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Truth #1
The Brutal Truth
Australian crime reporter Maddie Grey is out of her depth in New York, miserable, and secretly drawn to her powerful, twice-married, media mogul boss, Elena Bartell, who eats failing newspapers for breakfast. As work takes them to Australia, Maddie is goaded into a brief, seemingly harmless bet with her enigmatic boss—where they have to tell the complete truth to each other. It backfires catastrophically.
A lesbian romance about the lies we tell ourselves.
108,000 words
Themes: Australia · media mogul boss · New York · newspaper · reporter
A lesbian romance about the lies we tell ourselves.
108,000 words
Themes: Australia · media mogul boss · New York · newspaper · reporter
339 pages, ebook
First published November 14, 2017
About the author
Lee Winter
27 books2,493 followersLee Winter is an award-winning veteran newspaper journalist who has covered courts, crime, news, features and humor writing for almost three decades around Australia. Now a full-time author and part-time editor at Ylva, Lee is also a two-time Lambda Literary Award finalist and a triple Golden Crown Literary Award winner.
Want to get in touch? Email: [email protected]
(She is not the children's author Lee Winter.)
Want to get in touch? Email: [email protected]
(She is not the children's author Lee Winter.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 837 reviews
June 28, 2020
THIS IS THE F/F ROMANCE I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR ALL MY LIFE
the tension. the slow burn. the yearning!!!!!!!!! it was perfection
devil wears prada but make it gay
the tension. the slow burn. the yearning!!!!!!!!! it was perfection
devil wears prada but make it gay
June 27, 2021
This book made me feel good. I still have a smile on my face as I type this review. Every time I read a Lee Winter book, I say to myself “this is a damn good book”. I just love the way Winter writes, it just clicks for me. I’m happy to say this book was right on par with all her others, meaning it was a wonderful read.
Maddie Grey has moved to New York City, from down under, to fulfill her dream of being a reporter. Things are not going well. She is not fitting in, and works the graveyard shift for obits and crime. When the small newspaper she works for is taken over by media mogul, and notorious shark, Elena Bartell, Maddie knows her days might be numbered. Will Maddie be able to survive in her job? And what happens when she notices a few cracks in the shark’s outer layer?
Like many romance readers out there, I love a good ice queen storyline. This book has a Devil Wears Prada feel. I’m not sure if this was based on a fanfic, but rest assured either way, this does not have a recycled feel what so ever. I loved the storyline and was hooked on page one.
Winter always writes likeable main characters. A lot of time they are opposites, but they still just fit perfectly. Elena was as ice cold as Maddie was warm. They just complemented each other so well, and made a possible relationship that much more believable.
This is a very slow burn romance. I prefer slower moving romances, but at times I wanted to give this a kick start. But the way the characters were written and what was going on in their lives, the story would not have been believable if it was sped up. It was just me being impatient. I enjoyed how the chemistry slowly started to build. And eventually I was rewarded with a very steamy sex scene for my wait. Only small complaint of the whole book, I could have used just a little more relationship time. I loved these two together and just wanted a hint more.
This is an easy book to recommend to romance fans. If you are a DWP fan, a Winter fan, or are looking for a feel good romance, don’t pass this one up. Winter is very high up on my authors to automatically read list, and she absolutely deserves it. I honestly can’t wait to get my hands on another Winter book.
An ARC was given to me by YLVA, for a honest review.
Maddie Grey has moved to New York City, from down under, to fulfill her dream of being a reporter. Things are not going well. She is not fitting in, and works the graveyard shift for obits and crime. When the small newspaper she works for is taken over by media mogul, and notorious shark, Elena Bartell, Maddie knows her days might be numbered. Will Maddie be able to survive in her job? And what happens when she notices a few cracks in the shark’s outer layer?
Like many romance readers out there, I love a good ice queen storyline. This book has a Devil Wears Prada feel. I’m not sure if this was based on a fanfic, but rest assured either way, this does not have a recycled feel what so ever. I loved the storyline and was hooked on page one.
Winter always writes likeable main characters. A lot of time they are opposites, but they still just fit perfectly. Elena was as ice cold as Maddie was warm. They just complemented each other so well, and made a possible relationship that much more believable.
This is a very slow burn romance. I prefer slower moving romances, but at times I wanted to give this a kick start. But the way the characters were written and what was going on in their lives, the story would not have been believable if it was sped up. It was just me being impatient. I enjoyed how the chemistry slowly started to build. And eventually I was rewarded with a very steamy sex scene for my wait. Only small complaint of the whole book, I could have used just a little more relationship time. I loved these two together and just wanted a hint more.
This is an easy book to recommend to romance fans. If you are a DWP fan, a Winter fan, or are looking for a feel good romance, don’t pass this one up. Winter is very high up on my authors to automatically read list, and she absolutely deserves it. I honestly can’t wait to get my hands on another Winter book.
An ARC was given to me by YLVA, for a honest review.
November 30, 2017
'Ylva-Publishing ARC received in exchanged for my unbiased review'
What makes this book such an enjoyable,informative and deceptively uncomfortable read at times are the author's frequent and powerfully credible assertions that in advocating for the true potential of professional women or how many working women retreat from being truly 'at the table' in corporations that could not succeed without their largely unheralded abilities--as seen in this storyline one of the leads owning and managing all of her many businesses around the world with an iron fist. Winter also tries to capture every woman's desire to seek and master her own limits and goals,not just the ones others set for her/them. It's an absorbing story where readers get a highly introduction from the start to both leading characters having unlikely different career interest,lots of character flaws,intense relationship issues plus too much uncertainty about life etc Another reveal was the author tackling an arcane subject such as sexual assault/harassment in the workplace and making it an important piece in this book/storyline. Toss in a little stiff upper lip chemistry,free flowing dialogue with static pacing and a few well developed,edgy supporting cast that had their own side stories told as THE brutal truth...recommend
What makes this book such an enjoyable,informative and deceptively uncomfortable read at times are the author's frequent and powerfully credible assertions that in advocating for the true potential of professional women or how many working women retreat from being truly 'at the table' in corporations that could not succeed without their largely unheralded abilities--as seen in this storyline one of the leads owning and managing all of her many businesses around the world with an iron fist. Winter also tries to capture every woman's desire to seek and master her own limits and goals,not just the ones others set for her/them. It's an absorbing story where readers get a highly introduction from the start to both leading characters having unlikely different career interest,lots of character flaws,intense relationship issues plus too much uncertainty about life etc Another reveal was the author tackling an arcane subject such as sexual assault/harassment in the workplace and making it an important piece in this book/storyline. Toss in a little stiff upper lip chemistry,free flowing dialogue with static pacing and a few well developed,edgy supporting cast that had their own side stories told as THE brutal truth...recommend
December 26, 2017
Something about this didn't click for me. Yes, it's competently written and there are good parts to it but the rhythm was all over the place.
There's a getting to know you phase, estrangement, a move across the world, more estrangement, a more severe estrangement, a platonic wooing, estrangement again, one sided romantic interest conveyed, another move across the world, then both romantically interested but separated, another move across the world, and finally a coming together with very little time of the couple being in a relationship romantically. :-|
The two leads were okay and, of the two, I preferred Maddie but I found the most interesting characters to actually be the supporting cast, especially the fashionista mother and daughter duo. Felicity was a close runner up. Maddie and Elena weren't bad characters by any means but I didn't buy the dual chemistry. Yes, I got Maddie's side of it but Elena wasn't even ice-queen so much as stiff.
I was really looking forward to this read but found myself disappointed because the romance never really got off the ground. I think all of that estrangement and pretending not to care just threw the romance and chemistry for me. It took forever for Elena to 1) show blatant interest or 2) for Maddie to pick up on Elena's subtle interest which, in truth, she couldn't really help because it wasn't written, either. Elena's romantic interest in Maddie occurred off the page, out of sight from the reader. And then the acknowledged mutual romantic interest didn't last long because the book ended shortly after they get together.
That said, the book is entertaining enough. Lee Winter has a journalism background and I think, like her other books, it helped keep the story line accurate and interesting. I particularly liked all of the scenes with Natalii. The sexual harassment sub plot was a topical element that happens to coincide with the #metoo movement going on right now. Thankfully, it's a slow burn instead of an insta-love romance (though it veered too far on the slow burn side, I think). And, in general, there's a feel good tone to the book. For whatever drama that occurs, nothing is too dark or heavy.
Competency-wise, I put this book in the 4 star range and do think others may it enjoy it more than I did. But, for me, liking-it-wise I give it a 3.5.
There's a getting to know you phase, estrangement, a move across the world, more estrangement, a more severe estrangement, a platonic wooing, estrangement again, one sided romantic interest conveyed, another move across the world, then both romantically interested but separated, another move across the world, and finally a coming together with very little time of the couple being in a relationship romantically. :-|
The two leads were okay and, of the two, I preferred Maddie but I found the most interesting characters to actually be the supporting cast, especially the fashionista mother and daughter duo. Felicity was a close runner up. Maddie and Elena weren't bad characters by any means but I didn't buy the dual chemistry. Yes, I got Maddie's side of it but Elena wasn't even ice-queen so much as stiff.
