This read is about Shelby Ryan, former detective recovering from the death of her wife Nina and unborn child and Iris Calhoun, administrator at a local care facility with a challenging history because her brother killed Shelby's wife. Both women moved across the country to get away from pain and ironically ended up in the same town. Iris testified against her brother and while serving time, he was brutally murdered. Needless to say, her family was not happy with her testifying. I liked Shelby's father and grandmother. they both spoke their mind. It was hard not to like the cover and Dixon and Luna

How to write loss is a challenge and I thought for the most part, it was done well. How to deal with awful behavior by a family member, I thought for the most part was done well. The back and forth between Iris and Shelby was done as well as can be expected. Some reviews say it was too quick. Some other say the friends (Holly and Jane) were too harsh. I say, it can be difficult to write loss.

Condolences to PJ's wife, Cheryl and family. Blessings!

I had several issues with this book, but I did think it was a good read.

Shelby has fled her home in Philly after her wife was murdered 4 years ago, she now lives in the mountains in Oregon. Her friends host a thanksgiving dinner where she meets the sister of her wife’s killer again. Iris moved to Bend to get away from her family and their threats after she testified again s her brother and he was killed in prison. Both women were attracted to the other back in Philly before the shit hit the fan. But are they ready to live and love each other now. Throw in a loveable dog and a kitten who instantly bond and you’d have hit, right? I think the characters and their support system, so Shelby’s friends and family, are way to forgiving and it just feels unrealistic. The only character that is believable in her actions towards Iris is Shelby’s grandma. Sure you can’t blame a sibling for the other’s faults, but to deal with it this way, too easy. The slight mystery that is raised is also too easy and a bit boring.
Overall I’d say it just feels a bit too easy and not layered enough for a book dealing with grief and the first love after loss. Writing about grief is always hard, a lot of the time it annoys me how an author handles it. This wasn’t the case for this book, it just felt a little too light, but not annoying.

My main issue? How often we are told Shelby’s dog Luna is such a good intuitive girl without ever having had formal training. After saying it once or twice I get it, I don’t need to hear it ever other page.

Anyway, I did enjoy this light book about grief, it’s good to see it can be done this way as well. But it was just a little to light for me - 3 stars

After reading this book I found out PJ has passed away - my condolences to the family friends of the author.

I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t the best book I’ve read recently but it was good enough that I didn’t feel as though I was forcing myself to finish it.
I thought the backstory of the main characters was good but not really fleshed out. I think if the book was a little longer and the feelings between the mains was explored more the book would have been better. The angst from the backstory almost felt forgotten when the romance starts. Again, I felt if the book was a little longer this could have been avoided. The book’s pacing just felt a little off.
Overall, I would recommend this book but it wouldn’t be my first choice in other recently released books.

This story has a somewhat far-fetched and surreal plot, which runs throughout it. Of course, a person should not be responsible for the wrongs of other members of her family, but the situation that is exposed here is quite serious.

Neither Iris nor Shelby cannot escape further from their past, a common past despite themselves and very painful for both. And although the world is huge, they end up in the same town, small and rural. How likely is that to happen?

Very much in the style of this author, there is also an aspect of mystery, in this case a person who harasses Iris. She believed she left everything behind but it was not entirely like that.

And Shelby also wanted to forget that terrible episode from her past, but neither can she, and even less after the reappearance of Iris in her new life.

Shelby's two friends are a bit rude towards Iris, without her being fully deserving of that treatment, so they haven't been very nice. And since history does not have much more than that, it repeats itself a lot in terms of reflection and inner struggles of its protagonists. Too much, I would say. And that weighs it down. Not even the pets improve it.

This is the 1st book I have read by PJ Trebelhorn,I can guarantee it will not be the last. Fun book, believable characters, good story line

Wee bit different. Unexpected feelings arise between a woman and her wife's murderer's sister. Quite an enjoyable story of how they meet and eventually overcome the situation between them.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿.

This book is one of those that didn't click with me but I know that grief is hard to write and there is no one single formula to follow. There is also an added layer of delicacy to this love-again-after-grief story because the first love had been brutally murdered in cold blood and the second love is the sister of the murderer. Exactly how does anyone navigate such a storyline with tact?

I thought Shelby and Iris made moves on each other far too quickly, forgave themselves and each other much too easily and the reaction from family and friends felt unrealistically positive. But it's also true that the author turned a story that is suppose to be ladened with angst into something incredibly light, adding a cute friendship between a dog and cat into the mix. There is also a thriller storyline in the second half that was written well and held my interest even when the romance storyline didn't.

I've said before in an Instagram post at the end of 2020 that all lesfic books mean something to me, and that's true even for those that don't click with me, so I want to thank the author for the effort.

My condolences to PJ's wife, Cheryl and family.

