Reviews and Awards
and Other Achievements
Thank you to every single person who talks up books. Word of mouth matters today as much as it ever has. People’s opinions matter more than search algorithms!
Readers often ask what they can do to help lesfic. Posting just a few words about any book is incredibly helpful for both authors and other readers. A good place to start is with how that book made you feel.
- Get this book when you want to find romance in amongst the dumpster fire world in which we live.
- Very good narration for an excellent novella. 4.5 stars.
- The dialogue, particularly in conversations between Milla and Tyna, works so well, capturing the first blush of attraction.
- Seeds of Fire Finalist for a 2002 Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Fantasy.
- A cast of characters who buzz in and out of each other's lives (and apartments) in the course of one busy night...
- The growing attraction and feelings the women experience are delicately delineated with a fine touch...
- My Lady Lipstick Winner of a Goldie award for Best Lesbian Romantic Blend at the Golden Crown Literary Society’s 2019 Awards Ceremony.
- These stories are great as stand alone and as surprise returns of characters I had read before.
- Both author and narrator are such professionals, they made this audiobook a great experience. Highly recommended.
- “I started with And Now a Word…or Two, and ate the whole thing, buttercream rose and all, savoring every bite.” – Carol Rosenfeld for Lambda Book Report
- The icing on the permissible small sliver of cake is the sexy and truly romantic love story.
- For as much as I thought I disliked both women for different reasons, Kallmaker sucked me in with deeper character analysis that left me cheering them both on in the last few chapters.
- It’s worth reading the notes at the end of the book to learn a little more about Kallmaker’s inspiration and a rumination on the beginning of lesbian fiction.
- Classic Kallmaker elements with interesting characters, wry wit and steamy love scenes.
- I love a book where the women are strong and commanding. It was a GREAT read and I couldn't put it down.
- Sugar is a literary snack as delectable as the fabulous desserts created by the Seattle chef.
- This tale of love lost and love found makes you cry and laugh at the same time.
- My Lady Lipstick has a well-written plot with innovative character drama and a love story that doesn’t disappoint. The romance sparkles, the characters are enchanting...
- If anyone had suggested to me that I would have been moved and enthralled by a fictional alien encounter, I would never have believed it, but there you have it.
- It was as if she knew me, and created the character of Shay right out of my life.
- ...It’s hot; it’s imaginative; and the bonus is that it’s well-written and well, entertaining.
- Infatti, più che alla storia d’amore tra le due protagoniste, si dà grande spazio alla loro storia personale, a ciò che le porterà a incontrarsi – solo nella seconda metà del romanzo.
- This book was like a fantasy come to life. All my life I have had the hots for librarians.
- Unforgettable is vintage lesbian romance, continuing Kallmaker's string of well-written, thoughtful stories about women surviving difficult times and coming into their own.
- I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t put it down. It even haunted my dreams and I woke in the middle of the night to just keep reading it. I think Kallmaker put her own kind of spell on me.
- A fun and sexy read to put you (or someone else) in the mood!
- The perfect read for a dark night, a cozy armchair and a warm fire in the fireplace.
- A fascinating and totally believable roller coaster with unexpected complications and intriguing plot twists...
- Stepping Stone Finalist for a 2009 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Romance.
- A 5 star read that I highly recommend. - Gail at Kindle Canada
- Sublime age-gap f/f romance - Swoon for Angela Dawe's spectacular, emotionally vibrant narration!
- The ending is wonderful and filled my heart with hope and love.
- They prevailed with good old fashioned lesbian camaraderie and intelligence.
- Beautiful and unforgettable story of love and hope.
- The writer has crafted the characters well, and you can't help but empathise with Irene.
- Once Upon a Dyke: New Exploits of Fairy Tale Lesbians This collection of four novellas was a finalist at the 2004 Lambda Literary Awards for LGBT Fantasy. The book contains an earlier, shorter version of “A Fish Out of Water.”
- Extremely well written in classic Kallmaker style, with a great supporting cast of friends and colleagues and a fascinating exploration on the social scene these women inhabit...
- Tara and Sheena from the Lesbian Review devote this episode of The Lesbian Talk Show to Just Like that by Karin Kallmaker.
- This quick smooth read will leave plenty of time to search your jar of change to find your own ancient coin of love.
- Be sure to pick this one up!
- I thoroughly enjoyed the antics, deception, and tension between Jamie and Val.
- ...Steamy sex, family drama, and all the angst you could hope for with a main character falling for her straight best friend.
- A bonus: fun use of exotic locales. Well done, brain-engaging romance.
- She's more than imaginative, she's cleverly inventive...
- Masterful storytelling that doesn’t get in the way of generating incredible heat.
- ...Oh, the journey is so worth it...
- The cinnamon bread pudding recipe worked!
- I Heart SapphFic readers have voted Knight of Night the Historical Romance of the Month!
- The Kiss that Counted Winner of 2008 Favorite Romance Book as voted by member of the Lesbian Fiction Readers Choice Awards.
