Cover Image: Wavering Convictions

Wavering Convictions

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Nice enough book, but with flaws. I felt like it was dragged on, and the ending is rushed. Nice plot, but I feel like it could've been led and ended differently, with more tact.

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don't read a lot of Dutton's works, but the ones that I have read are usually really great, straight forward lesbian romances. They're comfort reads with some good action, relatable leads, and some good chemistry. This is not comfortable, at all. It doesn't go into grim dark territory, nor is is in any way graphic, but the topics Dutton is tackling are not things that are usually associated with her story telling style. And I have to say, that it works on some level with me.

Maggie Davidson is mugged in the parking garage at work, breaking apart her comfortable life. So, when she meets Ally Becker at court while testifying against her attacker, she thinks she can start feeling better. There is one huge problem, though: Ally is the sister of Maggie's attacker. Ally is trying to hold her family up, with her brother potentially going to jail because he robbed a woman to help pay for his addiction, and their mother is not seeing how destructive his behavior actually is. Maggie is a positive, along with her woodworking business, in a situation that keeps getting darker and darker. The question is, will these two women learn to let themselves care for each other despite Ally's family?

So, I have thoughts. One is that the main driver of the plot is not really the building relationship between Maggie and Ally, but how they are learning to heal after trauma. For Maggie, it's about the aftermath of the robbery. For Ally, it's how to separate herself from the toxic relationships in her family. Which is a huge risk for a romance writer. I can see where the romance can fall flat for some people because the book explores a lot of the leads' lives away from their budding romance. Instead, there's focus on how Maggie pays twice as much to park across the street from work, instead of the parking garage. Or her struggle with her perceived safety of owning a gun, but being terrified of them. The focus with Ally is her personality; she is a caregiver, but her family takes advantage of it, especially her mom. The best plotline is actually between Ally and her brother. There's so much commentary about being a loved one to an addict and struggling with where you can actually become an enabler by pretending its not happening - Ally's mom - or seeing it an knowing that you can't always stop the downward spiral of a loved one - Ally.

So, I do think this will not be comfortable for most, and the plot is more engaging than most of the characters, but Ally shines in this and for those who have or are experiencing watching a loved one get lost to addiction, it is a really great depiction of some experiences. There's also some great scenes of ways that trauma affects how you perceive life, too. This is a great character study, but not the best of romances. But props - I enjoyed the heck out of this.

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I took a few days to think about my feelings on this book and I still haven't come to a definite conclusion. Maggie Davidson was robbed at gun point after leaving work one day. The day of the first court hearing she meets Ally Becker. I can't say that they have instant chemistry though because of how they react to one another. What they do have appears to be something comfortable with each other. Many romances start out that way, so that doesn't hurt this story line for me. The kicker with this one is that Ally's brother is the one who robbed Maggie.

Let's start out by saying that I over all thought this romance was ok. I did like the interaction between the MC's and they got to know each other despite the elephant in the room. I didn't feel like there was anything that makes this book stand out. I guess what I am trying to say is that I was sort of bored with this one and didn't find the romance that interesting.

I will rate it a 3 star because I don't feel like it was a waste of time.

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I am a Dutton fan. However, this read just did not work for me. The angst was drawn out too long and the ending was absolutely rushed. I also can't say I really appreciated any chemistry between the two MCs. All in all I found it quite dissapointing.

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

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3 stars. I enjoyed this book but I feel like the characters developed super quickly. This story is about Maggie Davidson, who gets robbed by a man holding a gun in her parking garage at work. She meets Ally Becker at the coffee shop at the courthouse. At first, she does not realize that Ally is the sister of the man who robbed her, Carey Rowe. They meet and have an instant connection. When Maggie talks about why she is at the courthouse, Ally realizes they are connected more than they realize, and is unsure if she should bring up the connection. Maggie overhears Ally talk about her brother and storms off. They are unsure if a relationship is a good idea, but they cannot keep thinking about one another.

They both have feelings for one another quickly and their development seems fast. They have both do not evolve as much as I would have like. They stay the same throughout most of the book. Their relationship evolves rather quickly and there is not as much tension as I would have like. This book was an easy read and it was a cure relationship. I would recommend this if you are looking for an easy read.

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Sometimes I choose books to read based on the descriptive blurb the author writes for the book cover.
That’s exactly what happened with Wavering Convictions by Erin Dutton. I read the blurb and chose the book immediately. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book about two characters attracted to each other only to find out that one woman is the sister of the man who robbed the other woman at gunpoint.

The possibilities for angst and relationship problems should be almost endless for this story, and the author did use that to a certain degree. The story is well written. I really liked Ally. She is well-developed and has a depth to her that feels real. I did not like Maggie quite as much, probably because she refuses to get any help even though it’s obvious that she’s suffering from PTSD from the robbery. I’m not sure why that bothered me so much, but it did. The two women have great chemistry together. The romance is sweet and I did enjoy that part of the tale. I’m just not sure the author took advantage of all the story options she had with this book.

