Wild Ride by Cathryn Fox

The Basics:
Wild Ride by Cathryn Fox
Entangled: Brazen
Book Two in the Playing for Keeps series
Novella, erotic romance, contemporary romance
Published October 19, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Why I picked up this book:

In a completely shallow way, it was the cover. I love a good cowboy romance.

Blog Tour: A Little Thing Called Love by Cathy Maxwell

Today I'm thrilled to be hosting a tour stop for Cathy Maxwell's A Little Thing Called Love. This novella kicks off the "Marrying the Duke" series, from Avon Impulse, and it's definitely does the job of setting the stage. I'm a fan of historical romance, and I love getting in at the start of a series, particularly when book one is due out later this year!

Check out the other stops on the tour at Tasty Book Tours.

Blog Tour: Clockwork Menagerie by Karen Kincy

Released on September 1st, 2015, by Curiosity Quills Press, Clockwork Menagerie by Karen Kincy is a novella in the Shadows of Asphodel series. This one plugs into the series at #2.5. I've read the first book, and I Kickstartered the second, when they were being self-published. I haven't actually read book two yet though! Call this one "Historical-fantasy romance" (the publisher does). It's got that dieselpunk aesthetic with a big dash of romance and magic to liven things up.

I'm really happy to be hosting a stop on this novella's blog tour.

Into My Arms by Lia Riley

The Basics:
Into My Arms by Lia Riley
Forever Yours
New Adult, Romance
An Off the Map novella
Published September 8, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads 

Why I picked up this book:

I really enjoyed the Off the Map series, and really wanted to know how the secondary characters fared in love. Also, apparently I missed the first novella, which I will go correct shortly.

Her Winning Formula by Shannyn Schroeder

The Basics:

Her Winning Formula by Shannyn Schroeder

eKensington Originals

Novella 3 in the Hot & Nerdy series

Contemporary Romance

Published November 24, 2014

Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon Kobo

Why I picked up this book:

Having reviewed novellas one and two in the series, I wanted to check out the third one.

A Pair of Reviews: Seducing the Girl Next Door and The Movie Star's Red Hot Holiday Fling

Today I'm reviewing a pair of novellas from Entangled's Indulgence line.

Seducing the Girl Next Door by Inara Scott, from her Bencher family series.
Amazon Kobo

When Jenna Kellington was fourteen, her first high school boyfriend—her first love—moved away. Now a divorced mom, she never expected to see Simon Hastings again...until a business trip to China brings them face-to-face, and their connection explodes beyond her wildest fantasies.

When he was young, Simon swore he would never be like his father, moving from place to place and never settling down. As a billionaire venture capitalist, however, he's every bit the wanderer, never tying himself down. Seeing Jenna again reminds him of who he once was, even as their old spark intensifies into very adult desire. With every touch, every caress, Simon teaches Jenna how to let go. To own her own pleasure.

He wasn't supposed to fall in love. Neither was she...

And second:

The Movie Star's Red Hot Holiday Fling by Christine Glover, from her Sweetbriar Springs series.

Amazon Kobo

One dare and he'll lose his heart...

Determined to qualify for the fire department's grueling physical, former marine Jessie Sullivan never gives up, despite the pins in her leg. The last thing she needs is a tall, incredibly hot action movie star sharing her gym...and who makes her want to trade in her reps for some sexy physical activity. Of the naked kind.

Blake Johnston is more than just a Big Screen Sex Machine, and he's willing to prove it. Especially to a spirited and sexy ex-marine like Jessie. But when a harmless dare leads to sizzling fireworks, Jessie and Blake's workout ends up generating some serious heat between the sheets. And it's more than Jessie could have imagined. Much, much more.

But flings don't last forever. And in two weeks, Jessie will have to say goodbye to her red-hot Christmas fantasy...

Love Bites by Ophelia London

The Basics:
Love Bites by Ophelia London
Entangled: Bliss
Romance
Published August 18, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Why I picked up this book:

I wanted a novella or two to lighten my reading load (which backfired because I ended up buying a stack of books) and I liked the marine twist on this contemporary romance

The Wager by Lily Maxton

The Basics:
The Wager by Lily Maxton
Entangled: Scandalous
Book (Novella) Two in the Sisters of Scandal series
Historical Romance
Published August 11, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com

Why I picked up this book:

I was enticed by the blurb.

