I didn’t manage to read this shortish sequel to Those Who Wait when it came out, so I decided to get to it as soon as I could after listening to the audiobook version (if you haven’t read my reviews for the book or the audiobook, which are both marvellous, there’s one here and the other here).
First of all, just the idea of spending more time with Charlotte and Sutton was fantastic. They’ve quickly become one of my favourite lesfic couples, and Forever and a Day, which is actually a series of epilogues, confirms it. It spans a couple of decades and focuses on key moments of their life after they finally saw the light and got together for real.
And that’s exactly why I love this couple, beyond the fact that both women are sweet and smart and sexy and I can’t get over Charlotte’s “darling” (especially as said by Lori Prince, which is up there with Abby Craden‘s in E. J. Noyes’ Ask, Tell series). They go through happy times and difficult times together, bringing each other strength and support. They find solutions together, they share decisions and victories and losses. And the love! It’s everywhere, every second. In every word, every touch, even in arguments and disagreements. Because yes, they have these too. Their life is not all sunshine and roses, there’s also conflict, as in any relationship. But they tackle issues as adults, talking and sharing, and that doesn’t happen so often in lesfic. On top of that, I already mentioned how sexy the characters and the whole thing are, and I feel like I should also point out that this book includes one of the hottest strap-on scenes I’ve read in a long time outside of erotica.
I enjoyed these glimpses of Sutton and Charlotte’s life together a lot, despite a few editing bugs. Forever and a Day isn’t as overwhelmingly exciting as Those Who Wait since the falling in love has already happened and that’s what gets my heart going, let’s face it, but it’s like that one last bite of a delicious meal, the one that wraps it up perfectly. I wanted more of Charlotte and Sutton, I’ve had it. Now I can let them go.
Jude in the Stars 