Tag: novella (Page 10 of 29)

Rough Ride by Kristen Ashley

March 22, 2018 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I read it as soon as I could after it came out because of course.

TRIGGER WARNING: Domestic abuse/violence to women. The heroine is severely beaten by her then boyfriend (not the hero) and the description is relatively graphic.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Rosalie Holloway put it all on the line for the Chaos Motorcycle Club.

Informing to Chaos on their rival club—her man’s club, Bounty—Rosalie knows the stakes. And she pays them when her man, who she was hoping to scare straight, finds out she’s betrayed him and he delivers her to his brothers to mete out their form of justice.

But really, Rosie has long been denying that, as she drifted away from her Bounty, she’s been falling in love with Everett “Snapper” Kavanagh, a Chaos brother. Snap is the biker-boy-next door with the snowy blue eyes, quiet confidence and sweet disposition who was supposed to keep her safe… and fell down on that job.

For Snapper, it’s always been Rosalie, from the first time he saw her at the Chaos Compound. He’s just been waiting for a clear shot. But he didn’t want to get it after his Rosie was left bleeding, beat down and broken by Bounty on a cement warehouse floor.

With Rosalie a casualty of an ongoing war, Snapper has to guide her to trust him, take a shot with him, build a them…

And fold his woman firmly in the family that is Chaos.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I admit it’s been a while since I read a Chaos MC book (although I did re-read Motorcycle Man over Christmas – as you do – that’s part of the Dream Man series so I’m not counting it). There have been so many books in between Own the Wind and now, I barely remember the plot. I know Tabby and Shy got their HEA but to be honest, I’d forgotten all about Rosalie.

I put it together quickly enough once I started reading Rough Ride. Rosie was the girl Shy had been dating and then he dumped her to take up with Tabby. I’m sure at the time I was all Team Tabby but I am Team Rosalie now. That’s not actually a conflict because they don’t both want the same man and everyone gets a HEA (It’s like Oprah – you get a HEA! and YOU get a HEA, etc). Continue reading

Review at AudioGals

February 15, 2018 / Kaetrin

I’m over at AudioGals with a review of Dead by Midnight by Pamela Clare, narrated by Kaleo Griffith. Rollicking good fun for fans of the I-Team series.

Review at AudioGals

February 7, 2018 / Kaetrin

I’m over at AudioGals with a review of Hold Her Again by Shannon Stacey, narrated by Samantha Cook. I wasn’t entirely convinced the hero ought to be forgiven but I otherwise enjoyed this Christmas-themed novella.

January Round Up

February 1, 2018 / Kaetrin

Monthly Mini Review

Wow! by Sean Kennedy – B+. This brand new release from Sean Kennedy feels like a little bit of a departure – for one thing, it’s a bit hotter than I’m used to from him (not a complaint). Although it’s not super explicit there are certainly more than kisses.

Mark Hodges works in a bank during the week, but on Saturday nights, he dons drag and becomes “Allotta Moxie” who struts her stuff on stage at a local gay bar, lip-syncing to ABBA, Kylie and other icons. In the past, revealing Allotta to a boyfriend has led to the demise of the relationship so he’s cautious about who he tells and when.

Mark has a crush on Joel, a new employee (not a direct report so nothing icky here) at the bank but he’s shy and lacks confidence. Allotta has a distinct personality. While the book does explicitly confirm that Allotta is an aspect of Mark’s personality it is also clear that Mark only lets that side of himself out when Allotta is on stage. Outside of that, he’s a shy boy. Allotta, however, is a maneater. Continue reading

December Round Up

January 2, 2018 / Kaetrin

Monthly Mini Review

Team Phison by Chace Verity – B- One of my friends recommended this novella to me on Twitter and as it was only 99c I bought it (I’m cheap). While I didn’t connect with it quite as well as she did, I liked this story about a 55 year old guy who meets a 27 year old young man online when they both play a (fictional) MMORPG (that’s Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Game for the non-geeks in the room) which also has some FPS (first person shooter) aspects to it. Phil Hutton is a grumpy gay restaurant owner in Provincetown who broke up with his long term partner a little while before the book began. He’s lonely and looking for love but not having much success. Tyson Falls is a young bisexual man working as a server in a pizza and burger place in Georgia. Over time, they become friends and then more, eventually having to deal with the distance between them to get their HEA.

The story is told entirely from Phil’s POV so I found Tyson to be somewhat opaque at times. While the age difference didn’t bother me, sometimes I was a little concerned about the relative power differential between them – Tyson doesn’t have much money, Phil is quite well off, relatively speaking. Continue reading

Written On His Skin by Simone Stark

December 12, 2017 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: One of my friends rated this one very highly and it was only 99c so I bought it.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Letters are magic, don’t you think?
You could be anyone. I could be anyone.
And then, suddenly, we’re more than anyone.
We’re someone…

When Abigail Trent agreed to write a letter to a soldier deployed overseas, she expected it to be a fleeting exchange. A friendly back-and-forth that ended barely after it began. She didn’t expect Theodore LaRoux.

It isn’t strange that writing feels so good. It’s right.
Here’s my secret: I like making you feel good…

Abby didn’t expect Roux to be a living fantasy, either–sexy, smart and strong enough to star in every one of her dreams. So, was it any wonder that when he asked for a photo, she sent one that would star in his dreams? The fact that it was a picture of someone else wouldn’t be a problem. After all, it’s not like they’d ever meet…right?

Wrong.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I do have a soft spot for an epistolary romance. (This novella isn’t only letters but they form a fair chunk of the story.) I did like the book but there were a few things I had to get over.

In seven tours of Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army medic, Special Forces operator and commanding officer, Sergeant Theodore LaRoux knew the drill.

Sergeants aren’t commanding officers. There may be other errors as well – I only checked that one. Roux’s military history didn’t sound right. If accuracy and authenticity is important to a reader, Written On His Skin is probably not going to work that well. Continue reading