Product Description

Considered Charlottesville's most eligible lesbian, Jessie Ximena has recently grown tired of that status and has stopped dating entirely. She'd rather focus on the important things in life like her family, her friends, and her job. There will always be plenty of time for relationships when she feels like jumping back into the fray. If she finds someone to hold her interest, that is.



Lauren Aleric has been searching for Ms. Right since she began dating, but no one has yet filled the role. Her friends think that she's too much of a romantic mush to settle. She wishes she could be more like her good friend Jessie, who seems perfectly happy dating casually. But mostly, she wishes she could be like her best friend, Austy, who's just found her forever love.



Imagining Reality is the story of these two friends and how they discover that what they're both looking for isn't as far apart as they might think.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56253 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 300 pages

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"Oh yeah! Who's that?" someone yelled above the music.

I looked over and groaned. Jordan Palow stood among the tree stumps of her friends staring at our table. More specifically Elise whose striking looks would catch anyone's attention. Jordan mistakenly believed that she was in a contest with me about who could bed more women. I'd told her that I wouldn't play along, but apparently she kept the game going all by herself.

"Hello, ladies," she smirked in a husky voice. "Who do we have here? Are you new in town?" She leered pointedly at Elise then flicked her eyes at me. "You must be seeing green, Jessie. Finally got some competition besides me and you're screwing yourself over by sitting her at your table." My eyes rolled by themselves. These games were so pointless and stupid.

"Ooh, yeah, she looks a little worried," Jordan boasted, turning to smile at her group. She refocused on Elise. "You'd make my whole year if you danced with me, hottie."

"No thanks." Elise forced a steady voice.

"Aww, come on, hottie. You won't get a better offer tonight." Jordan reached her hand out, her upturned elbow coming to rest right in front of my face.

"Will I do, doll? Let me try to make your year," my mouth offered before my brain caught up. Seduction permeated my skin, rising in waves that I'm certain everyone could see. Why was I doing this? Just because my friend and her girlfriend were overwhelmed, didn't mean I needed to step in to make things easier.

Jordan looked astonished. Other than the first time she came into the bar, we'd never danced. I didn't bother to look for the shock from my friends. I could only imagine what they were thinking. I stood up, knowing I wouldn't find any resistance. My fingers ran down to her hand so I could lead us to the dance floor. She obediently followed, her posse staring in amazement as their leader gave up control.

When we faced each other on the dance floor, she snapped her eyes to mine with a suspicious look. I gave her my most seductive smile, latched my fingers onto her hips, and pulled her into me. With the sound of the thumping beat, I pushed who she was from my mind and began a slow grind with her.

After four songs in a row, I no longer felt her body glued to mine. I didn't find any enjoyment that I was manipulating her. I didn't delight in the fact that her mouth brushed against my throat, nipping at my skin, her hands pawing my hips and ass as she gyrated against me.

When the fifth song ended, I leaned back and looked into her startled grey-blue eyes. "Did I make your year?" My husky voice made my own skin crawl. Her eyes fluttered for a moment, opening to look at mine before she smiled, satisfied. Nothing in her expression told me she knew what I'd done to her. As a master manipulator, she should be able to spot my insincerity. Instead, I watched her seemingly float away, riding a false high.

A hand grabbed me before I made it all the way off the dance floor. With a gentle tug, it twirled me back. I expected to see an angry Jordan, having finally realized what I'd been doing. Instead, I saw the angelic face of my friend Lauren, turquoise blue eyes sparkling at me.

"You're dancing with me now." She grabbed my waist to keep me from leaving. She gave me a wink and turned around to wiggle her tush in time with the music. A free spirit, that's my friend Lauren. My lousy mood at working over Jordan vanished as I got into the enjoyment of dancing with my friend.

A slow song spun next, and Lauren looped her arms around my neck and pressed against me. "That was nice what you did," she spoke into my ear.

I leaned back and gave her a questioning look. "What did I do?"

"You know what you did. You don't fool me, Jess. Play all toughie with everyone else, but I know what you did."

I quirked my eyebrows at her. No? She couldn't actually know, could she? "Don't know what you're talking about, L."

"Yes, you do. You made Jordan disappear so that Austy and Elise wouldn't be uncomfortable anymore. You took a woman that you don't like out to the dance floor and made her think she was the only person in the world. You're a good woman, Jessamine Ximena, even if you won't let yourself believe it." Lauren pressed closer, moving our bodies with ease. "One of these days, I'll make even you see it." She tilted up and kissed my cheek before detaching herself to walk away.

Five seconds passed before I realized the song had ended.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful!!
Lynn Galli's second book was just as good as her first. This time, we see the VA friends in their hometown setting...Jessie, Lauren, Quinn, Willa, etc, with visits by Austy and Elise.

Galli does a great job, narrating from Jessie's viewpoint, and then shifting the viewpoint to describe events that happen to the other characters.

Jessie seems to be a player, and as we get to know her, we find out she's a deep, caring person of great convictions. Even many of her friends are unaware of her multiple layers. Only Quinn really has insight into her because they've been the best of friends for years.

You'll enjoy this book as events unfold and characters grow and develop. Galli stated this will probably be the last book featuring these characters. I wish she'd reconsider. I'd love to see a book on how Quinn and Willa began their relationship. I know Galli doesn't want to be handcuffed writing only about these characters; they should be good for at least one more book, though.

Very nice sex scenes add to the dramatic tension. And you'll wish you had a group of friends as tight as these VA gals. Oh, if you go to Galli's website, you can read about her future books, and the "missing chapters" from her first book. THAT in itself was worthwhile.

Lynn, thanks for creating these characters and sharing them with us.

Full of unexpected surprises
Lynn Galli's second book follows the stories of two characters from her first. My favorite, Jessie, was complex enough as a secondary character in Wasted Heart, but she's outright intriguing as a lead character in this one. Like so many people who've had the same friends for a long time, she's stuck with an image that no longer seems to fit her. Trying to break free of that image takes her through a jumble of emotions and heartbreaking situations that will have you rooting audibly throughout the story. Her friend, Lauren, provides a nice contrast whenever her viewpoint comes up, adding to the fun of this book. We get to follow her plight while trying to find romance, help her friends, and deal with her clients in a career that should fall outside of her comfort zone. This is one of those books that will have you thinking you know where the story's headed only to be surprised by each plot turn.

Even Better Than Her First
I really loved this second book about the Virginia gang of friends who don't all live in VA anymore but are still closely linked.

I don't think you really have to read the first one to appreciate this book , but by reading both you really get a sense of the dynamics of this little group.

It's a little weird when the book switches from the first person view of Jessie to a third person view, but hang in there. It's worth it for some great scenes and a really emotional story.

I'd have liked to see a little more at the end to see how the group dealt with the changes in some of the friends. Might have been fun.