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WORK TITLE: Not-So-Straight Sue
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://cheyenneblue.com/
CITY:
STATE: QL
COUNTRY: Australia
NATIONALITY: Australian
http://www.curvemag.com/Reviews/Never-Tied-Nora-Girl-Meets-Girl-Book-1-By-Cheyenne-Blue-875/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Female.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
AVOCATIONS:Cooking, running, tennis, traveling, hiking.
WRITINGS
Editor of the anthologies, Forbidden Fruit and First: Sensual Lesbian Stories of New Beginnings. Contributor to anthologies.
SIDELIGHTS
Cheyenne Blue is an Australian writer. She has written lesbian novels and has edited the anthologies, Forbidden Fruit and First: Sensual Lesbian Stories of New Beginnings. Blue has also written stories that have been included in anthologies.
Never-Tied Nora
In 2016, Blue released Never-Tied Nora, the first book in her “Girl Meets Girl” series. The title character lives in London and is part of a large Irish family, the Kellys. Her family members have given her the nickname of Never-Tied Nora because of her carefree lifestyle and the fact that she is rarely in a relationship because she does not want to be committed to another person. Nora’s sister, Mary, attempts to give her advice on love, telling Nora that she will know without a doubt when the right person for her comes along. Nora wonders if that right person may be Geraldine Flannery, a fellow Irishwoman she meets. Nora and Geraldine are instantly attracted to one another. However, their potential for having a relationship is challenged because their two families have been involved in a decades-long feud. They both know that dating one another would greatly upset their relatives. Nora decides she cannot let the love of her life pass her by, so she attempts to convince Geraldine to take a chance on her, despite her family connections.
Ruth Hohnke, reviewer on the Curve Web site, suggested: “Never-Tied Nora is a wonderful read. There is no dark, heart-crushing sadness. … The family drama never eclipses the romance and the love scenes.” Hohnke added: “It was a perfect fit for a pleasant evening.”
Not-So-Straight Sue
Not-So-Straight Sue is the second book in Blue’s “Girl Meets Girl” series. Sue Brent, the protagonist, is an Australian lawyer who has been working in London. Though she has many queer friends and has had a long-term female pen pal based in Texas, Sue tells others that she is not a lesbian. On a whim, Sue decides to return to Queensland, in the Australian outback, where she grew up. She hopes to deal with pain she experienced as a young woman and to begin living as a lesbian. When Mon, her pen pal, learns of her decision, she chooses to move to Australia, too. Mon begins working for the Flying Doctor Service in the outback. As Sue and Mon get to know each other in person, a romance between them grows. They begin sleeping together. Meanwhile, being back in Queensland forces Sue to confront her memories of being persecuted in high school. She comes face to face with some of her former tormenters and relives the anxiety she felt in the moment.
A Publishers Weekly critic commented: “A melodramatic closeting backstory, an implausible motivation, … and limp pacing mar Blue’s latest feel-good fluffy romance.” However, Tara Scott, contributor to the Lesbian Review Web site, suggested: “Although it doesn’t really follow the typical beats of a romance and is more about Sue’s personal journey (both literal across the outback and metaphorical as she begins to live openly as a lesbian), it [is] so satisfying.” Scott added: “The characters are great, the pacing worked well … and the setting was fascinating.” A writer on the Kitty Kat’s Book Review Blog Web site described Not-So-Straight Sue as “a beautifully evocative love story.” The same writer continued: “Cheyenne Blue is a skilled writer.” The writer added: “As well as being so emotionally touching, the love scenes were scorching.” A reviewer on the Les Reveur Web site remarked: “This story is one of courage and embracing your life even when you don’t know if it could harm your relationships with loved ones. Sue’s bravery was encouraging and lead to some real special moments between her family and friends.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, August 29, 2016, review of Not-So-Straight Sue, p. 75.
ONLINE
Cheyenne Blue Home Page, https://cheyenneblue.com/ (May 23, 2017).
