The story line was slow, I almost didn't make it through the story. Both main characters were insecure about being themselves. Casey comes to the island to gather data about the earthquake earlier in the week. Iris is on the island rescuing the lost animals and attempting to find their owners. The women meet on the local ferry ride from the mainland to the islands off Washington State. Both women feel the zing of attraction but are afraid of rejection. Casey and Iris hide themselves in the work. Iris runs the local shelter and writes greeting cards for a living (it helps pay all the bills for the shelter). The attraction between the two women is a bit much.

3 1/2 Stars. I've been a fan of Walsh, for a while now. It's not that her books are exciting or gripping, it's the way she writes. It just works for me. I honestly think I could read one of her traditional romances with no cover, and still know that it was her writing, just by her style. This was not my favorite by her, but it was in the same vein I come to expect, and I enjoyed it.

This story takes place in the San Juan Islands, off of Washington State. Being an East Coaster, I never even realized there were San Juan Islands. Now, I would love to visit there. Walsh, does a wonderful job of describing the setting. She picks the setting in her books for a purpose, they are not interchangeable. They make sense, and enrich the story. The other thing Walsh does really well, is write character occupations. Her characters always have interesting jobs, and as a reader you learn about how they actually do them. I honestly think, if some other writer tackled some of these jobs, like a seismologist, I might have been bored. Walsh obviously does her research and manages to make these job interesting to me. The other main job featured, is working at an animal shelter. If you are an animal lover, you will eat these scenes up. In fact, I found myself becoming choked up over some of the animals, more than the humans. If you are not a pet person, you might be a little bored, but for me this part of the book worked.

When it came to the two characters, there was an immediate physical attraction, but it was still a slow burn romance. I actually was getting annoyed, in the beginning, at all the inner dialog of thinking about the other person. The last 2/3 of the book got more on track for me, and I was able to enjoy the more slow building romance. This is not an angst filled book. There is a little conflict a few times, it is not all smooth sailing, but it worked in the book and seemed true to the characters.

If you are looking for a more mellow, traditional romance, this book is for you. I really like Walsh's writings and am always happy to get my hands on her books. While this was not my favorite book of hers, it still was an enjoyable read.

An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.

This is a very cute book, especially attractive to animal lovers. Both characters are very likable, there's a very believable plot. I do think, in my personal opinion that it revolves a bit too much around animals than those two, but overall it is a nice books for a lovely afternoon.

Everything in the book is good, but not great. The characters are likeable, but the pacing makes the story a little slow (this isn't helped by long stretches, especially at the start of the book that are more introspection and description than the characters interacting and sharing dialogue). Both characters are also prone to self-doubt, which gets old after awhile.

Once the two of them get over their initial irritation with each other, the story does pick up, and both the shelter setting and the earthquake/seismology information provide a bit of interest, but in all honestly, I knew exactly how this would turn out from the start.

The two leads do spend quite a bit of time together (albeit over only a short period of time) but I still thought their relationship developed too quickly. Especially given the changes one of them was going to have to make for it to be long term.

The backgrounds of both characters could have been more developed, they obviously affected the characters, yet are only touched on in passing, Casey's discussion with her father is a case in point, it was used only to deliver some information to us, but didn't hold the emotional impact it could have had their relationship been better developed. The secondary characters didn't add much to the story either, the animals were actually more interesting than most of them.

Still, I've enjoyed all of the Karis Walsh novels I've read, and this one is worth the read too. 3 to 3.5 stars.

This book was completely my cup of tea - it was very slow for my taste and the side characters were underdeveloped and didn't really contribute much to the story. There were not much of a love story and it felt like pulling teeth until they finally got together after a lot of back and forth. Throughout the book I felt bored and when it was over it didn't really feel like that there happened a whole lot in it.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a number of Karis Walsh's books and have found that I really enjoy some of her books but others weren't my cup of tea, so I never know which it will be when I pick up one of her books.

Good news, I really enjoyed this one! I liked Casey and Iris and the interactions they had together. I wouldn't think of Karis Walsh's books as funny but found myself laughing out loud a few times. The connection between the two was really good and I did like the banter.

As a dog lover I did love the setting and the inclusion of our furry friends.

It was a nice sweet romance with likable characters.

This book seemed ok to me, but not much else. I think there are some aspects that could have been dealt with more thoroughly, for example that of the earthquake and its consequences in a small community such as that of the island in which the story is developed. Yes there are some indications throughout the book but they are treated very superficially. And the secondary characters do not contribute much to the whole. In addition, the story revolves too much, about the doubts that the two protagonists have of leaving their comfort zones. And once they decide to take the risk, there are not too many fireworks (in addition, when they decide, it has already been more than three quarters of the book). Well that's it, a passable book, not the best of this author.

Overall I really enjoy Karis Walsh's work. She writes interesting novels that have well-developed characters who aren't perfect, but they super likable and always very intelligent women. Most of her novels follow her particular formula. She creates smart stories, with well thought out plots and characters that you could imagine yourself being friends with. While not overly remarkable her stores are good nonetheless.