This is my first book by Erin Dutton, and I will be looking for more books to read by her.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

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ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a Dutton fan, but this one isn’t one of her best. This features MC Maggie, who is held up at gunpoint and then meets the other MC Ally at the courthouse. Problem is that Maggie was held up by Ally’s brother.

The two characters hit it off, but once they realise who the other is, things become complicated. Even with this they continue to see each other (though I found the way this was done unlikely). Throughout this though the spectre of Ally’s brother hangs over the relationship. There’s also the requisite breakup, which is then resolved too easily.

I don’t know, this just really didn’t do much for me. Neither character was particularly compelling, though Ally was slightly more interesting, she had family issues (although I was annoyed by how she let her mother walk all over her) and I also liked her friends and their kids, but Maggie really had nothing going on outside of the trauma of being held up and the relationship with Ally. Oh, and maybe or maybe not buying a gun. I was actually more interested in Charlie the cop than either of the two MCs.

All in all this was just average. It’s not Dutton’s best by far. 2.5 but I’ll round up to 3 stars.

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This starts off with a really challenging premise of an inappropriate match between two people and a whirlwind relationship.

Maggie was attacked which is traumatic enough, but the woman she falls for happens to be the sister of the attacker. Mmmm, that's tricky. But they choose to ignore it until they can't anymore.

Both characters are nice and interesting enough but there's little depth to them or the story. I found it difficult to connect but loved the fact that Ally was a carpenter.

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Not your typical set up for a lesbian fiction romance. - I was eager to see how the author was going to handle the idea . Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me - the characters just didn't grab me. The book is well written and is good, but I normally love Dutton's stuff and this one didn't meet that mark. I'll be keeping my eyes open for her next novel and recommend that if you don't love this one - try one of her many other books.

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I have to say I was a bit disappointed by this book. It wasn’t a badly written book or anything, I just found myself struggling to connect to it. I like Dutton, I’ve enjoyed most of the books I’ve read of hers and I was actually looking forward to this. To be honest this almost didn’t feel like a Dutton book, but that’s just my opinion since something felt a little off here.

I actually thought this book had an interesting premise. Two women that meet and share a few sparks only to find they are connected through a crime. I can’t really recall reading a book with a premise like this before so I have to give Dutton credit for that. I’m just disappointed that it didn’t end up working for me. Actually, the book almost made me feel uncomfortable. I didn’t like the feeling I got while reading this, and one thing I can say about Dutton is she is normally a very comfortable author. This is one of the reasons why this book didn’t really feel like it was one of hers.

One of the biggest issues I had was with the characters. Unfortunately, I found them to be a bit dull and I couldn’t really connect to them. I noticed a lot of reviewers didn’t care for Maggie. Maggie was the victim of a crime and suffered a lot of trauma because of it. It’s funny because I almost always think that authors tend to gloss over trauma too quickly, where in this case I almost thought the trauma was larger than what fit the crime. But then I thought to myself, I have never had a gun stuck in my face, so I have no idea how much it would change my life either. When I thought of it that way, I felt I understood Maggie more. On the other hand with Ally, I felt like she really let people take advantage of her and just walk all over her. I know it’s tough with family, but it drove me a bit nuts that she didn’t stand up to just about everybody including Maggie.

The romance itself was just average for me. It didn’t really grip me or move me, it was just there. Again, the character seemed so dull that I didn’t feel any sparks between them at all. They actually weren’t a bad match because they were both just sort of blah, but I want a bit more when I read a romance.

I’m sorry to say I can’t recommend this one, but I won’t say stay away either. It’s an average read and far from one of Dutton’s best. If you are new to Dutton, I would suggest picking a different book to be your first. This isn’t a bad read, there are just much more enjoyable books out there by her.

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Talk about creating a complicated context for a relationship! Forty-something Maggie Davis is attacked and robbed at gunpoint. Her attacker is arrested and she has to go to court. She runs into one Ally Becker (39) in the canteen of the court and there is insta-attraction between the two. Maggie is completely shaken by the attack and she finds herself reaching out to Ally to talk. During their conversation, Ally realises that Maggie was attacked by her brother, but keeps this information to herself. During the next visit to the court, Maggie realises just who Ally is and is quite devastated. Yet, somehow, the two connect again and start developing a relationship.

Throughout the book we were as much in our head as in the story. What would we do in place of Maggie? In place of Ally? How would we want Ally to behave if we were Maggie? What would we expect from Ally if we were Maggie? If we were Ally with a family like the one described and a developing relationship with Maggie, what choices would we make?

This book is a lot about the impact of a crime on a victim. An angle which we felt was left unaddressed. It was also difficult to understand and grasp the kind of attraction that would lead Maggie to Ally despite their relationship with the attacker.

One thing certain: this is an interesting read.