Curve, http://www.curvemag.com/ (January 16, 2016), Ruth Hohnke, review of Never-Tied Nora.
Kitty Kat’s Book Review Blog, https://kittykatwordpresscom.wordpress.com/ (October 20, 2016), review of Not-So-Straight Sue.
Les Reveur, https://lesreveur.com/ (November 25, 2016), review of Not-So-Straight Sue.
Lesbian Review, http://www.thelesbianreview.com/ (April 7, 2017), Tara Scott, review of Not-So-Straight Sue.*
G’day and welcome. I’m Cheyenne Blue. I mainly write lesbian romance and erotica, but other things creep in from time to time depending on what jumps into my head. My lesbian romance series "Girl Meets Girl" is out now--three standalone novels with interconnecting characters: Never-Tied Nora, Not-So-Straight Sue, and Fenced-In Felix.
I'm the editor of Forbidden Fruit: stories of unwise lesbian desire which was a finalist in both the Lambda Literary Awards and Golden Crown Literary Awards, and of First: Sensual Lesbian Stories of New Beginnings. You may have seen my short erotica in anthologies put out by Cleis Press, Ladylit, Ylva, Mammoth and many more.
I live in a rural community in Queensland, Australia. I love to cook, I love to run, play tennis, travel, hike, and be outdoors with a dog. All of those things creep into my stories from time to time.
You can find out more about me on my website cheyenneblue.com or on Twitter @Iamcheyenneblue
G’day and welcome. I’m Cheyenne Blue, but you’ve probably figured that out already as you’ve stopped by.
I’ve been hanging around the erotica world since 2000, writing erotica, romance, and erotic romance, predominantly about loving lesbian ladies, but other things creep in from time to time depending on what jumps into my head.
For the longest time, I wrote short stories, and you can find them in a multitude of anthologies put out by the likes of Cleis Press, Ladylit, Ylva Publishing, Mammoth, and more.
My “Girl Meets Girl” series–three standalone stories with overlapping characters–is out now from Ylva Publishing. Never-Tied Nora, Not-So-Straight Sue, and Fenced-In Felix are available now. Look out for more from me in 2017.
I edit for individual writers too. If you’re interested in securing my services, please email me at cheyenne at cheyenneblue dot com.
I’ve lived in a few places around the world: England, Australia, Switzerland, the United States, and Ireland. Consequently, I am either very good at the differences between all those versions of English, or absolutely woeful. I returned to Australia at the end of 2009, and I’m still here. I live in the Mary Valley, in south east Queensland, in a house on a hill with views of trees and a valley full of cows. I love to cook, especially things that are staple foods normally purchased, such as bread and cheese. I grow my own veggies. I love to run, play tennis, travel, hike, and be outdoors with a dog. All of those things creep into my stories from time to time.
You can find out more about me on my website cheyenneblue.com or on Twitter @Iamcheyenneblue. I’m active on Goodreads and love new friends–it’s where I get most of my reading recommendations. And holy moly, I got sucked into Facebook.
QUOTED: "A melodramatic closeting backstory, an implausible motivation, ... and limp pacing mar Blue's latest feel-good fluffy romance."
Not-So-Straight Sue
263.35 (Aug. 29, 2016): p75.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Not-So-Straight Sue
Cheyenne Blue. Ylva, $15.99 trade paper (240p) ISBN 978-3-9553359-7-7
A melodramatic closeting backstory, an implausible motivation for a character's huge change of life, and limp pacing mar Blue's latest feel-good fluffy romance (after Never-Tied Nora), but at least her love for the Australian landscape comes through clearly. Newly promoted London-based lawyer Sue Brent, who has insisted she is straight even to her best queer friends, makes a sudden decision to return home to the outback of Queensland, Australia, to confront the trauma of her youth and restart life as an out lesbian. On hearing the news, Texas-based Mon, Sue's gay email buddy for the last three years, takes a job in Queensland with the Flying Doctor Service, hoping to get to know Sue better. Of course the two women click. The family scenes are heartwarming, and the sex scenes are sweet, loving, and hot, but Sue's processing of her history over and over--both in her own head and when interacting with the woman who treated her poorly in high school--is shallow and annoying, making the coming-out portion of the narrative unrelatable. (Oct.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Not-So-Straight Sue." Publishers Weekly, 29 Aug. 2016, p. 75+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA462236468&it=r&asid=56409c287a6512bfb4bc4b2a7d5c406c. Accessed 3 May 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A462236468
QUOTED: "Never-Tied Nora is a wonderful read. There is no dark, heart-crushing sadness. ... The family drama never eclipses the romance and the love scenes."
