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One to Die For (Les Petites Morts)

Arial Burnz

8.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

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formerly "Here's Blood In Your Eye" PARANORMAL EROTIC SHORT STORY (28 pages/8000 words) - Fame,...

Erotica Short Story Paranormal Romance

Cynthia Armistead (17 KP) rated Charmed (Ghost Hunters, #0.5; Winston Brothers, #2) in Books

Mar 1, 2018

I picked up this book to read just one of the four novellas, "Pandora's Bottle" by Eileen Wilks, because I've enjoyed her Lupi books. Honestly, it was the weakest of the four. (Seriously—why would a djinn's magic be tied in any way to Halloween?)

Ordinarily, I would have moved on to another book right away. Charmed is very clearly a romance anthology, and I'm not a romance fan.

On the other hand, I was doing something involving a lot of waiting, and Charmed happened to be the book that was in my hands. I decided to try something new for me, so I read the other stories and tried to judge them as romance stories. Failing that, I tried to at least be less annoyed at the standard romance "stuff" (look, it's almost 5am and I do not know where my thesaurus is).

So—Jayne Castle's "Bridal Jitters" was set in a world I'd like to know more about. The relationship barrier was a bit contrived, but at least it was relatively fresh (to me).

Julie Beard's "Man in the Mirror" started with a handicap: I detest all those modern-person-goes-back-to-good-old-days stories, especially the romances. She saved the tale from total suckage by turning things around a bit.

Finally, "Tangled Dreams" by Lori Foster is our obligatory ghost story. The ghosts are the good people here, and they're matchmaking merrily while trying to warn the living occupant of their house that all is not well. From her prose, I have to wonder if Ms. Foster really thinks that the scenes she describes are "kinky" to most people? There's nothing to get your harness in a knot over, though, just a little light bondage.

So the volume wasn't torturous, and it did provide me with some distraction. Changing my attitude almost certainly helped me enjoy these stories a bit more. I don't think I'm likely to start seeking out romances, but with so much "paranormal romance" all over the shelves, I should probably get used to having somebody's romance in my fantasy.

Kudos

Sam (74 KP) rated Christmas at the Comfort Food Cafe: The Cosy Christmas Romance Everyone is Falling in Love with in 2016! in Books

Mar 27, 2019

I’ve not actually read Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe, but I was happy when I realised that this could easily be read as a standalone novel – there were only a small amount of moments when I felt like I was missing some information that came from the main novel.

It’s only a very short book, but that made it all the better for me because I prefer reading short stories over Christmas than trying to dig into a really big novel, just because I struggle for time over Christmas.

The characters were all brilliant. I loved Becca because I know people with the same attitude over Christmas as her, so it made me laugh a bit seeing people I know as Characters in a book.

It was a cheesy festive romance, and there were a few parts where I wasn’t too sure on how far the novel was going to go, but thankfully it balanced out the romance with the plot really well.

Kudos

ArecRain (8 KP) rated To the Duke, with Love (The Rakes of St. James, #2) in Books

Jan 18, 2018

Despite being the second in the series, you dont need to read the first to enjoy this novel.

Overall, the novel wasnt terrible. I am not a fan of insta-lust nor people contradicting their morals with their actions. While there was chemistry between the leads, the insta-lust factor put me off. The erotic scenes were also a bit tame for my tastes. Filled with innuendos instead of being straightforward, I feel the erotic scenes would be more suited for someone who is put off but more vulgar language.

I also wasnt a fan of the authors writing style in general. Some part seems too long, dragging out unnecessarily or was just too flowery.

Bottom line, this is a historical romance meant for those who want a tamer historical romance. Honestly, it reminds of the novels that my grandma used to read, like Kathleen Woodiwiss and older Jude Deveraux.

Kudos

ArecRain (8 KP) rated When Passion Rules in Books

Jan 18, 2018

I had been wanting to read this novel since I first saw the cover before it was even released. I don't understand why the cover is so delectable, but it made this novel a must read for me.

I love Lindsey's Malory Series. It's on my top 10 series list in fact. I have read some of her other works but this is the first in a few years. The greatest thing about Lindsey is that she knows how to tell a story. From her style to the dialogue, from the plot and character development to the story itself, the woman has a gift.

However, I did not fall in love with it the way I expected myself to. I love historical romance, and Lindsey is the Queen of Historical Romance. Despite this, I was not wowed like I thought I would. I loved how Lindsey put a little murder mystery in it. The twist towards the end was interesting, though not wholly unexpected.