The two mains in this book immediately clash with each other, okay that’s not totally true, they do check out each other and make about five minutes of small talk and then said clash! Casey Radnor is headed to the San Juan Islands to study the aftereffects of a recent earthquake. Excited to be in the field, she chats up local Iris Mallery. Iris does not care for the seismologist’s glee of studying this life-altering event. She points out the real people are affected that have had damage to their homes, businesses, and way of life.

Life has a funny way of bringing people back together. Casey, out studying fault lines stumbles on a gorgeous golden retriever in need of rescuing. Who runs the animal shelter in town? Why of course it’s that cutie Iris! A friendship is born and they make a few missteps along the way all the while attraction is just simmering away.

Another quality read from Karis Walsh. She is definitely a go-to for a heartwarming read. 3.5 stars

I'm not sure if I've ever read a lesbian romance with a seismologist as one of the main characters. That's what Casey is though.

An earthquake has just rocked the San Juan Islands (and the surrounding islands as well) and Casey is on the Ferry to go do fieldwork and find out about aftershocks and that sort of thing (whatever seismologists do).

Iris also gets on the Ferry, but she's a walk on with a ton of animals with her. She runs an animal rescue on San Juan and she has a ton of the lost pets (and a couple of goats, which the book tries to make cute, but really, I'm not a fan of goats, even these two).

Casey can't find any hotel on the island, but luckily Iris has an empty small sort of house (where her Interns usually stay) and so Casey starts helping out to fix back up the rescue in between when she goes out and gets readings. Oh, and the two of them also find time to slowly get closer and closer to one another (this is a Lesbian romance after all).

I liked the plot and story in this novel, and I also really liked the characters, both the main and the secondary ones. But, I especially liked the main dog character in the book. Chert. First of all, awesome name, but he was also just written so perfectly too. Very cute.

I got this ARC through Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.

Two women meet (and clash) on the ferry heading over to San Juan island following an earthquake. Casey is a seismologist hoping to measure and monitor the impact of the quake for her university. Iris runs an animal shelter on the island and is returning with a collection of rescue dogs and a cat from a neighbouring island. She is both attracted and offended by Casey and her clinical approach to the devastation. Casey is attracted to Iris but struggles to understand her bitterness towards the scientist and her mission.

Pet lovers will enjoy the many scenes involving the shelter and rescue animals in this novel. Iris and her staff are tireless advocates for their strays. I enjoyed the unique way Iris raised funds to fund her operations. Casey knows her science but this book is not an info dump of seismological proportions. She struggle to express her feelings with Iris and everyone she meets. Iris has doubts about a relationship with this woman who will soon be leaving the island and returning to her life in the city. The barriers both women have thrown up and hidden behind begin to crumble with the help of a dog Casey rescues and the work needed to repair the animal shelter following the earthquake.

Walsh breathes life into this basic plot with characters bent but not broken by the challenges they’ve faced in their lives. Add in the beautiful settings and you have a nice summer read.

3.5 stars

A copy of this novel was received with thanks from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley for an honest review.

You Make Me Tremble is definitely one of the best titles I've heard in a long time. The eroticism of the title drew me in immediately, but that is not the theme for this novel. This is a slow, sweet romance where a brilliant scientist meets a shy poet who owns an animal shelter and adventure ensues as they dance around their attraction. The romantic formula is familiar with its angst surrounding the romance of two cautious souls searching for The One, but it's well written and the characters are fallible, relatable, and definitely endearing. The animal shelter is a plus as we are introduced to several of its residents who add another adorable aspect to the story. Even though this formula has been done many times over in the past, these characters are lovable, the scenery is spectacular, and the writing will keep you hooked in and rooting for their happy ending.

Well done to the author. I've read all the books by Karis Walsh and have enjoyed her writing style. This is another that I will be recommending to my students. It's not only well written but it's a beautiful story that takes place in the beautiful NW that I've personally visited. The characters are extremely likable and keep you turning pages. I'm a huge animal lover so I was excited to read of a character who's dedicated to animal rescue. The twin goats were classic. It was a nice romance to stop and enjoy on a hot summer day.

Nice idea, but the characters were lacking in chemistry. I was missing the sparkles when they finally got together. The end felt a little rushed as well. I usually really like the author's books, but this one was a solid 3 stars, nothing more.

I have read all Karis Walsh's traditional romances, so I can say that in this one her formula, to me already familiar and distinctive, is in full action. You Make Me Tremble is a cross between Wingspan and Blindsided. Two well-defined and very likable leads with strong work ethics and some childhood emotional issues, a sweet love story, some great secondary and animal characters...
We can always count on learning something new from Walsh's books, and this time she takes us into the world of seismology, geology and animal rescue. The story is again set in the Washington State’s Puget Sound region, this time on the beautiful and nicely described San Juan Islands.
If you liked Wingspan or Blindsided, it is highly likely that you will like this story too. If you have never read any of Walsh's books, this can be a good start. Recommended.

