It's a sweet, fluffy romance. While the ending was abrupt, the story felt pretty done. I'd recommend it to my standard romance loving friends, definitely. ( )

I really liked this, even though Mending Defects is still my favorite. But this one is close. ( )

My ninth book by Galli. And, based on some of the more recent books I'd read by her, one I was oddly reluctant to read. There was mention of Vivian in the prior book in this 'series', and nothing present there made me think I should rush in to read this specific book here. Granted she was just mentioned in passing Mending Defects.

So. A designer, Vivian Yeats (huh, I recall someone else being called Yeats recently, strange), and a contractor, Natalie Harper bump into each other, and over a longish period of time, develop a relationship together. In Aspen. Hence the title of the series, Aspen Friends.

I rather liked this one. The introduction, earlish in the book, of kids made me groan. But, fortunately, wasn't the bad kind of kid-adult interaction that I've run across before. And, happily, none of the point of views came from any of the children. No, just Natalie and Vivian. Actually, I just realized that. Somewhat unlike Galli, she had both have their own sections of have their own point of view expressed. Most of the time Galli seems to keep it to one POV, with the other maybe showing up in an epilogue. Or, like in the previous book in this series, in diary form (though that's the only diary I recall). If I had time, I'd hunt down her other books to see if she actually has had full multiple point of views before (as in both parties in a relationship, not two POV's, one of which is an adults, and the other is a kids; full as in equal treatment of both POV's, instead of full POV from one, and a hidden and/or diary version for the other). I can't, of the top of my head, recall.

That was nice, actually. Seeing both point of views right off the bat. Unlike, say, in Mending Defects wherein you got two POV's, but one was only in diary, or Blessed Twice & it's sequel Forevermore wherein there are two POV's in each book, but the first has Briony's POV and then this secretive one that was behind a veil, though was obviously M's; and M's POV in the second book, with some kid's as the second POV in that book.

Also nice was how fluffy this one was. Without the heartache and angst that seems mandatory in lesbian romances. A nice fluffy sweet book. Worthy of 4.5 stars. Depending on how well this book sticks with me, will probably determine if I raise or lower that rating. As, I can't, at the moment, think why I didn't give the book a full 5 star rating. I'm highly unlikely I'll raise it, though, since I didn't immediately slap five stars on, but there's a chance I will. If it lingers in my mind. The right kind of lingering.

In terms of characters, this is probably the first book I've read with a designer, and the second character (I think) who worked in construction. At least in a lesbian romance. That other contractor/construction worker being one in J.A. Armstrong's design series. Actually, I just recalled another construction worker. In Learning Curve, I believe. So, my third lesbian construction worker, then. ( )