This novel was a ray of sunshine in a weekend of other serious reads for me.

The characters are very likeable, the familial conflict in the novel is believable and you truly do root for the romance at the novel's core.

The dialogue is easy and natural, the characters are all relatable and this book definitely leaves you with good vibes.

I actually didn't overly care for the poet element of this novel- I think the premise was good enough that the personality difference could have cause all of the drama! Despite this, I loved the writing of the characters so much that I have bought some more books by this author.

When Morgan first meets Zoe, she is immediately struck by the strong attraction she feels towards Zoe. Even though she thinks she has absolutely no chance of ever dating Zoe, Morgan finds herself pining from far away. And since her brother Perry is also smitten by Zoe and asks for her help, she willingly offers to help her brother Perry get to know Zoe better (after all, what are the chances of Zoe being attracted to her?).

As Morgan gets to know Zoe better, she finds herself inspired to write poetry for her (except that she is not able to share the poems directly with Zoe but gives the poems to Perry to use to impress Zoe). When Morgan finds out that Zoe is attracted to her rather than her brother, she is faced with a dilemma. Should she follow her heart or take her brother's rejection into consideration?

This is a really good read. I especially enjoyed seeing how Morgan was able to overcome her lack of confidence and pursue her own happiness!!

Morgan works with her brother Perry who is Dr, they are both blown away by the attractive new pharma rep Zoe. Perry recovering from a divorce wants to ask Zoe out and asks for Morgan's help as she's better with words than he is, assuming Zoe is straight and feeling sorry for Perry, Morgan agrees. Morgan is a bookworm and there are obvious references to Cyrano De Bergerac, especially when Morgan starts writing poems.
I cannot tell you how irritating I found this beginning, it's been done before, I thought and I wasn't sure if I could be bothered to read it again. Happily I did, as the story expands into a more nuanced story, especially after Zoe comes out and shows hr interest in Morgan, (shock!).
Georgia Beers is a capable writer of romance, she writes great believable characters, puts them in interesting settings and follows their narrative arc. I really liked the way the romance developed, the way that Morgan had some realisations about her family and then dealt with them. I enjoyed that Zoe got an interesting back story and an interesting arc of her own. A pleasing enjoyable read.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Morgan works her brother, Perry, doctor's office. He has been dragging his feet about meeting anyone new since his divorce left him shattered. In walks in Zoe, the new drug rep. Perry is instantly smitten and tells Morgan he is very interested in her. He invites her out for lunch and he thinks it is going okay. Then he starts to text her. However, he does not have a way with words like Morgan does. He persuades her to do the texting for him.
Morgan knows this is a bad idea. She has to be very careful to not put her likes in the messages and make it sound more like Perry. She, of course, is failing at that and liking Zoe more than she should. She even gives Perry some original poetry to text her.
All of Morgan's texting was for naught, because Zoe tells Perry that she is a lesbian and therefore not her type. This is great news for Morgan. Although she knows she should not persue Zoe because of how Perry might react. There is definite attraction between the two. How will it turn out?
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While reading, I thought about the important of family and friends especially related to self-confidence and self-esteem. Those are the folks that can build you up or make you feel awful about self. Morgan Thompson, works as office manager in her brother Perry's medical practice. Lacking a sense of self is an understatement for Morgan. She has a caring family and a good friend, Stefan. We could all use a friend like Stefan.

When the new pharmaceutical rep, Zoe Blake comes into the office both Morgan and Perry find her captivating. Due to brother's divorce, Morgan wants to see him happy again so she agrees to help him by writing words and poems to make him sound impressive.

Zoe is written as such a wonderful character that it is difficult not to like her as she is embraced by both Perry and Morgan. Identifying which sibling she is interested in was well described and made the read interesting.

I am sad that I couldn't love this story as much as I wanted to but I just lost interest the more I read. While I liked Morgan and her character, loving books, cats, writing poetry, helping her brother, I found the narrative way too descriptive, with too many unneeded descriptions. And while Morgan helped her brother, he did nothing for her during the whole book, except for maybe the last 5%? The rest of the time he just got on my nerves.