I was really looking forward to this read but found myself disappointed because the romance never really got off the ground. I think all of that estrangement and pretending not to care just threw the romance and chemistry for me. It took forever for Elena to 1) show blatant interest or 2) for Maddie to pick up on Elena's subtle interest which, in truth, she couldn't really help because it wasn't written, either. Elena's romantic interest in Maddie occurred off the page, out of sight from the reader. And then the acknowledged mutual romantic interest didn't last long because the book ended shortly after they get together.
That said, the book is entertaining enough. Lee Winter has a journalism background and I think, like her other books, it helped keep the story line accurate and interesting. I particularly liked all of the scenes with Natalii. The sexual harassment sub plot was a topical element that happens to coincide with the #metoo movement going on right now. Thankfully, it's a slow burn instead of an insta-love romance (though it veered too far on the slow burn side, I think). And, in general, there's a feel good tone to the book. For whatever drama that occurs, nothing is too dark or heavy.
Competency-wise, I put this book in the 4 star range and do think others may it enjoy it more than I did. But, for me, liking-it-wise I give it a 3.5.
November 5, 2017
This book is an unabashed homage to that most intriguing of character tropes--the uber-successful, all-powerful, untouchable "ice queen". No doubt inspired by the two most famous ice queens in lesfic fandom: Miranda and Regina. And of course, where's the fun in thawing ice queens if the thawer isn't one of the lowliest and least powerful underlings around?
I've noticed that the author loves to explore these kinds of relationship dynamics featuring such extreme power imbalances. Newbie vs Pro (The Red Files), Prey vs Predator (Requiem for Immortals) and now PA vs CEO. I've also realized how much I love such stories (no wonder all the books got 5 stars from me :) and never get tired of it.). I don't know....there's just something so incredibly compelling and satisfying about the whole idea of having an ordinary nobody finding the key to catching/touching/turning these cold, emotionally unavailable superstars into the, well, less cold and more human versions of themselves. The sheer impossibility of the task, the obstacles, the little triumphs, the setbacks, even more struggles and then the final victory -- the whole journey, is an adventure no less exciting than if they'd gone on a pirate treasure hunt. Yeah, I love these stories, and...I'm rambling. :)
Let's just say if you're a fan of ice queens, or of any powerful women in general, the synopsis alone will prove irresistible.
Elena Bartell is a self-made, billionaire publishing mogul. And she didn't get there by being nice. After being pushed out of a job that was rightfully hers by merit, she knows not to play fair. Keen business sense and a touch of ruthlessness has seen her sweep up failing publications and turn them into either thriving media or cold edifices...employees be damned. To them she is a soulless tiger shark, but the stockholders love her, and that's all that matters... at least to her. (Actually, that's pretty much the norm in many corporations where CEOs are paid to the high heavens for increasing shareholder value, so if she were a man, she'd probably be celebrated and admired instead of being stuck with a nickname.) Anyways...
Maddie, a recent NY transplant originally from Sydney, finds herself working the graveyard shift crime beat pulling double duty doing obits for a metro paper. When Bartell Corp buys the paper, everyone is put on notice to shape up or ship out. Ice queen Elena sets up office in the building, right next to Maddie's desk. And the dance and endless battle of wills begin...
Like Tarantino's homage films, the author takes a campy, over-the-top approach to drawing her characters, almost all of them familiar stereotypes (either they were inspired by the iconic 'Devil Wears Prada' movie or this was a former fanfic, take your pick) and imbues and magnifies them with the kind of larger than life personas that make them so memorable. And so delicious. The book is best enjoyed from this angle, as some situations feel contrived or preposterous. But ice queen fans would fall head over heels in love with the book, and Elena.
As I mentioned earlier, the main characters are all pretty stereotypical. But the reason why I loved the book is how deeply the author explores their psyches, and the lengths she takes to make her characters' connection realistic. Imagine that gap--a CEO and a lowly night shift grunt. It's not gonna happen overnight. Or even over time. It's going to take a lot of exploration, a ton of character growth and a huge dose of fairy godmother dust to make it happen. And that's what differentiates an exceptional author from a good one. Lots of lesfic authors can do the first two, but the sprinkling of fairy dust? Only a handful can weave the kind of plot magic that makes the cynical reader go, 'why didn't I think of that' , or 'hell, yeah' or 'awwwww...' No matter how unrealistic the plot is, the author makes it seem at least plausible. And it's highly entertaining to boot.
It goes without saying that one of the things that make the author's characters feel so authentic is that they never become someone they're not. There's change, and it can be huge and life-changing, but you don't undo 40 years of someone's personality completely and have it last further than the honeymoon. And yeah, I love that she gets her characters idiosyncrasies, and lets them be. But not after freeing the real woman trapped inside the ice.
It's important to note that this isn't a typical romance where 'romantic development' involves sweet, endearing dialogue or PDA displays, or whispered sweet nothings or even, the protagonists showing special care for each other. Every lesfic writer does that already. Don't look for it here. For a good deal of the book, it was either an awkward dance around each other, tension-filled exchanges, downright snark and talking in circles. Hence the need for 'the brutal truth'. In fact, the most romantic parts of the book are when they're actually thousands of miles apart. How weird is that? More often than I could count, their relationship was moving frustratingly one step forward and two steps back. The chemistry is off the charts, but there is just so much emotional and balance-of-power distance between them, not to mention the multiple layers of masks the ice queen wears. I figured it was going to take Maddie a lot to uncover those firmly welded-on protective masks. I didn't figure it would take almost the entire book. Well most of it anyway. As the masks had to be lifted off layer by layer. Well, I guess that's ice queen for you. And Elena is the toughest of them all. They'll never admit to emotion willingly. Least of all that most unspeakable emotion of all--love. That one word signals the ultimate 'melt', and no ice queen worth their salt will ever utter it if they want their reputation intact. Towards the end, when Maddie was trying to wrangle that declaration, I kept wishing her a mental 'hah, good luck with that!'. :)
In terms of how much I enjoyed the book, I should give this book a solid 5 stars, especially for putting my faith back in lesfic's ability to 'make my day'. But then there's The Red Files, and then there's Requiem. Ranged against such formidable opponents, a 4.95 will have to do.
But still, Elena Bartell earns a permanent place in my pantheon of earthly goddesses, joining the likes of Jessica Maddox, Mallory Spencer, Victoria Willoughby, Genevieve Fornier, Jennifer Lamont, Catherine Ayers and a few others whose names escape me for the moment but who live beyond the books they inhabit and whose exploits and personalities still manage to fill my thoughts...Women who focused on themselves and their dreams rather than love, who had to suppress a good part of their inner selves and acquired a discipline, a coolness and even a bit of ruthlessness, sometimes even losing a part of their humanity in the process, all in the name of success, and doing it on their own terms. It was such a joy to see them come in from the cold, their long suppressed selves unlocked... and how love is the secret key to it. It's just...magical.
4.95 stars
ARC from Ylva
PS. Is it sheer coincidence that a crucial part of the plot involves a sexual harassment case very similar to whats happening in the news, including even the fallout from it. This is one subplot that felt incredibly realistic and totally grounds the whole book.
I've noticed that the author loves to explore these kinds of relationship dynamics featuring such extreme power imbalances. Newbie vs Pro (The Red Files), Prey vs Predator (Requiem for Immortals) and now PA vs CEO. I've also realized how much I love such stories (no wonder all the books got 5 stars from me :) and never get tired of it.). I don't know....there's just something so incredibly compelling and satisfying about the whole idea of having an ordinary nobody finding the key to catching/touching/turning these cold, emotionally unavailable superstars into the, well, less cold and more human versions of themselves. The sheer impossibility of the task, the obstacles, the little triumphs, the setbacks, even more struggles and then the final victory -- the whole journey, is an adventure no less exciting than if they'd gone on a pirate treasure hunt. Yeah, I love these stories, and...I'm rambling. :)
Let's just say if you're a fan of ice queens, or of any powerful women in general, the synopsis alone will prove irresistible.
Elena Bartell is a self-made, billionaire publishing mogul. And she didn't get there by being nice. After being pushed out of a job that was rightfully hers by merit, she knows not to play fair. Keen business sense and a touch of ruthlessness has seen her sweep up failing publications and turn them into either thriving media or cold edifices...employees be damned. To them she is a soulless tiger shark, but the stockholders love her, and that's all that matters... at least to her. (Actually, that's pretty much the norm in many corporations where CEOs are paid to the high heavens for increasing shareholder value, so if she were a man, she'd probably be celebrated and admired instead of being stuck with a nickname.) Anyways...
Maddie, a recent NY transplant originally from Sydney, finds herself working the graveyard shift crime beat pulling double duty doing obits for a metro paper. When Bartell Corp buys the paper, everyone is put on notice to shape up or ship out. Ice queen Elena sets up office in the building, right next to Maddie's desk. And the dance and endless battle of wills begin...
