"Sexy, tense, a great foreign setting and a true thriller. Beyond Instinct will keep you up all night, so start reading early."  ~ Ellen Hart, Five-time Lammy winner & Author of the popular Jane Lawless & Sophie Greenway mysteries.

Eyes on the Stars

"I loved the story, but what's not to love? Romance, history, women in uniform, women soaring in the air and on the ground..." ~ Sandy Thornton, Dallas, Texas

"Set during WWII, Eyes on the Stars chronicles the lives of two women pilots in the WASP program as they battle the expectations and prejudices of a society that doesn't recognize their love for each other. The characters are well crafted, showing both the strengths and frailties of being human. You will feel you have stepped back in time with each page in Lynn Ames' suspenseful novel. It is a book that is impossible to put down until the last page has been turned." ~ Tammy Poulsen, Austin, Texas

Heartsong

Early in Heartsong one of the main characters states, "Life is seldom as we plan it. What we do--how we act and react in those unscripted moments--that, in my opinion, is what defines who we are". Those words are a window into the message of this book. There are many unscripted moments in the lives of Danica and Chase, and, in the telling, is how each character reacts.

Danica Warren lost her lover of eighteen years in an avalanche. She was able to save herself, and three others, but not Sandy. In the three years following, she has written a best selling memoir and built a successful career as a motivational speaker. She has not forgiven herself for Sandy's death.

Chase Crosley is the CEO of the New York State Credit Union Association. While her luck in love has not been good, she has built a successful career and a network of friends. She wasn't prepared for meeting Danica Warren.

Heartsong explores the idea of a love between two people that transcends all that has come before and which follows after. It's the idea that there is one great love for each of us, if we can but find and recognize it. For Danica and Chase, the connection is instantaneous. The problems they face are huge. As their story continues, each must cope with challenges and emotional obstacles.

Ames has given her fans a story with staying power and hope. She also challenges her readers that finding their one great love is not the end of the road; each must work to keep that love and to help it grow.

Lynn Ames has a rich background in politics, journalism and as a public information officer for the nation's third-largest prison system. She is a nationally recognized speaker and the CEO of a public relations firm with expertise in image, crisis communications planning and crisis management. Her published works include the Kate and Jay trilogy, and The Flip Side of Desire. Beyond Instinct will be published in 2008. Her short stories appear in Infinite Pleasures: An Anthology of Lesbian Erotica, The Call of the Dark: Lesbian Erotic Tales of the Supernatural, Telltale Kisses, Romance for Life, Wild Nights and the Lammy award winning anthology: Stolen Moments: Erotic Interludes 2. Lynn Ames lives in the southwestern U.S. with her two golden retrievers.
---  Reviewed by RLynne

Heartsong starts off with a bang, literally, since the story begins with the heroic efforts of the beautiful Danica Warren, former senator turned motivational speaker, to extricate herself from her own tomb, created by an avalanche, so that she could go on to rescue other mountaineers in her party. The heart-pounding account of the avalanche and Danica’s efforts to free herself are superbly descriptive and put the reader right there beside the character in her struggle. However, this horrific event proves to be nothing compared to the earth-shattering experience that Danica is about to have when she meets Chase Crosley.

The two embark on a roller-coaster ride that almost proves to be their undoing as Danica struggles to overcome guilt about finally finding a new love after the death of her long-time partner, and Chase struggles against an illness that may be so serious that she will never be able to realize her dream of spending the rest of her life with her newfound love.

From the opening paragraph, Heartsong grabbed me by the heartstrings and wouldn’t let go. Ames has created a masterful romantic page-turner that the reader may find difficult to put down. Whatever number of stars, diamonds, or triangles any rating system has, this one merits them all.
---  Reviewed by Anna Furtado

How much should one person have to endure to find love? Why are some people asked to shoulder what seems to be more than their fair share of heartache?

Most people see Danica Warren as a hero. After all, the former crusading Senator and now motivational speaker managed to dig herself and three other people out of an avalanche that should have killed them. Her book about her experience is a best seller and a hit movie has been made from it. However, Danica doesn't agree with them because the only person she couldn’t save that day was her long-time partner. That was three years ago and Dani hasn't gotten over what happened yet.

