free copy of this title via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gun Brooke had us revisit the New England town of Easy Quay, R.I. We met with a few familiar characters and were introduced to Romi and Gail, who are literally from different worlds. Despite the age gap and social status, these two lost souls found one another and managed to form an unbreakable bond. While I wished there was more chemistry between Romi and Gail, this was still a sweet romance without a whole bunch of drama. I look forward to reading more about the wonderful characters in East Quay.

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Grfb's review Jun 27, 2019
really liked it

This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

It's the second book that I'm reading from this author (the first one was "Course of Action" a few years ago) and it certainly won't be the last.
Romi has lived on the streets of New York for almost six years . After the NYPD accuses her of the breaking and entering of a mansion when her wallet was found there, she escapes custody and she manages to escape to East Quay. There she heads to the home of her Aunt Clara where she moves into a secret bomb shelter in the basement of her aunt's house.

Gail, the new owner of the house, was once a world famous violinist. After a terrible car accident, her right hand was left severely injured and as a consequence her music career ended abruptly. Being unable to deal with this she buys a home in East Quay in order to reorganize her life.

I liked both Romi and Gail, I could really feel how broken they were but how they really wanted to find love in their lives. Both were very well written characters and the pace of the book was fast and kept me interested till the end. The only issue I had was that there was basically no build up to the romantic side of the story so the romantic swift of the relationship between the two MCs felt very sudden.
Overall I would certainly recommend this book.

I was hoping to feel a bit more of a dynamic between Romi and Gail. I love age gap romances, but I felt like some more aspects of their bond could have been explored. The characters themselves felt very genuine and I could not help but root for them.

This is an addition to the utopia of lesbian musicians in East Quay and while it uses a number of themes common to Brooke’s books it is still an enjoyable read which tugs at the heartstrings. Twenty-two year old Romi returns to East Quay in an attempt to escape being charged for something she didn’t do. The only place she can think of to go is her late Aunt Clara’s house until she can figure out what to do. Virtuoso violinist, Gail Owen, still doesn’t have full function of her right arm after a devastating car crash and seeks to like her wounds in the solitude of the farmhouse she’s just bought in East Quay.

Written in first person from alternating points of view, the reader has insight into both main characters. It’s a style I quite enjoy and I liked the way the ending of one point of view overlapped into the next giving the story good continuity. Romi and Gail are both lovely characters but I preferred Romi’s grit and determination to survive.

I’m fairly certain it can be read as a standalone but there is so much richness in the secondary characters’ own backstories that it might seem like you’re missing something if you haven’t read any of the other novels centred in East Quay. It’s a good romance with no real surprises and exactly the kind of book I was hoping to get.

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

This is story is a rich girl/poor girl romance and also an age gap romance. Romi has been homeless for 6 years living on the streets of NYC. Gail is a famous violinist who has injured her arm in a car accident. Both Romi and Gail flee (separately) to Rhode Island to escape. When Romi flees she goes back to the home where she grew up with her aunt. Her aunt is now deceased but she knows where the spare key is and lives in a secret room in the basement. Gail has no idea when she moves in that Romi is living there. She meets younger woman as she is moving in and is instantly drawn to her. The story builds from there.

So, I liked Insult to Injury. I still haven't figure out why it's called that, but I still liked it. As I read this story I was really drawn to Romi. Even though she is homeless, she is a very decent person who is kind and caring. I thought Gail seemed older than what she was, but she was a decent character. She liked to refer to herself as a bitch, but I am happy to say she didn't come off as one. Even though I liked this, I wish there was more character development. I kept wondering if I were either character would I fall in love? I am on the fence about that one. There was some chemistry for Romi, but I didn't necessarily see any chemistry coming from Gail. I do love a romance where the romance is instant, but I am not bothered the way they are presented in Insult to Injury. One major prop I have to give to the Author on this one is that she kept my attention. I just really wanted to see how this one was going to end. If it weren't for this fact, I would have likely given this one a 3.25, but because of that I will gladly give it 3.75 as I think the story is interesting enough to keep you reading.

Years ago, a colleague would often bellow, “Don’t add insult to injury!” His voice reverberated throughout the hallways as he reprimanded students. So when I saw this book’s title, I immediately thought of its negative connotation and wondered why the author chose this title for a romance novel. After reading this story, I can see how that phrase reflected a character’s actions, and I believe it was basically a means to survive with purely unintended insult.

