Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow by Maria V. Ciletti

Publisher:                   Intaglio Publications

Fans of Maria Ciletti’s previous books about Dr. Mina Caselli and her partner Rosemary Rosetti will welcome another book in the series.  Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow picks up their story fifteen years after Clinical Distance.  Their partnership has settled into a routine as many long term relationships do, perhaps too much of a routine, and Mina’s duties at the hospital and Ro’s cases as a police detective keep them both busy and apart.  That Rosetti has entered early menopause and is having a lot of complications isn’t helping.  Ro is not only in a perpetually   sour mood, but she’s tremendously unhappy that Mina’s new medical student is the daughter of Regan Douglass, Mina’s first female lover.  Rosetti worries that Mina has never gotten over Regan and now she is afraid Mina may be slipping away from her.  No matter what they try, Mina and Ro can’t seem to get back in sync and Regan’s sudden appearance on the scene threatens to ruin their relationship forever.

This book is typical of a series.  It continues the story of well-known characters presenting conflicts that have to be resolved.  The most refreshing aspect of the story is having Rosetti going through menopause.  For books that deal with women, it’s frustrating how seldom real life health conditions are introduced.  Menopause has definite physical effects on women and those affect their lives.  Including it not only gives the story a different twist, it’s also informative.  Besides this, it might be helpful to have read the first book in the series.  There is background provided, but it would be easier to refer to the earlier story.

At under 200 pages, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow is a quick, easy read.  The story isn’t unique, but it is told at an even pace and well developed.  It would make fine reading for an afternoon or evening.

Entangled by Maria V. Ciletti

Publisher:      Intaglio Publications

Maria Ciletti chose a topic for Entangled that is bound to create mixed feelings for readers.  Where is the boundary between a teacher and her student?  When is it alright to cross that boundary to seek a relationship?  In a time when the news seems to feature a story every week about teachers who have violated that line, this book shows both how complicated and uncomfortable such a situation can be.

Hayden Crissman graduates from high school and is looking forward eagerly to starting college in the fall where she can study for a career in nursing.  She takes a summer job to earn extra money and that brings her back in contact with one of her former teachers, Abbey Spencer.  Abbey helped Hayden get into college and Hayden has a secret crush on her.  Abbey's life is spinning out of control.  Her long time relationship with one of her former college professors is breaking up over a man and Abbey's method for dealing with it is to turn to alcohol.  Hayden finds herself thrust into the role of caretaker for a drunken Abbey on more than one occasion and a new relationship develops between them.  The events of just a few weeks will tear Abbey's life to pieces and will have many people questioning what the proper behavior between a teacher and a former student is.

Entangled touches on more than one delicate issue.  First there is a woman who "decides" she isn't a lesbian anymore because it's not good for her career.  Ciletti does well at capturing her calculating personality.  Then there are the relationships of these teachers.  Every teacher knows that there is a constant awareness of the distance that has to be kept between the adult and the student.  That can be especially difficult when the people are close in age.  Gay teachers deal with the added knowledge that behavior in a private life can have serious consequences for a professional life.  Many places still consider homosexuality as grounds for instant dismissal from a job and too many people actually believe that teachers use their jobs to troll for "converts."  Gay teachers are still required in some places to live a double life that is disappearing in other professions.  Although Ciletti illustrates the situation fairly well, she doesn't really capture how dire the consequences can be.  It takes too long for Abbey to realize how serious what she is doing is.

There are no simple solutions to the events in this book and none are provided.  That at least is refreshing.  The real villain doesn't receive the punishment she deserves and the situation between Abbey and Hayden is open ended.  The characters needed more development, especially Hayden, and there was too much going on in the book to be dealt with effectively unless the book was lengthened.  The central topic is an uncomfortable one and Ciletti doesn't make the mistake of trying to make it anything else.  This isn't her best novel, but she does deserve credit for tackling subjects that many people would rather avoid.    

