Category: Short Stories

Short Story Review – Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye

Posted July 16, 2011 by Bonnie in Adult, Book Reviews, Read in 2011, Short Stories / 0 Comments

Short Story Review – Hearts in Darkness by Laura KayeHearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye
Published by Self-Published on April 20th 2011
Pages: 102
Genres: Diiiirrrrrrttyyy, Romance
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Amazon
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three-half-stars

Makenna James thinks her day can't get any worse, until she finds herself stuck in a pitch-black elevator with a complete stranger. Distracted by a phone call and juggling too much stuff, the pin-striped accountant caught only a glimpse of a dragon tattoo on his hand before the lights went out.

Caden Grayson is amused when a redhead literally falls at his feet. His amusement turns to panic when the power fails. Despite his piercings, tats, and vicious scar, he's terrified of the dark and confined spaces. Now, he's trapped in his own worst nightmare.

To fight fear, they must both reach out and open up. With no preconceived notions based on looks to hold them back, they discover just how much they have in common. In the warming darkness, attraction grows and sparks fly, but will they feel the same when the lights come back on?

Hearts in Darkness is a short little contemporary romance about Makenna James and Caden Grayson getting locked in an elevator together for the night… in complete darkness. I really enjoyed this even though I didn’t realize it was contemporary until I was well into the story (not my typical read).

I’m going to have to agree completely with similar reviews that mention how the writing and the point of view shifts definitely threw you off. I can understand telling the story from one point of view and then back-tracking in order to tell the story from the point of view of the other individual… but it lacked something in this story. It lacked flow for one, and also… I felt that the author didn’t need to do this for every interaction between the characters. Blah, I don’t know, I’m having trouble forming sentences this morning.

I liked it, I enjoyed it, I will keep an eye out for more from this author in the future.

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Short Story Review – Unlocked (Turner #1.6) by Courtney Milan

Posted July 16, 2011 by Bonnie in Adult, Book Reviews, Read in 2011, Short Stories / 0 Comments

I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Short Story Review – Unlocked (Turner #1.6) by Courtney MilanUnlocked by Courtney Milan
Series: Turner #1.6
Published by Self-Published on May 26, 2011
Pages: 180
Genres: Historical Romance
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads

Also by this author: Unclaimed, Unveiled

four-stars

A perpetual wallflower destined for spinsterhood, Lady Elaine Warren is resigned to her position in society. So when Evan Carlton, the powerful, popular Earl of Westfeld, singles her out upon his return to England, she knows what it means. Her former tormenter is up to his old tricks, and she's his intended victim. This time, though, the earl is going to discover that wallflowers can fight back.

Evan has come to regret his cruel, callow past. At first, he only wants to make up for past wrongs. But when Elaine throws his initial apology in his face, he finds himself wanting more. And this time, what torments him might be love...

Unlocked by Courtney Milan is about Lady Elaine Warren and her constant torture she endures by individuals in society. She was bullied at a young age and it unfortunately failed to cease as she grew older. This story is about her overcoming all and breaking out of her shell.

This was indeed a nice surprise. I love a good romance novel that leaves me with a smile on my face. This novel was so heartbreaking at times but so adorable the next. I loved it! I agree with many of the reviewers comments regarding the length of the novel. As much as I loved it, it would have been nice if the author had gone into the story with a bit more detail.

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Short Story Review – Winter’s Passage (Iron Fey #1.5) by Julie Kagawa

Posted July 16, 2011 by Bonnie in Book Reviews, Read in 2011, Short Stories, YA / 0 Comments

Short Story Review – Winter’s Passage (Iron Fey #1.5) by Julie KagawaWinter's Passage Series: The Iron Fey #1.5
on May 20, 2010
Pages: 51
Format: eBook
Amazon
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three-stars

Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl... until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey. Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck - Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon - who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey. Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter - a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat.

So this is a short quick little interlude between stories… there was a lot of reiteration of stuff that happened in the first book. If it’s been a while since you read Iron King (#1) then this would be a nice little refresher for you. I had just finished Iron King though so the reiteration was a little, well, repetitive. 🙂

This story is about Ash taking Meghan back to his Queen in accordance with their agreement and the introduction of yet another elusive creature following her; the Hunter (Or the self-proclaimed Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood. Yeah… okay. lol) Grimalkin joins them on their journey as well, and I don’t know why but I love Grim. Although when I envision the story as it progresses, I imagine Grimalkin looks like the white fluffy Fancy Feast cat for some reason. lol

Of course since Grim is supposed to be a ‘faery cat’ (whatever that means) I’m sure that’s not the case. But to me, that’s Grim. Grim and his Fancy Feast.

As far as Ash and Meghan go… as much as I love Ash, the storyline is getting old. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy… they’re not supposed to like each other, it’s not allowed, but they just can’t help it! So boy acts like he cares, but wait! Boy turns into a prick faster than a speeding bullet! Come on… *sigh* I’m still a sucker for these books and will keep reading this series. This mini-book actually made me more interested in the series overall so that works, mainly because I’m interested to see what happens once they actually reach the Winter Court and what all these weird dreams are all about.

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Short Story Review – The Strange Case of Finley Jayne (Steampunk Chronicles 0.5) by Kady Cross

Posted July 16, 2011 by Bonnie in Book Reviews, Read in 2011, Short Stories, YA / 0 Comments

Short Story Review – The Strange Case of Finley Jayne (Steampunk Chronicles 0.5) by Kady CrossThe Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross
Published by Harlequin Teen on May 1st 2011
Pages: 83
Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Steampunk
Format: eBook
Source: Freebie
Amazon
Goodreads


three-stars

Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal'. Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined...

An ebook exclusive prequel to The Steampunk Chronicles.

This is my first exploration into ‘steampunk’ and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

‘The Strange Case of Finley Jayne’ is the prequel to ‘The Girl in the Steel Corset’. The prequel introduces Finley Jayne, a girl who is far from normal. She has just lost her job and is surprised that she’s offered another the very next day. Her new job is to be a companion to Phoebe Morton who has recently been engaged to Lord Vincent. Phoebe’s mother feels there is something off about Lord Vincent and hires Finley in hopes that she can protect her if necessary.

The story was so interesting and different that I’m extremely excited to get my hands on ‘The Girl in the Steel Corset’.

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