A Duchess in the Dark by Kate McKinley

The Basics:
A Duchess in the Dark by Kate McKinley
Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Romance
Published December 3, 2013

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


Blurb:
The first in a series of erotica novellas from Kate McKinley. 

When a well-bred young lady opens the wrong bedroom door at a Regency house party, she has no idea of the sensual delights that await her on the other side.

Why I picked this book up:
The gorgeous cover. The promise of sensual delights!

What worked for me:

This is a romance with a light dusting of spice. I thought it was going to be erotica, with the opening scene setting a sexy tone. It wasn't, though. The story was a little sweeter than that. I think it was smart to introduce us to Ashton and Daphne this way because it immediately placed sexual tension in their relationship.  In a longer work, we could have had more build-up, perhaps, but because we didn't have an opportunity to see these characters as not involved, it was easy to see how they were clearly meant to be together.

I liked the triangle in this story; it provided a good opportunity for Ashton to step up and be the better man for Daphne. It was also a novelty to have this point of conflict be something not life-threatening. The writing was strong enough to create and resolve tension that wasn't made urgent by potential death or disaster (beyond the threat of future unhappiness). 

What didn't work for me:

It was so short!  Okay, sure, it's a novella. It's supposed to be short. I still wanted more. This could easily have been expanded into a longer length work, and I would have been quite happy.

The love component is rushed a bit - McKinley relies on her characters' knowing each other before but never considering each other an option until now. This works, but I would have been happier to have this element teased out just a bit longer to firmly establish the connection.

Bottom Line:

I enjoyed this for what it was - a romantic novella. I would have been happier if it were a longer piece, but I can't hold the restrictions of the format against the story. 

I would certainly read another novella in this series, and will keep an eye out for future works by McKinley.

4 stars
For fans of romantic stories, of novella-length stories, of romance blossoming between characters who already know each other.

Menage on 34th Street by Elise Logan and Emily Ryan-Davis

The Basics:

Menage on 34th Street by Elise Logan and Emily Ryan-Davis
Carina Press
Erotica, Romance
Published November 21, 2013
Purchase from Carina Press

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:

Katrina and Liam Holland have the perfect marriage, a home in the trendiest part of Baltimore, and a scorching sex life. As another Christmas approaches, there's only one thing still on Kat's wish list: Hunter Croft. But she made peace long ago with his decision to choose the marines over their relationship. Until seeing him again arouses feelings she thought were in the past…

Hunter has spent a decade outrunning his attraction to both Kat and Liam. But now that he's stateside, his self-control crumbles when he comes face-to-face with the two people who star in all his favorite fantasies. Their reunion is both erotic and emotional—and has Hunter wondering if three's really a crowd, after all.

Liam can't imagine his life without Kat. But he can imagine a future where the three of them live and love under one roof. Liam and Kat have shared their bed with other men, but Hunter is the only one who could ever have a place in their hearts. And this holiday season, Liam intends to make their dream a reality.

Why I picked the book up:

This time the blurb got me. I like a good menage story and I liked that this one emphasized the attraction between all partners. I was also curious about Hunter choosing the marines instead of the couple, and wanted to see how that played out in the story.

What worked for me:

You'd think this novella hinges on the menage component, with lots of sexy times featuring three people between the sheets, but no, you'd be wrong.  Instead, we've got three people who are each involved with each other individually and as a whole, and we get that throughout the novella in both sexy times and serious times. That is the part that really works for me. There's a sense that everyone's interconnected in a way that sometimes doesn't happen in such a complete way in menage erotica.

I liked that everyone was fully in command of their own sexuality. Yes, there was some trying of new things, but no one was being cajoled or seduced into anything they really weren't sure about - there was real and expressed desire to participate in everything.

There's an intricacy in terms of the emotional baggage and the difficulties of making a menage relationship work that was also appealing, and helped bridge the gap between erotica and romance.

