I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Jen and Lacey works at a living historic museum that Jen family owns. They become best friends.

Jen and Lacey are engage which is a mutual agreement, Jen wants a family and Lacey been in love with Jen for years which she doesn’t know Lacey has a daughter Mac if the writer didn’t say her age you’ll think she was older then seven.

Jen and Lacey are trying to move their relationship from friends to more but Lacey wants Jen to be in love with her and Jen doesn’t feel the spark or doesn’t want to because of her ileostomy and she older. While they tries to figure out who they want to be with each other Jen ex partner comes back that she still feels anger toward because she just left after their child was stillborn.

I like Lacey because she knows who she is who she wants. Jen I had take a little time liking her because she was self centered and bit annoying that she doesn’t see how in love Lacey is with her.

Hmm. definitely a bit different from what I was expecting. Not exactly your run of the mill romance. Was it good? It seemed well enough written and did in the main keep my attention. It's about two women, Lacey and Jen, who are engaged and their story through the engagement. Is it an engagement of convenience? Perhaps on the part of one of them. Jen is slightly older and has early onset menopause along with having had an ileostomy, which she feels may affect her prospective partners perception of her. Add to this her ex returning and the younger woman feeling threatened by it. It is quite a good story.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley. #netgalley

Awesome lesbian historical fiction. Well written too.

The Commitment is a serious drama/romance. Lacey Reed and Jen Fraser both work at a living history museum owned and run by Jen's family. It is in the small town of Beechwood and focuses on mining and frontier times in Australia. As the book begins Lacey and Jen are engaged and already living together in an arrangement between friends. Jen wants a family and is happy to include Lacey's 7 year old daughter Mac as part of that. Jen hasn't been in a relationship since her partner left her after having a stillborn child. Jen doesn't know that Lacey has had a crush or been in love with her since they started working together eight years ago.

Usually intimacy is a driving force in an arrangement but here it becomes an obstacle. Lacey doesn't want to go further until Jen has feelings for her. Jen agrees in theory but isn't feeling the spark of attraction. Her need of a family and baby is her driving force and she is okay being faithful friends. Everything is driven to a head when her ex-partner returns to town for family reasons.

The author makes it hard to like Jen but then peels back her lack of self awareness layer by layer. She starts thinking she's alway right and every time she messes up she genuinely tries to adjust her course. Lacey is entirely lovable. You want her to have the partner she deserves. She is endlessly understanding when she sees Jen struggle with body and healthy issues. But she is quick to be insecure especially when it involves Jen's ex.

I love the open, honest communication between the two. From being willing to try partner exercises to discussing their feelings. Even with openness comes misunderstandings that can lead to breaking points. This isn't a happy read but I'm happy to have read it. I care about the two main characters and want the best for them. I like where it ended but would have enjoyed a epilogue to see where there were down the road.

I've not read the author before but will look for other books by her. Thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I quite liked this book finished it under one day only. I don't think I've ever read anything by Virginia. and it won't be my last. she writes wonderfully. the story itself was confusing to me, there was so many moments where I had to read it multiple times so I understand them and see why they were said. the arrangement was not confusing since I know many tried this in real life, so I related and understood Jen in that, the characters, I loved Lacey but I dont think i fully liked Jen she was so focused on herself and sometimes inconsiderate, again some reasons were understandable but for others, she was simply annoying.

the ending is super sweet. I'm thankful for the author and her team for the free copy

The commitment

4 stars!

I was a big fan of “The Secret Chord” by Virginia Hale so I went into this book with semi-high hopes. I’m saying semi because the plot was a bit iffy to me however I can confidently say I enjoyed this book.

This story follows Jen and Lacey, two friends who’ve found themselves in an arrangement to settle down despite not openly having feelings for each other.

When it came to characters I’m not quite sure how I felt about Jennifer but I’m a sucker for character development. She seemed a bit self centered but that was fixed with the lovely execution of character development given by Miss Hale. However I’d be lying if I said that self centered trait didn’t make it hard for me to root for her. The lack of self awareness she had was also annoying. Some authors when executing these flaws in characters often ruin the character in question however I admire Hale’s composition in the way that she still presented an enthralling story. You’re annoyed at Jen but you can’t help but want that change. The development of her feelings and consideration for Lacey was very interesting and I did actually largely enjoy that aspect of this book.

There’s something so satisfying about the way that she realized she loved Lacey. Lacey herself doubted this and thought that their arrangement was simply a way for Jen to fill her house with the family she never had.

Lacey, on the other hand, is the character I couldn’t help but love and want the best for. Having harbored a hugely unrequited love for Jen for the 8 years they’ve known each other, Lacey does not quite know what to expect from this arrangement. She isn’t flawless though, just like Jen she has her own annoying flaw. She has a knack for making assumptions. I’m saying this because when people read this book I feel like they’re gonna mostly focus on Jen’s lack of self awareness but you know what, Lacey had some of that as well and in the end that promoted a lot of second hand embarrassment.

But these flaws were surprisingly human

Regardless of these flaws Virginia Hale presented realistic and likable characters with amazing character developments!

In terms of plot, when I first read about the arrangement I found myself very unsure for what I was about to read. I feared that the chemistry would’ve been forced or worse yet… one sided. But what a fool I was for expecting that of Virginia Hale. The two definitely had chemistry and though it was one sided for some of the book that was quickly erased with the realization of why that was.

However as much as I enjoyed it, this book was too short. I felt as though there could’ve been more to it. This book feels like a downgrade from The Secret Chord. That book was intense and emotional and while this one does have an emotional line it just isn’t that big.

All in all though, Virginia Hale managed once again to keep me entertained!

Do I recommend this book? Yes. It’s not the best of miss Hale but also not bad! It’s very casual light read, very short as well I finished it in three hours.

Thank you NetGalley and Bella Books for the advanced reading copy in exchanged for an honest review!

After thought: I’ve never been to a live museum but this book sparked my interest!