This story was about overcoming tremendous odds to find happiness, stability, and a home life filled with friends and loved ones. After Romi was left orphaned at the age of 4, her great aunt took her in. But Romi never experienced the warmth and love a child so desperately needed. When she was 16, she ran away from Rhode Island to NYC to follow her love of music and become a singer.Unfortunately, she ended up singing in subways and her home consisted of shelters and cardboard boxes. When she was falsely arrested, she managed to escape and headed back to Rhode Island and the only home she ever knew.
Gail was a world famous violinist who escaped to the solitude of the Rhode Island countryside to heal her arm after it was injured in a car accident. It just so happened that it was the same house Romi escaped from as a teenager. She was now hiding in a secret shelter room in the basement-unbeknownst to Gail-who thought she lived nearby since Romi always took the shortcut through Gail’s yard.

The author did a good job in allowing the women to gradually become acquainted by doing random acts of kindness. For example, Romi, hyperaware of the pain and limitations of Gail’s arm, offered assistance in carrying packages as well as securing her seatbelt. Gail sensed Romi’s financial situation and offered to pay for odd jobs that involved heavy lifting. Gail also invited her to share home cooked meals.
As their relationship developed, they dropped their privacy walls and connected on an emotional and caring level, sensing each other’s pain and need. As their friendship turned romantic, Romi was wrecked with guilt and self loathing for never telling Gail the truth about living in her basement, stealing her food, and inadvertently hearing her private conversations. Guilt gave way to truth in a highly powerful scene.

I think the author did a great job in connecting these two broken women on an emotional level. The secondary characters were interesting and diverse. I also liked how the author incorporated a storyline that supported children in need.

There were some scenes, however, that I felt lacked important details in order to fully understand what was happening. Other than that, it was an entertaining read.
An ARC was given for an honest review.

Not a very deep read set in some sort of a lesbian paradise town, this book is a read-and-leave kind of practically templated story. Rich-girl-poor-girl, successful-musician-homeless-struggler, about a decade of age gap and inexplicable deep love unfurling are the themes.

Romi Shepherd runs away from her loveless home in East Quay to New York hoping to be discovered while busking. But years later she is just a homeless person singing in the subway. She is arrested for breaking-and-entering because her wallet and ID, which were stolen from her, were found at the crime scene. Panic-stricken, Romi runs away from custody and goes back to East Quay and takes shelter in the basement bomb shelter of her childhood home where she used to live with her aunt. Unbeknownst to aunt is no more and the house has just been bought by Gil Owen, a renowned violinist whose career and life have been derailed by an accident. Romi’s and Gail’s paths keep crossing as Romi continues hiding in the basement grappling with guilt of her continued stay.

Initially we felt that the book would be much more complicated given Romi’s homelessness and hiding in the basement juxtaposed with Gail’s diva-ness. We thought that Gail would have much more reaction (especially of outrage and fear) over the fact someone was secretly sharing her house (imagine how scary this would be if it actually happened to someone). But the book simplified the situation midway and lapsed into an easier narrative. We didn’t quite get the motivations and trajectory of the characters or the speed of some situations especially towards the end.

This is basically a kind of fairy tale of Romi’s life. Non-complicated, all’s-well-and-only-gets-better kind of read.

There is not much chemistry between the two main characters which makes it hard to get into the story. It's too fast, only a few pages between getting t know each other and getting into bed. I would have loved a slower development!

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

Romi is orphan who went to live with her father Aunt Clara but she wasn't as great of person so when Romi turn sixteen she ran away to New York where she barely survived singing for money. When she wrongfully accused of crime she didn't commit she escape police custody when a fight broke out so she decide to head back to her aunt house which she thought was abandon and sneaks in to sleep in the basement that had a secret room.

Gail is accomplish violinist who was in a car accident that leaves her unable to play she withdrew from her life by moving to to an old farm house.

Romi and Gail first meet when Romi see Gail struggling with her luggage help her into her aunt house which is Gail now when Gail hire her to help clean out the basement she afraid Gail will found the secret room and she also feels guilty for taking her money when she been living in the basement without her knowledge so she leaves and goes to live in old cottage that in the woods.

We meet others secondary characters who help Romi with a job when she sing a open mic night. I like these characters because they didn't judge her and waited until she was comforable to tell her story.

The romance of this book was ok I mean I like the characters of Romi and Gail I just think their romance shoulda been more developed then it was.