No Boundaries

Ford, Donna. No Boundaries. Bold Strokes Books. 2014. $16.95. 256p. SC 978-1-62639-060-7.

Gwen has just moved to rural Tennessee to start her life over again. She and her dog need a fresh start away from the mistakes of her past. Andi lives in the same small town, where she, too, is hiding from a difficult past. The locals are used to Andi’s reclusive ways, and naturally become curious when she and Gwen start spending time together. Gwen and Andi are attracted to each other from the start, but Andi keeps pushing Gwen away, and when her secret past comes back to haunt her, she has to decide whether to tell Gwen the truth about her past or to spare her the pain and break up with her.

This is a romance novel with a fairly standard plot: person #1 and person #2 are perfect for each other, but at least one of them is hiding a secret, and when it finally comes out, they both have to decide what to do about it. There isn’t a lot of action to this story; it’s the relationship between Andi and Gwen that carries the story along. The characters are very real and well-defined, and a willing suspension of disbelief allows the reader to agree that two lesbians could both flee to the same rural town in Tennessee. This book would make an excellent addition to a public library’s romance novel collection, and is recommended as a beach or poolside read for fans of Karin Kallmaker’s writing.