I'm a big fan of the Rowan House series, so I was anxious to get my hands on this one. And it did not disappoint. It's a classic butch/femme pairing, but I loved the twist that the butch is the chef and the femme is a contractor. I couldn't picture either of them in my head, but if you read the acknowledgements at the end you'll learn that Dale is inspired by Cate Blanchett.

Brenda Murphy's writing style is smooth and very readable, and I found that I was sucked in immediately and didn't want to put it down. The plot flows along nicely and dialogue is natural. There were a couple of unanswered questions for me, so I'm hoping they're answered in the next installment. I enjoyed the whole huge family dynamic and can't wait to know more about Mai's sister and how the restaurant is eventually opened.

Thank you NetGalley, NineStar Press and Brenda Murphy for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
When Mai Li and Dale Miller meet, it’s as far from love at first sight as you can get. If anything it’s hate at first site. When Mai Li calls a contracting copy for help renovating her new restaurant, she expects a middle aged man. Instead she got a no shit taking, gorgeous woman who’s not afraid to tell her no.
Once we start to see more of Mai and Dale together, the chemistry is undeniable. I will say this is a steamy romance. The intimate scenes don’t leave much to the imagination and will leave you fanning your face.
This is book one of what will be a series and I’m looking forward to reading more of Branda Murphy!

Dale Miller, mom of three, is a contractor. After her ex wiped out Dale’s finances, she’s been struggling to make ends meet. One big project in the offing could set her well on the path of financial recovery. Except that when she meets the potential client, Mai Li, they start off on the wrong footing and Dale walks away from the job.

Apologies set thing right and the two women start a tentative work association on renovating a long-closed restaurant with living quarters on the upper level. Decades of being closed and neglect have made the place quite precarious, but Mai wants to renovate it because it is her childhood home. Mai used to be one of the two hosts of a TV show which got cancelled. She, however has enough saved for the renovations. Just about enough for the renovations and nothing else. So when the roof of her childhood home gives way, Mai has no place to stay. Dale gives her shelter.

Both the women feel an incredible attraction towards each other, but do not want to jeopardize the job and fight against it – till they can’t any more.

The environment of the book is very, very real. The pacing of the book is good and the sex is really, really good.

Dale is a great character. She’s made poor relationship choices in the past and is clearly rather overwhelmed with everything she is handling. Yet she moves with dignity, strength and confidence. She tries her best for her children and is human enough to not meet all expectations at all times. As a person, she is large hearted and giving. As a woman, she is sexy as hell (Aside: we’re completely enamoured by Sexy Dale). Her past relationship fails make Dale uncertain about opening her heart again but she knows how to be in and handle a relationship (One more aside: Relationship Dale is really all that).

Mai started off quite likeable. Her interactions with Dale and Dale’s youngest, seventeen-year old Noah, establish her to be a sensitive and mature person. She is a wonderful sister. An experience in a diner and her subsequent reaction shine light on the homophobia and racism she is subjected to on the regular. However, Mai fails when it comes to her relationship with Dale. With Dale, Mai is quick to take offense, unwilling to give the other woman a chance, doesn’t offer to explain her point of view ever, is incapable of seeing or even trying to see where Dale is coming from, doesn’t apologise or do any damn thing to make the relationship work.

Dale really makes the relationship work. In fact, she makes the whole book work. Okay, the books works because of Dale and the sex.


On the whole, an okay read.

This was my first book with Brenda Murphy, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. But... I'm such a cover whore- and I LOVE books with cooking themes (you never know when you might learn something new)... that I couldn't resist grabbing this one.

Mai Li returns to her small hometown to reclaim her family's old restaurant building that has grown into severe disrepair since her mother's death. She is coming off of a failed -very public- relationship and the end of her cooking show with said ex. As she is determined to rebuild and reclaim her old family's property and restaurant she hires Dale as her contractor. Dale is also coming off some very undesirable old relationships and struggling to keep her 3 boys afloat when she meets Mai. Dale and Mai strike an agreement and begin working together but soon Mai is in dire need of a place to stay. As Dale and Mai become more enmeshed in each other's lives, their attraction becomes something that neither can fully avoid.