- An excellent writer, with lots of experience, and it shows.
- I’ve always been impressed with her writing but this novella was even better than I expected.
- The filmmaking details were fascinating to me... The behind-the-scenes added to the story without getting in the way.
- Loved this book, it has a great twist, it is well told and loved the characters... Abby Craden as usual made this book even better.
- The book's underlying message is one of lesbian empowerment... Kallmaker's reign as "queen of lesbian romance" no doubt will continue.
- Being a descendant of First Generation Americans, I am impressed by this attention to detail.
- Never has a fictional character’s Happily Ever After delighted me more.
- An atmospheric mix of mythical past lives and daunting present-day dangers...
- The Dawning is one of those superb novels that are so easy to pick up - and so difficult to put down!
- Neither fluffy nor too heavy, Simply The Best hits the right balance, incorporating current news and societal themes in what remains, fundamentally, a romance novel.
- In Deep Waters Volume 2: Cruising the Strip Winner of the 2008 Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBT Erotica. Co-authored with Radclyffe.
- Checked Out is a sweet heartwarming story that just begs to be read in the run up to the festive season.
- Kallmaker quietly but effectively sets the stage... Recommended.
- A wonderfully written, wonderfully entertaining novel.
- Love can conquer anything, even time and always evil. That's the message of this book, which I could not put down.
- The kind of indestructible and talented woman we all dream we could be - much like Molly Bolt in Rubyfruit Jungle.
- One of my favorite things to do after reading a Karin Kallmaker book is to jump over to my Frosting on the Cake.
- A sweet holiday romance that is well written and performed.
- All the Wrong Places Finalist at the 2006 Golden Crown Literary Society Awards: Best Lesbian Romance.
- Great romance between two women who are each hiding from their lives in different ways and for different reasons. Five stars!
- Libera me se lit d'une traite et démontre avec bonheur que roman sentimental ne rime pas forcément avec Arlequin.
- ...Halfway through I’m really dying for two people to get together...
- Overall, I really enjoyed the read, so much so that the epilogue brought a tear to my eye. It was just so cute.
- 25th Anniversary Edition: One of Sheena's Favourite Lesbian Books
- Roller Coaster Finalist at the 2012 Golden Crown Literary Society Awards for Lesbian Romance.
- It is definitely a romance and if you haven’t read Ms Kallmaker’s Coin of Love series you are missing out.
- Added to my 're-read' pile!
- A sheer pleasure and joy to read.... An exceptionally strong and convincing story.
- A gift to all voracious readers from a splendidly gifted imagination.
- It wasn't that long ago I thought romance novels had nothing to offer a sophisticated reader. I was wrong...
- The premise for the story is interesting and imaginative... Refreshing!
- Both author and narrator are such professionals, they made this audiobook a great experience. Highly recommended.
- Full of suspense and mystery, deeply moving characters and storytelling... The perfect book.
- It was very moving!
- I really did enjoy this novel and recommend it to those who love WLW romance.
- Kallmaker's writing gets better and better, her observations on the life lesbian more and more astute. Painted Moon is a very good romance novel with lots of extras.
- "A well-written story that I really liked and can easily recommend." - Pin
- In Recognition of Mentorship Awarded by the Executive Director of the Golden Crown Literary Society, the LJ Maas Memorial Award was presented as “recognition of your mentorship of young writers and your commitment and dedication to new authors of lesbian literature.”
- It simply reads “In Appreciation” The Alice B. Award for Lifetime Achievement comes from a group of dedicated readers in Arizona who every year name veteran writers and debut authors as Medalists and Lavender Award Certificates winners respectively. Other medalists include KG MacGregor, Radclyffe, Cate Culpepper, Katherine V. Forrest, Ann Allen Shockley, Sheila Ortiz-Taylor, Ellen Hart, Peggy J. Herring, Gerri Hill and Claire McNab.
- The young, hot-headed Teresa and the tormented Rayann pull us in immediately...
- This traditional lesbian romance book was charming with fantastic dialogues that just appealed to the nerd in me.
- A marvelous story of two head-strong women.
- The Kiss that Counted Winner of a Golden Crown Literary Society Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award at the Golden Crown Literary Society’s 2009 awards ceremony. This award is voted on by the Society’s membership in an annual poll.
- An upbeat romance that begins with a house fire that threatens a woman's livelihood...
- Recommend with 5 stars and look forward to the next book in the series.
- ...Du monde tout une gamme d'expériences intimes rarement contées avec autant de naturel et de légèreté...
- The dialogue is probably the best I have read by this author and she excels at snappy dialogue.
- The whole is a perfectly wrapped bundle of enjoyment for anyone who likes a good romance.
- I loved the big nod to the early pioneers of lesbian fiction Ann Bannon and Marijane Meaker who were beacons to those searching for more.
- A great job of blending humor with the realities of life, like smeared makeup when you want to be sexy and limbs that fall asleep...