Reviewed by Roberta
TITLE: Razor Wire
AUTHOR: Lauren Gallagher
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 215 Page
BLURB
Two women. One terrible crime. Zero allies.
After being raped by a superior officer, MA3 Kim Lockhoff wants to leave the whole thing in the past. A cop herself, she knows all too well that it’s her word—and slutty reputation—against that of a respected Navy officer.
MA2 Reese Marion, a tough cop hiding her own trauma behind a hard-as-nails exterior, has no patience for pretty little princesses who use their cleavage to win favor with the guys. But when Reese is partnered with Kim, she slowly realizes that reputations can lie. Kim is whip-smart, ambitious—and scared. The man who attacked her won’t let anything damage his career, least of all Kim . . . or the baby she’s carrying as a result.
Isolated on Okinawa, thousands of miles away from home, the two women lean hard on each other. But when Kim confides in Reese, she unwittingly puts her new lover—and both of their careers—in the line of fire. Now her attacker just might have the leverage he needs to keep her quiet for good.
REVIEW:
This book came up for review and it sounded really good. I wanted to see how this issue was going to be resolved and I wasn’t disappointed.
Kim Lockhoff is a young woman who is in trouble. She was assaulted/raped by a superior officer and she’s now pregnant with is child. Kim is confused, scared and unsure what to do. She knows that her reputation around the base isn’t good, that she’s the base whore, but she’s really not. Kim is this woman who has had something that most women fear in the back of our minds, rape. She’s trying to deal with this fact as well as the fact that she’s now pregnant by her attacker. Kim has ALWAYS wanted to be in the Navy and to find that her career is in jeopardy…what’s a girl to do? Kim is a wonderful character. She’s tougher than she thinks. Stronger than she’s ever thought herself to be and she’s going to need that strength. To be threatened at every turn…who do you trust and how far is she willing to go?
Reese Marion is the kind of woman that hates the women who joins the Navy and sleep their way to promotions and give women in the military a bad name. Reese only wants to do her job and be left alone, however, her boss seems to keep throwing her into situations in order to put these women on the straight and narrow. Reese is this really powerful character who is hiding a secret of her own. Reese is now thrown into this situation where she has her mind changed and is involved in the life a scared woman who doesn’t have anywhere to turn. Reese is this wonderful character who shows such caring and kindness. She’s not only physically strong, but her heart is really what makes her this great character. To see through the outer shell, the persona that a person throws out and into their heart and soul…what a great person.
This book was so hard to read, if only to read about the way women in the military are viewed…and believe me, it’s not that great. To either be an Ice Queen or The Whore…it’s not fair in the least. You want to join the military as your career and then find out that you can’t just do your job…you’ve not only have to play a political game, but that you also have to find a balance between being one of the guys and still keeping yourself whole and safe. You read about rape in this story. You don’t see it happening on screen but in the retelling…I am putting the caution on this book if this is a trigger for you, as even reading about it afterwards, it hurt my heart. To see how these women were struggling to deal with it…was hard. To hear the comments that were made…made me ABSOLUTLEY FURIOUS!!! I wanted to jump in and rip those bastard’s heads off.
The secondary characters in this book…wow. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell you about them. Alejandro Gutierrez is Reese and Kim’s immediate supervisor and believe me…I wondered about this guy. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him. I liked him and then was confused about where he stood and then…just WOW!! Lieutenant Joel Stanton…what a FUCKING JACKASS!! I hated him from the moment he stepped on my kindle page until the end. There was Absolutely Fucking NOTHING about this man that was redeemable. Trust me….I hated him. The way he used his position to bully and try to get his way…I wanted to junk punch that creature!! Stanton’s wife made a brief appearance and I hated her too. I get where she was coming from…I do. She was married to this man and had his children and put up with ALL of his shit throughout their marriage but she liked her position as a military wife and the perks that went with it. However, she came off as just as much of a horrible person as her husband. I can’t get behind that.
There was only a few scenes of intimacy between the characters and I’m glad that is was towards the end of the story. You got to see them become friends first and then lovers. That was really nice to see. That it wasn’t lust first, even if they were both attracted to each other, but to see them bond first…that was really nice. The few scenes that they were intimate….HOLY HANNAH…It Was HOT!!!
This book captured my interest from the beginning. I was so caught up in the lives of these two women and how this was going to be resolved. It was hard watching these two women go through such bullshit and still be able to hold their heads high. I really liked these two women together and the way that they found not only common ground, but that they could lean on each other. What a great story and I fell for the characters. I was along for the ride and was sorry when it ended, but really happy with the results.
Lauren Gallagher…aka…L.A. Witt did a FABULOUS Job with this story. She took something that was really true in life and made it a really great story. Taking down the bad guy….finding your own strength…coming out of an assault and the aftereffects. This story had it all and it was told so very well. The complex story with so many layers and so…just laying it bare. I was so enthralled and captivated…a really great read.
Again…I’d like to repeat my warning about the rape(s) that were described in this book. If assault is a trigger for you or one of your no-no’s…this isn’t the book for you…however, I will say that this book gives so much hope. I really can’t say enough about how wonderful I found this book and I hope that the author comes out with further books.
This is F/F book and that was really nice to read. I hope that you take the chance and read it. I’m really applauding Riptide Publishing for getting into Lesbian books and I can’t wait to read more from them!!
RATING: 
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