I had a fairly hard time really connecting with these ladies. Some of the descriptors kind of had me scratching my head and I'm not even really sure I have a good mental picture of who they actually were. There were some fairly steamy parts and even some light BDSM aspects, but I'm not really sure I felt any real chemistry between the two. I just felt like they orbited around each other until they started having the saucy times and then all of the sudden there was awkward love and then a random separation. ::sigh::

I wish certain aspects of the story could have been fleshed out a little more. I was fairly disappointed we didn't really get any action of Mai really cooking or anything about her actually starting up her restaurant. I wanted more interactions between Mai and Dale's boys. And maybe more about Noah and Chip... they were cute.

Just as a safety patrol gesture, there was some blatant racism and homophobic slurs as well as some physical assault portrayed. So, beware if that gets your goat.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Stung by an ex and the cancellation of her cooking show, Mai Li has come back to her hometown to restore her family's restaurant. She enlists the services of Dale Miller, a contractor who is adamant about never mixing business with pleasure. But the heat simmering between them is about to boil over.

I'll admit I expected something a little different based on the cover. Maybe a greater focus on the cooking and renovation aspects? But I got over my initial disappointment because this F/F romance has drama, miscommunications and delightfully steamy scenes (heat level 100000!). Dale's sons are strong secondary characters. All in all, it was an enjoyable read, but while the physical aspects of the relationship were really good, the emotional side was more "tell" than "show".

3.75 Stars. This was a good, steamy-romance. I have had a little trouble clicking with some of Murphy’s previous books. It’s like they would be close but just didn’t come all together for me. I’m very happy to say that this book was what I’ve been hoping for and I really enjoyed it. In fact, this looks to be the start of a series that will take place in the same town and I’m excited to read more in this series.

For those of you newer to reading my reviews, when I call a book a steamy-romance, I’m saying that the heat level is above a normal romance yet not quite at the level of being erotica. This is very close to being an erotic-romance but the heat level is a bit below some of Murphy’s other books. This book has some kink, but it wasn’t centered on BDSM like her Rowan House series is.

What I really liked about this book is that it was very readable. Once I picked it up, I didn’t want to stop reading. It had a really nice even pace so it never dragged. In fact, I was surprised I got to the end as quickly as I did and was happy to see the hints about this becoming a series and then later Murphy actually confirming it. She gives you a hint at who the next book might be about and I’m really looking forward to that read.

For me the star of this book was the cast of characters. I liked the two mains quite a bit. This is a butch/femme relationship but it was nice seeing a softer butch character with a strong mom type character. You don’t see either of those characters as much as we should in WLW fiction. And it wasn’t just the mains but the whole cast of characters I enjoyed. One of the mains is a single mom with three older boys and the youngest one, 16-ish, was the star of the secondary characters.

When it came to the romance I enjoyed it. The chemistry was there and I liked the pace of the romance. I would not call this slow burn, but it was a nice length to make you believe that these characters were developing feelings. The steamy sex scenes are an important part of the book. I felt like I learned more about the character through them which is also good in a romance. They are not vanilla, they are a bit kinky, but they are well done with a good variety so that they don’t feel repetitive.

My only minor complaint is I found some of the angst to be a little eye-rolling. There was some worst case scenario thinking inner dialogue that drove me nuts and a lot of the angst issues where just based on poor communication, which I am never a fan of. But, I was happy that Murphy didn’t drag things out for a long period of time. The angst wasn’t that kind of angst so I’m glad she kept the length of time right to fit the severity of their issues. So really even when I was little annoyed, Murphy did something to make things better.

This was a good steamy-romance. If you are new to Murphy, I think this would be a good book to start out on. If you are already a fan of Murphy, I’m sure you will enjoy this one too. I still have a good amount of her back library to read, but this is easily my favorite book by her so far. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

I'd never read Murphy before this book but I found myself unable to put this down - reading the whole thing in one sitting. Mai, a TV chef, moves back to small town life after losing her show and hires Dale as a contractor to renovate her restaurant. They try to deny their feelings for each other for the sake of their business arrangement, so the majority of the book is about the MCs getting to know each other.

I really appreciated the different ways Murphy explored all of the contrasting elements of both MCs characteristics, through their jobs, their gender presentations, their families and in bed. The sex scenes are steamy and include some light BDSM in places. I really liked both characters and rarely for me I couldn't choose a favourite between the two.