This book review comes from a really interesting place, and one that I haven't been in before and don't know how to fully approach it. In between starting and finishing this book I found out that the author, PJ Trebelhorn, had passed away. I'm going to do my best to keep this review as neutral as I can, but knowing that did affect my read some. And best wishes to PJ Treblehorn's wife and rest of her family and friends. She'll be missed in the lesbian fiction community

This book is about Shelby Ryan and Iris Calhoun. Shelby has been living in Oregon for a few years now after her wife was murdered in their hometown of Philadelphia. Iris has moved across the country looking for a new start after her entire family has turned their backs to her after she testified against her brother. The catch is Iris' brother is the one who murdered Shelby's wife. And now suddenly Shelby and Iris are together in the same small town in Oregon, but can't stay away from each other either.

This book had an exciting premises and one I was very interested to read. The concept seemed very interesting. I don't usually read police based novels so a concept like this that isn't centered around cops was intriguing to me.

But unfortunately, I have several issues with this book. The first is I didn't really feel a strong emotional connection between the two main characters at first. It seemed very forced to me and their feelings were rushed. The book did mention that they found each other attractive initially when they encountered each other in the court case regarding Shelby's wife- but even that seemed really weird to me. This relationship really seemed that the book was telling me that they were in to each other more than I felt them vibing. For a book with heavy emotions, instant connection just doesn't work.

The book did pick up about 50% of the way through or so, and I did get much more of an emotional connection to them once they got together. That was nice to see and I enjoyed it a lot. But from there we get to the secondary plot of the story with a stalker from Iris' past coming back. That storyline, while refrenced in the beginning of the book, really amped up suddenly to me- then resolved quickly. It just all seemed very rushed and incomplete.

This is a pretty good book, and definitely has some strong emotions- and I liked the relationship once it got going, but it was lacking at times with believability and compatibility. 3/5

Thank you to Netgally and Bold Strokes Bokes for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw the blurb for Moving Forward by P.J. Trebelhorn, I really wanted to read this novel. I don’t believe I’ve ever come across a story where a main character loses her wife to a brutal serial killer, and then a few years later meets and becomes attracted to the killer’s sister. This type of tale obviously sets up the perfect enemies-to-lovers romance. It also gives plenty of chances in the story for angst between the characters. I’m pleased to say that with the exception of a few glitches, I did enjoy this book.

I connected with the two main characters almost immediately, especially Shelby Ryan, the woman whose wife was murdered. I totally understood her thoughts and actions in the story. Iris Calhoun, the killer’s sister was really stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I honestly felt sorry for her. Two of my most favorite characters in this novel are actually not human. Luna, Shelby’s gorgeous Saint Bernard, and Dixon, Iris’ kitten really stole the show for me. I’m a sucker for a cute animal face.

This is totally a character driven tale, which is my favorite kind of story, so connecting with these folks and their pets was a must for my enjoyment. The setting of the novel didn’t hurt either since most of the story takes place in a town on the edge of the Cascade Mountains in Oregon during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.

As I mentioned above, there are a few minor problems with the tale. The pace of the story is a bit slow in places, especially during the first half. It picks up the closer you get to the end with the conflict involving a stalker. I think if the author had added more direct interaction with the stalker earlier in the tale, it would have helped the pace. Also, the end of the book seems rushed. I would have liked to see either one more chapter or an epilogue to show us how the couple is doing.

I am glad I had the chance to read this romance. If you love a good enemies-to-lovers story with an interesting premise and a good bit of angst, then you should read this book.

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

I could not connect to them. something kept bothering me while reading. they don't seem to have any connection and quite frankly thought Shelby went with her just because she's there and "Love" was thrown away way to fast and made me so confused specially since she was not ready I mean she kept saying "Nina your the only women i will love" while sleeping to go from there to I love you seemed fake !. plus the way the point view was changing from Shelby to Iris made me annoyed sometimes, just because i needed to frequently see who's "she" is this Iris or Shelby ! overall. not bad reading. Holy was the only character I understood.

Fate has a wicked way to bring people together; even the unlikeliest to match up. Shelby walked away from the police force after her wife was brutally murdered. For the past 4 years, she has spent her days in the Cascade Mountains of central Oregon, with a couple of her friends and her lovable and intuitive dog, Luna.

The peaceful life that she built while her grief slowly ebbed away was cast into disarray when the sister of her wife’s murderer came to live in town. Fate coupled with a mutual attraction that refuses to go away put the pair on a twisty and winding road until they could finally come to terms with their shared past.

The plot was an interesting one and while the pair was connected through a tragedy, it does put the emphasis on the need to carry on living for those left behind; especially through no fault of theirs. Although I’m not a pet owner, animal lovers will adore Luna. She was a star and have even threatened to steal the limelight from her owner many times in the book.

I just reviewed Moving Forward by PJ Trebelhorn. Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.

A dog and a cat cuddling on the cover and I need to pick up that book! Luna and Dixon didn't let me down as they are an adorable pair. Their owners Shelby and Iris had a little tougher road to travel, but in the end I did root for them.
Shelby lost her wife 4 years ago to a serial killer and has left her job at the police force to move to the Cascade region in Oregon where she's trying to get her life back together. She and Luna visit the elderly people at a nursing home and here she bumps into Iris, the sister of the man that murdered her wife.
Both women are still dealing with the after effects, yet are also drawn to eachother.

