Reviews and Awards
and Other Achievements
Thank you to every single person who talks up books. Word of mouth matters today as much as it ever has. People’s opinions matter more than search algorithms!
Readers often ask what they can do to help lesfic. Posting just a few words about any book is incredibly helpful for both authors and other readers. A good place to start is with how that book made you feel.
- Pure Pleasure!
- Overall, I really enjoyed the read, so much so that the epilogue brought a tear to my eye. It was just so cute.
- Our skillful author, with the always wonderful Abby Craden, manages to pull it off with great empathy for her neurotic characters...
- This is a beautiful romance, a story of two people who are so destined to be together that no matter how big the gulf between them they can find a way to overcome it.
- The kind of indestructible and talented woman we all dream we could be - much like Molly Bolt in Rubyfruit Jungle.
- The best kind of romance. It has lesbians, just enough angst and a delightful wit and writing style.
- A delicious romance with just a hint of intrigue ... Uncommonly realistic!
- The extra chapters at the end was FANTASTIC!!
- The premise for the story is interesting and imaginative... Refreshing!
- Get this book when you want to find romance in amongst the dumpster fire world in which we live.
- A classic Kallmaker romance - Painted Moon is as steamy as readers like it to be. The story is a good one, the characters are realistic.
- Neither fluffy nor too heavy, Simply The Best hits the right balance, incorporating current news and societal themes in what remains, fundamentally, a romance novel.
- I love that both these women are smart, and it shows...
- ...Well written, romantic and comparable to Curious Wine, which I also loved.
- My Lady Lipstick has a well-written plot with innovative character drama and a love story that doesn’t disappoint. The romance sparkles, the characters are enchanting...
- This is a romance and a serious book that examines a wide range of issues of the day ... without detracting from the story and the characters.
- Angela Dawe is the narrator and is the perfect choice to do this novel justice.
- A real gift for characterization and realistically humorous dialogue.
- A wonderfully written, wonderfully entertaining novel.
- The Dawning is one of those superb novels that are so easy to pick up - and so difficult to put down!
- The perfect read for a dark night, a cozy armchair and a warm fire in the fireplace.
- Love by the Numbers Finalist for the 2014 Lambda Literary Awards: Best Lesbian Romance.
- The way Kirstine and Skyra build a life together without any blueprint or social safety net is nothing short of inspirational.
- A wonderfully written story of redemption, finding trust, and love conquers all.
- The Kiss that Counted Winner of 2008 Favorite Romance Book as voted by member of the Lesbian Fiction Readers Choice Awards.
- Autant le dire tout de suite, j’ai adoré ce livre que j’ai dévoré en quelques heures ce week-end.
- Die Happy-End-Garantin schafft es spielend, mit Hilfe von Freundschaft
- Great read. I just want to keep reading. I would love a sequel.
- An atmospheric mix of mythical past lives and daunting present-day dangers...
- As close to perfection as I have ever read...
- There is a warmth to the author's reading that works perfectly for this story.
- In Deep Waters Volume 2: Cruising the Strip Winner of the 2008 Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBT Erotica. Co-authored with Radclyffe.
- I loved the big nod to the early pioneers of lesbian fiction Ann Bannon and Marijane Meaker who were beacons to those searching for more.
- I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t put it down. It even haunted my dreams and I woke in the middle of the night to just keep reading it. I think Kallmaker put her own kind of spell on me.
- Great spirit of Christmas story.
- The future you planned, the family and friends are gone and what’s left can be packed into a small suitcase. This is Lily’s world. But she takes advantage of her positives...
- An exciting story which might give the reader the courage to make whatever changes must be made in her life. Look for this engrossing book!
- Don't read in public unless you just don't give a damn.
- Substitute for Love may just be the best Kallmaker I've read in a long time, and given her extraordinary talent, that's saying something.
- Para mi lo más interesante de el libro es precisamente lo diverso que es.
- This cute novel held me enthralled wondering who cake designer Sugar Sorenson would end up with...
- Finders Keepers Finalist for the 2006 Lambda Literary Awards: Best Lesbian Romance.
- Delightful and thoughtful... A satisfying book.
- Finders Keepers is a rare gem that should be treasured and revisited regularly.
- Just the right amount of tension to make the nerve endings buzz.
- A gem of a read, a gift to all voracious readers from a splendidly gifted imagination.
- A cast of characters who buzz in and out of each other's lives (and apartments) in the course of one busy night...
- Seeds of Fire Finalist for a 2002 Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Fantasy.
