Name: Insult to Injury
ISBN: 9781635553246

Gun Brooke

World famous violinist Gail Owen is devastated after a car accident leaves her unable to play her beloved instrument. She withdraws from her privileged life to an old farmhouse in Rhode Island. Romi Shepherd is homeless in New York City and barely survives by singing for pennies in the subway. After being wrongfully arrested, she hitchhikes back to Rhode Island and, out of money and options, hides in a secret room in the house she grew up in, unaware that the new owner is about to move in permanently. When Gail discovers Romi has been living in her house, she is curiously drawn to the young woman. Romi is torn between feeling guilty for lying to Gail and enamored of her, and she fears the truth will set them on a path toward heartbreak.

Insult to Injury

After losing everything, Gail Owen withdraws to her old farmhouse and finds a destitute young woman, Romi Shepherd, living in a secret room.

Izza

Jude Silberfeld

It’s not something I’d want in all my books but once in a while I love it when almost every character is gay. It feels safe and relaxing. Insult to Injury takes place in East Quay, in the same universe as Coffee Sonata and it was great to spend time with such wonderful characters as Vivian, Mike, Manon and Eryn again. The new ones, MCs Romi and Gail, and the secondary cast are really good too.

The structure of the book is different, it’s told in the first person alternating between Gail and Romi’s POVs.

After a car accident ends her career as a violinist, Gail moves to an old farmhouse in East Quay, far from her world. She meets Romi, a younger woman, whom she soon finds is one of the few who can reach beyond the walls she has erected around herself. But Romi’s secrets stand between them. Romi is back in East Quay after having run away when she was sixteen. She spent the following years on the streets of New York and only came back to flee the police. She moves into a secret room in the basement of the house she grew up in only to realize that the house is now occupied by the fascinating Gail.

This novel tugged at my heart all the way, much the same way as Coffee Sonata. It’s a story of new beginnings, of rediscovering oneself, of trusting again (both others and oneself). I haven’t read many of Gun Brooke’s books but this one makes me think I should.

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

Megan Cooper

I've only recently discovered Gun Brooke's contemporary romances. Brooke has knocked a few out of the park, but all them have been solid romances with a good dose of angst (and sometimes a good dose of angst in a romance novel is just what you need).

This is Brooke's newest and it's set in the same town as two of her previous books, Coffee Sonata and Wayworn Lovers. As characters from each of those books are strong secondary characters in this one, I would suggest you read the others first so you aren't trying to keep up with who's who and some of the backstories. Although its nice to revisit characters you enjoyed and to have them connect with the new characters, I think the town of East Quay is hitting critical mass for lesbian musicians with tragic backstories.

Insult to Injury is told in first person POV, switching off between the two main characters - Romi and Gail. With the dual POV, the reader is able to empathize with both of the rather crappy deals life has handed them and how they perceive themselves and each other.

After running away from her aunt's home at 16, Romi has been surviving on the streets of New York by signing in the subway stations. Picked up by the police in a case of mistaken identity, she manages to bolt and returns to East Quay to hide out in a secret bomb shelter in the now abandoned house she grew up in. Unbeknownst to Romi, the house has been purchased by Gail, a virtuoso violinist who is now recovering from a catastrophic car accident that has left her with a damaged arm and hand. It's a bit of an odd (and could be uber-creepy) set up - Romi living in the basement without Gail knowing and the two of them running into one another outside the house and starting to build a hesitant friendship, but it works. The ending is a bit cheesy and overwrought, but overall I enjoyed reading the book and really didn't care because I was liked the characters and the overall story.

Despite the hardship the last few years have inflicted on her, Romi's still optimistic and,as she begins to build a new life in East Quay, she comes into her own. Gail, on the other hand, has some anger and resentment to work her way through but through her connection with Romi and the other women in East Quay, her frosty demeanor slowly melts. The characters work well together with a juxtaposition of social/economic status, age, and experience but at times there's a bit of an imbalance between the two characters and Romi's guilt and actions from staying in the house in the secret shelter is a bit overboard and slightly immature.

They both have a pretty traumatic backstory and plenty of reason to wallow in angst, but the overall tone of the book is more positive. This isn't deeply introspective around the issues that the women have faced and is a lighter read than the set up may suggest. Gail is a bit harder to warm up to as she begins as a rather negative and angry character, but is humanized through Romi - both as you perceive her through Romi's POV and also as Gail shifts her own perceptions and attitude in her own POV. There's a nice bit of chemistry between the two that helps smooth over some of the story elements that may strain credulity.

Are the bumps and issues with the book - yeah, if you stop and think too hard. Regardless, I enjoyed reading this one - its a light romance that left me with just the right amount of "aw shucks" at the end.

Thank you to BSB and Netgalley for an advance copy that was provided for a fair and honest review.

Insult to Injury

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