The Choice by Maria V. Ciletti

Publisher:             Harrington Park Press


What do you do when you finally figure out that you've been living a lie all of your life? And how do you fix it without hurting the people who have loved you? This is the theme of The Choice, Maria Ciletti's first book.

Mina Thomas has a comfortable life. She enjoys being a nurse at a retirement home and taking care of the residents. She and her husband, Sean, are best friends and have a stable marriage. Mina realizes that there isn't any passion on her part for the relationship, but she loves Sean, he's a good man and they are comfortable together. She doesn't realize she should expect any more until she meets a new nurse at the home.

Regan Martin causes feelings in Mina that she never knew existed. As the women work together, they begin a friendship that has ramifications that neither of them expects. When Sean is sent away by his job to a training session that lasts several weeks, the women have a chance to become closer and then intimate. Mina discovers emotions she's never had with Sean and she realizes what has been missing from her life, but she also experiences greater turmoil than she has ever felt.

How does a person change a pattern of her life that she has always followed and to a way that many in society condemn? How can she face her family with this revelation? What will this mean to her career if it becomes known? Can she depend on Regan who, while participating in the situation, has made it clear that she has no intention of declaring herself a lesbian and living that lifestyle in the open? And the biggest issue of all, how can she do this to Sean? She still loves him and he loves her without realizing there is a problem. How can she destroy what they've spent years developing? What right does she have to disrupt his happiness and hurt someone that she still cares deeply for? Does she continue to live a satisfactory, but passionless life, or does she go after what her emotions tell her she needs? This is the choice that Mina is faced with making. The answer, like real life, is not that simple or obvious.
 
Ciletti has created an intense tale of a woman going through a situation that many people find themselves in. After living their lives in a conventional way and repressing their inner feelings, they reach the point where they can no longer deny their emotions and their homosexuality. Accepting this reality can be fraught with conflicting decisions though. It's not that easy to stand up in the face of society and live an alternative lifestyle, especially when it means hurting and/or losing people you really care about. Ciletti uses Mina to show how difficult that process can be for everyone involved. The characters are well drawn and the reader will feel the turmoil that Mina goes through as she tries to decide what choice is correct for her.  

The Choice is an excellent first novel. People who don't understand how wrenching this situation can be for a person need to read this book.

Collide by Maria V. Ciletti

Publisher:              Intaglio Publications

Collide is about loss and rediscovery.  Versions of this theme combine to create the plot of this book.

Renee Cardone and Anna Maria Castrovinci were best friends from the time they were small children until high school.  Together they discovered their attraction went beyond mere friendship, but Renee couldn't deal with the implications of that.  She was afraid of losing her family and being an outcast in her own town, so she turned her back on Anna, married Tom Del Fino, and prepared to live the rest of her life with him.  When she is left a widow, Renee's life seems out of control until she meets author Dana Renato, who lost her partner a few years before.  As they ignite feelings that each one thinks she has forgotten, Renee tries to bring all of the aspects of her life into sync, not very successfully.  When Annie shows up again, everything around Renee begins to unravel and she has to decide what she wants to save and what to let go.

This book asks the reader to consider the consequences of a number of different losses.  Renee has to deal with the loss of Annie's friendship which is spurred by her fear of another potential loss, that of her family and friends.  Then there is the interesting juxtaposition of what a legal widow goes through with the loss of her husband and how that is different from what gay couples, who lack that legal status, have to endure. While Renee experiences adjustments, she has the support of her community to help her.  Dana however not only lacks that community support, but finds herself attacked through a legal system that is not required to uphold the "normal" standards. 

The losses are counter balanced by what the characters find.  It is possible to rediscover love and passion with a new person while remembering the partner who is gone.  Friendships that are based on honesty can be reclaimed years later despite the emotional pain that has to be overcome.  Finally, although society is changing, there are still limitations that have to be dealt with and can be overcome by being willing to adapt.

The strength of Collide is that it has a good story and personable characters while it gives you issues to consider.  The issues don't override the plot, but are woven into it so well that you can't help being aware of them.  Ciletti has provided a thoughtful yet enjoyable book.