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I was so excited when reading the excerpt, the plot seemed to be different and interesting.
This books had a very promising start, the characters were well done and the story took its time to unfold. At the end I was a bit sad to see the same old coming to pass.
I would recommend this book, just don’t get your hopes up too high before hand. It is a nice read.

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Unlucky in love.

Maggie is robbed while walking to her car in a parking garage. At the courthouse, she meets a woman, Ally Becker, who she later discovers is a bit too close to her situation.

I thought the concept of this story was unique. At first, I wasn't quite sure what I would do if the situation happened to me. Through reading this, I determined I would not have responded the way that Maggie did. To be honest, I was a little annoyed with her. If I were Ally, there would be zero chance I would have stuck with Maggie through the amount of ghosting that occurred.

Something I really enjoyed about this book was the sensual tactile way in which they were with one another at times. Tracing fingers through the hair just behind her ears. Yeah. Sweet.

Despite feeling like the amount of trauma Maggie experienced was a little much, I still enjoyed the story overall.

I recommend this to those who enjoy romance, conflict, and gardening.

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This is somehow strange story. I skipped few chapters and yet I did not feel like I missed anything major. good writing thought

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Definitely one of the more unique plots I’ve read in a long time. What would you do If your new romanctic interest ends up being sister to your attacker? Whether or not you agree, Maggie and Ally decide to plow forward at first as friends but then their attraction is undeniable. There is an unusual suspense that’s difficult to name or even quantify about the upcoming trial for Ally’s brother that looms over everything in the book. It kept me invested as I tried to envision how they were going to make an impossible situation work. I liked this book a lot more when I decided that I wasn’t going to put myself in either of their shoes. This would make a great book club choice to debate over personal convictions and reactions to their situation.

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Maggie Davidson is struggling to deal with the trauma she suffer after being robbed. Ally Becker is the responsible adult in her family and the support of her younger brother. when she goes to court to support his brother when he is being accused of a robbery, Ally discovers that the woman his brother robbed is the woman she can't get off her mind. Would she chose family or love?

This book was a lot slower than I thought it would. The characters were well develop but as much as i tried to care for either of them I just couldn't. However, as I said, both characters were well developed and the book was well written. I am sure it would be someone's cup of tea, it just wasn't mine.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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This is an enjoyable read which has an interesting concept and brings into play a number of aspects around addiction, family loyalties and the victim versus the perpetrator. Maggie Davidson is held up by an armed robber in the parking garage after work. The experience has traumatised her and the prospect of facing her attacker is terrifying. At the courthouse her need to escape the crush of people leads her to having coffee at the same table as Ally Becker. Ally has a calming presence and it’s not long before she feels strong enough to get to the courtroom. By the time Maggie discovers that Ally is the sister of her attacker she is already attracted to her.

There are positives and negatives in this story but I found the balance to be more on the positive side. Maggie and Ally’s initial connection, both in terms of time as well as comfort levels, was too quick for me. They could have done with more than two conversations in few days to make it believable. If they had chatted and met numerous times over the course of a few weeks I would have seen more reason for them to like each other in spite of the circumstances.

Ally’s conflict of loyalties was nicely expressed along with her struggle to deal with a brother she loves who has done something reprehensible. I think I preferred Ally as a character because she seemed to have more depth. Maggie seemed a little too distant. I’m not sure I liked the resolution much either. On the whole it is a good romance with some lovely, sensuous scenes.

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

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I'm an unashamed fan of Erin Dutton's work. She's one of the few authors that I will pick up immediately, without reading the blurb or reviews. I just expect that when I see her name on the cover, I know that I'm about to be able to lie back and relax and be taken on a journey for the next few hours. One of the main things that I love about her books is the connection that I feel to the characters. She's never failed to make me feel like I'm involved in the story, until now.

It's not that this novel was a bad read, not by any means! Unfortunately though, it just wasn't on par with what I know and expect from a Dutton read. The plotline is fresh and new, the characters are just fine, the writing isn't a problem, but this one just didn't measure up to Dutton's other works. It's a very good read, but I just can't say that it hit the high bar that I've apparently set in my mind for Dutton. If I had to narrow it down to just one thing, I would say that my main issue was that the connection between the mains just didn't work for me. I found myself enjoying the read, but also knew that I wouldn't miss the read or any of the characters once it was over.

All in all, I think that quite a few people will enjoy this read, but for me, I can't help but think that this one missed the mark somehow. 3.25 stars.

**Many thanks to Bold Strokes for providing me with an ARC in exchange for mu honest review.**

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I’m a big fan of Erin Dutton and the blurb sounded really unique so I was very excited to read this book. Unfortunately it didn’t really work for me - I found Maggie annoying, I liked Ally as a character but I struggled to feel any chemistry between them. I just couldn’t feel invested in the characters or in the romance.

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There was something about this book that really grabbed me and didn't let go until the end. The premise of the book was very interesting and different form the typical tropes. It is rare for me to place myself in the plot situation and say "what if that happened to me and what would I do?" This book definitely had me feeling more introspective than usual, in a good way.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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