This lucky librarian is participating in a reader's advisory round-table discussion on diversity in the romance genre. We are all reading the same benchmark title as well as two titles we select on our own. Treasure was one of my selected titles. This was a pretty quick read that I mostly enjoyed. There were some things I didn't particularly enjoy, but whenever I catch myself getting critical of a romance novel I remember that not only did someone pour their heart into the story but they also did the hard work of writing a book. It ain't as easy as some will have you think, and this one was not bad by any means. Treasure was hella representative- the main characters are lesbian women of color, one has anxiety and depression and the other is a stripper who is proud to do what she does. This story may not have been my perfect cup of romance tea, but that is okay.
I will be picking up more of Rebekah's books in the future because a) she is, like, one of the coolest human beings and b) a number of them have won romance awards. ( )

Alexis Chambers feels like a socially awkward misfit who will never be able to get her life together. The daughter of a very successful family, the pressure to be perfect grew to be too much for her, and she attempted to commit suicide last year. Ever since then, everything has changed, and Alexis is even less comfortable in her own skin. Things change for her when she meets "Treasure," a stripper at her sister's bachelorette party. Alexis is instantly attracted to her, but she doesn't exactly expect to run into Treasure again.

Trisha Hamilton finally has her life on track. After running away and dropping out of school in her teens, she now has her own apartment, a job that supports herself and helps out her mom, and enough money to finally start college. On her first day of computer science class, in walks Alexis Chambers, the adorable baby butch from the club. They become quick friends, which soon turns into more.

Rebekah Weatherspoon has packed a lot of story into this novella. Both of the main characters feel quite real, and their relationship feels the same way. There's no instalove here - there's a connection and attraction, but that's normal - and those feelings grow slowly as the two women grow to know one another. I also loved how unapologetic Trisha was about everything - her past, her job as a stripper (which she doesn't loathe or feel ashamed about at all), and how she expects a girlfriend to treat her. I also enjoyed that nearly all of the characters in the book were persons of colour, because there really isn't enough diversity even in books that should, by default, be "diverse" (LGBTQ).

I've read two books by Rebeka Weatherspoon now, and neither have disappointed. She's now joining Cari Hunter on the "lesbian authors I instabuy" list. ( )