Like Tarantino's homage films, the author takes a campy, over-the-top approach to drawing her characters, almost all of them familiar stereotypes (either they were inspired by the iconic 'Devil Wears Prada' movie or this was a former fanfic, take your pick) and imbues and magnifies them with the kind of larger than life personas that make them so memorable. And so delicious. The book is best enjoyed from this angle, as some situations feel contrived or preposterous. But ice queen fans would fall head over heels in love with the book, and Elena.
As I mentioned earlier, the main characters are all pretty stereotypical. But the reason why I loved the book is how deeply the author explores their psyches, and the lengths she takes to make her characters' connection realistic. Imagine that gap--a CEO and a lowly night shift grunt. It's not gonna happen overnight. Or even over time. It's going to take a lot of exploration, a ton of character growth and a huge dose of fairy godmother dust to make it happen. And that's what differentiates an exceptional author from a good one. Lots of lesfic authors can do the first two, but the sprinkling of fairy dust? Only a handful can weave the kind of plot magic that makes the cynical reader go, 'why didn't I think of that' , or 'hell, yeah' or 'awwwww...' No matter how unrealistic the plot is, the author makes it seem at least plausible. And it's highly entertaining to boot.
It goes without saying that one of the things that make the author's characters feel so authentic is that they never become someone they're not. There's change, and it can be huge and life-changing, but you don't undo 40 years of someone's personality completely and have it last further than the honeymoon. And yeah, I love that she gets her characters idiosyncrasies, and lets them be. But not after freeing the real woman trapped inside the ice.
It's important to note that this isn't a typical romance where 'romantic development' involves sweet, endearing dialogue or PDA displays, or whispered sweet nothings or even, the protagonists showing special care for each other. Every lesfic writer does that already. Don't look for it here. For a good deal of the book, it was either an awkward dance around each other, tension-filled exchanges, downright snark and talking in circles. Hence the need for 'the brutal truth'. In fact, the most romantic parts of the book are when they're actually thousands of miles apart. How weird is that? More often than I could count, their relationship was moving frustratingly one step forward and two steps back. The chemistry is off the charts, but there is just so much emotional and balance-of-power distance between them, not to mention the multiple layers of masks the ice queen wears. I figured it was going to take Maddie a lot to uncover those firmly welded-on protective masks. I didn't figure it would take almost the entire book. Well most of it anyway. As the masks had to be lifted off layer by layer. Well, I guess that's ice queen for you. And Elena is the toughest of them all. They'll never admit to emotion willingly. Least of all that most unspeakable emotion of all--love. That one word signals the ultimate 'melt', and no ice queen worth their salt will ever utter it if they want their reputation intact. Towards the end, when Maddie was trying to wrangle that declaration, I kept wishing her a mental 'hah, good luck with that!'. :)
In terms of how much I enjoyed the book, I should give this book a solid 5 stars, especially for putting my faith back in lesfic's ability to 'make my day'. But then there's The Red Files, and then there's Requiem. Ranged against such formidable opponents, a 4.95 will have to do.
But still, Elena Bartell earns a permanent place in my pantheon of earthly goddesses, joining the likes of Jessica Maddox, Mallory Spencer, Victoria Willoughby, Genevieve Fornier, Jennifer Lamont, Catherine Ayers and a few others whose names escape me for the moment but who live beyond the books they inhabit and whose exploits and personalities still manage to fill my thoughts...Women who focused on themselves and their dreams rather than love, who had to suppress a good part of their inner selves and acquired a discipline, a coolness and even a bit of ruthlessness, sometimes even losing a part of their humanity in the process, all in the name of success, and doing it on their own terms. It was such a joy to see them come in from the cold, their long suppressed selves unlocked... and how love is the secret key to it. It's just...magical.
4.95 stars
ARC from Ylva
PS. Is it sheer coincidence that a crucial part of the plot involves a sexual harassment case very similar to whats happening in the news, including even the fallout from it. This is one subplot that felt incredibly realistic and totally grounds the whole book.
December 15, 2018
The Brutal Truth (108,000 words) is a rewrite of a DWP fanfic of the same name (54,505 words). The fanfic version was great, but this published one is just brilliant.
5 stars
Feb 17, 2018
5 stars
Feb 17, 2018
August 27, 2023
↬2.5 stars ☆*
There is something a big part of the population has fantasized with, and it’s being the one able to make a cold, powerful character fall for you. Seeing that shadow of a smile that is barely there but exists only for you, being accepted to breathe the same air as them. That’s part of the reason why we have heroes like Christian Grey, created to fall for a mundane Anastasia. I never understood it. I hate serious, cold people. I don’t see the appeal of a person who dismisses someone with a ‘we’re done’, like you are so beneath them you should be thankful they bother speaking to you at all. The kind of character the author finds imperative to refer to with both name and last name, Elena Bartell, because the power of the name is part of the fantasy. I didn’t hate Elena Bartell (h) per se, but there was nothing about her character that appealed to me. In fact, I would say that the way she talked made the age gap so obvious I couldn’t stop picturing one of my very boring and old professors as the romance interest. I’m not going to criticize anybody’s kink, but that is not really the picture I want on my mind when I’m reading a romance.
On top of that, I don’t think the audiobook helped this time because the narrator did the voice people who love cold queens wanted: firm and serious and sounded exactly as the forty-year-old media boss we were following, so it didn’t let me even imagine that she had a charming, younger voice I could fall for. The only moment where I didn’t mind her being bossy was in the smut scene, which was worthy when we finally reached the point after a very very slow burn.
Not breaking the structure of these types of novels, ice-queen Elena's love interest is Maddie, a very sunshine journalist that works for her and it’s not afraid to tell her exactly what she thinks in such a cute way she can get away with it. If you asked me to describe Maddie, I would have to say she has all the qualities to be a spy; nothing stood up other than her being pretty and extremely nice. I can imagine the goal of the author was making all those women who had dreamed with ice-queens to feel connected with Maddie, so she ended up being so average that all the secondary characters ended up being more interesting than her.
The brutal truth is that I should have dnfed this because I wasn’t the right audience. The problem is that I really enjoyed The Awkward Truth (book 2, thank god i read them out of order), so I thought the book deserved to be trusted for a bit longer and ended up staying for the secondary characters. It says a lot that the scenes that piqued my interest weren’t the ones with Maddie and Elena, but with Natalii, Perry and, of course, my not-so-cold-ice-queen Felicity.
As a side note, I’m not really sure anymore if Lee Winter’s brand of romance is going to work for me. Don’t get me wrong, she knows how to write and the pacing is great, but I miss having more hormones, more chemistry between the MCs. Maybe I'm too used to gay romances; guys are so good at not following their brain when they are attracted to someone, but I want to at least dream that there are women out there who will fall so hard they/we won’t be able to overthink the situation.
Overall, I would recommend The Brutal Truth if you love real ice-queens who will be rude until they learn their life has been miserable without you in it and will make you their whole universe.
🎧read as an audiobook
↬ Truth series:
1. The Brutal Truth: 2.5 stars
2. The Awkward Truth: 4 stars
There is something a big part of the population has fantasized with, and it’s being the one able to make a cold, powerful character fall for you. Seeing that shadow of a smile that is barely there but exists only for you, being accepted to breathe the same air as them. That’s part of the reason why we have heroes like Christian Grey, created to fall for a mundane Anastasia. I never understood it. I hate serious, cold people. I don’t see the appeal of a person who dismisses someone with a ‘we’re done’, like you are so beneath them you should be thankful they bother speaking to you at all. The kind of character the author finds imperative to refer to with both name and last name, Elena Bartell, because the power of the name is part of the fantasy. I didn’t hate Elena Bartell (h) per se, but there was nothing about her character that appealed to me. In fact, I would say that the way she talked made the age gap so obvious I couldn’t stop picturing one of my very boring and old professors as the romance interest. I’m not going to criticize anybody’s kink, but that is not really the picture I want on my mind when I’m reading a romance.
On top of that, I don’t think the audiobook helped this time because the narrator did the voice people who love cold queens wanted: firm and serious and sounded exactly as the forty-year-old media boss we were following, so it didn’t let me even imagine that she had a charming, younger voice I could fall for. The only moment where I didn’t mind her being bossy was in the smut scene, which was worthy when we finally reached the point after a very very slow burn.
Not breaking the structure of these types of novels, ice-queen Elena's love interest is Maddie, a very sunshine journalist that works for her and it’s not afraid to tell her exactly what she thinks in such a cute way she can get away with it. If you asked me to describe Maddie, I would have to say she has all the qualities to be a spy; nothing stood up other than her being pretty and extremely nice. I can imagine the goal of the author was making all those women who had dreamed with ice-queens to feel connected with Maddie, so she ended up being so average that all the secondary characters ended up being more interesting than her.
