Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Delightful.

I spent a good part of this book trying to look for cracks in the pavement. Was it really as good as I was feeling, or at some point was the mojo going to run out and shove me into a land of bland?

I'm very happy to say there was no crack and there was no bland. This was perfectly balanced, weighted with vivid reality and challenges. I loved it.

Hale's writing always keeps me engaged. It feels deep and meaningful. I have to admit that this book started off a little shaky for me. I didn't understand the setting and what was going on. It took a couple of chapters for me to figured it out and then I was able to settle into it. I'm not sure I ever got behind the reason for the faux relationship. I get everyone is different and people come together for all sorts of reasons, but it felt like I had to suspend belief a little. Having said that, I really liked the book and was invested in the characters and rooting for them to get their happy endings.

This book was very interesting. I don't believe I have every read a lesbian romance where most of the story is set at a living museum.
The main characters are Lacey and Jen. Jen's family owns the living museum and both her and Lacey work there. After seven years, Jen proposes that her and Lacey get engaged and live together with Jen's daughter. What Jen does not know is that Lacey has been secretly in love with her. This arrangement is difficult for Lacey to keep her feelings at bay until possibly Jen has them at all.
Although it is an odd plot, it was an enjoyable read with a predictable outcome. I had no problem with that.
I received an ARC from NetGaley in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 Stars. I will say upfront that this was not a fun read. It was compelling and frustrating, but not always a fun read. The story starts out as a kind of fake romance or a platonic one where an older woman with a massive amount of emotional baggage and a younger woman who's in love with her commit to living together so the younger woman's daughter can grow up with two parents. It is a lot to absorb, and as the relationship evolves it becomes more and more painful.

Now, I am not a big fan of these angst fests in general, but my sister has Crohn's disease and she is terrified of having to have the surgery that the older woman, Jen Fraser, had to get. This surgery is required when the intestines start to die, or in Jen's case, they ruptured because they swelled. Afterwards, people are required to use a colonoscopy bag. Jen's lived fears, and loss of confidence in her body and worth are what my sister is so worried about. Added to that, Jen desperately wants children, especially after she and her ex-partner lost a child so young. This clashes a little with her new platonic partner, Lacey. Problem is, Lacey is desperately in love with Jen, and has been since they met eight years before the events of the story. Lacey doesn't want to have kids with Jen, especially since she doesn't believe Jen is committed to her and actually loves her in a romantic sense.

Multiple reviewers have said that this is a relationship that kind of starts backwards. Jen and Lacey are dear friends who are living together and Jen even proposed to Lacey. But the conflict arises when Lacey wants more, well, commitment from Jen and Jen doesn't understand her. Lacey, understandably, doesn't want to be placed on an emotional rollercoaster because she, or anyone, would want to be in a relationship that they don't know how that person feels.

I'd say this is a complicated mess, with people unintentionally hurting each other but it does feel one sided. Which is where that frustration comes in. I think Lacey stays too long with Jen and tries to help her, but gets hurt over and over again. And Jen - she's not a bad person, she is just so very messy to the point where she can't understand herself. It was tough to read in the middle because of all the poor communication and assumptions, mostly from Jen. But whether or not the journey through this messy relationship was worth it in the end will probably be left up to the reader. I was mostly just relieved when it looks like Jen saw the light as it were. Whether or not they can be in a healthy relationship after the end of the books looks promising, but I don't know with these two.

*I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

An enjoyable romance novel. The premise was interesting and I liked the cast of characters, including a reasonably realistic child character. There were a lot of interesting details about the historical site and its operation, and I did like that the characters were a little different than many romance novel leads.

What a great read this book by Ms Scott turned out to be. Anna was in Mexico for one thing only, trying to keep her parents and young brother safe from the ‘Disciples’ , a mafia gang that ran their operations in Chicago. They managed to stay clear of the gang, that’s until her brother, not knowing how to get the money required to help with his parents medical issues. Anna had studied accounting while in college so she offered to work for the gang, to at least buy time for her to get her parents to a safe location. But she became someone who showed how to plan how to get guns into Mexico. From there Anna was sent to Mexico to set up the operations. It was there that she met Sabastian Gutierrez, the head of the gang in Mexico.
Peel Primm was always into anything relating to being a spy but when she was through college she worked at the local library. Having lost both parents a few years apart she inherited the family home. While digging through some old pictures she learned the name of her grandfather and decided to research to see if she might have some family she hadn’t met. One inquiring was contacting a library in and it’s there that the same gang that Anna worked for first saw her name. Kidnapped and taken to Mexico she was told she had two weeks to solve a mystery pertaining to events that happened years earlier.
I believe this is the first book by Ms Scott and boy did she ever hit a home run. Great characters and an interesting plot with lots of action. When I first picked up this book I really didn’t want to set it aside. Very enjoyable read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bella Books

The Commitment is at times a very uncomfortable read, and I mean this in the best possible way.