//spoilers// And telling Morgan not to see Zoe when she turned him down??? For what?? His ego??? They didn't date and she's a lesbian, he has no rights over Zoe, and he can see his sister likes her so just. Nope.

Zoe and Morgan's relationship was quite cute though, even if the drama was too much.

This is the seventh book I have read by Georgia Beers and it's absolutely my favourite.

Morgan works as a manager of her brother's doctor's office and is passionate about poetry. Her quiet life, bordering on boring, is deeply shaken by the arrival of Zoe, a new representative of a pharmaceutical company. Both Morgan and her brother Perry are immediately attracted to Zoe and Perry asks for her sister's help to try to win her over. Morgan, despite being deeply attracted to Zoe, plays Cyrano and helps his brother with her poetic skills.

I loved the subtle way the author doesn't actually describe Morgan. The girl sees herself as an "average" person and being the whole novel from her point of view it's absolutely functional not knowing exactly what she looks like other than the way others see her (her friends or Zoe herself). It may seem a trivial detail but it is not, personal insecurity is a cornerstone of the attraction. Too little self-confidence can make us look like wallpaper, too much and we are perceived as arrogant.

Morgan is so insecure, or rather sure of her being plain, that the clear signs of interest that Zoe sends her her way are dismissed if not completely bypassed. This is an incredibly real dynamic, Morgan helps her brother because she feels she has no chance of winning a woman out of reach like Zoe.

On the other hand, discovering that her attraction for Zoe is reciprocated provides her with the necessary confidence boost to affirm herself even with her brother who, having greater self-confidence, cannot accept not only of having been rejected by Zoe but outrageously in favour of his ordinary little sister.

GB does it again! A quick read that is just full of anxt in the beginning. This book is sexy loving romantic and makes poetry increasingly mushy. You won't be disappointed with your choice to sit outside and tackle this book.

Four and a half stars.
Ironically, the day before I picked this up, I watched the teen rom-com The Half of It. So back to back Cyrano de Bergerac was a fun experience.
Georgia Beers can pull off first person! Are we surprised? It gave this a very different feel to the usual Georgia Beers book, and it turns out that I thoroughly enjoy her writing either way. Morgan is a chatty narrator, so the writing was very relaxed. I liked that she wasn't some extraordinary heaven-sent genius wordsmith, she just contentedly carries on with her little hobby. As for Zoe, I think we're obligated to like her since we only see her from Morgan's rose-tinted perspective. She seemed very down-to-earth and clever, and I could see myself having a little crush on her. I cracked up at the part where Perry recounts the "golf team" fiasco.
Speaking of Perry. Really? Ugh. He did redeem himself, but I want to be mad at him a while longer. His reaction when he caught them was entirely unnecessary. It makes sense that he continued to be the source of their conflict after the poetry part was over, but it was frustrating. The perfect amount of frustration though.
The angst moment was long-coming, but I liked how Zoe's part was played. It would be nice if Morgan had seen a little more of her backstory, but it made sense for her to be reserved. Not everyone is rushing to spill their past traumas, especially to love interests, and it would have been an obvious info-dump.
Consider my expectations exceeded. I like the trope a lot, (no, it feels wrong to call it a trope when it comes from the premise of another work) but I underestimated how cute it would be. Morgan is flawed, believable, an ordinary person, and relatable to anyone who has ever had an unattainable crush.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this very enjoyable novel from Georgia Beers. It's an easy read mainly because it is so well-planned, thought out and presented. The plot flows nicely involving well-developed main and secondary characters. There are several sub-themes which slow the pace of this lesbian romance, and which create the suspense and add to the dilemmas facing Morgan and Zoe. The author's writing is seemless. I loved it! 5*

Georgia Beers and romances go together perfectly. I have read all of her books and have never been disappointed. The Secret Poet is her newest release. As soon as I opened the book, I had trouble putting it down to go to sleep at night. I kept on saying “one more chapter then …”. This book can be read in a single weekend.