I especially enjoyed the family dynamics in this story, with both characters being in their 40s and the sons being older, it gave a new dimension to things I've been reading recently. As a step-parent of older children Mai's interactions with the boys felt familiar from the getting to know each other stage - adding an authenticity to the story I really welcomed. There is also a secondary story in the book regarding one of Dale's sons that comes across as enjoyably authentic.

Overall this is a good romance with enough compelling aspects to keep things interesting and make it a worthwhile read.

It should be noted the book does include some incidences of racism and homophobia.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mai Li returns to her the place she grew after being dropped from her cooking show. She is determined to renovated her parents shuttered restaurant so she hires contractor Dale Miller. Dale really needs this job to help support 3 boys but she might not get the chance because of the rocky start. And so the story flows.

I have read a few of Murphy's romances and they are similar in the writing style. I think initially it took me a min to get use to it, but now I like it. I was a little tripped up about how the dynamics would play out between these two mains. First, I liked both of them. I found that I liked Dale even more once I figured she was a domme femme. With that being said, On the Square is not as focused on the BDSM aspect that Murphy usually has in her books. This for some has some elements but they are very light and the first portion of the book comes with the mains getting to know each other. Sure there is attraction but they decide not to move on that because of the business aspect of their relationship. Of course this books is going to have some sex scenes but they are well done and I found them hot. I also enjoyed the secondary characters. They play an important part in this romance. I am not sure if this my favorite Murphy book, but I still enjoyed it. 3.75 stars

As a warning this books has some racism based on sexual preference and race.

This arc was provided by publisher for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book. Chasing, scrambling, fighting for your dreams and not giving up. Leads are in early 40s, One the mum of three boys in their late teens and early 20s; the other an biracial chef. Some light kink and great steamy sex scenes, [for those who have read Murphy's Rowan House series, this is nothing like that - in a good way].

Mai Li, a dapper-butch chef recently fired from her lucrative TV show - is second-guessing her decision to move back to her small-town hometown to (re)start a restaurant. The building is in shambles and the racism and homophobia she left behind are still there. Not to mention, her contractor is late for their consultation. Dale Miller, said contractor, is not what Mai expected. For starters, Dale is a woman. A fantastic mix of strong, capable contractor and dress-and-heals femme. A single-mum struggling to keep her family afloat after her last girlfriend swindled her.

After a storm-filled night makes Mai's living situation in the restaurant untenable, Dale opens her home to Mai. The two can't help but become closer, and their will to resist mixing business with pleasure can only hold out so long.

**I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publishers for the opportunity to read and review "On the Square".

I have enjoyed this author's previous novels albeit in a different genre and was excited to read this, in what appears to be a different emphasis for her in this genre of lesfic romance. The premise is great, budding restauranter hires gorgeous lesbian builder to undertake rebuilding of old family restaurant/home. There were several interesting background features which I liked, including the addition of one of the main characters having 3 sons, and the other being a known celebrity in the culinary world.

I just found it all a bit underwhelming to be honest. The story reads well, after all this author can certainly write and put together a decent storyline with hot and cold scenes, angst and happiness. But there just wasnt enough made of the individual characters who come across as one dimensional, a tad wishy washy at times, and at the end of the novel I didn't feel I knew much more about either than I had after the first chapter. Things that happened off the page, Yvonne's lucky investment, the brief return to the limelight for Mai and the potential huge conflict with her ex, and more would have lifted this story considerably and added much more depth to the story and a better opportunity to show individual characters depth., 3.5*

3.5

When I read books I try to form a mental image of the characters. But this one constantly had me trying hard to picture them. I understand the writer wants to challenge perceptions and touch the subject of butch/femme on a serious note. But it could have been tackled better on paper.

The way Dale and Mai are described on the first pages takes a turn on later pages. It was just hard for me to see the butch/femme dynamic of Dale who I assume is fluid in that. Mai was also difficult to imagine considering her looks that were vague in the beginning.

I guess it's my issue with wanting a clear image to see them in front of me.

While being opposites attract story. It is set around failed relationship, small town mindedness and homophobia.

Mai wants to reopen her old family restaurants and hires Dale as a contractor. The story doesn't go into what kind of restaurant, or anything to do with it. We find out Dale had all her money stolen by an ex who also abused one of her kids. But that is also not really resolved one on one. I was just a general story touching several failures of the characters and how they learn and grow from them.

Worth a read.