Lacey fell in love with Jen almost at first sight, when she came to work at Spring Creek living museum. At the time, Jen was as good as married and her partner was pregnant. Eight years later, Jen and Lacey, now the mother of a young girl, are engaged but their relationship is unconventional. They’re best friends, convinced they’re doing what’s best for both of them and Lacey’s child. Can you will yourself to fall in love? Even though to the outside world, they look like the perfect couple, they’ve never had sex and believe the other isn’t attracted enough to them, but that both are willing to try.

One of the things I love about this book is that Hale isn’t afraid to stray from the usual romance path. Her characters are extremely frustrating at times, but for once it’s not because they’re lazily written, quite the opposite. The starting point of their love story is precarious and they struggle to get to a more traditional relationship. Miscommunication comes from respecting the other’s feelings rather than assumptions, except in one instance, which felt a tiny bit contrived.

One of Jen’s hang-ups derives from not loving her own body anymore, after Crohn’s Disease made surgery necessary, and she’s now living with a stoma. I really liked the way Hale writes that part of the story, the insecurities, the trust. Both Jen and Lacey need to find more love for themselves in order to be able to either love or allow themselves to be loved.

The most challenging part of this story is that the characters believe they don’t have chemistry, yet the reader must feel it. The author dealt with it brilliantly. Unbeknownst to the two women, the connection is obvious in every touch, every interaction, and when they finally realise it, it’s well worth the wait.

I also love that Virginia Hale didn’t feel the need to make her writing more neutral, easier on non-Australian readers. The context makes the maybe-unusual words completely understandable. Between the living museum and the writing, the atmosphere is unusual and exciting.

All in all, great writing and a story that will take you in unexpected directions.

ARC provided to Rainbow Literary Society for an honest review.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a romance with as much angst as The Commitment by Virginia Hale. It’s almost dripping from the pages like tears…and I loved every one of those pages.
This is a novel about two friends slowly falling in love and trying to create a lasting relationship. Lacey Reed and Jen Fraser have known each other as friends for years, but now they want to try and make a life together even though (in Jen’s eyes anyway) they are best friends. What both women slowly come to realize is that it takes a lot more than friendship (or even love) to form a bond that will last. Add in Lacey’s seven year old daughter, and the task becomes even harder.

The characters in this tale are very realistic. In fact this is probably one of the most realistic love stories I’ve read. While both mains are beautiful (especially in each other’s eyes), they have their very human flaws and idiosyncrasies. Jen has chronic medical problems that sometimes affect her sense of self-worth. Both Jen and Lacey have trust issues because of their individual pasts. Add in an age gap and financial disparity, and this potential relationship has some major hurdles to overcome. This novel really is about a couple learning that while love and friendship are very important, they are not enough.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jen and Lacey’s journey to form a lasting bond. I recommend this novel to all who love angsty love stories.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books for an honest review.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second read of Hale, and I had the same issue with this that I did with [book:The Secret Chord|52229893], in that I just could relate to/didn’t like one of the main characters.

This features Jen and Lacey, who both work at the living museum that Jen owns and runs. The two have been friends for about 8 years, during which time both have battled some issues, leaving a lot of baggage (mostly Jen’s). Jen is struggling with health issues, the aftermath of a tragedy and the resulting breakup of her relationship. Lacy has a seven year old daughter (the delightful Mac) and is struggling with having been in love with Jen all this time. I struggled with this too, because I honestly couldn’t fathom why she loved her. Jen was so emotionally-repressed it was frustrating.

So, the two have decided to enter a marriage of convenience since they are BFFs, they both love Mac, each wants more kids and they think they’ll be able to grown to love each other “that way” in time. Yeah, nothing can go wrong with this plan.

They’re already in the relationship when the book starts and even though they actually are attracted to each other and do love each other, they have to use marriage counselling type exercises to be intimate with each other, because instead of actually telling each other the truth about what they need/want (kind of essential in a relationship like the one they’re trying for) they prefer to hide behind half truths and constantly misunderstand each other and the other’s wants/motivations. That wasn’t annoying at all.

