Can’t let her go

CAN’T LET HER GO

By Kianna Alexander

The road to true love, inside and outside Romancelandia, isn’t always easy. It gets complicated when there is baggage from past and present, be it a male/female, female/female, male/male, or non-binary relationship. Communication is key in a relationship, and so is how to respond and act upon that communication. That being said, I am happy to bring to you my final review for Pride Month, Kianna Alexander’s Can’t Let Her Go.

Our story takes place in Austin, Texas. Patricia “Peaches” Monroe is the owner of a highly successful barbershop, so successful that she is considering opening a second location. In the lesbian vernacular, Peaches is known as a Stud. Two years ago, she lost her mother to heart disease, and between the constant dependence and neediness from her younger brother, her father, and her inability to say “No,” it is wearing her down. She has also been burned in the past by a woman who only wanted her for sex.

Jamie Hunt is an excellent nail stylist, who would be called a Femme. She has been looking seriously at returning to school to obtain her degree in chemistry, which will enhance her knowledge to improve beauty products from a health perspective. As the middle child between two brothers, she has lived with being ignored and dismissed by her parents for her choices and professional aspirations, while her brothers are treated as golden children who can do no wrong. Coming out as lesbian didn’t help matters any with her parents, and she is holding her older brother Shelby’s bisexuality in confidence.

The women are part of the same friend squad, which also includes Taylor, who is non-binary, Aiko and her wife Summer, and Claudia, who identifies as queer and is the newest member. Peaches and Jamie’s friendship takes a new turn when Jamie boldly goes after Peaches and turns up the heat. However, will the baggage from their family history derail their budding romance? Should they fall out and break up, will it damage the fabric of their friend squad?

Alexander beautifully captures the dynamics of families of origin and found families, showing how found families can often be more supportive and affirming. For Jamie and Peaches, there came an acceptance of not being able to change others; the work would come in changing themselves vs. seeking validation in persons who would never give it. Being taken for granted for so long, Peaches needed to take care of herself first. For Jamie, recognizing what she wanted for herself and listening when Peaches expressed her needs and her triggers was key.

I loved her attention to detail when describing the respective fashion statements of the characters and the locales in Texas. In my mind, I could see them and the places. And of course, being a romance novel, there is a happily-ever-after.

Can’t Let Her Go is available through Black Garnet Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Montlake Publishing.

Thank you, Kianna, for bringing more Black Love to Romancelandia and our readers. Happy Pride!