"It was a perfect fit for a pleasant evening."
Never-Tied Nora (Girl Meets Girl Book 1) By Cheyenne Blue
Better than Romeo and Juliet
By Ruth Hohnke
1362
0
Published: 2016.01.16 08:00 AM
Two big Irish families, a love between two gorgeous women, unfulfilled longing, and most importantly, determination are the main ingredients in this touching adventure by Cheyenne Blue.
Never-Tied Nora is Cheyenne's first novella-length story. I have loved her short erotica in anthologies and was so surprised to find a longer work. This opportunity was just too good to miss.
One of the two main characters in this well-written love story is Nora. Her big Irish family has a nickname for her—“Never-Tied Nora”—because Nora’s life in London is carefree. There is always a new woman for Nora to seduce. Love is something for romantics like her sister Mary. Mary has a deep conviction that “when love hits you, it’ll come with a wallop when you least expect it and you’ll know that this is it. This is the one for you.”
Nora remembers well these words when she first meets Geraldine. Ger is the woman of her dreams, and suddenly commitment isn’t a dirty word anymore. The only trouble is: Ger is a Flannery and Nora is a Kelly.
The Kellys and the Flannerys have been feuding ever since both families arrived in London from Ireland decades ago, and time hasn’thealed the hate. Both women know they can date any woman they want as long as the other woman isn’t from the enemy family.
Just as Nora thinks life is good, that life is happiness, everything changes. So the question is: can Nora convince Ger that they are meant to be together even when their families won’t tolerate their choice?
Never-Tied Nora is a wonderful read. There is no dark, heart-crushing sadness. I sympathized with Nora and Ger, with their stubborn families, with the fierceness in protecting and upholding traditions and values. But the family drama never eclipses the romance and the love scenes.
The novella has a straightforward plot line, as I am used to in Cheyenne’s short eroticas. Never-Tied Nora is a happy book to gush over. It didn’t put me through an intense emotional turmoil. It was a perfect fit for a pleasant evening.
QUOTED: "Although it doesn’t really follow the typical beats of a romance and is more about Sue’s personal journey (both literal across the outback and metaphorical as she begins to live openly as a lesbian), it so satisfying."
"The characters are great, the pacing worked well ... and the setting was fascinating."
Not-So-Straight Sue by Cheyenne Blue: Book Review
April 7, 2017 Tara Scottcheyenne blue, Lesbian books, Lesbian Fiction, Ylva Publishing
Not-So-Straight-Sue by Cheyenne BlueNot-So-Straight Sue by Cheyenne Blue is the second book in her Girl Meets Girl series and, dare I say it? I liked it even more than Never-Tied Nora (and I liked that one a whole lot). Although it fully stands alone, I was glad I’d read Never-Tied Nora first, because I enjoyed seeing Nora and Geraldine again and I came into this story excited to read about Sue and her journey.
Sue Brent is straight. Super, duper, extra straight. That’s what she’s been telling herself for 10 years, anyway, and the words “Sorry, I’m straight” roll off her tongue so easily that everyone believes her, including her best friend. Only Moni, an American tourist, saw through the lie, even if she didn’t call her out for it. Sue’s life is fantastic with a big promotion about to land in her lap at the law firm she works at in London, incredible friends who are like family, and more amazing restaurants and pubs than she could imagine just a quick walk or ride away. And yet, something isn’t right. After years of living so far away from Australia, the outback calls her home and Sue answers, taking a year-long contract running a rural law practice in the remote, tiny town of Mungabilly Creek.