There are three main characters. Morgan Thompson works as an office administrator in her brother’s medical practice. Perry Thompson is her brother and a doctor. The third main character is Zoe Blake, a pharmaceutical representative. Perry went through a divorce that has left him shy about getting back into the dating scene. He decides to try online dating. Because Morgan has a degree in English and a talent for eloquently writing, Perry convinces his sister to help with his profile and his responses to different women’s posts. Zoe is new to town and decides to also try online dating.

Ms. Beers always creates interesting characters. Her development of the characters is done in such a good manner that you often feel as though they could be people you might meet in your neighborhood. It is quite evident that Ms. Beers plans her story plot. The story flows smoothly and the end of the book is not rushed.

I highly recommend The Secret Poet and rate it with 5 out of 5 stars. Pick up this book for an enjoyable weekend read.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Zoe Blake has just started her job as a pharmaceutical rep after transferring to Northwood. Now she was taking time to introduce herself to the doctors she planned on selling her company’s medications. One way to make the first visit go smoothly was to take with her some pastries, knowing that there were always staff that loved a treat. On her first visit to Northwood Medical she did just that. Pretty, nice and cheekbones to swoon over. At least that’s how Morgan saw her.
Morgan Thompson as office manager for her brother Dr. Perry Thompson. It was supposed to be temporary but after nine years the temp job turned into a full time position. Now she loved her older brother especially since his marriage imploded. She was constantly trying to help him woo women but so far he hasn’t listened to her advice. That all changed when Zoe came through the door. He said he wanted to take her out so being the good sister Morgan started helping him by writing cute poems Perry could take credit for.
All the while Zoe was crushing on Morgan. But Morgan be Morgan she just didn’t see it. What Ms Beers gave us this time is a book about two really nice women. Something I must admit is the fact that there are times when all I want to read is a sweet romance. Now don't get me wrong this story has a few twists and turns. Wonderfully written sweet story. Very, very enjoyable read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

This was a nice, easy, romantic read. I liked both MC - I identified a lot with Morgan but I also liked Zoë and the way she treated others. I LOVED Stefan and honestly would have loved more of him! I didn’t love how egotistical Perry was. In fact I didn’t like Perry at all and felt no sympathy for him losing Zoë. I also didn’t love the drama part of the story- I have huge trust issues myself and just couldn’t see what Morgan had done was unforgivable to such an extent.

All in all though I found the book heart warming and nice to relax into.

4 Stars

Georgia Beers’ latest “The Secret Poet” was a very sweet romance with minimal angst.

Beers changed things up a bit this time and wrote in first person point of view, with the only view point of one main character, Morgan. Morgan is the manager of her brother’s medical practice. Perry, the brother, and Morgan both meet Zoe who comes in as the new pharmaceutical sales rep. Each is smitten but Morgan assumes Zoe is straight or wouldn’t be interested even if she did date women. Perry admits to liking Zoe and decides to take a chance in asking her out.

Perry uses Morgan’s way with words to make himself sound better in texting with Zoe. He also has her write poetry to Zoe for him. Morgan is usually happy to do this for him because they’re close and she wants him to find love again. However, she finds herself drawn to Zoe and is more reluctant to write for her brother this time around.

Morgan is such a sweet, lovely and likable character. The only thing I didn’t like about her were her self-esteem issues. She seemed to not see her own self-worth and though it’s very believable, it became frustrating after a while. She also seemed quite oblivious to a lot of the clues Zoe was sending out and I found that to be funny and refreshing. Morgan points out in the text that she is pretty clueless when it comes to other women so it wasn’t surprising how she missed all of Zoe’s tells.

Zoe, on the other hand, came across as confident and friendly. She seems smart and sincere in her interactions with Morgan and others. We don’t get her point of view so you never know exactly what she’s thinking. Morgan is shown to be as an unreliable narrator when it comes to Zoe’s thoughts and feelings unless Zoe states it plainly.

