Monster’s Find by Leann Ryans

2 Stars

I found her in the dark, and that was where I’d claim her, so she couldn’t run.

My heat was coming, and nothing would stop it. They killed my father, leaving me without protection, so I had no choice but to run. I wouldn't let them have me.

A cave in the mountains was the safest place I could find, but it turned out, I wasn’t alone.

All I knew was an alpha had found me. I didn't know he was a monster until it was too late, but what I feel when we bond assures me my own kind were more monstrous than him.

The idea behind this book was good but needs to be fleshed out. Yes, it’s a short story but it needed more because there is 0 plot and all smexy time. If you want that go for it as the writing is fine.

Book 1 Monsters in the Mountains

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Stone by Anna Hackett

4 Stars

He’s the new silver fox recruit at Sentinel Security.

The hot, tough former Marine Raider.

And he won’t touch her because he works with her brother.

Real estate agent Magnolia “Nola” Newhouse has it all. Okay, not quite all. She loves her work, has a growing collection of designer heels, and is about to become an aunt…she’s just missing the love of her life. She’s watched her brother and her best friend fall in love, and Nola wants that too.

When she first sees the big, rugged silver fox across the bar, she feels an instant connection, and knows he does too. They share a passionate kiss, then he discovers who her brother is…

A short and sweet short story. I loved seeing Nola and Stone get their HEA. Plus seeing all the original characters was amazing to read up on what they are up to. The only downside was it was too short. I wanted more of the story and the characters.

Book 6.5     Sentinel Security

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Sanctuary by Ilona Andrews

3 Stars

It’s not easy serving Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness and Death…especially during the holidays; and especially when you’re out of eggnog and one of your pesky, freeloading mythic creatures has eaten your last cookie.

Roman would like nothing more than to be left alone, but when a wounded boy stumbles into his yard and begs for sanctuary, Roman takes him in. Now elite mercenaries are camped out on his property, combat mages are dousing the house with fire, and strange priests are unleashing arcane magic. They thought Roman was easy pickings, just a hermit in the woods, but they chose the wrong dark priest to annoy. For while Roman might be patient, he is the Black Volhv, filled with the love of his terrible god. For his adversaries, it's a fight to the death, but for him, it's just another day in the neighborhood.

I enjoyed the different mythos this book brought, and I love MMC. No world building since it’s apart of the Kate Daniel’s series. You don’t need to have read all of the other books in the series but it does add to the overall series. Definitely worth a read if you are a fan.

Book 1 Roman Chronicles

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Puck and Make Up by Elise Faber

3.5 Stars

My life is full of secrets.

She's the woman who's discovered them all...

Dessie and I have a love-hate relationship.

But it’s mostly that I love and she hates.

As a member of the Rush hockey team, I don’t have a problem finding women who are willing to date me, but Dessie isn’t just anyone.

She’s a mystery, an obsession, a woman I need to claim as my own.

Only, she’s not going without a fight.

Good thing I’m a hockey player…

And fighting is what I do best.

I loved seeing Dessie and Fox get their HEA. At the end of the last book I had so many questions and several of them were answered in this book but I still have so many more. This one was a quick read and it was nice to revisit the characters.

Book 7 Rush Hockey

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Santa Tried by Indie Sparks

3 Stars

Nick lived a very fun life until his dad retired and he had to take over as Santa. He takes this job very seriously and even with his past Daddy Dom days things are running smoothly at the north pole. The one person he can’t get on the straight and narrow is Calista. She is an elf that needs a firm hand to keep her in line.

Short and spicy holiday read. No plot or world building but for 27 pages it was a good read.

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Knotty Deal by Leann Ryan

3 Stars

My brother screwed up and now owes a debt we can’t afford to pay. The only option is to sell virginity to get the money to pay the debt before they kill my brother. Can I live with my decision?

This is a rewrite and I hadn’t read the original. It was a short and dirty book. Virgin offers herself up to payoff her brother’s debt to the mafia. Ends on a cliffhanger and that frustrated me. I did enjoy it until that point. If you are looking for a quick and dirty story this is a good option.

Book 1 Propositions of an Alpha

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Cracked Foundation by Bex Dawn

3 Stars

Shiloh is trying to get past her divorce, but she keeps being stood up on her dates. A bartender takes pity on her and offers her a new job and a new start. She is hesitant but she takes the leap only to find out her new boss is HOT but also grumpy. There is an instant attraction but will they fall?

This was a super short and smutty book. Logan was all in with Shiloh including all of her fantasies. It’s more sex than plot but worth checking out. It would be interesting to see more with these two and have more stories with the brothers.

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Blood Moon by Jillian Graves

3 Stars

Hazel loves working her bar and seeing her supernatural regulars. She occasionally needs to blow off steams, but anonymous strangers work for that until she meets Vlad. She thinks he’s an excellent lay but is definitely running away when she finds out he’s the owner of the night club that just opened a crossed from her bar that is trying to close her down. Will they find their HEA?

This was a super spicy short story. I wanted more world building and character development but for a short story it was really good. Loved the main characters story and seeing them get their HEA. Will definitely check out other books by this author.

