This is a perfect fit for readers who adore romantic and emotional stories about self-discovery, family drama, and the power of love to bridge even the deepest of divides, especially those who enjoy LGBTQIA+ fiction with a strong focus on relationships and personal growth.

Never-Tied-Nora by Cheyenne Blue is a modern sapphic rereading of Romeo and Juliet. It tells the story of Nora Kelly and Geraldine Flannery, whose families have had a feud for generations. They meet and fall in love before learning their surnames and realizing that their families are enemies. Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. The first point that bothered me was the gratuitous physical violence. I can understand families having a dislike for each other nowadays, but, to the point of actually beating each other up on the street just for seeing one another? It felt cheap and unnecessary, and I don't know how no one got arrested in this book. The other point is that Nora is first introduced as someone who enjoys her freedom and doesn't want anything more than casual fun. When she first sees Geraldine, that immediately changes, even before she speaks to her. I know that insta-love stories exist, but this one didn't feel the least bit convincing. Both main characters were rather boring, some of their conversations didn't make any sense. The family feud was weak and seemed irrelevant, especially considering that the story is happening nowadays and not in the Middle Ages. Blue's writing is good, but it was not enough to sustain my interest in this story.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

A slow building forbidden romance between two women from rival Irish families. It will remind you of Romeo and Juliet. Ms. Blue's writing will pull you in and you will fall in love with all of the characters, even the hard nosed ones. I can see this making it to Lifetime or even Hallmark.

This is a lesbian version of Romeo and Juliet. But with unlikable characters. And boring plot. And simply written, not in a good way.
Player Nora meets Geraldine, right away falls in love, and just like that forgets about sleeping with other women. To make it more of Romeo and Juliet, of course, there is some stupid family dispute, that was briefly mentioned, but never seemed as something horrific, apart from the part where every family member is ready to beat up anyone from another family.
This book is as plain as spaghetti cooked without even a touch of salt. 2.5 starts, rounded down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This might be good to others, but not the book for me.
The characters were not like able to me and the plot was just not interesting.

Nora is called Never-Tied-Nora by her family due to the fact she does mainly one night stands. That is until she meets Geraldine. The minue Nora sees her, she says to her friend that she is the one she will marry. Nora sweet talks her and they start spending time together. Things are going well, however there is one small problem. Nora and Geraldine's families have been feuding for many decades due to something that happened with the grandparents. Will love overcome all or will the past wreck their happiness?
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable lesbian take on Romeo and Juliet, where Nora (a player who doesn’t want to settle down) falls hard for Geraldine. Their Irish families have been feuding for generations and attack each other on sight. But no one really knows why any more and when Nora realises the woman she loves is a Flannery, she thinks it’s time for the feud to end but Geraldine isn’t so brave…

The book is well written and paced nicely but I couldn’t warm to either character really. I found Nora a bit irritating and the fast fall a bit of a stretch. The ancillary characters were excellent and Nora’s friend Sue especially was very likeable.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

I waited a long time to finally read this book, and I was so happy to finally be able to complete the trilogy (on reverse). I really like it and couldn't but it down.

Nora and Geraldine. Romeo and Juliet. These are sorta the same story. Although this novel has less death and wayy more Irish for sure. (Definitively a good thing.)

The two women meet and fall in live, but, there's a problem. They are from rival families who have quite the feud going on. So, can their love overcome it?

The pace was pretty good. And, I liked where the turn happened in the story between them (I mean, I knew that at some point they were going to find out last names). It was a really fun read.

Blue created an intriguing blood feud as the backstory to this girl meets girl tale which i thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Ylva Publishing and Netgalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

How do feuding families get together when Nora and Geraldine fall in love? The plot revolves around Nora and Geraldine meeting and becoming interested in each other, not realizing their families have a 60 years feud. There is drama and fear plus love in this book which is very well written. I recommend this book for romance readers.

A lively London set romcom of girl meets girl. Can Nóra Kelly who has never had a serious relationship make a go of it with Ger despite her being a Flannery, mortal.enemies of the Kelly clan.

