Finders Keepers is a sweet slow burn second chance romance. I think the story was a bit rushed at the end but overall enjoyed the story. If you’re an animal lover you’ll also enjoy the story.

This was an easy read that can be read standalone despite being part of a series (although I am sure you will get more out of it if you read in order). Heartwarming and funny. I enjoyed this read.

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Radclyffe

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

This is book 8 in Rad’s Rivers series and I’m kind of wishing she’d stopped at book 4. These books have stretched the realms of credulity for awhile now, what with this small town in upstate New York being a queer Mecca.

Each of the books generally takes place over the space of a few weeks to a month, but this book mentions repeatedly that Blake, introduced in book 2 (Prescription for Love), has been in town less than a year, so in the space of less than 12 months, 8 lesbian couples have found love in one town, which is also home to a plethora of other secondary queer characters as well. Come on. Seriously, this series would be so much better if Rad had just focussed on the Rivers family and written a series of books about them rather than adding new relationships with each book.

So, that was first hurdle for me, the second was that the MCs here, Brody’s friend, Rome, who is a new PA at the hospital, and Tally, a new vet in Val’s practice (both of those characters being from Love to the Rescue) already know each other. How they know each other is due to a pivotal moment in their past that featured Tally’s sister, and where Rome is the apparent villain. It’s obvious to anyone that Rome is not the type to harm anyone, yet Tally persists in thinking this anyway, without ever once hearing Rome’s side of the story. The two spend time together due to Rome finding some abandoned puppies on the way into town, and this leads to them becoming attracted to each other. There’s a series of time jumps in this book but the characters don’t spend enough time together on the page to believe that they are actually building a relationship.

This book deviates in that in most Rad books the MCs hook up pretty quickly, which is not the case here due to the complicated backstory. Unfortunately we have to wait til pretty much the end of the book to discover what the real story is behind the back story, and when Tally does understand what’s happened, it’s not because she discusses it with Rome, she requires external validation for something she should have been able to trust Rome to tell her if the HEA we’re provided with is expected to be believed. I just couldn’t buy into these two, Rome deserved way better than Tally.

As is pretty much always the case, the storyline with the teens is the best part of these books (although all the cute puppies in this one helped some), and it’s the only reason I have bothered to keep going with the series, but I think I’m going to tap out here. 2 stars.

3.5 stars. I’ve been absent for quite some time, 2023 has been a turbulent year for me and less books could be read than planned. I’m very behind on a few ARCs that I received, including this one, and I apologize for the delay in posting these reviews. Nonetheless, when I finally got to read this book I enjoyed it. It is a nice and easy read and it was good to get back in the flow of reading.

This book is part of a series and had I known this I might not have picked this to read because I dislike reading books out of order. That said, the story on itself is perfectly readable as a standalone story. I do think you’ll get more out of it of you read the series though, because there are a lot of couples returning from previous books.

Tally and Rome both decide to start a new life in a small town. One as a vet and the other as a doctor. But they have met before and the circumstances were not good. I always like it when there is some history that is not immediately mentioned but is left to discover along the way, like in this book. Tally hates Rome and you slowly learn why. But as often is the case, there were also some things that kept niggling me while reading. For instance, why is this intense hatred not mutual? Also, they eventually move past their grievances, but it felt like they had hardly really talked, so this is where it all went slightly too fast for me. I was not too surprised by this as I have come to expect this from Radclyffe’s books. Both characters are likable though and if you don’t mind that it is a bit fast, this will give a light and enjoyable read.

<i>I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

A really fun and charming read with an enjoyable premise and gorgeous characters. I would highly recommend.

I generally love the River's books and I enjoyed this one a lot. What's not to like about puppies and love. Like with other books in this series it did have a formula but it remains a fun read. I would like to see some longer, harder hitting Radclyffe books. However, she is still the queen of Sapphic literature. Thank you for the advanced copy. P.S. I wish I could find a small town with so many lesbians!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Really fun story, i love that the characters bond over some cute puppies. This was very easy to read, and generally cute to read about. The only thing that made this 4/5 was that i feel they overdid the gay? (I love gay honestly, but almost every character mentioned was queer lol which is a bit untealistic). But other than that the story is great, its unique, and overall enjoyable. I recommend!

Thanks to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review!

The doggos are really cool! The book overall, sadly, not. The plot is a bit unrealistic, and in the end, it moved too fast, while in the middle section, it was boring. Sorry to bring these non-dresctipt adjectives, but they do, in fact, describe the book sufficiently. I've read a few of Radclyff's, and there have been better executed ones.
The characters were great, nonetheless.

This was a fun read. It has puppies in it, so ofcourse it's good, haha. I liked the storyline, however the transition of Tally's feelings was a bit fast in my opinion. Furthermore, I thought it really gave you the small town feeling in which everyone is good with each other. There are some actualities in the story that talk about things like the lgbtq+ community and genderswitch for example. I think it's written in a good way, not judgy or anything.

I have read that a lot of Radclyffes books kind of have the same tendency, but since this was my first book written by Radclyffe I don't know about that. I enjoyed the book and it was easy to read.

So the story is about Tally and Rome who come to the same small town at the same time. Rome comes out of the war and reconnects with a buddy who offers her a place to stay and work. Tally comes from the big city and decides to follow her own path instead of that of her parents. So she comes to this small town to be a vet. She works alongside Val, who is connected to Rome's friend. Tally and Rome have history together, although not a very good and positive one. But due to all the connections in this little town, they can't seem to avoid each other. The question is: do they even want to?