Once back in Australia, Sue finally has the courage to do what she needed to a decade prior and comes out officially to her family. Now fully out, Sue finds the authentic life so much better, with “Sorry, I’m not straight” rolling off her tongue even more easily than the opposite phrase had before. When Moni takes a position with the Flying Doctors only a few hours away from Sue, it seems like she has the chance to explore something more, if only her ex-girlfriend from highschool doesn’t screw everything up by showing up unannounced in Mungabilly Creek.
The Characters
I knew coming into this book that I’d like Sue because she was a fantastic sidekick in Never-Tied Nora, and it didn’t disappoint! Sue is warm and funny, good at her job, and exactly the kind of coffee buddy I’d love to have. The way she wrestles with her identity, suppressing the part of herself that is queer, is heartbreaking and difficult at times, and makes all the sense in the world when we learn why she did it. As someone who didn’t figure themself out for a long time for different, but relatable reasons, I identified with Sue more than most characters I’ve read in lesfic, and she’ll long hold a special place in my heart.
Moni is such a wonderful, perfect partner for Sue. She’s equally warm and funny, more naturally comfortable in her own skin, and is so good at encouraging Sue and helping her be her best self. I enjoyed every moment she and Sue spent with each other, even when they were interacting over email, because their connection crackles.
There are many side characters in Not-So-Straight Sue, and they’re all really well done. Nora and Ger were a delight to revisit and I was pleased with how much we got to see and hear of them. Felix, the woman who runs the outback hospitality business that Sue visits on her way to Mungabilly Creek, is a super sexy older woman whose book is the third in the series. Denise, Sue’s ex-girlfriend from highschool, is a real piece of work and I haven’t been so angry at a character in a long time. Also, Mrs. T, Sue’s housekeeper in Mungabilly Creek, adds a motherly voice of reason as Sue figures out what her new life looks like.
The Writing Style
Not-So-Straight Sue has a really easy style to it that sucked me in and left me wholly content by the time I was done. Although it doesn’t really follow the typical beats of a romance and is more about Sue’s personal journey (both literal across the outback and metaphorical as she begins to live openly as a lesbian), it so satisfying and my heart was so happy at the end.
I’ll say this about the writing too: despite seeing the crisis point coming (I mean, it’s even mentioned in the blurb on the back of the book), it still had me so angry. That takes some serious writing skills.
The Pros
I liked everything. The characters are great, the pacing worked well for me, and the setting was fascinating. I was also surprised at how many Australian words I knew (although I did give my Kindle’s dictionary function its first workout in a long time).
The Cons
Nothing.
taras favourite lesbian booksThe Conclusion
I loved this book and wholeheartedly recommend it. I don’t necessarily want to go to the outback now because, well, dangerous snakes etc, but I’ll happily revisit this book again and again.
Excerpt from Not-So-Straight Sue by Cheyenne Blue
“About time you got home.” The voice, low, feminine, and decidedly American, drifted down from the veranda above me. “It’s hot as hell here, I can’t find the switch for your air con, and all your beer is gone. I was about to go to the hotel for a six pack.”
I knew that voice. I hadn’t heard it in over three years except over a Skype connection, but it was unmistakable. Moni. How like her to turn up unannounced. I dropped the case, which hit the path with a thunk, and I took the veranda steps two at a time. My heart thudded in my chest, and I didn’t want to stop and analyse the euphoric feeling that flooded me, that made my fingers tingle and my mouth stretch into the biggest shit-eating grin. She was here. That was what mattered, and I couldn’t wait to see her.
She met me at the top of the steps, and I flung my arms around her and gave her a big hug. She hugged me back, and I was so wound up that I was about to kiss her, really kiss her, when she extricated herself and took a step back. Right. The Moni I’d been imagining, the one that might possibly be my girlfriend, was in my head. I hadn’t actually mentioned it to her yet.