Lacey is easy to like, and Mac is adorable. I also loved Lacey’s mother, Jen’s best friend Mare, and Claire, who also worked at the museum. The museum itself was also great and made an interesting backdrop to the story. Jen’s ex shows up as well (because the characters needed more to deal with) and that provided more angst and opportunities for miscommunication.

I should have liked the book more, given that age-gaps, faux-mances and friends to lovers are some of my favourite tropes, but Jen did my head in, I spent most of the book wanting to slap her with it. Hale is a great writer, and I give her extra points for having Jen struggle with a health issue not usually seen in lesfic, but not liking one of the MCs made it hard for me to enjoy this as much as I wanted to. 3 stars.

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀.

The Commitment has a moderate angst level and it might become slightly frustrating to read after a while but it is a pretty good read. This is my first book by Hale and I like how it isn't a run-of-the-mill story. The fun part is that the characters work in a living museum featuring a 19th century gold mining town of Beechworth, Australia. The setting is seamlessly worked into the story with the characters in costume half the time.

The more serious part is that we have one character who pines after her dense best friend who is unable to get over a previous failed relationship and this story is about Lacey and Jen attempting a marriage of convenience and working backwards to make it a real marriage. Hale creates three-dimensional and dynamic characters and adds so many layers to the relationship, I don't even know where to begin so I'd just recommend reading it. There are many hard topics in there too like living with illness and they are dealt with pretty well. Hale gave me so many reasons to love Lacey and her daughter, Mac and just as many reasons to be annoyed with at Jen. But the chemistry between them grew on me slowly.

I enjoyed this book for how different it is, even if it can get frustrating at times. I'd say it is a really good story!

“The Commitment” by Virginia Hale is an angsty, well-written friends-to-lovers fauxmance. And I absolutely loved it!

Jen Fraser is a 43-year-old woman who has just hit menopause and has recently had some medical issues. She’s past ready for a family and asks her best friend, 33(ish)-year-old Lacey Reed, to marry her. Lacey has a 7-year-old daughter and has trouble making ends meet. They decide to commit to one another and form a family. They let friends and family think it’s a love match; but there aren’t romantic feelings between them. Except, Lacey has been in love with Jen since they met and Jen is completely oblivious. Things take a turn when Jen’s ex shows back up and Lacey isn’t convinced she’s completely over her.

This is my second book by Hale and I just love the atmosphere and communities she creates. The setting for this one was fun and something I’ve never read before. Jen and Lacey work in a living historical museum depicting the life of 19th century gold mining town of Beechworth in Australia. A lot of the time Jen and Lacey would be in costume putting on shows for tourists, with Jen being in drag. I thought this was fun and let them interact in different ways, especially when they were trying to have conversations with an audience.

Her main characters don’t live in a bubble and there are several side characters that get a lot of time on page. My favorite this time was Mac, Lacey’s daughter. I’m usually not too crazy about kids in books because they’re rarely realistic but Mac stole every scene she was in. Her love for Jen was so pure and sweet and simple and their relationship helped me see Jen in a better light when she was frustrating me. Jen used to be a happy, confident person but after some personal tragedy and ongoing medical issues, she’s lost a lot of confidence in herself. Because she’s concentrating on those things, it makes her pretty oblivious to Lacey and her feelings. However, I loved how hard she tried to change when it was pointed out how wrong she was. Lacey, on the other hand, is a perfect example of a lovable character. She’s sweet and has the patience of a saint.

They talked and communicated which was refreshing but there were still misunderstandings that caused a lot of angst. Their issues were real and came from insecurities and a lack of confidence. I never felt like Hale was writing the angst and drama for the sake of it, it was natural and realistic. They clearly loved each other and wanted their relationship to work but they had trouble figuring out how to make it work.

I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for something different with your romance.

I received an ARC from Bella Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
This was a good story but an odd story.
The setting was odd....spring creek living museum. It's sort of an 18th century fake town with employees dressed up like a school marm, a blacksmith, old time doctor etc.
The premise is odd....a 40+ women, Jen, asks her good friend a 20+ women, lacey, with an 8 yr old daughter, Mackenzie, to marry her so she can take care of her and her daughter AND she gets a ready made family. And Jen wants another baby. Jen doesn't love Lacey but she likes her a lot. But Lacey is madly in love with Jen but doesn't let her know.
Additional oddness....Jen used to be married, they had a still born baby and it split them up. But Jen still grieves for the baby and pines for the ex.
And Jen has a "stoma" she named Muriel. This is the first time I have read a book that included dealing with this issue during sex.