The romance took a while to happen. Morgan and Zoe keep running into each other outside of the office and they start off as friends. Unbeknownst to Zoe she uses everything she finds out to help Perry woo Zoe, though it makes her fall even harder as well. Luckily Perry doesn’t get very far with Zoe (thankfully!) and the real romance finally starts to happen. I liked the two together very much. They balance each other out and connect even though they seem to be very different at first glance.

As a side note, I was happy to finally get a name for this town Beers keeps using. I don’t know if it’s been mentioned before, but I finally noticed!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I recommend this if you want a quick, lighthearted and flirty read.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Book in exchange for an honest review.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This isn’t my favourite by Beers but it was still an enjoyable read.

So, as per the blurb, this story is about Morgan, who works at her brothers doctor’s office and Zoe, a pharmacy rep, with the twist that Morgan’s brother Perry also likes Zoe asks Morgan (who assumes Zoe is straight) to help win Zoe over. Since Zoe and Morgan both like poetry, Morgan helps Perry out by writing little poems for Zoe.

This sounds like an interesting premise, but my assumption from reading the blurb was that this would be quickly resolved with Morgan and Zoe then starting a relationship. In reality this set-up takes up 48% of the book, and it was way too much. During that time Zoe and Morgan spend time together and their unfolding friendship is sweet and I wanted more of that, but everything kept returning to Perry and his attempts to win Zoe over. Perry is essentially the third character in the book, but he’s written as a clueless, vain, egocentric, cis male, and he took up way too much space in this book.

The book is told from Morgan’s POV, and I liked both MCs, they were both smart, interesting characters and their chemistry was believable. I also LOVED Morgan’s BFF Stefan (if he hadn’t been happily partnered I’d have enjoyed reading his story), and her niece Brittany and long time friend Adriana were also great. Perry was an asshat for most of the book, and her mother also had her moments, but for the most part I enjoyed Morgan’s interactions with the other characters. I also didn’t love Morgan’s endless lack of self-confidence about her looks and self-worth but did like that she eventually took a stand against both her brother and mother and went after Zoe anyway.

I thought the ‘drama’ portion was a bit overdone, but did enjoy the resolution and the epilogue and I loved Morgan and Zoe as a couple. If the ‘secret poet’ part had been a bit shorter I think I’d have enjoyed this more. 3.75 stars, rounded up.

I am still coming down from my emotional high from this book. Georgia Beers knocked my socks off with this one. Starting From Scratch is my favourite Beers book, and the Secret Poet is currently fighting it for the top spot! In fact, I knew it was when I started rereading my very worn copy of Starting from Scratch as soon as I finished, then reread The Secret Poet again.

Georgia Beers has undoubtedly changed it up recently, and her books are lighter romances that are flirty and fun, packed full of beautiful moments that scream happily ever after.

I was so immersed in the story from the moment Zoe walked into Morgan's life. From there, it was just moment after moment of realising they were meant to be soul mates. I never wanted the story to end.

Ok, so Morgan! Has there ever been a more deserving character ever written into a romance novel? She was amazing and kind with love for her family (especially her brother), I can really understand. The inner turmoil she goes through about Zoe is heartbreaking and beautiful. When she writes her feelings into her poetry, I was a bundle of swoons.
Talking of poetry. I really enjoyed the book's poetic aspect and all of Morgan's poems (which in turn would be Beers' Poems). In fact, my very favourite poem/poet of all time was mentioned, 'I Carry Your Heart With Me' by E.E. Cummings. #love

There was even an epilogue... it was like icing on the cake. Oh, how I loved more of Morgan and Zoe!

