Sarah C says: I have been a huge fan of Katherine McIntyre's Dungeons and Dating series since the first one. The variety of LGBTQ+ ships and characters. The found family. The absolutely lovable nerds. They all hit the spot for me. I was therefore unsurprised to love Constitution Check. What I was surprised by, though, was how much this book just SPOKE to me and how it turned out to be the book I needed.
From the Blurb:
One night was all Kelly promised. One night was all Tabby offered. And yet one night wasn’t nearly enough…
Kelly
Hernandez is on the mend. After the loss of her girlfriend to a car
accident, everyone expects her to be destroyed. The worst part is—she
isn’t, and the guilt plagues her more each day. All she’s looking for is
a little distraction, something to take her away from herself, even if
it’s only for a spell.
Tabby Reynolds is on the prowl, searching
for her flavor of the night. Everyone sees the roller derby stud, not
the geeky accountant who secretly wants a relationship. However, when
she spots Kelly by her lonesome at the bar, some flirtation turns into
one hot as hell encounter in the back alley.
Except Kelly and
Tabby run in the same circles, and all too fast, they see each other
again and then again, until they both cave to their desires. Casual and
easy—that’s what they agree on. However, when Tabby tears her ACL,
taking her out of roller derby, the relationship between them starts to
deepen beyond what either of them planned. However, the past trauma
Kelly’s running from and Tabby’s growing insecurities might cold snap
any chance of something real before it can bloom.
Roll the Dice on Romance at Tabletop Tavern…
Sarah C's Review:
This book starts a few months after the death of Kelly's ex-girlfriend. Its New Years Eve and Kelly is looking for a physical escape for one night. She finds it in Tabby, a butch woman with a reputation for being the love 'em and leave 'em type - exactly what Kelly is looking for. But the world is small and the two of them have a lot of mutual friends - particularly due to the fact that Tabby is on the same roller derby team that featured heavily in book one.
The relationship between Tabby and Kelly starts out as purely physical - and I think my Kindle wanted to explode a few times from just how hot it was. But it quickly turns into more than just mutual stress relief. Tabby and Kelly get to know one another and find out how much their broken pieces fit together.
This is a book about healing the hurts of the past. It is a book about scarred souls finding love and getting the happily ever after that they both deserve. It is a book of unconditional acceptance. Every single part of this book - it just hit. The relationship was believable and well paced. I wished there was more communication at times between Tabby and Kelly, but the way they turned physical every time things started getting a bit too emotional? I liked it. It felt real, like two people who want to say something but don't have the words and use action to both show and distract. It didn't feel like there was a lack of communication for the sake of drama.
There are some trigger warnings you need to heed for this book, including death of a partner (off page) and emotional abuse (mostly off page). There's a list of triggers in the book, so make sure to check those out before committing to the story. But then, read it. Because this was easily my favorite book in what is already one of my favorite series.
Rating: 5 Stars
Heather's Review:
Fair warning, the backstories of both characters aren't pretty... Kelly was in an abusive relationship and Tabby has had to deal with a homophobic family all her life... but when they get together it's a beautiful thing and a pleasure to read....
Having followed the entire Dungeons and Dating series, and seeing the hints that were dropped about Kelly's relationship with her girlfriend throughout the series, you know that there's a hurt/comfort element going to be present in this story, but it's done so well that it's not glaringly obvious, even to the main characters and that's what I love about Katherine McIntyre's stories - they are both subtle and obvious, loud and quiet.... and it just keeps pulling you back into the story.
Rating: 5 Stars
Constitution Check is available online at Amazon and as a part of your Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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