The brutal truth is that I should have dnfed this because I wasn’t the right audience. The problem is that I really enjoyed The Awkward Truth (book 2, thank god i read them out of order), so I thought the book deserved to be trusted for a bit longer and ended up staying for the secondary characters. It says a lot that the scenes that piqued my interest weren’t the ones with Maddie and Elena, but with Natalii, Perry and, of course, my not-so-cold-ice-queen Felicity.
As a side note, I’m not really sure anymore if Lee Winter’s brand of romance is going to work for me. Don’t get me wrong, she knows how to write and the pacing is great, but I miss having more hormones, more chemistry between the MCs. Maybe I'm too used to gay romances; guys are so good at not following their brain when they are attracted to someone, but I want to at least dream that there are women out there who will fall so hard they/we won’t be able to overthink the situation.
Overall, I would recommend The Brutal Truth if you love real ice-queens who will be rude until they learn their life has been miserable without you in it and will make you their whole universe.
🎧read as an audiobook
↬ Truth series:
1. The Brutal Truth: 2.5 stars
2. The Awkward Truth: 4 stars
January 3, 2018
This is my first book by Lee Winter. I'm a sucker for a May-December romance so I knew this book would be right up my alley. It's a well written slow burner but it's worth the wait.
This is one of those books that definitely leaves you feeling good and I'm looking forward to reading more from Lee Winter.
This is one of those books that definitely leaves you feeling good and I'm looking forward to reading more from Lee Winter.
October 16, 2018
What is it about an ice queen that makes a story so delectable? I mean truly, I have a thing for this character trope. Judge away, I do not care! I am always intrigued by that main character with that frosty alpha bitch exterior. When you think about it, or at least when I do, some of my most beloved characters and books in the lesbian romance genre have that ice queen that will thaw only for her one true love theme. Why am I rambling on, because Lee Winter writes ice queens like nobody else.
Elena Bartell is a downright shark, this media mogul has a reputation taking no prisoners. You are either excellent or you are gone. She owns newspapers all over the world, waiting for them to go almost belly-up then she swoops in and either turns them around or liquidates everything. She does this all the while running a renowned fashion magazine. Elena comes off as she has tolerance for no one, even her husband she keeps at arm's length. Everything is business and she keeps her mask firmly in place. This woman will absolutely eviscerate anyone who gets in her way. That is until she is "pestered" by her newly acquired night beat reporter.
Maddie Grey hates New York City. She begrudgingly admits it to everyone except for her Aussie friends and family back home in Sydney. Maddie won the green card lottery and had her dream opportunity to move to NYC and try her hand at becoming a crime reporter. Now, living the "dream" she hates, her only opportunity to be a journalist is working the night beat writing obits and rifling around for stories that someone on the day shift will get to flesh out. Then Elena Bartell shows up and Maddie is almost certain she's getting a pink slip, especially when they get off on the wrong foot almost immediately.
From the get-go, these two characters challenge each other. Maddie fires back at Elena like no one else would dare and it almost endears the woman to her. No one ever dares talks back to her, I mean this woman is dismissive and vicious almost all the time. The two protagonists clash in so many ways but also have so much in common. In a way, they see the loneliness in the other. Elena is struck by Maddie wanting nothing from her but a friendship of sorts, while Maddie the ever curious journalist finds Elena downright fascinating. She wants to scrape the boss's exterior mask to find out the heart of the cold and ruthless businesswoman.
Winter keeps the tension taunt for the majority of the book. A long, long slow captivating burn. The tension in this one is like pulling a rubber band till it will stretch no more. Angst galore and it to me it absolutely works. If you loved the Red Files, I promise you this is right up your alley. Everything about this book is done right. The writing is crisp, the characters, well they were amazing and the dialogue could go from biting to amusing at the flip of a page. A damn fine read.
Who's your favorite ice queen?
Elena Bartell is a downright shark, this media mogul has a reputation taking no prisoners. You are either excellent or you are gone. She owns newspapers all over the world, waiting for them to go almost belly-up then she swoops in and either turns them around or liquidates everything. She does this all the while running a renowned fashion magazine. Elena comes off as she has tolerance for no one, even her husband she keeps at arm's length. Everything is business and she keeps her mask firmly in place. This woman will absolutely eviscerate anyone who gets in her way. That is until she is "pestered" by her newly acquired night beat reporter.
Maddie Grey hates New York City. She begrudgingly admits it to everyone except for her Aussie friends and family back home in Sydney. Maddie won the green card lottery and had her dream opportunity to move to NYC and try her hand at becoming a crime reporter. Now, living the "dream" she hates, her only opportunity to be a journalist is working the night beat writing obits and rifling around for stories that someone on the day shift will get to flesh out. Then Elena Bartell shows up and Maddie is almost certain she's getting a pink slip, especially when they get off on the wrong foot almost immediately.
From the get-go, these two characters challenge each other. Maddie fires back at Elena like no one else would dare and it almost endears the woman to her. No one ever dares talks back to her, I mean this woman is dismissive and vicious almost all the time. The two protagonists clash in so many ways but also have so much in common. In a way, they see the loneliness in the other. Elena is struck by Maddie wanting nothing from her but a friendship of sorts, while Maddie the ever curious journalist finds Elena downright fascinating. She wants to scrape the boss's exterior mask to find out the heart of the cold and ruthless businesswoman.
Winter keeps the tension taunt for the majority of the book. A long, long slow captivating burn. The tension in this one is like pulling a rubber band till it will stretch no more. Angst galore and it to me it absolutely works. If you loved the Red Files, I promise you this is right up your alley. Everything about this book is done right. The writing is crisp, the characters, well they were amazing and the dialogue could go from biting to amusing at the flip of a page. A damn fine read.
Who's your favorite ice queen?
November 24, 2017
5 Stars!
When I read the synopsis and the reviews, I thought this sounds familiar and definitely an uber Devil Wears Prada (DWP) fanfic. When I bought it and put it in my Calibre Library I realized I actually read the fanfic about two years ago and it was written by RedCharcoal who I found out is Winter's pseudonym. I sorta remember that it was OK and never reread it. I decided to not look at the fanfic before reading the published novel.
After finishing the novel, I went back to re-read the fanfic version. Wow. Now this is how you convert a fanfic into a published novel. Winter took the fanfic as the backbone but really filled it in with character development. In the DWP, the readers do not need an introduction to the main characters- Miranda, Andy, Emily and Niles, so Winters jumps right into the story and in the Chapter 1, she writes about the wager between Miranda and Andy. A bet that if Miranda wins, Andy will have to tell the "Brutal Truth" for 1 day, if Andy wins Miranda will have to tell the truth for a week. In the novel, the bet doesn't take place until Chapter 11. The fanfic is 16 chapters (52k words), the novel is 36 chapters (113k words). The novel does not feel long at all.
The first 10 chapters of the book, Winter's tells us about Elena Bartell (Miranda) a beautiful, 40 year old who was already the head of a publishing empire of magazines and newspapers. Nicknamed Tiger Shark for her ruthlessness and gobbling up companies and spitting them out. Madeleine or Maddie Grey (Andy) is a 26 year old Australian who relocated to New York City to become a journalist. She is working the graveyard shift at a small, failing newspaper. She considers herself as a crime journalist but is floundering in NYC and is missing her hometown of Sydney, Australia. She so wants to return but not as a failure.
One addition I really loved is the blog Maddie writes (Aliens of New York by Maddie as Hell) which opens each of the first 10 chapters. It is beautifully written as Maddie describes NYC through her eyes - her loneliness, her homesickness, the people she encounters, riding the subway, etc. I so wished it could have been continued for the whole book but I understand why it couldn't.
I can't fail to mention Felicity (Emily). She is all Emily in the novel, her snarkiness and loyalty to Elena is there but so much more. She works for Elena, but as she reminds Maddie she is not Elena's PA. Great character.
I decided to have a Best of 2017 shelf. This will be going on it.
When I read the synopsis and the reviews, I thought this sounds familiar and definitely an uber Devil Wears Prada (DWP) fanfic. When I bought it and put it in my Calibre Library I realized I actually read the fanfic about two years ago and it was written by RedCharcoal who I found out is Winter's pseudonym. I sorta remember that it was OK and never reread it. I decided to not look at the fanfic before reading the published novel.
After finishing the novel, I went back to re-read the fanfic version. Wow. Now this is how you convert a fanfic into a published novel. Winter took the fanfic as the backbone but really filled it in with character development. In the DWP, the readers do not need an introduction to the main characters- Miranda, Andy, Emily and Niles, so Winters jumps right into the story and in the Chapter 1, she writes about the wager between Miranda and Andy. A bet that if Miranda wins, Andy will have to tell the "Brutal Truth" for 1 day, if Andy wins Miranda will have to tell the truth for a week. In the novel, the bet doesn't take place until Chapter 11. The fanfic is 16 chapters (52k words), the novel is 36 chapters (113k words). The novel does not feel long at all.