PJ Trebelhorn usually writes good emotionally loaded books and this is not really different, there's also a little bit of thriller thrown in since Iris is stalked by phone, but the main focus is on the relationship between Shelby and Iris. It's rather heavy baggage both ladies are carrying, so I felt the instant attraction didn't feel quite right and the coincidence of them both ending up in the same small town is rather big, but since it's a romance story things like that can be overlooked. Which I did to a certain agree, yet the story felt a little bit off for me on the connection side. The animals were adorable, the main characters and friends came across as plausible in their reactions to the situation in the first part of the book, but all the doubts, resentment and lingering feelings from the murder turned around a little too quickly for me to really go along with it and keep myself immersed in the romance.

All in all, not a bad book at all, but could have been better if the second part didn't feel like it was rushed to keep the length within a certain limit.

***An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. ***

Moving Forward deals with a woman losing her lover and learning how to move on with the help from a new woman in her life. It is also about a woman running from her past until the past catches up with her. Combining these two storylines adds excitement to this romance.
The first half of this novel is very well written. Though the story is very sad it is also very gripping. I loved the intensity of the back story. Then the romance takes over the story. The transition between the two could have been a bit smoother in my opinion.
The romance is sweet and slow burning. You care about the two main characters and root for their happily ever afters. The St. Bernard Luna is a character as well in the story. She is the dog everyone would love to have as theirs. Being a cat person myself, Dixon the kitten could have had a bigger role to play. Just saying.
The setting is in the Cascade mountains of Oregon. This gives the novel ample room to allow the weather and the region to effect the storyline in a positive way.
I really enjoyed the first half of this novel and could easily see it turn into a high intensity thriller instead of a romance. However PJ Treblehorn is a romance writer and stayed in her lane with this story. Moving Forward is definitely an entertaining read.

This was a nice and very entertaining read.

I enjoyed the setting, nothing better than a bit of snow when I’m roasting in my living room. Loved Luna and Dixon, not an animal lover myself but I found them adorable.

Lesfic are full of coincidences but the fact that both main characters ended up in such a remote place seems odd, especially when there is no background for Iris’ move, we got to know why Shelby’s friends and Shelby went there, but why Iris was there, yes working at the care home, but I’m with Holly I thought she was a stalker.

The main characters lacked some chemistry, the attraction was evident but they fall for each other very quickly having so much baggage but at the same time they had so many awkward moment when they are being intimate that it didn’t make it very fluid.

There is small thriller during the book that it can be seen miles away but that doesn’t take much away from the romance part.

Overall nice read.

Iris Calhoun's brother was a serial killer and was convicted of his crimes and sent to jail years ago partly due to the fact she testified against him. He has recently been killed in jail and Iris's family are threatening her for getting him killed. She has relocated across the country.
Hope Ryan's wife was a victim of Iris's brother and now has come face to face with Iris in the small mountain town where she lives.
Hope's friends want her to stay away from Iris but Hope is trying to sort out her feelings.
There are forces at work that could cause more tragedy for them.
This is a story of great forgiveness and moving on in the aftermath of such a heavy loss.

I enjoyed this romantic drama. Shelby is getting along with her life four years after the murder of her wife Nina. She has relocated across country and enjoys her home in the Cascade mountains of Oregon. She is surprised to see Iris, the sister of the killer, at a Thanksgiving dinner given by friends. The sister testified against her brother but old memories are stirred up for both of them. She is the new manager of the local nursing facility. For the first time since the loss of Nina, Shelby is feeling attraction.

I liked both the main characters and Luna the St. Bernard, a untrained therapy dog. This book isn't about grieving but both MC's are dealing with a lot of stressful memories by being together. In addition threats are being made against Iris.

I would recommend this book for those that enjoy dramatic romance with a side of thriller tension. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Book, Inc. for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

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


Shelby is still mourning her wife Nina who was murder. She has great relationship with her father and two great friends Jane and Holly and adorable dog Luna that keeps her going.

Iris lost her family when she turn her brother Ricky in and testified against him. She had to move because her family turn against her and have been threatening.

Iris didn’t think she see Shelby the wife of the woman that her brother had murder. She wanted a fresh start and didn’t want to dredge up painful memories that her brother cause. They both are attracted to each other but Shelby at first has hard time moving forward especially with the woman who brother kill her wife but as she gets to know Iris she realize it was the fault of the person who did it.

I like this read. I like that Shelby has a support system and that support system embrace Iris and Iris felt that she can have a chosen family instead of the family he was born into.

This is a good novel. It's a very difficult topic, with one of the characters being the killer's sister, but the book is very well written, and the chemistry between the characters develops nicely.

Moving Forward by PJ Trebelhorn is amazing. Iris and Shelby are both under extreme stress from a past tragedy. Iris has a heart of gold and as Shelby starts to find out that you can both, grieve and love in a lifetime. Jane and Holy are friends of Shelby and eventually embrace Iris.

The chemistry between Iris and Shelby is hot. The flirtatious banter makes their connection even better.

PJ crafts a beautiful story of how all of us can’t choose our families, but we can make choices once we are adults. This is a great read for hope and love in life.