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Last Single Girl by Bria Quinlan

3 Stars

Sarah has one month to find a date or show her inner circle she’s the last single girl. It can’t be that hard to find someone right. There’s four weeks to find Mr. Right.

This was a short and sweet romance. Nothing is done on page and very much a fade to black. It was a nice pallet cleanse from some of the books I’ve been reading. The different dates were funny to read. The one thing that frustrated me was the fact the FMC let her friends push her around so much and I don’t find out if they get theirs in the end. Maybe with book 2 we will find out.

Book 1 Brew Ha Ha

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Campus Flirt by Jennifer Sucevic

3 Stars

Sasha has always loved Easton but they aren’t meant to be anything but friends. When she finally concludes they won’t be more and decided to move on is when he realizes he wants more from her but is he too late?

Short and sweet friends to lovers. Low stakes and no drama. Just a quick realization Easton is head over heals in love with Sasha. He of course discovers this when she’s ready to move on from her crush. Writing was also fine and I will be checking out other books by this author.

Related to The Campus Series

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Ruined Summer by Kitt Lynn

3 Stars

Summer is the wild child who everyone thinks needs to be taken in hand and handled. She doesn’t think she does. She wants wildness and passion. This is great until she goes missing. She is found by her friend Nix who wants to be more than friends. While making their way home things go even more astray.

Like the first two books this one was quick and steamy. I liked that Summer wanted more out of life than what everyone else seems to want for her. I did feel this one was way shorter than the other books and that was disappointing. Overall, worth reading since they were so short and quick to read.

Book 3 Madra Village

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Spring Blossom by Kitt Lynn

 

3 Stars

Lily fears alphas and is determined to stay far away from them. Rowan has other ideas as she is meant to be his. Lily is given to him and when he discovers why she fears alphas will he leave?

It was weird how they handled Lily’s issues. I loved what happened with the guy who hurt Lily but it was a long time coming. Definitely saw what was going to happen but it was nice seeing it. I liked the additional plot with the previous character and the couple from the next book. Another quick and easy read.

Book 2 Madra Village

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Winter Gift by Kitt Lynn

3 Stars

Mina wonders if you can die from loneliness. She wants Ivor but it doesn’t seem that he’s not interested in her. When they get trapped in the lodge due to a snow storm will she get everything she wants?

This was a quick read. Not a lot of world building or character development. It took about an hour to read. It will be interesting to see if the world is expanded. Mina was a bit of a passive woman who just wanted Ivor and thought he wasn't interested. Ivor wanted her but didn't think he deserved her. It was interesting to see how they got together.

Book 1 Madra Village

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Found by the Lake Monster By Lillian Lark

 

3 Stars

Amy wasn’t planning on getting lost in the woods, but she has and now she’s stumbled on a lake monster in heat who thinks she’s there to help him through it. Adrian thinks this is the last time he will have a heat and is sad that he won’t have kids or a mate until this woman falls into his lap. Will they make it work?

This was a quick insta love read. Super spicy but still has a story. I really enjoyed Amy and Adrian. Even though it is a short story there is enough world building to be more than a smexy book. Good writing and well worth the time it took to read. If you are looking for a short and smexy read give this one a shot.

Book 1.5 Monstrous Match

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Her Monstrous Valentine by Honor St Jean

 

4 Stars

Jessica just wanted a cup of tea to help get over her day instead she summoned a minotaur. The only way the minotaur will leave is if he brings her to release. The problems keep coming as him showing up triggers her family elf to come and save her. He makes sure the minotaur doesn’t hurt her but lets it play out to the pleasure of all of them. Every time Jessica makes tea she ends up with the minotaur. With family pressures will Jessica find her happy?

This is a short story and was awesome to read. It's a light and easy to read with lots of smexy scenes. Sometimes with short stories the pacing is off but with this book I didn’t feel that way. I got to end and said NOOOOO. I wanted more but that was because I liked the characters. The one big issue I have is I am left wondering about Jessica’s family. I want to know if the gods come down on them or not. Can't wait for another book by Honor St Jean.

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Little Miss Perfect by Julia Kent

5 Star

High school student Mallory is found by her crush Will.  Her car is covered in writing that would make a professional blush.  They both have things to say to each other and have an almost kiss.

This was a really cute short story about how Will and Mallory met.  I actually preferred it over their actual book Fluffy.  I also read it after I read Fluffy.  It ties up some loose ends about how they knew each other before they meet up in Fluffy.  It is definitely worth a read.

Prequal Do-Over Short Story

All Wrapped up for the Holidays by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward, Colleen Hoover, Kristen Ashley, Jill Shalvis, Elle Kennedy, and K. Bromberg

Collection review 4 Stars

This is a collection of short stories.  I’ll be reviewing each of them for this post.

The Merry Mistake by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

4 Stars

Piper mistakenly thought Mason was a homeless man in need of a meal.  Thinking she was doing something nice she got him some food only to be yelled at not to judge people.  Mason never thought he would see Piper again after going off on her until Christmas Eve she shows up at his father’s door with a pie.  It’s the beginning of a beautiful relationship

This was a nice short story about a really cute first meetings leading into a relationship.  There weren’t any pacing issues even though it was only 44 pages.  I wouldn’t mind reading another book with these two to see where they end up.