Chase Crosley is the CEO of a credit union organization and all she needs is to see Dani one time at a convention to know that her life is about to change. Once the women begin spending time together, they realize they have a special relationship, but there are obstacles. Dani has to overcome her feelings of guilt about the accident and accept that she isn't betraying an old love. Just as Dani seems comfortable with what is happening, Chase becomes seriously ill. Can Dani pursue love knowing that she might lose it again? Does Chase have the right to ask her to?

It would have been easy to make Heartsong the story of Danica trying to get over her survivor guilt and deciding that it was "OK" to love again. That story has been told before and is familiar. Ames instead gives the book a real-life twist. Danica does have the guilt, but just as she's convincing herself that she has a right to move on with her life, she faces the possibility of losing the new love.

How many people know someone who seems to move from crisis to crisis, enduring unbelievable heartache, while everyone else goes on living somewhat normal lives? There is that universal question about why some people seem doomed to suffer while others live easier lives. However, what starts out seeming to be the story of Danica turns out to be more the story of Chase. She's not used to opening up to another person and has finally seemed to win that struggle when she confronts a health crisis that could change everything. Heartsong then takes on the task of dealing with a relationship that may be on a short timeline. The resolution is not exactly what a reader might expect, but it's very appropriate.

Lynn Ames seems to be a writer who is willing to stretch to improve her writing. Instead of producing the same book time after time, her plots have gotten progressively more complex. She still writes a pretty standard romance, but there are little twists that are refreshing and show a greater depth of story development. While her stories feel familiar, there are nuances that hold the reader's attention. Heartsong is worth spending an afternoon or evening with.
---Reviewed by Lynne Pierce

One ~ Love

One ~ Love (Formerly The Flip Side of Desire)

While reading The Flip Side of Desire, I found myself held captive by the talented strokes of Ms. Ames’ artistry. The wording is so fluid I felt more like I was breathing the story in than reading it. From the first passage this book quietly seeped into my veins and grabbed hold of me before I realized what had happened.

...this is a book each reader should discover for themselves. And in that discovery, you might even find a piece of yourself.

By the conclusion, I felt as if I had experienced every drop of sweat, every ounce of pain, every passionate embrace, every aching scar, and every courageous step taken to break free from each deep-rooted ghost.
--- Lois Glenn, author and poet

The Price of Fame

The Price of Fame has received much critical acclaim. The following review appeared in such fine publications as: Just About Write, The Independent Gay Writer, Midwest Book Review, and The Gay Read.

Kate Kyle has worked hard for many years to rise to the position of lead anchor for the WCAP TV news program in upstate New York. Little does she know that she will become an overnight sensation when disaster strikes at the state capitol, and she happens to be the only news person on the scene to relay the news live, on camera. She also helps with the rescue efforts, and her live report is carried nationally. Being thrust into the limelight has a dual positive effect: she is accorded fame, and the adoring focus brings her into contact with journalist Jay Parker, who happens to be an acquaintance from Kate's college days.

Jay and Kate's lives have touched before-twice, actually, under appalling circumstances. But the third time's a charm, and this time around there is no stopping the attraction. They embark upon a love affair with more passion and intensity than either of them has ever felt before. But once again, disaster strikes, and this time it's entirely out of their control. Will the price of fame mean that these two will be crushed?

This is romance writing at its most absorbing, with all the angst and uncertainty of missed communications and misdirected intentions. Ames touches on many aspects of these two women's lives, past and present, and though the reader can't help but root for their relationship, there is no way on earth it can work for them…or could it? THE PRICE OF FAME is well worth the foray to find out the answer to that question.
---Lori L. Lake
Midwest Book Review
author of Stepping Out: Short Stories, Different Dress, Gun Shy, Under The Gun and Ricochet In Time

The Price of Fame, a complex, multi-layered blend of romance and personal growth set amidst the high-profile worlds of TV newscasting and journalism, is an insightful, engaging journey of two women to fulfillment.
---Radclyffe, author of Love's Masquerade and the Honor series