The first 10 chapters of the book, Winter's tells us about Elena Bartell (Miranda) a beautiful, 40 year old who was already the head of a publishing empire of magazines and newspapers. Nicknamed Tiger Shark for her ruthlessness and gobbling up companies and spitting them out. Madeleine or Maddie Grey (Andy) is a 26 year old Australian who relocated to New York City to become a journalist. She is working the graveyard shift at a small, failing newspaper. She considers herself as a crime journalist but is floundering in NYC and is missing her hometown of Sydney, Australia. She so wants to return but not as a failure.
One addition I really loved is the blog Maddie writes (Aliens of New York by Maddie as Hell) which opens each of the first 10 chapters. It is beautifully written as Maddie describes NYC through her eyes - her loneliness, her homesickness, the people she encounters, riding the subway, etc. I so wished it could have been continued for the whole book but I understand why it couldn't.
I can't fail to mention Felicity (Emily). She is all Emily in the novel, her snarkiness and loyalty to Elena is there but so much more. She works for Elena, but as she reminds Maddie she is not Elena's PA. Great character.
I decided to have a Best of 2017 shelf. This will be going on it.
November 15, 2019
Oh my word!!!!!!!!! I honestly don't know why it took so long for me to read this book. It was FANTASTIC....... I loved Maddie so much and I loved Elena even more. The pacing of this book was on point. I enjoyed every single page. Ahhh this was such a great book.
5stars.
5stars.
June 27, 2019
Fun interaction: I was walking to a burrito place for lunch today while listening to this audiobook, and much to my delight the sex scene came on. I slowed my steps, obviously super pleased. Get to said burrito place and hit pause as I order my "naked" burrito (*tee hee, blush blush, wink wink*) when all of a sudden a delivery guy leans down over my feet and goes "GIIIIRRRLL....YOUR SHOES! Your shoes are AMAZING. We call that HEAT! YOU GOT THE HEAT GIRL! Damn!" Then walks into the kitchen with his wares.
Best compliment ever! Kinda felt like a rock star.
Speaking of rock stars, THIS AUDIOBOOK! WOW! I had read this book awhile ago, but hearing it was a whole other experience. Angela Dawe did a fantastic job with the voices and accents. I can't get over how nuanced and detailed these characters were, and still shake my head in awe. The MCs, Elena and Maddie, were so solid. I loved to hate Elena, her aloofness and cool demeanour, ready to fire anyone on a whim, "business first" attitude in her fashion forward wardrobe (though, I still can't get behind steampunk chic, sorrynotsorry). Yet we get glimpses throughout the book of the underlying compassion lying beneath her surface, which of course, the gem that is Maddie Grey was able to see. Maddie.... who you couldn't help but adore, made no bones about being herself and had the unique ability to connect with others in a way that drew people from all walks of life. These two sizzled and burned and aggravated and did all the flippy things to my whole being. Maddie was very relatable and I connected deeply with her self-deprecating humour, honesty and openness. I really enjoyed the slow burn of the pair, richly woven in amongst the interesting plots of the story. Boy does Ms. Winters ever make us wait for the payout though, with intimacy not happening until the very end. It's good when it happens, but I could have used just a wee bit more. When can't we though, amiright ladies?
Not only the MCs, but the author also tucked into her secondary characters like delectable desserts... Felicity, Perry, and of course Veronique and Natalii, French fairy fucking godmothers they were! God I loved them all. None of these were throwaway characters at all, but rather added to the fullness of the MCs personas. Being able to hear all of these voices was so much fun, even if the French accents sounded more like the rough French Canadian I hear often, rather than the smooth as silk France-French that I wish told me bedtime stories each night *sigh*.
Some parts did drag on and didn't add much to the story, and I felt some chapters could have been edited. That's my only reason for knocking back half a star.
Don't do yourself any disservice by comparing this to the cringe-worthy DWP. Just read it with a fresh mind and fucking love it.
Best compliment ever! Kinda felt like a rock star.
Speaking of rock stars, THIS AUDIOBOOK! WOW! I had read this book awhile ago, but hearing it was a whole other experience. Angela Dawe did a fantastic job with the voices and accents. I can't get over how nuanced and detailed these characters were, and still shake my head in awe. The MCs, Elena and Maddie, were so solid. I loved to hate Elena, her aloofness and cool demeanour, ready to fire anyone on a whim, "business first" attitude in her fashion forward wardrobe (though, I still can't get behind steampunk chic, sorrynotsorry). Yet we get glimpses throughout the book of the underlying compassion lying beneath her surface, which of course, the gem that is Maddie Grey was able to see. Maddie.... who you couldn't help but adore, made no bones about being herself and had the unique ability to connect with others in a way that drew people from all walks of life. These two sizzled and burned and aggravated and did all the flippy things to my whole being. Maddie was very relatable and I connected deeply with her self-deprecating humour, honesty and openness. I really enjoyed the slow burn of the pair, richly woven in amongst the interesting plots of the story. Boy does Ms. Winters ever make us wait for the payout though, with intimacy not happening until the very end. It's good when it happens, but I could have used just a wee bit more. When can't we though, amiright ladies?
Not only the MCs, but the author also tucked into her secondary characters like delectable desserts... Felicity, Perry, and of course Veronique and Natalii, French fairy fucking godmothers they were! God I loved them all. None of these were throwaway characters at all, but rather added to the fullness of the MCs personas. Being able to hear all of these voices was so much fun, even if the French accents sounded more like the rough French Canadian I hear often, rather than the smooth as silk France-French that I wish told me bedtime stories each night *sigh*.
Some parts did drag on and didn't add much to the story, and I felt some chapters could have been edited. That's my only reason for knocking back half a star.
Don't do yourself any disservice by comparing this to the cringe-worthy DWP. Just read it with a fresh mind and fucking love it.
April 5, 2019
Oh My! How I loved reading The Brutal Truth! Read the book while on the plane. My routine when on the plane has always been reading just before take-off and watch plenty of movies when the plane is in the air (cos this is where I normally catch-up on latest movie). This time round, my routine got thrown out of the window. Once I got started with TBT, I just can’t put it down. It was just so beautifully written and engaging that I just have to devour it in one sitting!
Elena Bartell (name is so apt for an IQ), the Ice Queen in this book is one hell of a queen, the iciest queen that I’ve come across by far. And Maddie Grey, sigh, sweet sweet Maddie is such a sweetheart! Any sweeter and you’ll get diabetes! When they first met, Elena didn’t have a good impression of Maddie and even thought that she was being mocked by Maddie. But over time Maddie grew on Elena that it came to a point that Elena can’t bear to be apart from her - absence really make the heart grew fonder, case in point.
The build up was slow and at times, tensed. It took quite a while for the ice to thaw but it was well worth the wait.
Highly recommended!
Elena Bartell (name is so apt for an IQ), the Ice Queen in this book is one hell of a queen, the iciest queen that I’ve come across by far. And Maddie Grey, sigh, sweet sweet Maddie is such a sweetheart! Any sweeter and you’ll get diabetes! When they first met, Elena didn’t have a good impression of Maddie and even thought that she was being mocked by Maddie. But over time Maddie grew on Elena that it came to a point that Elena can’t bear to be apart from her - absence really make the heart grew fonder, case in point.
The build up was slow and at times, tensed. It took quite a while for the ice to thaw but it was well worth the wait.
Highly recommended!
April 8, 2023
➥ 4.25 Stars *:･ﾟ✧
You guessed it: another review of mine that was long overdue. This was a buddy read with Leilani, thank you for buddy reading this one with me 💘. Knowing this was one of Kelly's ultimate favourites, I went in with high expectations, but I wasn't worried...because it's Lee Winter: duh.
Can I just say that I fucking love how Winter incorporates her knowledge of journalism and writing into her work? We also see this in The Red Files but gosh, I devour it every time. Also something I've realised tends to work for me is...office romance? I don't know why, I don't know how, but it just does. Elena (h) is the scary, no-bullshit boss who seems to be heartless and Maddie (h) is a 'sunshine', smiley, kind woman, who works for her. I normally don't love the typical wide-eyed heroines, but I actually found her sweet personality charming, and really funny at times.
And actually, I found Elena's humour to be endearing too.
As with many of Winter's books, you do have to kind of trust the process. You have to let yourself fully lean into the premise and the way in which Winter is driving the story. At first, I didn't really love Elena, and I felt her to be unnecessarily blunt, and felt she almost didn't care of those around her. Of course, the phrase "distance makes the heart grow fonder" hits Elena hard, when she begins to miss Maddie. Seeing how Elena was actually at Maddie's feet was an actual delight.
But of course, Winter also continues to serve us her excellently written sexual tension on a platter! There were countless moments where I was just gaping at my phone while my cheeks turned tomato-red.
🤭🤭🤭 Ultimately, I think Maddie and Elena's dynamic really worked, even though it's not what I usually love in romances: age-gaps. I did feel like Elena was slightly prehistoric for my age in her mannerisms and dialogue. Very sly, self-contained and purposeful. Which is not something I mind too much, per se, but it does take away from the connection I see in characters, personally. That's why I can't quite bring myself to give this one a full five stars, though I did enjoy it. Also, there had been a latinx character that was written extremely stereotypically, where she just wanted to have sex with hot dudes and she was also a cheater. Didn't love that. And Elena did that thing where she makes Maddie voice her desires and, personally, it's not something I love. I found it a bit cringey 🙊. Elena's an adorable drunk though!