The chemistry was incredible, and I could feel the chemistry emanate off the page. #sexyonsexy!
You could almost hear their connection crackling and sizzling away every time Zoe and Morgan were in the same room. When Morgan goes for it, and they become intimate... boom 💥!
Heat Rating

This book was exceptional, and I was not ready to leave Morgan and Zoe's universe, not because the book needs more, but because I just loved being there. We should all aspire to be as kind as Morgan and have the guts to take what we want/need when we know we deserve it. Go do something for yourself and buy this book now, then turn off your phone and snuggle up with Morgan and Zoe.

Morgan Thompson runs her brother Perry's general practitioner's office. Perry is a handsome eligible bachelor and when Zoe Blake walks into his office his office he is immediately smitten. When he asks Morgan to write some poetry on his behalf to Zoe, that's when things get blurred for Morgan, is she writing the poetry for her brother or herself.
Georgia Beer has written another fabulous romance with this book. As usual her characters have great chemistry and it certainly sizzles between Zoe and Morgan. There's a nice little twist in the story with Perry vying for Zoe's affection and the whole family dynamic coming into play. I really enjoyed reading the poetry from Morgan as well, there were some beautiful words written and I was wishing for more. A great read.

I loved this book right from the start - Morgan (MC) is a funny, sweet character, but so unsure of herself when it comes to women. In walks Zoe to the medical practice and Morgan can't stop looking at her, neither can her brother the doctor, Perry (we don't like Perry).

This book is a bit of a modern day Cyrano, brother wants girl, sister helps to woo in text messages, other girl assumed it was brother coming up with the text content.....but surprise, other girl doesn't gold for his 'team'.-enter on bruised ego/pride from brother (we don't like the brother).

The book is written in first person from Morgan's perspective, and the flow is well paced. I fell for Zoe (MC) as well, she comes with some issues (Don't we all), but I liked how she developed and how she got Morgan a bit out of her own way. Also, Stefan, we all need a best friend like Stefan!

Great romance read, look forward to more from Ms. Beers, she is always on my must buy author list.

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, but would have written the same opinion if I had come across this author on my own.

To see my Amazon review, it is under CC-Great romance read

4 stars. Morgan Thompson likes her life working at her brother, Perry's doctor's office. She doesn't date much, but she helps her brother meet girls by helping with texts and messages to the women online. When Perry is interested in pharmaceutical rep, Zoe Blake, Morgan reluctantly agrees to help him. Little does she know, Zoe is someone Morgan could see herself with and can't help but flirt and want to spend more time with Zoe. Morgan and Zoe keep running into each other at different events. Morgan starts to write poetry for Perry to send to Zoe and when Zoe loves it, Morgan keeps writing some, even if Perry is not interested into at all besides making Zoe happy. Is Morgan starting to fall for Zoe as well.

I enjoyed this novel, I enjoyed the dynamic between the three characters, Morgan, Perry and Zoe. I liked the dynamic between when Morgan and Zoe keep running into each other. This novel was in first person, which is unusual for Georgia Beers but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed not knowing what Zoe was thinking and seeing how the relationship evolved throughout the novel. You were never sure how Zoe felt about anything, which is sometimes good. The only thing that bothered me a little bit was how much Morgan talked about her brother and sometimes it seemed like she over explained things. I would recommend this novel, it was a good read and a solid novel from Georgia Beers.

The Secret Poet | By Georgia Beers
3/5 Stars!

Synopsis:
Morgan is an office manager at her brother's medical office. Zoe is a new pharma rep in town. From their first encounter, Morgan's eyes were glued on Zoe. However, Perry, Morgan's brother, asked Zoe out first, and Morgan is left helping her brother win over the girl of his dreams, and Morgan is sidelined. Will Morgan get her chance at love? Or does she have to watch everyone else around her find their person?

The Author:
Georgia Beers is a fantastic lesbian romance author with 30 books under her belt. I've read a lot of her work and they all range in level of emotion, depth of the story, etc. This one for me was good, it just wasn't a romance story that I became overly invested in. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the book, I just wanted more depth.

Bottom Line: I enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you are looking for an easy, short, sweet lesbian romance novel to read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for the eArc of this book in exchange for my honest review.