Tag: novella

ARC Book Review: Married by Treachery (Arranged Marriages of the Fae #5) by Barbara Kloss

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance Novella
Length: 250 pages
Author: Barbara Kloss
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: October 7th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Married by Treachery is book 5 in the Arranged Marriages of the Fae series.

Raquel never expected to marry a bear. To be fair, Prince Edom wasn’t actually a bear, but it was impossible to see his face through his mess of wild hair. Not that she needed to see his face. In fact, it was probably better that she didn’t.

Because she was going to kill him.

It had been seven years since Prince Edom had galloped off with her best friend through the magicked veil, and taken her into his magicked kingdom. Seven long years of resolve, of hard work and training, so that Raquel would be ready for this day: the day she would exact vengeance upon Prince Edom, for all the brides he’d stolen.

For all the brides he’d murdered.

Raquel vowed she would be the last, but she wasn’t prepared for what lay on the veil’s other side. It was not the lush and magnificent kingdom from the stories of her youth, and, as it turned out, its prince was not what she’d expected either.

No, Prince Edom was not what she’d expected at all.

Thank you to Barbara Kloss for an eARC!

A GOOD TIME.

I really enjoyed this!! I thought it was a fun idea to see a bunch of fantasy romance authors get together for a mash-up of loved tropes and romantic novellas.

There was some great banter here and I loved the initial reactions between Raquel and Jake. Their natures really bounced off of one another until the undeniable magnetism took hold. I thought the dreams were a unique sequence to kind of further the romantic plot and help change the characters mind about how they were responding to each other.

I do think being a touch longer would have helped. I was a little confused by some magic system and plot aspects which I know can be hard to wrap all up into a novella. This as a full length series?? YES. Maybe that’s in the works and this is a starting point?! No idea, but one can hope!

The pacing made for a quick, finish in a day read and it hit well. I liked the movement and how things all wrapped up in the end. I love Kloss’s writing style and look forward to her next book(s)!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance Novella
  • Language: some
  • Romance: very brief fade to black
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapping, loss of loved ones, battle scenes, grave wounds

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Book Review: Forever Wild (The Simple Wild #2.5) by K.A. Tucker

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance Novella
Length: 156 pages
Author: K.A. Tucker
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: December 1st, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the international bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes Forever Wild, a novella that continues the story of Calla’s journey to the Alaskan wild and a life she never imagined for herself.
The holiday season is upon Calla and Jonah, and with the mistletoe and gingerbread comes plenty of family drama. Jonah is bracing himself for two weeks with a stepfather he loathes, and while Calla is looking forward to her mother and Simon’s arrival, she dreads the continued pressure to set a date for their wedding … in Toronto. Add in one bullheaded neighbor’s unintentional meddling and another cantankerous neighbor’s own family strife, and Christmas in Trapper’s Crossing will be anything but simple.

PERFECT.

Yup. There’s no other words to describe when you get to read a holiday novella about one of your favorite contemporary romance couples. I LOVED THIS. It only takes a bit of your time to devour and enjoy every moment.

It was fantastic getting to see Calla and Jonah again. Add in some old friends and it was the best little mix of a Christmas in Alaska.

I love where the story went and what happened throughout [keeping spoilers at bay]. It was just precious, and I could keep gushing forever. Go read The Simple Wild if you haven’t yet.

Overall audience notes:

  • New adult novella
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses; a few fade to black scenes
  • Violence: car wreck (nobody injured)

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Book Review: Of Sun & Sandstorms (A Swift Shadows Novella #2.5) by M.L. Greye

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Young adult fantasy novella
Length: 123 pages
Author: M.L. Greye
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: September 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It’s not easy becoming king to a country you never wanted to run in the first place.

Trezim Azure Niroz was once the third prince of Heerth. Just a few short weeks ago, his highest aspirations had been training his little band of Golds in sun blades and the Turanga. Now, he’s king with a whole slew of issues. The worst part of it all is that because of some tedious, ancient custom, Trezim can’t make any decisions for his country – at least, not until he finds himself a bride.

“Of Sun & Sandstorms” is a Swift Shadows novella following the golden-eyed King Trezim in Heerth.

I NEED MORE.

Trezim is definitely one of my favorite characters in this series. I jumped at this novella because how could I not read this?! It was short, sweet, and to the point.

I actually really liked the development of his quick relationship with Sefia. The way the pair/bonding system works in this series is well crafted and believable. While things moved speedily I was still swept up in the romantics of it all. The kiss scenes were on point.

I wonder how this will play into the third book for this series. There’s a lot going on in just over 100 pages and I think it’ll tie in well. I love Trezim and his new bride and can’t wait for them to meet back up with Emry and Declan.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult fantasy novella
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: physical altercations, magic attacks

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Book Review: One Christmas In Winter (Winter, Montana #1) by Bell Renshaw

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Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: Christian contemporary romance + holiday novella
Length: 152 pages
Author: Bell Renshaw
Publisher: Pine Mountain Publishing
Release Date: November 30th, 2017
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Reba Farwell is finally getting a chance to live out her dreams. Sent to Winter, Montana to direct filming for a crucial, on-location shoot, she knows the next two weeks will make or break her career. And she could definitely use a break. As if that isn’t enough, she’s got a secret that none of her crew knows. All she’s asking for is two weeks of small town, Christmas beauty and a little bit of on-camera sizzle.

Five years ago, Hoyt Bradley’s heart and future shattered in one fell swoop that landed him back in Winter. Thankfully, making lemonade—or his father’s famous lemon meringue pie— out of lemons is what he does best. Running Bentley’s Diner has filled the gaps left in the wake of his heartbreak, even if it hasn’t healed him completely. Not wanting to relive memories of his rocky start in the film industry, Hoyt does his best to steer clear of the dreaded film crew, but Winter has a way of bringing people together.

After one fateful delivery and a score of icy bad luck, Reba finds herself in a bind and at the mercy of what Winter can offer. Will she pull the film together in time to salvage her name as a director? Or will the sparks flying off-camera create more of a distraction than she knows how to handle?

Come visit Winter, Montana in this Christmas Novella where the Christmas lights are always on and the snow falls most frequently when loved ones share a kiss.

A CHARMING NOVELLA.

This is one of the few novellas I can think of in recent memory that I truly had a good time reading. It was sweet and I was easily smitten with Hoyt and the entire town of Winter, Montana.

I think this book was able to get a lot fit into a small amount of pages. I felt the characters were well developed and the plot worked well to provide a charming meet-cute and other meetings. The plot focuses around acting/movie making and what I loved was that there wasn’t any actual scenes from the movie depicted. I feel like that always takes up unnecessary space so it was a nice breather to focus on the characters rather than the movie filling up the plot.

The romance between Reba and Hoyt was simple and sweet. There wasn’t a ton of nonsensical drama and they actually had some really cute moments together. The Christmas/winter vibes really added a cozy touch to them. Going sledding, walking through a tiny town down Main street. So precious.

If you’re looking for something holiday related, clean and sweet, definitely a good pick.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance novella + holiday
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: falling from a ladder
  • Trigger warnings: cyber-bullying used to manipulate someone

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