short story review

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Lenni Reviews: “A Serious Thing” by Annabelle Jacobs

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I purchased this book for free from All Romance Ebooks and is intended for 18+.

Patrick and Will have been together for awhile and Patrick has decided it’s time to get serious and say those special three words. Finally having some time to themselves over Christmas break, Patrick has big plans to tell Will he loves him on Christmas Day.

Will and Patrick are almost too cute and infatuated with each other. The love between them is sweet and it’s written well. This is a short slice of life story that is perfect to read curled up with some hot cocoa by a fire. I’d give it a 3 since I think this story would have has more of an impact on me if I was familiar with the series these characters are from. Standing alone, I simply thought “Aw, that was cute.” and moved on to the next thing without giving it much more thought.

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Lenni Reviews: “Until We Meet Once More” by Josh Lanyon

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I purchased this book for free from All Romance Ebooks and is intended for 18+.

Vick Black, Army Ranger Captain, is sent on a rescue mission. Known as ‘Stone Man’ for his focus and determination, he is certain he can get in and get out with his rescue without a problem. Then he hears the name of the POW he’s being sent to retrieve; his former lover. Then the Stone Man begins to crack. It’s not just another mission anymore, now it’s personal.

I found it a bit difficult to get into this one. It felt a little distant; almost clinical despite the intriguing premise. I ended up being more interested in the rescue mission itself rather hand the romantic relationship. However, by the end of this short read, I felt satisfied and entertained. I wish there was more to is as I think the reason why it felt distance is because everything was so clipped. More length may have had the story and characters make a bigger impact on me. As is, this story is nothing special but certainly not terrible. A firm 3.5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Hungry For Love” by Louise Lyons

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I purchased this book for free from All Romance Ebooks.

After a bad breakup, Sam Wilkinson turned to food for comfort, eventually landing him in the doctor’s office  because of dizzy spells and breathlessness. When his doctor says he needs to lose weight for his own health, Sam joins the local gym and meets Luke Walker; fitness trainer. The pair are attracted to each other but Sam is convinced no man could ever want him again and Luke has past issues with a cheating ex. Will these two be able to gather enough courage to love again?

I’m not an emotional eater but my own struggles with weight and self-esteem struck a chord with me. I could completely identify with both character’s feelings of “what if my dickwad, cheating ex was right and I’m unworthy of love?” This story manages to convey those feelings without beating the message over your head. Sam and Luke are likable and I found myself disappointed when the story was over. But it’s best to be short and sweet when a story is written well. It doesn’t get super naughty until the end, though so the smexy times are well placed and feel natural. I would give this story a solid 3.5 out of five because things were wrapped up a little too perfectly but I still felt like the characters deserved their happy ending.

And if you think that’s a spoiler, you obviously don’t get the genre.

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Lenni Reviews: “Fireworks: A Sexmas Short Story” by Kate Lowell

 

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I purchased this book for free at All Romance Ebooks.

Carter and Thilo are very different so when the straightlaced and shy Thilo asks to see Carter dance at the strip club where he works, Carter is understandably taken aback. Carter is worried his profession will cause a problem in their new relationship and that the prim accountant wouldn’t be able to handle watching such a spectacle. However, Thilo is determined to show Carter he can look beyond the job and still treat Carter the same. On New Year;s Eve, Carter arranges for Thilo to watch a show. Will the reserved Thilo be able to see Carter at work and stay in the relationship?

This was a short and sweet read with a relatable situation. Carter and Thilo are as fleshed out as characters can be in 23 pages. And it’s honestly not that graphic. Of course, the story takes you to the strip club and describes what happens in one but I’d rate this a PG if I was feeling very judgemental. Out of 5, I would give this a vague 3 because I enjoyed it despite it being really short and it was nice to read something sweet without it being overloaded with smut.

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Lenni Reviews: Ridden by the Werestallion by Heather Silver

I purchased this book for free from All Romance Ebooks.

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Ya see the title? Gee, guess what happens in the book?

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Lance Kingley is the new ranch hand at the Lucky Day Ranch. His first task is to breed a high-strung Arabian horse to a thoroughbred mare in heat. During this task, what happens can only be described as surprise butt-sex.

Reading this was like reading a court stenographer’s transcript of a really cheap porn. The setup, the unrealistic boning that isn’t even erotic, then the unrealistic conclusion. It had me questioning what I am doing with my life in reviewing these things but then I remember it’s to warn people against things that waste their time. Like this.

This is the kind of story that makes erotica look bad. I am so glad this story was free as it was barely a story. You don’t learn anything about any of the characters expect for these guys are all horse shifters who fuck and have big dicks. What even happened to the mare? Does she shift too or do they leave the poor thing in the field to suffer in heat alone? And of course, Lance takes all this strange news like it’s Tuesday.

I’d say save your money but since it was free, just save your time and pick something with more story. 1.5 out of 5 is generous since I found it empty but it didn’t incite my rage.

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Lenni Reviews: Hayden’s Law by Hurri Cosmo

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I got this book for free from All Romance Ebooks.

This short story features Graham, an Omega wolf looking for a place to live far away from the Alphas who have used and abused him. Following an ad for an apartment with other Omegas, Graham ends up at the doorstep of Hyden. Believing him to be another Omega, Graham moves in but Hyden is an Alpha and realizes that Graham is is fated mate. As the mating moon approaches, Hyden is having trouble keeping himself under control and must find as way to tell Graham the truth in a way that will keep the younger man from running away in fear.