- If you're looking for a great book with which to curl up, find Unforgettable.
- Assemblyman Mark Leno commends, "your dedication to enriching our lives with your use of the written word, broadening LGBT awareness, and being an inspiration..."
- Kallmaker has created a moody, epic, romantic, passionate novel...
- ...Halfway through I’m really dying for two people to get together...
- Ah ! l'amour... Une histoire qui commence par la fin, pour mieux faire goûter au suspens... Encore de quoi faire rêver les lesbiennes!
- I know you said you struggled to write it, but Simply the Best is right up there as one of my favorite books you’ve written.
- I was so elated I wanted to celebrate their Happily-Ever-After when I finished reading it! Phew! What a thrilling, intoxicating ride, indeed!
- Humorous insights into how we conduct relationships and truths we can take with us into 'real life.'
- A sweet — but not saccharine — story...
- The cinnamon bread pudding recipe worked!
- The heat of a prairie fire and the bold passion these women share is portrayed in vivid, poetic language.
- Painted Moon is a classic that could very well become the next Curious Wine... [It] has the compelling storyline and strong writing that will deservedly reinforce the popularity of the romance genre.
- This was such an unexpected and inspiring book.
- This traditional lesbian romance book was charming with fantastic dialogues that just appealed to the nerd in me.
- Never has a fictional character’s Happily Ever After delighted me more.
- It's my favourite that I've read by Karin Kallmaker and I can't recommend it highly enough.
- Karin Kallmaker continues to amaze me with yet another story told in a totally different fashion than most...
- A sheer pleasure and joy to read.... An exceptionally strong and convincing story.
- This is a book with heart, and it took a wee bit of mine.
- ...A look into the struggle women faced in the American West during the nineteenth century, and Karin has written it as masterfully as expected.
- It was as if she knew me, and created the character of Shay right out of my life.
- A bonus: fun use of exotic locales. Well done, brain-engaging romance.
- Stepping Stone Finalist for a 2009 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Romance.
- The young, hot-headed Teresa and the tormented Rayann pull us in immediately...
- I Heart SapphFic readers have voted Knight of Night the Historical Romance of the Month!
- The heat of a prairie fire and the bold passion these women share is portrayed in vivid, poetic language.
- Full of suspense and mystery, deeply moving characters and storytelling... The perfect book.
- 25th Anniversary Edition: One of Sheena's Favourite Lesbian Books
- These [COVID] elements provided the story with a layer of reality that didn't feel depressing,
- The Kiss that Counted Winner of a Golden Crown Literary Society Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award at the Golden Crown Literary Society’s 2009 awards ceremony. This award is voted on by the Society’s membership in an annual poll.
- The growing attraction and feelings the women experience are delicately delineated with a fine touch...
- One of Karin Kallmaker's best and most engrossing books yet!
- Added to my 're-read' pile!
- Smart story with fascinating, unusual, and well developed characters... Of course Abby Craden always gives an unbelievably enjoyable narrative.
- ...Steamy sex, family drama, and all the angst you could hope for with a main character falling for her straight best friend.
- A gripping story that will delight Kallmaker fans!
- I like to see a couple fall in love outside of the bedroom...
- The broken relationship between Eve and Ani will have the reader on tenterhooks until the end.
- A cohesive, tightly-knit and dynamic tale!
- The ending is wonderful and filled my heart with hope and love.
- Great romance between two women who are each hiding from their lives in different ways and for different reasons. Five stars!
- Above Temptation Winner of a Goldie award for Best Lesbian Romance at the Golden Crown Literary Society’s 2011 Awards Ceremony.
- Tell tale warmth, vulnerability, and charm that are so recognizable of this author.
- This is a very interesting book, as much for the story as because of who wrote it. There’s not a single second of doubt that this is a Kallmaker book. Her style is everywhere.
- Sugar Winner for Best Lesbian Romance “Goldie” at the Golden Crown Literary Society 2005 awards ceremony.
- This one was entertaining, interesting, beyond imaginary. I loved it. And with Abby Craden’s sexy voice who could ask for more.
- As a journalist, and an environmental one at that with a degree in science, this novel grabbed me hook, line and sinker... The love story was beautiful and inspiring...
- A diabolical plot and how two friends, Lisa and Tan, work with Ani and Eve to clear Ani's name.
- Classic Kallmaker elements with interesting characters, wry wit and steamy love scenes.
- Unforgettable is vintage lesbian romance, continuing Kallmaker's string of well-written, thoughtful stories about women surviving difficult times and coming into their own.