Reviewed:
I have a new favorite story at Storiesonline!
The story of Shirley Jean starts with a lonely, confused young woman going to a party. It follows the changes in her life as she finds love, friendships, purpose and family. Tears are shed along the way, but there's also laughter and much, much love.
There is also some hot sex! All of the graphic sex is female/female but I'd recommend this story even to someone who wasn't interested in the sex scenes - it's so much more the story of a couple in love. The sex never struck me as being added on to increase the stroke count, it all flows from the feelings these people have for one another.
Technically the story might be perfect. I didn't spot a single error and the dialog and prose both seemed to flow effortlessly.
All of the above only tells a part of the story of why this story appeals to me so much. A larger part is that it breathes with a realism that I don't recall ever seeing before. It's as though I'm looking over the shoulder of a close friend, a good person, who is finally getting to live the life that she deserves - one that reflects her goodness. Janna Leonard has that touch - several of her other stories have shown it, but this time she has taken it up a notch.