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A Windy City Romance – Book 1

Every word, sentence, page, and chapter of Helena Harte’s latest release is polished to perfection. Sanctuary is a paradigm in sublime intoxication, the type that serves to feed and nourish a reader’s romantic heart…all the way to its core.

Without a shred of doubt, Sanctuary is a delight to read – an absolute dream of a story, and one that I adored getting thoroughly lost in. This slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance is a tale you won’t want to miss out on.

Gabe Jackson is finally in a position to breathe life into her post-Army plans. A grease monkey of the first order, her dream to own a female-run garage in Chicago seems the perfect way to re-enter civilian life. The clincher is reuniting with her old Army buddies for this next life adventure, knowing that also includes her ex-service canine companion – Max, who is being well cared for at the Sanctuary just outside of the city.

The Sanctuary and the multitude of ex-service and rescue animals it cares for, is all Lori Turner has left to hold onto after a devastating matrimonial betrayal. But Lori isn’t yet a block of ice, and when Gabe arrives to visit Max as he recovers from a bomb blast, Lori can’t deny the flicker of desire that stirs below the torrent of insecurity and hurt.

“It’s mostly muscle,” Gabe said,…
This time, Lori’s gaze lingered on her arms. “It looks like it’s all muscle.”
Gabe grinned. “Nice of you to notice, friend.”
“I’m healing from heartbreak; I’m not blind.”

Robyn Nyx, Sanctuary

As Lori entertains the very real, very chiseled, very rock solid idea that is Gabe and a night of passion, a nuanced past experience lurks in the shadows, awaiting the light of day.

There is so, so, so much to relish in this story. Harte has crafted meaningful symbiotic relationships between every single character that appears across the pages of this book. The overall story and individual paths of those characters flow in and around each other, and yet still meld together beautifully when required. I love that the premise of this series seems set to focus on a core friendship group, and I’m truly excited to (hopefully) get to know Solo, Shay, Ellery, Rosie, Beth, Woodchuck and RB’s individual stories; and of course bump into Lori and Gabe again along the way.

The story does address the aftermath of cheating, depicting the damage that being cheated on can do to a person, and the lasting repercussions that arise because of the actions of another. The trajectory of the story also poses the question of whether there can ever be a valid reason (note not an excuse (!)) for cheating. I’m not sure I’m convinced, but to see the question play out on the page between Gabe and Lori worked well in terms of believable romantic angst and an interesting and engaging plot point. There’s also a hint of debate concerning physical vs emotional cheating in Solo and Janie’s relationship; I’m curious to see how that unfolds, hopefully in a future book.

If cheating is a touchy subject for you as a reader, do not be put off by its inclusion in Gabe and Lori’s journey. The cheating itself is a recent past experience and very much not on the page. The focus remains firmly on how that experience is overcome and ultimately about finding the missing jigsaw piece that often awaits at the end of the long road to openness and wholeness.

Sanctuary has elegantly laid the steadfast foundations of friendship. From ex-military, found families to the humble unification rooted within the animal care profession, the bonds between friends and friendship groups are tangible. There’s a veritable starburst of stories waiting to spill unabashed from this Windy City nucleus, and I cannot contain my euphoria, nor patience, at the tales that clamour for release from this group of handsome butches and sumptuous femmes.

On that, I so appreciate that throughout all of Harte’s novels, she truly leans into every facet of a character’s identity, whether that be butch, femme, or anything in between. Harte gives meaning and depth to much more than the stereotypical outward presentation of her characters, and is consistent in displaying consent and comfortableness openly on the page and in dialogue.

This series opener absolutely must be on every Sapphic romance readers to read list. As the inaugural Windy City story, the bar has been set insanely high, and I cannot wait to see whose story we get to peek into next.

I received an ARC of this book from Butterworth Books, in exchange for an honest review.

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