novella

Tie Me by Olivia Cunning

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Tie Me (One Night with Sole Regret, #5)

Grade-A+
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Low
Series-One Night With Sole Regret #5
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
159 pages

Kellen Jamison is man trapped in the past. His life looks pretty sweet. He’s gorgeous, wealthy, a rock star, has a great best friend and good band mates. But he is partially broken inside. His guilt over promises he made to a dead woman eat him alive. He tortures himself by revisiting the beach house she loved so much. He wears a cuff on one of his wrists as a remembrance of her. He loves her and doesn’t know how to stop.

Dawn O’Reilly is a classical, composing pianist with a Grammy for her achievements. She is staying in a rented beach house for part of the summer trying to finish a piece of music that has her exasperated. Her muse is gone and she can’t find another. She has to be perfect, her music has to be perfect. After a disappointing evening trying to compose, she goes out onto her deck in the storm and sees a man. In that moment everything changes.

This is probably Olivia Cunning’s best work to date in my opinion. I have been waiting for Kellen’s story and this one was fantastic. The emotion in this story was at times almost overwhelming. It took Dawn’s tenacity and determination to make Kellen see that he was alive even if Sara wasn’t. Kellen had to make peace with the promises he made to Sara (who seemed a bit childish and a whole lot selfish in the description of her) and his acknowledgement that it is possible and okay to always love someone’s memory even while you go on living your life. This book moved me to tears, both happy and sad tears. I highly recommend it.

Touch Me by Olivia Cunning

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Touch Me (One Night with Sole Regret, #4)
Grade-B
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-High Kink
Series-One Night With Sole Regret #4
Reviewed by Kay

Have you ever wanted to prove something to yourself and maybe everyone else while you’re at it? Well, Caitlyn Hanson did. She wanted to prove to herself that she was sexy and that a man or men would want her. With that in mind she, through the help of her friend, gets admission into a sex club.
She wants sex with a random stranger for nothing more than sex sake. She’s never been very experienced and she married the first man she ever slept with. Turns out he was a cheater and she is now single.

For Owen Mitchell, a bass guitarist for the band Sole Regret, a night at a sex club was pretty normal. He loves sex and will try almost anything. So, when he sees Caitlyn, who’s a few years older than him, he thinks his night just got even better. These two talk and decide on what they want from the night. I won’t say exactly what but I was impressed.

I am a fan of Olivia Cunning and loved the first two books of her Sinners series but lost interest with Trey’s book. I had no interest in finishing that series either. Luckily, I had already started this one. I enjoyed Gabe’s and Adam’s books. I wasn’t crazy about Shade’s book or the novella Share Me but this one kind of redeemed this series and Olivia Cunning as an author for me. I hope people will give this novella series a chance and I can’t wait for her new series that features Dare Mills!

Fire & Frost (Sims, Crane & Brook)

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Fire & Frost (Iron Seas, #3.4; Code of Shadows, #0.5)

Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Paranormal, Steampunk, Novellas
Series: see below
Reviewed by Anne
 
This is a set of three novellas.  To make things a bit easier on myself, I’m going to use the cover blurbs off of Goodreads
 
Speed Mating by Jessica Sims – Estrella may be going into heat, but she’s determined to remain in control. Just because she’s ovulating doesn’t mean she has to settle for just any man (or his beast). Her sexy alpha’s determined to find her a tiger to take care of her heat and father her child…but no one seems to look quite as good as the man in charge. Will giving in to her need for her alpha ruin her tenuous relationship with her clan or be a match made in heaven?
This was really cute and funny.  I enjoy Jessica Sims/Jill Myles’ sense of humor.  This story takes place in her Midnight Liaisons world, but it stands alone just fine.  I smiled the whole time I was reading and only said “Would you just TALK to each other” only once!

Conjuring Max by Carolyn Crane – The witches of the world ridiculed and rejected nerdy Veronica for trying to use newfangled computers to enhance old world spellcasting. Well, it’s 1984 now, and she’s perfected her spellcasting computer program. Hey, who needs friends when you can conjure virtually anything…or anybody? So when Veronica makes powerful new enemies, she conjures Max, a pitbull of a cop, to deal with the pesky hitmen who keep coming around. Maybe Veronica can finally get some peace and quiet so she can work on her computer. But tough-guy Max is in no mood to play lapdog to a gorgeous witch.

 
This was intellectually interesting, but just an ok read for me.  Goodreads shows this as a prequel in her Code of Shadows world.

Wrecked by Meljean Brook – Elizabeth has spent the past five years running from her father; her father’s huntsman, Caius, has spent the past five years pursuing her. But when he finally catches up to her on an airship flying above Europe’s zombie-infested cities, Elizabeth discovers that Caius isn’t the only danger she has to fear—and now that he’s found her, Caius doesn’t intend to let her go.

This one just barely edged out Speed Mating as my favorite entry in the book.  It’s listed as Iron Seas books 3.4.  I think I’ve read almost all of them, and loved every one, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed Elizabeth and Caius’ story.  I think Meljean Brook does steampunk better than anyone else.  Reading a story by her is just delightful.  Elizabeth is a strong female character who has managed to outwit and out run Caius and other hunters for years.  The story is packed with adventure, too.  
I recommend this book.  Another quality anthology put out by Sims, Crane, and Brook.  Wild and Steamy was another set of novellas they released.  Also really good.)