In terms of the two female characters, I actually preferred Maddie. Usually, I tend to prefer the mysteriously and scarily sexy one, but the combination of Elena not really working with me as a character, and also loving Maddie and her heart of gold, made me look more at Maddie with my admiring eyes.
I did notice there was even more conflict in this book than I'm used to in Winter's books, which I admittedly didn't love. Still, a really solid novel.
🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭
Elena slid her fingers to the back of her neck and pulled her in for a barely there kiss.
"Wow." Maddie's blood was soaring in her ears. Her lips tingled.
Elena's lips shifted to her ear. "Why are you keeping me waiting, Madeleine?"
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
You guessed it: another review of mine that was long overdue. This was a buddy read with Leilani, thank you for buddy reading this one with me 💘. Knowing this was one of Kelly's ultimate favourites, I went in with high expectations, but I wasn't worried...because it's Lee Winter: duh.
Can I just say that I fucking love how Winter incorporates her knowledge of journalism and writing into her work? We also see this in The Red Files but gosh, I devour it every time. Also something I've realised tends to work for me is...office romance? I don't know why, I don't know how, but it just does. Elena (h) is the scary, no-bullshit boss who seems to be heartless and Maddie (h) is a 'sunshine', smiley, kind woman, who works for her. I normally don't love the typical wide-eyed heroines, but I actually found her sweet personality charming, and really funny at times.
'She’d just made her way gingerly down the stairs of her apartment building, head thumping, when she spotted a shiny, black BMW slowly creeping up Humboldt Street towards her. Maddie watched it, wondering if the luxury vehicle was lost.'
And actually, I found Elena's humour to be endearing too.
"Felicity should be downstairs with a new outfit I asked her to pick up on the way into work."
Maddie blinked. "Poor Felicity."
"Yes, well, for some reason I find myself without an assistant." Elena gave her an intense look and tapped her foot impatiently.
As with many of Winter's books, you do have to kind of trust the process. You have to let yourself fully lean into the premise and the way in which Winter is driving the story. At first, I didn't really love Elena, and I felt her to be unnecessarily blunt, and felt she almost didn't care of those around her. Of course, the phrase "distance makes the heart grow fonder" hits Elena hard, when she begins to miss Maddie. Seeing how Elena was actually at Maddie's feet was an actual delight.
"Is that why you asked me to be your assistant? You...missed me?" It sounded insane. And yet...
"That's..." Maddie could see the lie forming, but just then, Elena's intense gaze was back. "One reason. A major one. It will be odd, tomorrow, being at work without seeing you every day." Her tone became flat.
Maddie smiled.
"Stop that."
"What?" Maddie smiled harder.
But of course, Winter also continues to serve us her excellently written sexual tension on a platter! There were countless moments where I was just gaping at my phone while my cheeks turned tomato-red.
"Is this why you do it? For the rush? The thrill of signing the deal? Winning?"
"There's no greater high in life." Elena's expression dared her to disagree.
Laughing, Maddie shook her head. The beautiful wine made her feel so relaxed. "I don't know, I can think of one fun thing that's a bigger high." She gave her eyebrows a suggestive lift before she could stop herself.
Elena's hand froze on the bottle where she'd been about to top up her wine glass. Her gaze slid over to Maddie's. "Is that so?"
"Well, yeah. I mean come on!" Maddie started to laugh again. She petered out when Elena didn't join in. "Wait, you don't think so? You really don't, do you?"
"No." The word was as flat as her expression. She placed the wine bottle back on the table.
Maddie gave her a curious look. "But..."
"What?" Elena studied her.
"Look, either I'm doing career wins badly, or you're doing sex wrong."
"And which do you think it is?" Elena's voice was low and smoky. "Specifically."
🤭🤭🤭 Ultimately, I think Maddie and Elena's dynamic really worked, even though it's not what I usually love in romances: age-gaps. I did feel like Elena was slightly prehistoric for my age in her mannerisms and dialogue. Very sly, self-contained and purposeful. Which is not something I mind too much, per se, but it does take away from the connection I see in characters, personally. That's why I can't quite bring myself to give this one a full five stars, though I did enjoy it. Also, there had been a latinx character that was written extremely stereotypically, where she just wanted to have sex with hot dudes and she was also a cheater. Didn't love that. And Elena did that thing where she makes Maddie voice her desires and, personally, it's not something I love. I found it a bit cringey 🙊. Elena's an adorable drunk though!
"But I know the truth."
Elena regarded her. "The people I care about generally do."
Madeleine's face creased into a soft look.
"You have to stop looking at me like that. It's not good for my reputation at all."
In terms of the two female characters, I actually preferred Maddie. Usually, I tend to prefer the mysteriously and scarily sexy one, but the combination of Elena not really working with me as a character, and also loving Maddie and her heart of gold, made me look more at Maddie with my admiring eyes.
I did notice there was even more conflict in this book than I'm used to in Winter's books, which I admittedly didn't love. Still, a really solid novel.
Elena's lips curved into a dangerous smile. "Madeleine," she said, voice soft. "Come here."
🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
November 14, 2021
Edit nov 2021: re-listened to the book and what was I thinking rating this 4 stars before🤯. Rating corrected to the 5 stars it deserves!
December 30, 2017
I promise to never judge a book by its cover again. I thought it'd be some horror, splatter, vampire, crime thing, but it wasn't at all (I didn't read the blurb before starting it, so I had no clue what I got myself into). This was one of the best books (maybe the best book, at least close to perfect as it can get.) I have read so far. I loved all the main characters in there, all well written, the awesome chemistry between Elena and Maddie, the funny moments where I laughed out loud while reading and the interesting plot. I'd give it 6 stars if I had the possibility. It feels like losing friends now that I'm finished. Oscar, come on, let's go ;)
August 19, 2019
I am yet again amazed by how impeccable Lee Winter’s writing is. It is not the kind of writing style that has such an easy flow to it that you suddenly find yourself at the end and don’t know how this happened. But it’s the kind of writing where I find myself staring at singular sentences, not knowing WHY it’s so good, but knowing that it is indeed just so damn GOOD.
Both main characters are well thought out, sympathetic, intelligent and witty in their own way, which is already great. But the side characters were great in general, too, which I really appreciate in books.
In fact, the connection Maddie makes with the star designer family, the Duchamps, is one thing that I loved especially and that stood out for me. Not only does it show what makes her so intriguing for the people she meets, it’s also very unexpected.
At one point I realized how happy the random appearances of Natalii made me. I just wanted to hang out and drink wine in fancy clothes with her, too.
And I think this book has one of the most hilarious last lines I know of.
Ending a well written, interesting and intelligent romance novel with a happy end is great. But ending it with a happy end and making me laugh while closing the book, that’s remarkable.
Both main characters are well thought out, sympathetic, intelligent and witty in their own way, which is already great. But the side characters were great in general, too, which I really appreciate in books.
In fact, the connection Maddie makes with the star designer family, the Duchamps, is one thing that I loved especially and that stood out for me. Not only does it show what makes her so intriguing for the people she meets, it’s also very unexpected.
At one point I realized how happy the random appearances of Natalii made me. I just wanted to hang out and drink wine in fancy clothes with her, too.
And I think this book has one of the most hilarious last lines I know of.
Ending a well written, interesting and intelligent romance novel with a happy end is great. But ending it with a happy end and making me laugh while closing the book, that’s remarkable.
September 4, 2022
07/08/2020: I legit started reading this yesterday afternoon and only stopped at 9AM today after reading they had kissed, then I slept for four hours and woke up again to finish reading. I’m a sucker for office romances, but not being able to stop reading, that’s how good this book is!! I legit couldn’t put it down! The slow burn and the bickering and the chemistry and honestly everything was just WOW! I love it! The writing style and all the details were breathtaking. I’m legit feeling so happy after reading this book!! I smiled A LOT throughout this story. 100% recommend
05/09/2021 (reread): I missed this story so I decided to reread it, listening to the audiobook version this time and wow!! It’s even better than what I remembered. And the narrator is superb!! The accents and the flow is just chef’s kiss!! BRAVO!! My cheeks hurt from smiling. Love this so much 🥰
04/09/2022 (reread): Elena Bartell, you have my whole heart 😍💛
05/09/2021 (reread): I missed this story so I decided to reread it, listening to the audiobook version this time and wow!! It’s even better than what I remembered. And the narrator is superb!! The accents and the flow is just chef’s kiss!! BRAVO!! My cheeks hurt from smiling. Love this so much 🥰
04/09/2022 (reread): Elena Bartell, you have my whole heart 😍💛
January 9, 2020
Five stars
There is some special quality about Lee Winters that appeals to the romantic in me. Each of her novels I enjoy better than the last and this has to be my favorite by far.
