My first non-mystery by Abbott, though the fourth book I've read by her. And I carefully avoided saying something like "first romance". Because the mysteries are advertised as "Romantic Intrigues."

To start off with: this might actually be a book closer to a rating of 3.5, but I'll keep it at 4 for now, even though I can mark it 3 1/2 here.

It's not the fault of the book or the author, but I read this way too fast, so any ideas, thoughts, or other impressions I gathered from the book were probably too superficial to be used by others considering the book. I realize I have two days listed as start/stop dates, but that's because I started the book at something like 10:30 p.m. then finished it around 2:30 a.m. With a break of an hour or so. Now that normally would result in a comment like "so good I couldn't put it down." But I had actually intended this to be my morning commute book.

Right, so, the book. Jill Allen is a high powered lawyer, a partner in her firm. A somewhat junior partner, but still, a partner. She has focused her whole life on advancing herself intellectually and legally.

Caroline Prince is a huge opera singer star. So well known that, at one point, one of the characters says something to her like "I don't follow opera (or was it "I don't like opera?), but even I know who you are". She is also someone who focused everything on getting ahead in her chosen field.

Eighteen years after leaving Colorado, Caroline is back. To take the role of music director at the Rocky Mountain ... um . . something something. Rocky Mountain Opera Company? Something like that. RMOC?

Terry is someone attempting to advance herself in the media business. And, oddly, is a newspaper reporter. Really? In 2013 someone is attempting to get ahead in the news business by joining a newspaper? Heh, sorry. Anyway, she learns of the new music director, and how she's given only one interview, to, if I remember correctly, public radio. So, she figures it'd be a big break for her if she could land Caroline. So she does. And, while there, knowing how much Jill loves listening to Caroline's music recordings, Terry gets Caroline to agree to pop over as a surprise for Jill's birthday. Well, actually, Terry attempted to get an autograph, and Caroline offered herself up as a guest, instead. Terry leapt at the opportunity.

So. Dinner. With the woman who never socializes and is almost never away from working. The character built up for Jill makes me question how she even ended up with Terry to be her ex-girlfriend. Especially as they seemed to have had a longish relationship. But, I'll gloss over that and move on.

So, where was I? Oh, right. Dinner. Jill and Terry eat food. And stuff. Terry tries to delay things a little because Caroline isn't there yet. And then finally she walks in. And Jill almost immediately bolts. Looking upset and horrified.

One of my biggest issues with romances, specifically lesbian romances, tends to be the overuse of miscommunication as a plot device to create conflict. Well, here, Abbott injected a bit of miscommunication to separate two people for 18 years. Since Jill and Caroline were actually a couple way back when. 18 years ago.

Two issues I had with the book. (I didn't use that phrase before in this review did I? mmphs). The first is the injection of Terry. She's a side character, but the book opens from her point of view. She's kind of necessary, but I'm glad her part was as small as it was as I didn't particularly like her. The second issue was the flashbacks. It was vaguely interesting, at first, to see how Jill and Caroline meet, and come together, and develop a relationship but . . . somewhere along the line I stopped reading those sections (well, I did skim, didn't want to miss anything important). Because I wanted to be in the present. Not in the past.

Oh, a third issue. I hate the dress the woman is wearing on the cover of the book. Looks like something you would cover a sofa with. Or hang up as curtains. Not something to be worn on stage while singing opera. Or worn at all. It's hideous. ( )