<i> I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This book involves two women, neither of whom has their age stamped on them (either could be in their twenties, thirties, though unlikely to be in their 40s but might be). One, Casey, works as a seismologist in a lab in Seattle, though opens the book on a field assignment to San Juan Island off the coast of Washington state. The other, Iris, works as the owner and operator of a pet rescue place, and supplements her income (or, I should say, pays for everything else) by being a greeting card writer/artist. Both are in quite different occupations, and likely would never meet but for a specific earthquake that occurred before the start of this novel, and both see the other as being quite different than them (though others point out similarities).

The two meet well, then quickly the first meeting turns bad. Casey is riding over on the ferry between Seattle and one of the islands off the coast, and along the way one of the stops before Casey’s has Iris on the dock. Casey spots her, and odd as it may or may not seem, Iris also spots Casey up leaning against the railings looking down. Life might have continued with neither spotting the other again, but for a loose dog. For Iris had been on this other island to gather two dogs and ended up with three plus a pregnant cat. One of the dogs breaks free from her, once Iris had gotten on board the ferry, and the dog’s leash is captured by Casey. And, as noted, they meet well. Have a pleasant conversation. Then Casey mentions what she is doing on the ferry, and where and why she’s going to the islands (to study the fault lines and the impact of the recent large earthquake event), and everything about what Casey is saying, how she is saying it, and even using the word ‘event’ causes the already emotionally fragile Iris to erupt in anger at Casey (‘we are just specimens for you to examine!’ – or words to that effect, not exact quote).

Again, neither might not have seen the other again after that bad first meeting but for another dog. A dog Casey spots while wandering around the woods planting equipment. A dog that needs help. No one recognizes the dog and when she asks where to go, they tell her . . . someone other than Iris. So it isn’t just the dog that leads Casey back. For both have the other in their thoughts. And Casey uses the dog as an excuse to hunt Iris down again (my wording is probably poor there).

And so, they meet again, Iris and Casey. And the two will have longer to try to figure out what these messed up feelings might be, for Iris, after learning that Casey slept in her truck her first night on the island (everything is closed due to the earthquake), invites Casey to use one of the spare rooms (which implies the wrong thing but I can’t recall how to spell. Bungalow. Oh, I can spell. Right, that, spare bungalow).

The two women’s interactions between each other seem natural enough to me. And I kind of had a deeper connection to the book than I might have otherwise expected, due to the writing, and the imagery on display. Furry kittens, and playful goats, and plain ordinary rocks which are hundreds of millions of years old, and trees, lots of trees, and spider-webs which might have been created by monster sized spiders and . . . all that and more.

So I like the writing and I like the romance. The sex? Well, I need a paragraph for that as well. Is an important element for some on whether to read or not read.

<b>Sex</b>: Yes, there is sex. It isn’t immediate, but it is graphically described.

<b>Emotions</b>: I admit that there was/is a specific event that occurs late in the book that made me teary-eyed, may or may not correspond to what might be expected. And I kind of read the rest of the book in that kind of state. Whether or not others would read the book the same way certainly depends on many factors.

Rating: 5+

June 19 2017

This was a nice easy read. The main characters were sweet and relatable but the plot wasn't very deep. Both Iris and Casey have past issues they face but the issues were very surface level. Chert and the other animals added a nice layer to the story. Overall it was a nice easy beach read!

href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32073000-you-make-me-tremble" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="You Make Me Tremble" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475787097m/32073000.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32073000-you-make-me-tremble">You Make Me Tremble</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4595785.Karis_Walsh">Karis Walsh</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2030200901">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I rec'd an ARC from NetGalley/Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review. Iris (animal rescue worker) and Casey (seismologist) are the leads in this little romance. It is a story for animal lovers interwoven with the acceptance/angst of daily living in an earthquake prone area. Her descriptions of the Sound and Islands brought back memories of living in Br. Columbia, C'da., and the many trips made south to beautiful Washington State. This book is a worthwhile read in keeping with Ms. Walsh's previous work. 4 stars.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/31134832-gail">View all my reviews</a>

This is a story about finding peace with your past. Both main characters had childhoods and upbringings that challenged the reader to think about and maybe even compare their upbringing. The read may also have a parent shake their head and ask the question of the parents and grandparents in this read, "what were you thinking?" Casey Radnor is passionate about her work and not much else. Iris Mallery is passionate about her work and not much else. When they meet it is a little bumpy and you wonder if they can see beyond the surface. These characters bring out the best in each other which in my opinion, is oh so very cool. Educational if you are interested in geology and seismology. Patience and care for the main characters is a necessity for this read.

As someone well acquainted with earthquakes, I was looking forward to reading a story that portrays the devastating effects such an event has on a community. While there is certainly mention of the clean up, the central focus of the story is the animal shelter Iris works at. In short, 'You make me Tremble' is an animal lovers wet dream. The twins, goats, were wonderful characters.

The fact both heroines are practically orphans gave them a common ground, and along with that, abandonment issues they both needed to deal with. While sex is far from the focus of this story, there's one sexy scene to whet the appetite.

I'm happy these two found each other; this is a sweet love story with a satisfying ending.