I often ask myself what is it about an ice queen that I find so intriguing? Truly this trope is an all time favorite of mine. I love watching a character slowly break down their hardened walls all in the name of love.
While reading the story gave off The Devil Wears Prada vibes pretty instantly, later I found that this was in fact a fanfiction before becoming a novel. (I knew it). I’m ecstatic to find another book that was once a fanfiction to become published.
This little gem of a story was completely and utterly enthralling. At the end I caught myself with a ridiculous grin and a full heart.
Another home run from Lee Winters.
There is some special quality about Lee Winters that appeals to the romantic in me. Each of her novels I enjoy better than the last and this has to be my favorite by far.
I often ask myself what is it about an ice queen that I find so intriguing? Truly this trope is an all time favorite of mine. I love watching a character slowly break down their hardened walls all in the name of love.
While reading the story gave off The Devil Wears Prada vibes pretty instantly, later I found that this was in fact a fanfiction before becoming a novel. (I knew it). I’m ecstatic to find another book that was once a fanfiction to become published.
This little gem of a story was completely and utterly enthralling. At the end I caught myself with a ridiculous grin and a full heart.
Another home run from Lee Winters.
February 1, 2018
ARC received from YLVA for a fair review.
5 stars. Loved it. Winter writes extremely well. Her dialogue is witty, characters engaging and plot interesting. Furthermore she covers some of my favorite topics in this book - age gap, rich girl poor girl and toaster ovens.
I'm sleep deprived so nothing much comes out of my head now besides a glowing recommendation for this book. Maddie, the lost and confused writer, will be relatable to a lot of people and the ice cold Elena appears perfect at first but soon her facade crumbles revealing she's a human too. It's not original by any means. This setup has been used countless times before yet the execution of it is what separates this book from similar ones. It's simply well written. Read it.
5 stars. Loved it. Winter writes extremely well. Her dialogue is witty, characters engaging and plot interesting. Furthermore she covers some of my favorite topics in this book - age gap, rich girl poor girl and toaster ovens.
I'm sleep deprived so nothing much comes out of my head now besides a glowing recommendation for this book. Maddie, the lost and confused writer, will be relatable to a lot of people and the ice cold Elena appears perfect at first but soon her facade crumbles revealing she's a human too. It's not original by any means. This setup has been used countless times before yet the execution of it is what separates this book from similar ones. It's simply well written. Read it.
November 12, 2017
The Brutal Truth is exquisite. Nobody does Ice Queens better than Lee Winter. Elena Bartell is a wonderful addition to her frosty kingdom. What I loved most about this story was how much time the author spends fleshing out both Elena and the endearing lucky charm that is Maddie Grey. Understanding where they’ve come from and what their dreams are, realized or otherwise, brought these women to life for this reader.
The story within the story, one which is making headlines in the news and twitter feeds around the world gives the title of this novel added impact. The fictional dare may be the turning point in Elena and Maddie’s relationship but events which set about the expected thaw show how the truth affects us all. It's powerful, truth and honesty, and in the case of Elena and Maddie, life changing.
Brilliant writing from an author who sets the bar high for lesbian fiction. Well done.
ARC received with thanks from the publisher for an honest review.
The story within the story, one which is making headlines in the news and twitter feeds around the world gives the title of this novel added impact. The fictional dare may be the turning point in Elena and Maddie’s relationship but events which set about the expected thaw show how the truth affects us all. It's powerful, truth and honesty, and in the case of Elena and Maddie, life changing.
Brilliant writing from an author who sets the bar high for lesbian fiction. Well done.
ARC received with thanks from the publisher for an honest review.
July 4, 2020
update: my third time reading this and this book has my whole heart, i love it so much.
aahhh I absolutely loved this! I couldn't put it down, I will definitely have to pick up some more of Lee Winter in the future.
aahhh I absolutely loved this! I couldn't put it down, I will definitely have to pick up some more of Lee Winter in the future.
March 30, 2022
Reread March 2022: So I was in a mood, but couldn't tell what mood. So I went delving into my five-star audiobooks and this is the one that grabbed me. What a delight! Everything I said below holds, but I'll pull forward the master performance by narrator Angela Dawe that is a huge enhancement to my enjoyment of this story.
Who watches the Devil Wears Prada and goes "Hmmm. That'd make a great romance!" Lee Winter, that's who. And I'm so glad it was somebody who had the talent to pull it off! Full (unnecessary) disclosure, I'm a huge fan of the movie, but was thrown out of the book really early. So I have no idea how this might relate to the book and all my comments are in relation to that fantastic film.
Anyway, there are some obvious translations. The Miranda Priestly character is younger (~40) and the Andy Sachs character is a bit older. It's still nearing squick* territory, but I just didn't care. There are other adjustments, mostly to give Elena a growth arc and still be a powerful executive and to give us space for a romantic relationship in addition to all the other moving parts. And I'm sure by the time those changes had been made, others were required in a domino effect that eventually leads this to be more a nod or tribute to TDWP than a rewrite or even a reimagining. Which I think is good and worked to the story's ultimate benefit.
I don't have a lot more to say about this as a whole. Only some pieces that I want to mention. The first is that the Elena character wouldn't have worked nearly so well if Winter hadn't gotten the bulk of the businessy bits right. Being as brutal as Elena was doesn't work if she is also (materially) wrong. But I also liked how Maddie showed her that while she nailed a weakness Maddie had been allowing to hamper her effectiveness in her career, Maddie was able to turn it around and show her strengths in a combination of optimism, hard work, kindness, and a little luck. I loved how Maddie's growth wasn't to become different, but rather, to align her work more with her strengths.
The break out that Maddie has to do to be her own woman and establish her independence turns out to be important to the story working (just as with TDWP). So I kind of loved how Winter kicked that off before the relationship becomes fundamentally romantic. Yeah, the feelings (on both sides, though only subtly for Elena) are identifiably there, but Maddie gets her own foundation before they can be anything like partners in an actual relationship. This is a very strong, but inexplicit aspect of this story.
I really liked the secondary characters Winter gives us, too. Many have really tenuous analogs with TDWP, but all of them stand in their own right and occupy their space dynamically. Some even have their own rewarding growth arcs.
I'm goin to end there, I think. This was a solid five stars, despite a bit of a slow-down in the last third (where honesty didn't always manifest as I thought it should for the characters, really). I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more by the author.
A note about the audiobook: The audiobook is the only version with what looks like an older, cheaper, crappier cover. Which is sad. The narrator, however, is outstanding. Angela Dawe is no Meryl Streep, but then, who is? And to her credit, she doesn't seem to have been striving to be. What she does bring to the story is an incredible range of characterization and a mastery of a really diverse set of accents, including giving Elena a liquidly smooth French delivery and the couple of Parisians a distinctly more laid-back, even lazy, tone that sounded incredibly nuanced to me (who knows nothing of actual French accents beyond my two years of High School exposure many, many long years ago). And I totally got why Maddie would melt just a little bit every time Elena said "Madelaine" in her own, unique way—because Dawe struck that note perfectly every time.
A note about Steamy: There are a couple of explicit sex scenes putting this (just barely) in the middle of my steam tolerance. They're all really late in the story as this is a really, reaaaally slow-burn romance. But they're a good delivery on the promise of their romantic journey and a good culmination for both the intimacy arc the characters traversed and the power dynamic they'd created uniquely for themselves. So well done, I think.
* The squick Formula for those who don't know it, is the eldest age divided by two and then adding seven. So for Elena at 40 (I think we get that canonically, but I can't be sure), the youngest she could date without squick threat would be 40 / 2 = 20 + 7 = 27. I don't recall being given an exact age for Maddie, but I'd be surprised if it were much older than that.
Who watches the Devil Wears Prada and goes "Hmmm. That'd make a great romance!" Lee Winter, that's who. And I'm so glad it was somebody who had the talent to pull it off! Full (unnecessary) disclosure, I'm a huge fan of the movie, but was thrown out of the book really early. So I have no idea how this might relate to the book and all my comments are in relation to that fantastic film.
Anyway, there are some obvious translations. The Miranda Priestly character is younger (~40) and the Andy Sachs character is a bit older. It's still nearing squick* territory, but I just didn't care. There are other adjustments, mostly to give Elena a growth arc and still be a powerful executive and to give us space for a romantic relationship in addition to all the other moving parts. And I'm sure by the time those changes had been made, others were required in a domino effect that eventually leads this to be more a nod or tribute to TDWP than a rewrite or even a reimagining. Which I think is good and worked to the story's ultimate benefit.
I don't have a lot more to say about this as a whole. Only some pieces that I want to mention. The first is that the Elena character wouldn't have worked nearly so well if Winter hadn't gotten the bulk of the businessy bits right. Being as brutal as Elena was doesn't work if she is also (materially) wrong. But I also liked how Maddie showed her that while she nailed a weakness Maddie had been allowing to hamper her effectiveness in her career, Maddie was able to turn it around and show her strengths in a combination of optimism, hard work, kindness, and a little luck. I loved how Maddie's growth wasn't to become different, but rather, to align her work more with her strengths.
