Out Of Retirement by Erica Lawson

Doctor Melanie Stokes, (Mel) was a good doctor. Cool, calm and collected, nothing rattled her. Well, not until she got caught up with the old women at the Dykes Retirement Home. That’s what it said on the board anyway. It should have read Shady Oakes. First impressions always last the longest, so what was Mel to think when she saw a little old lady chasing the paper boy calling him a little runt?

Caitlin Joseph runs the small retirement home for women who are in need. There are not many residents, probably due to everyone in the home being gay.

When Mel agreed to help out doing relief work for the regular doctor, little did she know that her life would be turned upside down.

On Mel’s arrival at the home, she knew right away that there was something she liked about the place. The residents were likeable, (well some were) zany and impossible, but her eyes were on Caitlin. Her attraction instant. But, most of all, Mel was impressed with Caitlin’s care of her residents.

The residents took it upon themselves to become match makers and ensure that Mel visited often. Not that Mel needed much encouragement. Their crafty plans and scheming were helped along by a new woman arriving at the home. A woman whose presence caused long forgotten feelings to emerge. It’s just a shame she isn’t a lesbian.

This is quite a humorous book about life in a retirement home where all the residents are lesbians. The story centers mainly around the old women who have nothing better to do than cause mayhem making for some laugh out loud moments throughout. Secondary is the slow romance between Mel and Caitlin, making the book top heavy on the comedy and too light on the romance, for my preference.

The book started out funny and looked to be a promising read, but unfortunately, by the time I got to around the half way mark, I was wondering where the actual story was going. It meandered aimlessly along with a few more funny moments and incidents interspersed. The romance between Mel and Caitlin never seemed to really heat up or shine through.

The main characters are multi-faceted and likeable enough. The secondary characters are a mixed bunch, some more likeable than others and they all interact well together.

If you are looking for a quick, humorous read, you  should enjoy this book.