I wanted to like this book but for me, it sadly fell short. The story line seemed to have many missing parts and often skipped weeks at a time. The two main characters went from hating each other, to barely talking, to apologizing, to saying I love you. It just didn’t all come together for me. I also felt like there were so many side storylines that took away from the main plot. In my opinion, the LGBTQA+ angle was overdone and almost forced. It just didn’t flow well for me that every couple was lesbian. The best part of this book: PUPPIES. The rest, for me, just wasn’t well written.

Finder's Keepers, the latest instalment in Radclyffe's Rivers Community Romance series, features the romance between Roman, an ex-military PA, and Tally, the town's new veterinarian. Meeting again after a decade, their reunion is far from smooth. Both harbour mistrust and unspoken grudges due to a murky past involving Tally's older sister. When they cross paths again, quite unexpectedly, the novel delves into a slow burn of earning back trust and coming to terms with who they've become, as opposed to who they once were.

While the story preserves the series' familiar themes of finding home and the concept of a found family, it fell a bit short for me compared to other Radclyffe books I've read. The pacing felt too rapid, hastening the characters from mistrust to love in what seemed like a blink. For me, the rushed pace just didn't allow the chemistry between Roman and Tally to fully develop.

That said, Finder's Keepers is by no means a bad book. It still offers strong characters, an air of mystery, and the ever-irresistible inclusion of adorable puppies. If you're a fan of Radclyffe or the Rivers Community Romance series, you'll find familiar comfort here. However, if you're looking for a relationship that takes its time to develop, this instalment may feel a tad hurried.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series and this book just adds to the overall storyline. We get to catch up on old friends and two new main characters Rome Ashcroft and Tally Dewilde, Ms. Radclyffe gives us strong characters, a story arc that brings us more in the vet world of animals and lots and lots of puppies.

This arc is not as strong as the past books in this series, not sure if it feels like maybe the series should be coming to the end or not, but still a nice addition for a light summer read. This is a very very slow build when it comes to the relationship but it is worth it to stay with it till the end.

Alway enjoy stories from Ms. Radclyffe and a bit thank you to NetGalley and BSB for letting me have an ARC,

Had a hard time getting and staying interested with this one. Maybe I need to start the series to be more interested in the characters, so that could be my own issue of not starting from the beginning. I feel as though the friends to lovers storyline is a bit over done. I’d like to see a little bit more fire and spice personally! Still, if you like happy endings and fluff, this book could be up your alley!

Rome Ashcroft is trying to restart her life in a small town when a bodacious animal rescue leads her directly into the path of someone from her past—Tally Dewilde, the successful and beloved town vet who is also the sister of the woman who ruined Tally’s life as a young woman. However, Tally remembers the past much differently, and in ways that paint Rome as the villain. Bonded by the mission to care for orphaned puppies, these two women start to see past the prejudices they’ve gained from others to see their true selves…and mutual attraction.

Honestly, the premise is cute, and I love enemies to lovers, but I found the writing to be cliched, and the plot and characters to be rife with melodrama. Melodrama is okay for cozy romance, but I felt like there weren’t really any good twists. The story felt kind of flat, and it was hard to stay interested.

WE HAVE PUPPIES, that’s all you need to know! Seriously, who doesn’t want to read a book which has lots of puppies in it?

Now, about the book… I enjoyed it, but I feel this story has been written before. The characters are likeable, I feel like there is lacking chemistry between the pair tho, with a lot of ‘toing and froing’, which leaves me feeling that it’s all been rushed.

Did I mention puppies?

3 out of 5.

3.5 stars
Typical Radclyffe story. Always a pleasant easy read. But this one is a bit tame. A budding romance, a few kisses, one brief sex scene, all done.
Another continuation of the "Rivers" series.
This one has 6 abandoned puppies which is a cute part of the story. Oh and a hot Porsche.
Easy summer read.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was another wonderful, sweet story from Radclyffe that was perfect for a light summer read. I have a special affinity for Radclyffe’s stories because she was one of the very first queer authors I found. I’ve always been an avid romance reader and finding Radclyffe’s stories was a special time in my life. I just LOVE her Rivers series and this is a wonderful addition to the series.
I enjoy seeing the other Rivers characters and getting glimpses of how their lives and love has continued to grow. Roman Ashcroft is a wonderful addition to the Rivers world. I really adored her character's integrity, courage, and humility. A woman from Rome’s past, Tally Dewilde, is gripped by her past and her wealthy family. Running into Rome has Tally’s world flipped upside down and questioning the past she thought she knew.
I would have liked to have seen more development in their relationship. I felt like some of their interactions could have been a little bit deeper. I had a little challenge with how quickly they fell for each other when the bulk of the book, there was tension and intentional avoidance. I would have liked to see a little more of what drew them to each other but overall I really enjoyed the story.

I really hope Blake will get a story in the future. Again, I just love the whole Rivers community and really enjoy each installment of this series. Radclyffe will always be an author I know will deliver great stories with wonderful, strong female characters.

Thank you to Radclyffe, Bold Stroke Books, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this one! Another great addition to the Rivers community! This one is definitely one of my favorites because of puppies and and the enemies to lovers/ second chances. The relationships were intriguing and complex! I definitely recommend this one!