The break out that Maddie has to do to be her own woman and establish her independence turns out to be important to the story working (just as with TDWP). So I kind of loved how Winter kicked that off before the relationship becomes fundamentally romantic. Yeah, the feelings (on both sides, though only subtly for Elena) are identifiably there, but Maddie gets her own foundation before they can be anything like partners in an actual relationship. This is a very strong, but inexplicit aspect of this story.
I really liked the secondary characters Winter gives us, too. Many have really tenuous analogs with TDWP, but all of them stand in their own right and occupy their space dynamically. Some even have their own rewarding growth arcs.
I'm goin to end there, I think. This was a solid five stars, despite a bit of a slow-down in the last third (where honesty didn't always manifest as I thought it should for the characters, really). I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more by the author.
A note about the audiobook: The audiobook is the only version with what looks like an older, cheaper, crappier cover. Which is sad. The narrator, however, is outstanding. Angela Dawe is no Meryl Streep, but then, who is? And to her credit, she doesn't seem to have been striving to be. What she does bring to the story is an incredible range of characterization and a mastery of a really diverse set of accents, including giving Elena a liquidly smooth French delivery and the couple of Parisians a distinctly more laid-back, even lazy, tone that sounded incredibly nuanced to me (who knows nothing of actual French accents beyond my two years of High School exposure many, many long years ago). And I totally got why Maddie would melt just a little bit every time Elena said "Madelaine" in her own, unique way—because Dawe struck that note perfectly every time.
A note about Steamy: There are a couple of explicit sex scenes putting this (just barely) in the middle of my steam tolerance. They're all really late in the story as this is a really, reaaaally slow-burn romance. But they're a good delivery on the promise of their romantic journey and a good culmination for both the intimacy arc the characters traversed and the power dynamic they'd created uniquely for themselves. So well done, I think.
* The squick Formula for those who don't know it, is the eldest age divided by two and then adding seven. So for Elena at 40 (I think we get that canonically, but I can't be sure), the youngest she could date without squick threat would be 40 / 2 = 20 + 7 = 27. I don't recall being given an exact age for Maddie, but I'd be surprised if it were much older than that.
July 12, 2021
this book was described as “it’s devil wears prada but make it gay” and that sold me. it did not disappoint.
really beautifully written. gave me lots of heart flutters. i am definitely interested in reading more lee winter's books in the future.
really beautifully written. gave me lots of heart flutters. i am definitely interested in reading more lee winter's books in the future.
November 14, 2021
Decided to do a reread before I get to The Awkward Truth. I still love Elena a lot.
September 25, 2022
Was this only the fourth time I've listened to this?? Doubtful, but regardless - fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. The slowwwest burn, the oh-so-delicious payoff. And Dawe. Lord. There's no doubt this is in my Top 10.
Third listen update: I will just say it again. Lee Winter + narrator Angela Dawe = Utter. Perfection. I don't think a better ice queen has been written than Elena Bartell.
Update after second listen seven months later. Having listened to a gazillion (actual number) audiobooks over the last year I can say without question that this is one of the best in the genre. From the writing - which is exquisite - to the fabulous characters to the performance of the material by Angela Dawe... you just can't ask for more than this. It's one of those that will keep you up until the wee hours of the morning because you just can't bear to stop listening. The humor.... Elena's bite.... Maddie's backbone... Dawe's numerous voices and accents (especially the incredibly sexy low registered voice of Elena??) O....M....G. WHY aren't more lesbian authors hiring this woman to narrate!? I've listened to all of hers in the genre more than once and need more! So much more! She and Abby - the absolute best there is. *sigh*
Third listen update: I will just say it again. Lee Winter + narrator Angela Dawe = Utter. Perfection. I don't think a better ice queen has been written than Elena Bartell.
Update after second listen seven months later. Having listened to a gazillion (actual number) audiobooks over the last year I can say without question that this is one of the best in the genre. From the writing - which is exquisite - to the fabulous characters to the performance of the material by Angela Dawe... you just can't ask for more than this. It's one of those that will keep you up until the wee hours of the morning because you just can't bear to stop listening. The humor.... Elena's bite.... Maddie's backbone... Dawe's numerous voices and accents (especially the incredibly sexy low registered voice of Elena??) O....M....G. WHY aren't more lesbian authors hiring this woman to narrate!? I've listened to all of hers in the genre more than once and need more! So much more! She and Abby - the absolute best there is. *sigh*
August 14, 2018
This book has a Devil Wears Prada vibe.
Two characters are almost-carbon copy : Emily/Felicity and Nigel/Perry.
Still, it's a page-turner, mostly because of the two main interactions, with misfire and miscommunication being funny, non-dramatic (mostly) and very endearing.
The fashion part is not too extended (what a relief), the friendship/romance is slow burning and this is perfect, because both main grow with it.
I like it, a lot.
----
I really liked the book. I LOVED the audiobook ! I don't really listen to them, so I didn't know what to expect but Angela Dawe reading was just ... WOW.
Each character was perfectly recognizable and I'm pretty sure I was blushing a lot at her rendition of Elena Bartell voice.
The 7-hours drive passed like a charm thanks to both writer and reader.
I didn't want to stop when I arrived at destination so I spend the next day listening to it til the end while packing boxes and boxes and boxes (helping emptying a huge house).
I'm hurting everywhere (4 days non stop), but I'm so HAPPY I found a new way to enjoy books!
Two characters are almost-carbon copy : Emily/Felicity and Nigel/Perry.
Still, it's a page-turner, mostly because of the two main interactions, with misfire and miscommunication being funny, non-dramatic (mostly) and very endearing.
The fashion part is not too extended (what a relief), the friendship/romance is slow burning and this is perfect, because both main grow with it.
I like it, a lot.
----
I really liked the book. I LOVED the audiobook ! I don't really listen to them, so I didn't know what to expect but Angela Dawe reading was just ... WOW.
Each character was perfectly recognizable and I'm pretty sure I was blushing a lot at her rendition of Elena Bartell voice.
The 7-hours drive passed like a charm thanks to both writer and reader.
I didn't want to stop when I arrived at destination so I spend the next day listening to it til the end while packing boxes and boxes and boxes (helping emptying a huge house).
I'm hurting everywhere (4 days non stop), but I'm so HAPPY I found a new way to enjoy books!
December 17, 2017
Wow! Fantastic book! To be honest, the toaster oven is one of my favorite flavors, and The Brutal Truth does it superbly. Elena is so deep in the closet that she refuses to acknowledge even to herself that she's gay for most of the novel. This story has even the cherry on top, the moment of lesbian awakening wherein Elena sees Maddie in a new way and wants her so badly that she thinks "Holy fuck, I'm actually gay".
September 1, 2019
I loved everything about this book. Ice queens are my weakness.
July 9, 2021
This book is pure SKYFIRE!
A Ice Queen who'll put polar caps to shame meets a perky, sunflower who's been cut away from the plant. The writing is absolutely amazing, sense of humour spot on. The number of times I had to wave and give awkward smiles to people who saw me chuckling merrily while driving, it's embarrassing. 🙈
This is a long book or maybe I've grown out of the habit of reading long books as HEAs are being delivered today in as less as 100-150 pages. It was nice to read a book where the author took time to tell her story where the characters grew in substance page after page which justified the length and also the timing of things that were happening. The way Maddie literally flourished when put in the right kind of atmosphere was excellent and applies so much to all of us as well. The hoard of secondary characters were equally entertaining, especially Felicity and the mother-daughter duo; all three of them so unapologetically themselves.
I completely get all the fuss that surrounds Lee Winter's books and I'm pleased to conclude that I feel the same.
Angela Dawe has done a great job narrating this book. The way she does her French accent is superb. I loved her in This Foreign Affair for the same reason.
Sinceremost thanks to Alexis, Pip and Pattz for asking me to give the 'Undisputed Queen of writing Ice Queens' a try.
A Ice Queen who'll put polar caps to shame meets a perky, sunflower who's been cut away from the plant. The writing is absolutely amazing, sense of humour spot on. The number of times I had to wave and give awkward smiles to people who saw me chuckling merrily while driving, it's embarrassing. 🙈
This is a long book or maybe I've grown out of the habit of reading long books as HEAs are being delivered today in as less as 100-150 pages. It was nice to read a book where the author took time to tell her story where the characters grew in substance page after page which justified the length and also the timing of things that were happening. The way Maddie literally flourished when put in the right kind of atmosphere was excellent and applies so much to all of us as well. The hoard of secondary characters were equally entertaining, especially Felicity and the mother-daughter duo; all three of them so unapologetically themselves.
I completely get all the fuss that surrounds Lee Winter's books and I'm pleased to conclude that I feel the same.
Angela Dawe has done a great job narrating this book. The way she does her French accent is superb. I loved her in This Foreign Affair for the same reason.
Sinceremost thanks to Alexis, Pip and Pattz for asking me to give the 'Undisputed Queen of writing Ice Queens' a try.
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