I follow Baxter Brown on social media so I knew about this book when it released in December. I am ashamed to admit that the reason I didn’t jump on reading it is because the summary of the book really didn’t intrigue me. I have to say, this is partly because I’m not hugely keen on romance, but I also think the synopsis downplayed it- “kept apart by distance and commitments”- uh, more like Cameron’s unbearable need to self-preserve. Personally, that sounds more enticing. Anyway, I saw that TheLesbianReview covered it, thought I was missing out and all I can say is, yes, I most certainly was. This is probably my favorite romance novel that I’ve read so far.
Alright, here’s the premise-
While Canadian, corporate lawyer, Cameron Kassen is in San Diego on business, screenwriter, Julie Carter, spills coffee all over Cameron, sparking the first of many flirty conversations. The two women exchange contact information and start a long distance friendship that Cameron refuses to allow to grow into anything more as she is still coping with the death of her wife. Julie is patient and persistent, but rejection takes its toll, and the beautiful chemistry between Cameron and Julie might not be enough to see them through. In the end, Cameron has to decide what will win out- the paralyzingly fear of loving someone again only to possibly lose them, or the undeniable love between two guarded women.
This book is written in first person, from Cameron’s perspective, which I thought was interesting since you don’t usually see that with romance stories, but I liked having one of the characters narrate. Cameron had a really strong voice that really resonated with me. The narration also made the parts of when Julie was telling the story even more affective because it showed us how Julie felt and shined light on her character outside of Cameron’s observations.
I thought both characters were developed nicely and when I finished the book they felt like real people. I especially found Cameron relatable, but I think that’s because we have so much in common – we’re both Capricorns, lawyers, pats fans, and share the creep factor; I wanted this fictional woman to be my new best friend.
I thought the dialogue felt very natural. Some parts actually made me laugh out loud. A significant amount of time was spent on the characters getting to know each other through dialogue- which was a great way for us to learn about them, and resulted in the relationship feeling palpable.
If you like slow burns (and I mean slow), friendly banter, and the plot of a tortured soul, then you might enjoy Cameron’s Rules. https://www.amazon.com/Camerons-Rules-Baxter-Brown
Follow Baxter Brown here: @_baxter.brown_ and @baxter_brown