What didn't work for me:

This novella is part of a holiday anthology, but it definitely didn't have a heavy Christmas theme for me. There's references to it, but the overall tone was more about coming home/finding each other after years apart. This isn't really a problem when you read the novella on its own - and I'd like to read the rest of the collection to see how it fits within that grouping rather than just abstractly as part of a holiday anthology.

The other thing that irked me was that nothing seems resolved at the end of this story. Yes, there's a tentative plan in place for the three to share a life together, but it's so tentative, and I felt like the groundwork was laid for so much to go horribly wrong with Hunter's job and for Kat who seemed to be settling for a lot less than she really wanted. This was a real problem for me - I wanted things tied up more neatly because as it was, there were enough painful edges that I was left unsatisfied (despite some really satisfying sex scenes!)

Now the positive is that there's supposed to be a novel follow-up that will address, I imagine, those very issues. So this is good!   

Bottom Line:

The sex was well-written - the encounters were varied, creative and hot. The relationships and the concerns everyone had about them felt real and honest. There was an acknowledgement that a menage lifestyle would be made particularly difficult because of Hunter's military connections. 

That said, this is the first book in a while that I ended up sneaking a peek at the end of the story before I'd gotten very far into the book. I read a fair amount non-linearly before I went back to the beginning to read from the start through to the end in one shot. There's something missing, and I think it's that sense of resolution, that it's possible for everything to be okay.

Pick this novella up for the steamy menage, get hooked by the complex relationships, and wait, I guess, for the follow-up novel to see how it'll all come together!

3.5 stars
For fans of menage erotica, military heroes and recovering lost love

The Scandal Before Christmas by Elizabeth Essex

The Basics:
The Scandal Before Christmas by Elizabeth Essex
St. Martin's Press
Romance
Book One of the Reckless Brides
Published October 8, 2013

Blurb:

’Tis the season for a new holiday novella from acclaimed author Elizabeth Essex! The Scandal Before Christmas is romance so good it’s scandalous…

Lieutenant Ian Worth needs a wife by Christmas, and he can’t afford to be choosy. He has to find her, woo her, and wed her before he goes back to sea—all within a matter of days.  

Anne Lesley is a shy spinster with no prospects, and nothing and no one to recommend her but her own self. She accepts the lieutenant’s hasty offer only for the comfort and security it will bring. But when a midwinter storm snows her and Ian in, they both find they got much more than they bargained for—laughter, light, and a Christmas filled with honest to goodness true love…

There's supposed to be four books in this series, the next one coming in April 2014 - After the Scandal.

What worked for me:

The standout character in this work was the heroine - Anne. She was quiet to avoid both disappointing people and to maintain the peace. Her self-doubt was raised in really logical ways, and more intriguingly, all that suppressed passion, curiosity and lust for *life* (let alone Ian). 

There's a really sweet love story here - I like that both Ian and Anne have really good personal reasons motivating a quick marriage. I liked that it wasn't love at first sight, and that they both had to work at it a bit. 

What didn't work for me:

The most irritating thing in this book was the repetition of Ian as being shallow and ramshackle. He thinks of himself, or explains himself to Anne in these terms several times and it was very unnecessary. His behaviour in the book shifted from this to something much more palatable, and we didn't need him to constantly remind us that he didn't think he was worthy of Anne. 

There also seemed to be a convenient lack of servants. For a cottage with six bedrooms and a greenhouse, it seemed strange for there to be just Ian and Pinky living there. It seemed contrived to allow for more concerns about alone time between various combinations of the characters present.

I also wondered at the sudden disappearance of Anne's mother within the novella. One moment, everyone's concerned she's going to say something wrong to Ian's father. Anne stands up to her for the first time, and then blam, dear mom disappears. I'd have liked to have her continue to natter away in the background of the story.

Bottom Line:

This is a quick, sweet tale of love at Christmastime. There's a young woman coming out of her self-imposed shell, there's a young man finally growing up and standing up to his father. 

Definitely worth a read, and I'll likely keep an eye out in April for the next one.

4 stars
For anyone who loves romance, HEAs, well-defined characters, light and sweet stories