Finding Perfect by Colleen Hoover

4 Stars

From Daniel’s POV his Christmas at home with his friends and family.  You should definitely have read the 3 other books in the series.

I enjoyed this story but was very confused.  I have never read any books by Colleen Hoover but this one makes me want to read the rest of the books in the series.  Even with this I could easily follow along with the story.  Will be checking out the other books ASAP!

A Rock Chick Christmas by Kristen Ashley

2 Stars

Christmas with Starks.  A glimpse to see what Ava and Rock are up to this holiday season.

This book confused me so much.  There were so many characters mentioned that I couldn’t keep track of who was who.  This was another one where you needed to have read the books in the series which I get but even though most of these books are part of a long standing series I could still follow along.  This was not one of those.  The writing and pacing in the story were spot on but I probably won’t be checking out the rest of the series.

Just Say When by Jill Shalvis

5 Stars

Can love conquer all?  That is the question James has about Julia.  They have been dating for 6 months but she never spends the night.  This makes James question if all they have is sex.  He wants more than that but isn’t sure how to get what he wants without pushing her.

I loved these two.  They both had issues in their past that has clouded their reaction to a relationship.  Once they talk it out it works out in the end but getting there was an interesting journey.  The writing was spot on like always.  As well as the pacing.  Even though it was a short story it didn’t feel rushed in any way.  This makes me want to go and reread the series.

The Pact by Elle Kennedy

4 Stars

Logan and Grace haven’t had a lot of time together since he entered the NHL.  They both feel like they are drifting apart and neither wants that to happen.  After taking some advice from a friend Logan books them into a nice B&B for New Years Eve.  What he doesn’t plan for is getting trapped in the car during a blizzard.

I’ve read the whole series these two came from and I loved seeing a short story with them in it.  Even though I have read the series I don’t think you need to read the rest of them to understand this story.  There weren’t a lot of extra characters it was mostly just Logan and Grace.  It was worth reading and I enjoyed it.

The Package by K. Bromberg

5 Stars

Jules Jilliland is having a crap day.  She’s been dumped, rear-ended, and fired from her job.  She has one last task at her job to complete and she gets stuck in an elevator.

I really enjoyed this story.  The story was only 32 pages.  There isn’t a lot you can do in so few pages but this story felt way longer than 32 pages in a good way.  It is a really good beginning to a new story and I really really want the continuation of Jules and Archer’s story.  This was also one of the few stories that I didn’t feel like I was missing something while reading the story.  Highly recommend this story.

Overall this was a really nice collection of stories but to really enjoy all of them you will need to have read the book/series they are associated with.

Crossroads by Lori L. Otto

5 Stars

Will Rosser is smart, creative, and driven.  Forced to move back to New York City leaving his friends and girl friend behind made Will resent his mother even more.  He is given a trip back to Utah to visit his friends over the summer.  Instead of the fun time he expected he is betrayed by those he trusted the most.  This betrayal will change the path he was on. 

I really enjoyed this book.  It is a short story I received free with a book order and I thought I would give it a chance.  I had never read anything by this author before and after some research it looks like this is number 14 ish.  There were some references that probably would be better understood if I had read previous books, but it really does stand on its own merits.  This book leads into more books in the series.  The next one in the series is what happens to Will.  Even though I figured out the betrayal before it was written the journey was still interesting to read.  The pacing for the story was spot on even though it was a short story.  The characters had depth and you got the angsty teen in the story.  I really want to know what happens to Will so I will be checking out the next book in the series.

Book 1 Love Will

Road Home by Jill Shalvis

4 Stars

Jason Lawrence keeps dropping in at Mel Anders veterinary clinic with every animal under the sun.  Jason is a likeable guy but Mel is not interested.  She’s trying to get her vet clinic up and running and she thinks it’s a setup once she finds out whose pets they are.

Sometimes authors who write regular length books are not successful with short stories.  This wasn’t one of those times.  It didn’t have any pacing issues.  The story flowed from the beginning to the end without there being any issues.  I also loved the couple and even though Mel’s mom irritated me a lot it didn’t detract from the story.  Also because of the length it was a fast read.  Pick it up and give it a read.

Good Luck Sisters by Jill Shalvis Book 1.5 – 3*

Tilly Adams is trying to start her life anew after some bad years. On her first day teaching at the community college she sees Dylan Scott sitting in the front row. Dylan loves Tilly but joined the military. He comes home 10 years after disappearing from her life. He had reasons for leaving but is back and wants her in his life.

I loved seeing where everyone from the first book was ten years later. Like the first book it is a coming into your own book. Tilly and Quinn have had years to get close as sisters.

I don’t know if this worked as a short story. After finishing it I have so many questions about the years between the last book and now. It probably would have worked out better as a full length story instead of the short story.

Overall I enjoyed the book and seeing what the characters are up to. It was worth the read but ultimately I left want more answers then the book gives.