The story starts out very slow. I had to keep pushing myself to keep reading. I had read many good reviews...so I pushed on. Finally about at the half way spot it started to get interesting. Now you have several angst issues, and misunderstandings between the two main characters. And then to muddy the water more the ex returns. Now what?
The interplay with Jen and the daughter is sweet, the romance grows and all ends well.
But it's an odd story.

I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Certainly not what I expected. Lacey and Jen are currently engage. Its one of convenience or is it? Jen is clueless to the fact that Lacey has been in love with her for eight years.
I thought the book was well written and quite enjoyable. Mac was hands down is my favorite. A great read, I recommend. 4 stars
Thank you Bella Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am flummoxed! The Commitment is very different compared to the romance novels that I have been reading of late. I sit here confused if I liked it or not. Normally I know which way I will go before I reach the first quarter of a book, but not here.
The story is about two friends who make an arrangement to marry and take care of each other. Lacey has a seven year old daughter and is struggling to make ends meet while Jen has had some life changing medical issues leaving her with fragile body issues.
The setting of a functioning nineteenth century replica gold mining town is quite unique and interesting. Having the two main characters playing different characters when at work at the gold mining town invokes the feel of a play within a play device and uses it well to carry the tension between them.
The scene stealer in the book is seven year old Mackenzie. She is very well written and is given some of the best lines in the novel. Her love for Jen illustrates how simple love can be and how complicated grownups can make it.
I liked that Jen has medical issues which added to the angst of the story. This felt very real to me and rarely used in this genre without turning the character into a heroine for ‘how well she manages’.
Adding all the parts and pieces together I guess I did like this novel after all. I definitely would recommend The Commitment to romance readers as something not on the regular menu yet as tasty as if it was. I agree with Jen, “That’s the thing about memory, I suppose. It’s always the friendliest editor” .

I was given a free ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review.

I’m a fan of Hale’s books, so reading this book was a no brainer for me. I like how she can create realistic flawed characters set in a very specific environment and atmosphere that always seems to be a bit different from most wlw books and this book is an excellent example of that.

About that environment and atmosphere, the main characters of this book work in a living history museum, so in large parts of the book they are dressed and acting as in the nineteenth century. I had no idea this would have such an impact on the atmosphere of the book, but it did, you get that historical feel, while at the same time, you’re in the now. I liked it a lot.

The romance in this book could be labelled a friends-to-lovers romance, but it wasn’t until Lex mentioned it in her review that I realized it, it’s actually a fauxmance. Jenn and Lacey have been best friends for eight years and they decide to get married and form a family, even though there are no romantic feelings between them. However, they decide that to the outside world they will sell their commitment as true love. However, what Jenn doesn’t know is that Lacey has been in love with Jenn from the minute they met all those years ago. And ughhh the pining of Lacey for Jenn and Jenn having no romantic feelings for Lacey in return…….it’s so frustrating. Lacey is an incredible lovable character, she’s sweet, understanding and easygoing and will do anything for Jenn and you just can’t understand why Jenn could not have feelings for her. But Jenn is dealing with her own baggage, she’s grieving and hung up on her ex, and she has recent body insecurities, which is something that clashes with her confident personality. She makes plenty of mistakes, and while she is a good friend these issues make her blind to what’s in front of her and they make her selfish on several occasions. And still, as a character she feels real and her mistakes feel real, or perhaps they are not even mistakes as she’s coming to terms with her feelings. So yes, Jenn is not the easiest character to like, but to see her change during the book was very fulfilling. Another thing about realistic characters is Lacey’s daughter, Mac. Kids in wlw romances tend to be super intuitive and acting too old for their age, and I can be annoyed by that, so I was happy to see that this was not the case in this book, Mac is just a happy, slightly oblivious kid.

In short, another excellent addition to Hale’s list of novels, I easily recommend this if you’re looking for a well written angsty romance.

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

The only other book I read by this author was The Secret Chord. I loved its level of intensity, and to a certain degree, this storyline also had that intensity.

When Jen proposed a commitment pact to her best friend Lacey, she was overjoyed that Lacey accepted her it. Unbeknownst to Jen, Lacey was secretly in love with Jen since she started working with her at her family’s Museum eight years ago. They got engaged and Lacey and her seven year old daughter moved into Jen’s house. To the outside world, they were a committed couple in every way. But Lacey knew her feelings for Jen were not reciprocated. Jen didn’t seem to fully move on her from ex, Tori. Lacey, however, hoped in time Jen would be able to love and trust her the same way she did.

