Reality Bytes by Jane Frances

Publisher:            Bella Books

Reality Bytes is the sequel to Frances' earlier novel Reunion.  It continues the story of partners Cathy and Lisa and their friends Emma and Toni, with the emphasis this time being on Emma and Toni.

Reality Bytes is set one year after the end of the previous novel, one year after Cathy and Lisa were reunited and one year since Toni lost Cathy to Lisa.   Cathy and Lisa go off for a month long vacation in Italy to celebrate their anniversary and Toni is left to run the accounting firm.  Unfortunately, Toni comes down with a serious case of chicken pox and is confined to her house for most of that time.  Meanwhile, Emma is trying to recover from the hurt of her unrequited love for her straight neighbor who has decided to get married and wants Emma in the wedding.  Emma also finds herself job hunting after she is forced out of the veterinary practice she had been a member of for years.  Both Toni and Emma turn to the Internet and chat rooms to fill their time and establish new friendships.  A surprising twist will bring them a greater chance at happiness than either of them anticipated.  They could be solving their problems while Cathy and Lisa have discovered one.  Cathy wants to start a family, an idea that Lisa had never considered or desired.  Could their trip to Italy be the end of the relationship instead of a celebration of the beginning?  Friends, problems and how they deal with them is the theme of Reality Bytes.

Frances writes a very routine story. It follows the traditional pattern of women meeting, developing an attachment and working out if a relationship is possible.  There's nothing wrong with the story, there just isn't anything to make it stand out either.  There's no suspense, no adventure, nothing new.  The characters are presented with just enough details to tell the story, but there's no great development of their personalities either.  Unlike some books, you won't feel a connection to the women or what is happening to them.  The few questions that are presented in the book are solved rather quickly and predictably.  

If you're looking for something to read to just pass the time or for pure enjoyment without any effort, this book should satisfy those requirements.  If you're looking for something refreshing and different, keep looking. 

Training Days by Jane Frances

Publisher:               Bella Books


Morgan Silverstone is the star of an extremely popular travel show on Australian television and understands the rule she has to live by. When she is in the country, she is totally closeted, but when she is overseas, she can play with anyone she wants to. Morgan has never challenged that situation before, but the train trip she's making across Australia with her crew is boring, so, when she meets Marie, a student from France who is backpacking across the country and has no idea who Morgan is, there doesn't seem to be any reason not to have a brief fling in her cabin. 

Alison Brown (Ally) is a young architect who is becoming extremely well known in Australia, but all she cares about at the moment is getting into her cabin and relaxing. She's not very happy when she finds that she's not only locked out, but the sounds coming from inside indicate exactly what is going on. What happens next is a series of misunderstandings that cause Ally to believe that Morgan is straight, then gay, then that she wouldn't know how to tell the truth if her life depended on it. 

For reasons Morgan doesn't understand, it becomes important to her to convince Ally of the truth and then to include her in her life. Just as the women are developing a relationship, Marie resurfaces to blackmail Morgan, and then incriminating pictures of Morgan with Ally are released to the press. The network demands that, to save her career, Morgan must deny the truth and give up all contact with Ally. Morgan faces the hardest decision of her life. Which is more important, the career she's spent a lifetime building or the happiness she might find with Ally? Can she ask Ally to live a lie for what they might share?

Training Days is a standard romance, but it has quirky little twists in it. At one point, when Morgan admits to Ally that she is gay, Ally thinks she's lying to cover up an affair with one of the crew. Morgan confesses to her deepest secret and she's not believed. It's fun to watch the two try to work out the situation and experience Morgan's frustration over knowing what exactly to tell Ally. 

That Marie, who appears to be so innocent, turns out to be a threat isn't surprising, but the situation is aggravating. It's the one totally predictable situation in the book. The resolution of the conflict might be questionable in the US, but may be perfectly plausible in Australia. The book may be routine fare, but it's a good enough story to hold the reader's attention for a few hours. If you're looking for entertainment, this will suit the bill.