QUOTED: "a beautifully evocative love story."
"Cheyenne Blue is a skilled writer."
"As well as being so emotionally touching, the love scenes were scorching."
Cheyenne Blue has written a beautifully evocative love story, set in the Outback of Australia, with a main character who stole my heart. Sue has spent the last ten years away from home, escaping from a situation she can’t face. She is a lesbian, but to the world she is straight, as admitting the truth runs too many risks for her. Only one woman, Moni, sees through the facade, but she is on the other side of the world and Sue faces her dilemma alone. When homesickness finally gets to her, Sue decides to pack in her fast-paced London life for a law practise in Mungabilly Creek, Queensland. Only then can she accept who she is and hope that others will do the same. I loved Sue’s touching coming out and how she blossomed as a proud, at-ease, confident woman. When she meets Moni again their attraction is intense and the sexual tension between them is off the scale. Cheyenne Blue is a skilled writer and she made me feel so invested in their relationship. As well as being so emotionally touching, the love scenes were scorching. Rarely have I read any so wonderfully descriptive and effective. I also found myself in love with the Outback and its people and landscape. I could almost taste the red dust! I am really looking forward to more in this vein and note that a new novel featuring Felix, a pivotal character in this book, is due out soon. I highly recommend this amazing story.
QUOTED: "This story is one of courage and embracing your life even when you don’t know if it could harm your relationships with loved ones. Sue’s bravery was encouraging and lead to some real special moments between her family and friends."
Not-So-Straight Sue by Cheyenne Blue
Posted on November 25, 2016
Second Novel in Cheyenne Blue’s ‘Girl Meets Girl’ Series
The Synopsis
“Sorry, I’m straight.” Those words, accompanied by a smile, were the ones Sue Brent used to turn down women. But the truth was buried so deep that even her best friend, Nora, didn’t know that Sue was queer. Sometimes, Sue even managed to convince herself. The only person in London who’d seen through her façade was Moni, an American tourist.
When a date with a friend’s brother goes disastrously wrong, Sue has to confront the truth about herself. Leaving London, she returns to Australia to take up the reins in an outback law practice. Back in the country of her birth, she is finally able to accept who she is, including facing Denise, the woman who burned her so badly years ago and set her on the path of pretence. But it’s not until Moni arrives in Queensland to work for the Flying Doctors that Sue is finally able to see a path to happiness. However, as things start to go her way, Denise arrives in Mungabilly Creek, begging a favour that might destroy Sue’s new relationship.
My Review
After Sue had a traumatic event as a teenager that lead to her going back in the closet and denying her homosexuality even to her closet friends. She decided to stop living in denial and head back to her home-town and a life she has been running away from most of her life. Sue meets back up with a friend she met once upon a time in London. The attraction that never died for both Sue and Moni start them on a collision course for love however when the past come knocking at Sue’s door it could turn everything upside down.
This was a step up from the first in the series ‘Never-Tied Nora’. I enjoyed the first book but Not-So-Straight Sue was more my kind of romance. I really enjoy Cheyenne Blue style of writing. Its honest and down to earth. More than once I thought the conversation between the characters was one I would have with my Aussie friends. I’m a expat living in Australia just now so I really enjoyed the geography lesson and it gave me the push to check out some of the outback that I needs to go on my Bucket List.
Sue was a great character in the first novel so I was really excited to get into this book and hear more about her story. This story is one of courage and embracing your life even when you don’t know if it could harm your relationships with loved ones. Sue’s bravery was encouraging and lead to some real special moments between her family and friends. I have to say I enjoyed the moments with Moni the best. She was fun, light hearted and very honest with her feelings. Sue and Moni’s love was clear from the beginning and gave the reader hope from the moment they meet up in Outback Australia.
I was left wanting more from Felix in this novel and then I read that the next book in the series concentrates on Felix’s love life. The book Fenced-in Felix was 15th of November 2016 so guess what I’ll be reading very soon…
I am looking forward to the snuggling up with the third book in the series very soon.
4 Stars