Not keen on the title character
This book is part of the author's Girl Meets Girl series. I read and reviewed the other 3 books several years ago and somehow missed this one until now; most likely I thought I'd read it already. In Never-Tied Nora we meet Sue the Aussie and Moni, both title characters from other books in the series and secondary characters here. The books can be read as standalones but if you choose to read the whole series, reading them in order of publication may be best for the sake of chronology. The publisher has a box set available of the full series or the books can be bought individually.
There's some steamy scenes and plenty of drama and a long running family feud to spice up the story along with chuckle worthy humor throughout the book. I wasn't real keen about Nora, her player ways, choices and behaviors at certain points in the story. Some of it was questionable and even off putting which makes it tough to care about the title character and what she goes thru. The other main character, Geraldine, was more likable but the obstacle for them to overcome in this story is better played out on a TV or movie screen, or in a much longer book, in my opinion. The pacing of the story also felt uneven to me, drawn out in spots and rushed in others. I remember liking the other books in the series and had similar expectations for this one but unfortunately it just didn't resonate for me. Others are bound to like it much more than I did. That said I still recommend the author's work even if this one story is not at the top of my list of personal favorites.

DNF %10. For what I'm sure is a great story, I unfortunately cannot come to grips with fiction that is written in the first-person perspective. As a professional Aromantic reader who thrives on fictional romance while desiring absolutely none for myself, the use of "I" pronouns in the romance genre makes finishing some stories difficult for me and unfortunately, I was not able to complete this book. I will endeavor to do my due diligence in future to research titles for this aspect before settling down to read.

Thanks to Ylva Publishing and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for my review.

This was a bit like a sapphic Romeo/Juliet except with a lot less dying and a lot more wine. Nora is a notorious player and Geraldine is nursing a broken heart when they stumble upon each other in a pub and desire for a night becomes a desire for more. But they have a very large hurdle between them; the long standing feud between their families.

Overall this was a very quick, very hot, very sweet read about learning to stand on your own and fight for what you want, even in the face of losing everything else. Highly recommend this and looking forward to getting the sequel.

I enjoyed this spicy read. It was predictable, but entertaining and ultimately that is what I need from my romance novels.

But of course Nora would fall for the forbidden woman!
Another fun one from Cheyenne Blue. This one reminded me a bit of a Romeo and Juliet but make it sapphic.

I have read the other books in this series as well.

5/5

3.5. A fun sexy Irish-in-London romp. Insta-love until the women discover their families are mortal enemies. This is a short but sweet Juliet and Juliet story. The families were too violent for my taste, and instant-love isn’t my favorite trope but this book had me along for the ride anyway. I liked Nora and Geraldine together- they have great chemistry and lots of steam. I think lots of people will enjoy this one.

Short summary: Nora is a one-night-stand only type of woman until she sees Geraldine enter a pub and instantly knows she’s the love of her life. One small problem, their families hate each other.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

two families at logger heads with each other..for well over 60 years

the kellys and the flannerys

nora kelly is a player

until she meets geraldine or ger.... as she likes to be known

what they dont know is that they are a kelly and a flannery but before they find out they fall in love ...hard

a fun read and being a short story quite intense... but it kept things interesting

The title of the book refers to main character Nora Kelly. She doesn’t want to be tied down and enjoys her life and womanizing lifestyle. Her big Irish family has lived in London for decades and is her foundation. When her sister Mary tells her, "when love hits, and it will, it’ll come with a wallop”, Nora can only scoff. That is until she sees the one in a crowded pub. The one is Geraldine (Ger) Flannery.

This is a star crossed lovers falling in love instantly. There is flirting, food, walks, and passion. There is also a decades long family feud. Everything is told from Nora’s POV but there is no doubt of Ger’s emotions. Best friend Sue adds a little filler to this short novel (154 pages), giving her a set up for a follow-up book. You need to believe in insta love for this book to work for you and it works for me. The only part I didn’t love was a hotel scene that felt out of place.

I was introduced to Cheyenne Blue’s writing from a GoodReads friend and happily jumped into this book. The cover also drew me as I’ve walked that street in London many times. This book was originally released in December 2015 and is part of a four book stand alone series. Thank you Ylva Publishing for the ARC via NetGalley and I’m leaving a voluntary review.