Rating: 
Summary: Not in Kansas anymore?. . .find enchantment in South Dakota
Review: The Road to Glory is a charming romantic comedy from two of Xenaverse's better known bards, Blayne Cooper, AKA Advocate and T. Novan. The lead characters, RJ Fitzgerald, a tall auburn haired handywoman, and Leigh Matthews, a petite chatty blonde trucker have a familiar feel to uber fan fiction readers. Cooper and Novan are aware of their almost obsessive use of the Xenaesque characters and even point it out via an amusing dialog between a very animated couple of squirrels. Yes, the squirrels from Cooper's The Story of Me make a reappearance, providing their rodential insights about human relations as well as a good bit of comic relief in their efforts to capture RJ's soda swilling cat, named Flea. Leigh finds herself diverted to Glory, South Dakota, by a highway construction detour. At Fitz's, a diner just outside of the small town, Leigh falls in lust at first sight with RJ. She happily returns each week during her circular truck route. After several fast and furiously erotic encounters, Leigh invites RJ to join her on her week off in Seattle. As these two women continue explore their feelings and each other, it becomes increasingly clear that nothing is quite what it seems in Glory or with RJ. The vacation week in Seattle is full of humor, romance, and revelations. There are amusing trips to shop, to dance at a popular lesbian club, to play the arcade at a carnival and to visit a retirement community. Strangely at the latter RJ spends time with an old friend named Ruth and gives us insight into the varied roles of women in the military during World War II. Wry and witty observations of American culture in general and particularly of scifi/fantasy fandoms are sprinkled throughout the story. For example, upon discovering that RJ still lives with her mother, Leigh cautiously asks if the handywoman attends scifi/fantasy conventions in costume. When RJ responds with a confused negative, Leigh is reassured, thinking, "A girl couldn't be too careful. Serial killers were one thing. But those weirdo convention goers were something else." (p89) The Road to Glory is an enchanting story dealing with issues of love, death and finding the heart's desire. Readers familiar with the Xena fandom, particularly uber fan fiction, might have a greater appreciation of some of the humor. However, that familiarity is by no means needed to enjoy this story. All that is required is the time to indulge and a willingness to go for the long haul.
Rating: 
Summary: A Glorious Tale
Review: This is a kind of back to front story. The two leads fall first in lust, and eventually in love. But all is not as it seems.
Trucker Leigh takes a wrong turn and finds the small town of Glory. She is instantly attracted to the handywoman, RJ. Their initial relationship is purely physical, and they explore that aspect a lot. All is not as it seems, but Leigh is too busy exploring her new companion to worry about the strangeness of the town.
This is a funny, passionate, and sometimes emotional tale. One to read on a warm summer's night. Be prepared for surprises.
Rating:
Summary: A good read with an unusual twist...
Review: Written by the same two authors who brought us the best-selling Madam President, The Road to Glory is wildly different and gives us a feel for the multi-faceted talents Cooper and Novan exhibit both separately and as collaborators. It begins like a standard girl-meets-girl story. But from clues cleverly inserted by the authors, the reader soon becomes aware that this tale is anything but standard. Feisty trucker Leigh Matthews and old-fashioned, but ready-for-adventure RJ Fitzgerald meet when a strange detour takes the trucker off her regular route. The women discover an instant physical attraction that both are anxious to fulfill. As the story progresses, so does their infatuation with each other, until it surprises them by building into a true love that neither is quite ready to accept or trust. The strange reactions of RJ's family and friends to the pairing creates a puzzling background that keeps the reader guessing as to its cause. In the meantime, odd tidbits of information are tossed into the mix, stirring up doubts about whether the two will ever be able to get together permanently--and why not? Searching for these answers keeps the reader eagerly turning pages. The authors have produced an entertaining, sometimes "tongue-in-cheek" story with a delightfully original theme and tied it all together with a comic counterpoint of squirrelly antics. Be ready for a good read with an unusual twist, interspersed with some hearty laughs.
| 
