Average Rating: 
Rating:  - An experience, as all great novels should be
Love's Melody Lost was the first lesbian romance I ever read and to date, I have yet to find its peer. I found it at a time when, unaware that such love stories existed, I was merely looking for writing that moved me in a way that only eloquence in style, characterization, and plot could.And find it I did. Radclyffe creates a world that is passionate and intense, fantastic yet real, dark yet triumphant. The story is not so much told as painted in words and characters and moods that draw the reader in and bewitch them with breathless wonder. At the story's core is the turbulent relationship between Graham Yardley and Anna Reid. Radclyffe takes the archetypes of dark and light and imbues them with a depth of character that makes this a love story less about the consummation of physical attraction and more about the unique way in which two lost and damaged souls can come together. Of course, as is the Radclyffe hallmark, the love scenes are exquisitely crafted to capture the desire and intensity of two passionate women united. But what is truly unique and wonderful about Love's Melody Lost is the blending of style and form. That Graham is a brooding composer living on a barren clifftop mansion is reflected in the lush drama of the prose. The beauty of the writing makes reading a pleasure on multiple levels: the engaging and page-turning plot, as well as the vivid and lyrical descriptions. It is an experience, as all great novels should be. It comes with my highest recommendation and I encourage everyone to experience it for themselves.
Rating: - Romantic, sensual, and oh so sexy...
Last March, when a new name in lesbian romance hit bookstore shelves, a wide range of readers learned that Radclyffe was something special -- a first-rate storyteller with a gift for creating sexy, strong, contemporary women whose stories are at once heartstoppingly romantic and sexy enough to fry every last one of your circuits. Now with the release of LOVE'S MELODY LOST, it's quite clear that the talent evidenced in SAFE HARBOR was far from a one-off phenomenon. And although both of these stories are unabashedly romantic love stories, Radclyffe manages to keep her stories -- and her characters -- always new, always vibrant, always fascinating.Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of LML is the way the story straddles several genres. The story of Graham -- aristocrat, artist, a soul in torment -- and Anna -- strong, independent, rebuilding a life from the earth up -- is lesbian pulp, playing with butch/femme roles; and it's a Gothic novel, full of atmosphere and mystery and a dark brooding wounded hero who would not have been out of place in a Bronte novel, if Bronte had written stories of women who love women. And above all this -- and this truly is what sets Radclyffe's work apart from other fine writers writing lesbian romances today -- LML qualifies thoroughly as erotica. Because it's not just the story of women who fall in love and about the healing properties of soul-binding, life-altering romance. It's about the physical aspects of that relationship -- about women who express their love not only spiritually but physically. And there is no lesbian writer on this planet who combines romance and erotica the way Radclyffe does. She is the best. So read Love's Melody Lost -- it will make you cry, it will make you ache, it will bring your heart ease. If you believe in passion and love and romance -- if you have them or yearn for them -- this is the book for you. You'll want to read it over and over and over.
Rating:  - Love's Melody Lost, then Regained
I finally got a chance to read this book and happily polished it off in one sitting. The characters, Graham and Anna, are engaging and nicely realized. The plot flows well, and there is angst and obstacles to overcome. I greatly enjoyed the story.The physical volume itself was well produced. I loved the cover. Shady Ladies Press has done a fine job on their books. My only complaint was that the novel was just too short. I wanted to read more! Other recommendations: Radclyffe's SAFE HARBOR is terrific as are Marianne K. Martin's MIRRORS and LOVE IN THE BALANCE (nicely done by Bella Books), LOVE'S JOURNEY by Carrie Carr, FULL CIRCLE by Mary D. Brooks, PRAIRIE FIRE by LJ Maas, and SUBSTITUTE FOR LOVE by Karin Kallmaker.
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