Jo Goodman

“He chuckled. "I cannot speak for other men, but I want the woman who stumbles over a word like virgin and can say whore without raising a blush." His smile faded and he spoke soberly. "Your soldier… your first love… and every circumstance that followed in some way brought you to me, and while I can wish that you had never had your heart hurt, that you had never suffered even a moment of doubt, of pain, of sadness… of betrayal, I also know that you would in some way be changed. It would have made your life different. Mine also." North gave her hand a light squeeze. "Whether we are shaped by the circumstances of our lives, or by our perceptions of them, I still find I very much admire the shape you have become.”
― Jo Goodman, Let Me Be The One

“There aren't any dancing girls in Bitter Springs," Finn said. "Leastways not he kind that kick their legs so high in the air you can see..." He leaned forward, looked around Kellen for this brother, and asked, "What do you call it?"
"France," Rabbit said. "They kick their legs so high you can see France."
Finn nodded. He looked up at Kellen. "You ever seen France?"
Kellen sighed feelingly. "Not in a long while.”
― Jo Goodman, The Last Renegade