The storyline was very engaging. There was a lot going on with the characters’ personal lives to their jobs at the Museum. When I read the blurb, I didn’t think the work aspect would be that interesting, but it was more than I expected…and so were the characters. I tend to enjoy stories more when authors create characters that reflect real life and these characters did. You couldn’t help but feel for these characters even though Jen seemed to be so oblivious at times. The romance was slow in developing because of all the problems the characters faced including Tori’s return and Jen’s insecurities about her body. When Jen’s Crohn’s disease worsened, she needed an ileostomy. She had a stoma bag and was not yet confident or comfortable with her body. She especially did not want to share a bed overnight with Lacey for fear of leakage even though Lacey didn’t have any problems with it. These scenes were realistically written with Jen struggling to express her discomfort and Lacey offering her love and support.

The only problem I had with this story was the lack of an active confrontation between Tori and Jen. I felt it was rather passively written and executed. I think it would have added additional depth to this story. Other than that, it was well written with a different type of storyline that I think readers will enjoy.

An ARC was given for an honest review.

4 Stars...

Really did enjoy 'The commitment' even tho at times I got so frustrated and wanted 'to bang' their heads together to figure it out! Talk about slow burn! They'd made a commitment, and even tho there is chemistry and sexual frustration between the pair, weirdly enough sex becomes more of a problem due to misunderstandings and believing that each other wanted someone or something different. The commitment made the relationship seem more of a 'job' than it did a relationship.

Jennifer Fraser is the heir to Victoria's leading gold rush museum and is ready to move forward with her life after losing Tori. There is only one woman who has been able to see through the formidable facade of the 19th-century drag that Jens wears at Spring Creek each day. What Jen has with her best friend Lacey is so comfortable, does it really matter that they'll probably never have that 'cant' keep my hands off you kind of chemistry.
Since the day Lacey reed was cinched into her costume stays, working at Spring Creek living, the museum has made her happier than she ever thought she could possibly be in a small town in Beechworth. But when Jen proposed the arrangement, it made sense, Jen adored Lacey's daughter, and the kind of life Jen could offer was more than lacey could ever dream of. But here was the other minor detail: she;'s carried a touch for Jen for a long 8 years. Lacey assumed that four months into their engagement, Jen wouldn't be so completely oblivious to the fact that she set Lacey's heart twitching in her chest each time she stepped into a room. But when it seems as though the chemistry exercise cant change the way Jen feels about lacey, a ghost from the past arrives in Beechworth, what once seemed like a simple arrangement becomes a lot more complicated than they seemed.

All in all, this is a real good read, if you enjoy your drama and romance storys, then you'll certainly enjoy The Commitment. I've read a few by Virginia Hale and you should check her other books out.

8 years ago, Jen Fraser, the Executive Director of the living museum Spring Creek, was charismatic, self assured, beautiful and captured the heart of a fresh in town young showgirl, Lacey Reed. The former had everything going for her, calling the shots for her family owned museum, expecting a baby with the love of her life and totally out of Lacey’s league.

8 years later, the pair decided on a commitment, to share their lives together as a married couple; even if they were only best friends.

Present day Laceyis a desirable, stronger and improved version of herself. Mother to her only child, Mackenzie, she has established herself in the town but though popular, she still pins for Jen. The longing for Jen over the years never came to fruition for Lacey; even if it was a subdued and wounded version of Jen. The pair lives together with Mackenzie, putting on a show for the town, where Jen is the only one on the act.

This is an intense and arresting book on grief, loss, shame and love. The Jen now is broken, wrecked by grief, loss and illnesses. In all her inability to love Lacey, she might be deemed unworthy of Lacey but her lingering feelings for what she lost actually exemplified her commitment to relationship. She has lost a lot, especially herself in life and with close proximity, has to finally decide if she can take a chance in life and have the courage to build a family again. There were many times in the book I worried that the pair would never build on what they had as their commitment was vulnerable. With every intervention, rejection and memory of the past, their marriage seemed to be doomed. The author did a fantastic job with Jen’s shame that made Lacey’s selflessness shine through. The read was painful at times as there was so much potential of a great life together but all of that actually made the triumph sweeter in the end.

I just reviewed The Commitment by Virginia Hale. Thank you NetGalley and Bella Books for the ARC.

This is an interesting book - very different from typical lesfic, and certainly well written and enjoyable. The ghosts of the past perspective is not usually my 'thing' as a reader, but I liked the way it connected with the contemporary view of their relationship of convenience. The story was beautifully portrayed and I'm keen to check out other books by the author. Overall I recommend.

Thanks, to Bella Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.