The Price of Fame is a well written love story with all the critical components necessary to make this a story you'll read and want to reread again. The main characters are brilliant professional women who made their way up the ladder in the tough world of news reporting. One is a highly respected news anchorwoman, the other a writer for Time. Katherine Kyle and Jamison Parker had crossed paths before, but never like this. As fate puts them together once more, their attraction to each other can not be denied and what follows is a roller coaster ride of intrigue, passion and sacrifice. The writing is tight and well thought-out with a good sprinkling of humor to round out the characters. I certainly enjoyed reading it and I'm sure you will too!
---Trish Kocialski, author of Forces of Evil, Blue Holes to Terror, Deadly Challenge and The Visitors

Just finished reading The Price of Fame and wanted you to know it was fantastic. Am looking forward to sequels (have to know what happens to Kate & Jay). Your location descriptions made one feel that they should be there.
Thanks again for writing a wonderful story. Will be reaching for this one again.
---Carol

I loved reading this story. It was an excellent, well written, romantic story filled with much love, passion, humor as well as pain and sacrifice that Kate and Jay went through in their relationship to be a couple. It was heartwrenching at times towards the end with all they were dealing with. It was very emotional. I look forward to the continuation of Kate and Jay's life in the next story. I'm sure it will be another terrific read!
---Liz

The Cost of Commitment

The Cost of Commitment debuted to critical and popular acclaim. The following review appeared in such fine publications as: Just About Write, The Independent Gay Writer, Midwest Book Review, The Gay Read, and the Golden Crown Literary Society's publication The Crown.

When last we saw Katherine "Kate" Kyle and her partner Jamison "Jay" Parker in the previous book, The Price of Fame, they had united to pull through a scandal of epic proportions. Kate had been outed and had lost her TV anchor job, but Jay was still in the closet. Now, in this sequel, Kate has become the Director of Public Information for the New York state correctional system. She takes some flak for being lesbian, but her relationship with Jay is still not known by anyone outside their circle of friends.

Jay has continued with her journalism career, and at first all seems well, but very quickly it becomes clear that rocky times are ahead. Not only are there dastardly forces at work behind the scenes that are undermining Kate and her job, but Jay cannot depend on her anonymity being guarded. Then there is a struggle for power at the highest levels of the state and federal government, and certain individuals are willing to sabotage or quite literally dispose of Kate to gain political advantage. Neither Kate nor Jay know how devious and destructive those forces will be, but even though it gradually dawns upon Kate that she is being more than undermined, she is not prepared for the lengths to which desperate men will go. It will take all her physical and emotional strength to get through the disaster that occurs-and Jay will be tested, too.

Author Lynn Ames maintains the excitement of the two women's growing relationship while making sure that the romance and hot love scenes don't derail the action side of the plot. An exciting romantic thriller, The Cost of Commitment will keep you awake late into the night wondering how Jay and Kate can possibly get out of the mess they find themselves in. Entertaining right up to the last page.

---Lori L. Lake, author of lesbian fiction and freelance reviewer for Midwest Book Review, Golden Crown Literary Society's The Crown, The Independent Gay Writer, and Just About Write

The Cost of Commitment was an engaging, excellent, well paced read from beginning to end. I enjoyed reading it very much and was not disappointed. Great supporting cast of characters and plot involving suspense, mystery, action, political intrigue and of course love, romance and humor. Once again, I loved the interaction, devotion, and chemistry between Kate and Jay. Your writing depicted the cost of their continuing relationship, both professionally and personally very well throughout the story, and showed just what their commitment meant and was to each other, through the good times and the difficult times.

--- from Liz in Texas

The Value of Valor

Katherine Kyle, Press Secretary to the President, and Jamison Parker, Time magazine writer, return for the third installment of Lynn Ames' immensely popular Kate and Jay trilogy. The unthinkable has happened and our two lovers' once happy existence has been irrevocably affected. Or has it? A diabolical organization has set its sights on the advancement of its global timetable which necessitates, at any cost, the elimination of the President of the United States. Will this tragedy occur? Add to the mix a riveting series of unexpected plot twists, suspenseful turns of events, and fascinating secondary characters, and you have an entertaining, gripping, and romantic race to the finish line.

