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This is a refreshing, witty romance set among the “ladygays” and their mates in modern-day London with a pinch of Sydney thrown in for good measure. With this delightful debut, British author Clare Lydon keeps the reader entertained with plenty of interesting people, great food, lots of humour,and a heart-warming romance.

What does a new author of lesbian romance bring to the table of this time-honoured genre is a question every reader and review is bound to ask when there is a new blip on the romance-radar. Well, take the bio of Clare Lydon as a first indicator of what her debut novel London Calling has to offer: “Clare Lydon is a London-based author who penned her first novel at primary school and it scored 9.5/10. She’s still not sure what she was docked half a point for. A lack of lesbians perhaps? London Calling certainly addresses that issue, featuring a cast of London ladygays & their mates who Clare hopes are reflective of life in modern-day London.” And she fully delivers on this promise.

Jess, the lesbian main character, comes back from Australia with a broken heart and starts the quest to reclaim her life and love life in London – she comes “home” to her family and a host of mates in London. There are many delightful traits of this romance. First, Ms Lydon writes a refreshing, cliché-free story filled with “normal” people and great dialogue which is a delight to read and quite well-edited (alas, not a given with self-published stories). Second, she has a knack for infusing witty remarks and nice punch lines throughout the story. While reading I was constantly chuckling and smiling happily along, inhaling the book as quickly as I could. Thank goodness the author has the next book already lined up, or so she says. One feature which stuck out was the optimistic undercurrent of this romance although it starts with heartbreak and seeming defeat. In addition, the book, though concentrating on the love life of Jess, was filled with a bevy of adorable characters – straight, gay, lesbian – and it didn’t really matter how you define yourself: love matters (and, ahem, hot sex).

Welcome to modern London and welcome to equality! Last but not least, the title “London Calling” is indicative of the whole tone of the book which oozes with unabashed Britishness and does not cater to international tastes, which adds to its allure. Of course it’s a romance and the girl gets the girl and all that, but what a great way to tell a romance.

You can purchase or download a sample of London Calling by clicking here