Lynn Ames' focus in her novels has been to create a socially relevant and thoroughly entertaining reading experience. The first two novels in the series, The Price of Fame and The Cost of Commitment, delivered both in an engaging and timely way. Here with The Value of Valor, Ames has taken a giant leap forward. This is her best work thus far. The action sequences rocket along at incredible speed, the intimacy depicted is both exciting and steamy, and the characters display a depth of credibility. That necessary element to any good piece of fiction, the suspension of disbelief, is so masterfully developed and sustained that the reader becomes engaged and completely submersed in the storyline. The author has achieved this effect so seamlessly, which is a credit to both the writing and the editing, that the reader, indeed, will not want to put the book down until that last word has been read.

Another hallmark of this novel is the Ames' creative ability to make the political events seem not only possible but plausible. Perhaps, twenty or even ten years ago the storyline would appear too fantastic to sustain the interest of the discerning reader. However, with Ames' insider savvy regarding political machinations and the not too distant events all have experienced, any sort of global agenda directed toward the country and its leaders is not beyond the realm of reality. It is with both this knowledge and understanding that Ames has fashioned a work of fiction which can be understood on several conceptual levels. The Value of Valor is so much more than just another adventurous romantic story. It is a suspenseful and absorbing novel that provides the reader with many issues to ponder long after the cover has been closed. This novel emphatically represents the impressive growth in the author's writing style and technique. It is for all these attributes that this reader eagerly awaits the next installment in this series.
---Arlene Germain
Book Reviewer/Editor (The Independent Gay Writer, the Midwest Book Review, the Golden Crown Literary Society newsletter, The Crown, the JustAboutWrite Newsletter and E-zine, and the Outlook Press.)

The Value of Valor by Lynn Ames is more than a gripping political thriller, heartfelt love/lost and loved again story. Within its completely intertwined, interwoven, and integrated plotlines, it is also a hot mystery, a romantic thriller, and has enough conspiracy theory to satisfy anyone who even still believes Elvis lives.

Espionage, treason, a mad race to save the president, and hot sex—what’s not to love? ---Therese Szymanski, Lammy finalist, best-selling author of the Brett Higgins Motor City Thrillers

There’s more at stake in this complex novel than first meets the eye. A treasonous organization hinted at in the first two books of the series finally comes to the forefront with plans that have long been in motion.

The tension mounts. With every chapter that passes, the crosses and double-crosses get trickier and more twisted until the exciting denouement. You’ll be left surprised and satisfied by the ending.

This novel can stand alone. You don’t have to have read the first two in the series, but this third in the trilogy is a fitting completion to the plot threads brought up in the earlier books. Fast-paced, compulsively readable, and full of twists and turns, THE VALUE OF VALOR will keep you up late into the night. Highly recommended.
---Lori L. Lake, author of the “Gun” Series, Different Dress, Ricochet in Time, Stepping Out: Short Stories, and editor of the Lambda Literary Award anthology finalist, The Milk of Human Kindness.

Outsiders

This anthology blew me away. I cannot say enough good things about it. These works come together bringing everything we love about our broad genre of lesbian fiction and then expand the boundaries in ways that we as a community crave. The diversity of work is astounding, but even more impressive is the threads of themes and beliefs that run through and connect each story. After we finished Outsiders, my wife (who rarely reads lesfic) and I (who read tons of lesfic) both agreed that we'd just seen a glimpse of the future of our genre and we were excited about what we saw!
~ Rachel Spangler, Goldie award-winning author

Your story left me aching for something I don't have but hope to be lucky enough to find someday. How powerful is your gift for story-telling that you can leave a reader aching for what the characters in a piece of fiction have found? Pretty powerful indeed. Thanks very much for creating such a sweet yet thought-provoking novella.
~ Paula Fulp

It's a sweet and poignant love story about a woman who finally accepts herself with the help of another who understands her very soul. I like the juxtaposition of the artist in the city with the Native-American in the natural setting. Great setting in the south-west. This story made me wonder if Lynn Ames has a Native background.
~ Renée Strider