I really wanted to like this book but even for a short story, things get wrapped up pretty fast. And I don’t mean in terms of Hyden and Graham being attracted to each other; I mean the jump from accepting the attraction to full on spanking and flogging in the S&M dungeon. Instead of Hyden as an Alpha working to earn Graham’s trust, he just bones the guy senseless so by the next scene, Graham is ok with it. It would have been so interesting to see Graham come to terms with Hyden being Alpha, learning to love and trust again despite Hyden initially hiding the fact he was an Alpha all along. Instead, the power of some man lovin and spanking fixes it all? Killed the rest of the book for me.

Yeah, there is smut and S&M smexy times between two men. Dun like? Dun read.

I give this book a barely earned 3 out of 5 because despite getting it for free, I can see paying about $0.99 for this and not feeling like I wasted my money. The writing isn’t bad but it gets points off for not being terrible yet also not impressive.

 

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Lenni Reviews: Cupid’s Time by Jess Buffett

I got this little short read for free on All Romance Ebooks.

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In this short story, concepts in the universe and myths are personified as hot guys: Nate as “Mother” Nature, Nick as Santa, Henry as the Easter Bunny, Thyme as Father Time and Cupid as… Well, Cupid. They call themselves the Keepers. Cupid is at a gay club doing what the personification of love does best; bring people together, when Thyme shows up to needle him about being the youngest of them all. Cupid gets sick of it, tells him off and leaves. It seems Cupid can bring others together but can’t seem to get on the same page as his crush; Thyme.

Here we have the classic couple who love each other, are fates mates (or whatever), but can’t get out of their own way. There is a side plot with Jack Frost causing trouble for the mortal world to throw yet another misunderstanding between the lovers but in general, everything between Thyme and Cupid could be resolved if someone said one simple sentence of explanation. This sort of conflict is so sold hat and very frustrating to read.

Also, smut warning: There is graphic sex and spanking. If that’s not your thing, don’t read this.

Despite that, it’s a cute story with sex scenes that are ok and despite some minor spelling and formatting errors (and the Jack Frost plot being wrapped up behind the scenes instead of writing it out and the fact Thyme is a meh name as an alias instead of Chronos or ANYTHING that didn’t sound like a spice…), the little romance between Cupid and Thyme is a mildly amusing diversion for an afternoon and worth a free read. I’ll give it a 2.9 because when you read as much as I do, the cliche’s bog it down.

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Lenni Reviews: The Dangers of Fairy Compacts by Katey Hawthorne

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I downloaded this book for free on All Romance Ebooks.

A fairy named Aeron has been hearing a voice in his head for most of his life, much to the disdain of his father. When a tear opens between the human world and the world of the fae, it leads Aeron to the source of the voice which was calling him; a young mortal named Tammas. Tammas was trying to summon ingredients for a potion and ended summoning Aeron instead. But now that Aeron is stuck in the mortal world, the pair try to find out why Aeron was hearing Tammas’ voice all these years and why this spell would summon and bind Aeron to Tammas.

I like the premise of this story: a young magic user summoning an entity by mistake and then they get all lovey dovey as they learn about each other. Pretty classic as far as these types of stories go but Aeron and Tammas are interesting characters with conflicts outside just their by chance meeting. Aeron is treated indifferently by his father; who prefers his twin sister, and Tammas is trying to find his footing as a magic user with an equally impressive legacy to live up to in his family line. You end up liking them despite the formulaic plot.

The sex scenes are ok; it’s kinda easy to skip over them. They’re graphic but not that erotic, if that makes any sense. But for me, you read enough of these and a lot of the time, your eyes just skip over these parts unless the scenes are written amazingly well.

Overall, I give this story a 4 out of 5 because I had fun reading it.

 

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Lenni Reviews: “An Oral Fixation” by Piper Vaughn

I got this little short read for free on All Romance Ebooks.

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Quinn has been in love with Cooper for-the-ever and for the first time in years, Cooper is finally single. On a road trip over Spring Break, Quinn is finally ready to make his move but finds unexpected results.

Yeah, the results are totally expected. This short little story is the classic “we’ve been in love secretly but keep missing each other” trope complete with a steamy and sappy ending. That doesn’t mean this story isn’t good; it is simply typical and ultimately forgettable. But, I gotta say, Vaughn gets to the point, makes it, then wraps it up in a neat little bow without wasting too much time. I’d give this short story a 3.5 out of 5 because while typical, it’s a fun read if you are into M/M romance but wanna read something quick.

This story does have a hot love scene so if you want a clean story, look elsewhere.

**Note: Yup, this is the same format that I use over at O&G. But I was not sent this book by a publisher, I just bought it. That’s why I’m reviewing it here instead.**

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Lenni Reviews: Gra Mo Chroi by Katey Hawthorne

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Happy St. Patrick’s day! 😀 Since I’m sadly sober, I figured I’d review a suitably themed story I’ve had on my Kindle for some time. This story was downloaded for free from All Romance Ebooks.

A short story taken from a larger series called Superpowered Love. I know fuck all about this series so I will be reviewing this story as a standalone.

As new parents; Kellan and Jamie Monday are chronically tired and in dire need of a night out. But, when their promised sitter ends up sick, they try to find a way to get some rest and have some fun in the face of teething twins.

This is a sweet and smutty slice of life about parents of twins who FINALLY get a moment to themselves. It can kinda stand alone; seeing as how the way the characters interact with each other establishes all the relationships pretty well. The sex scene is 90% of the book so if some M/M smexy times is what you want, that’s totally what you’ll get. But man, is it ever a flashback to when my kid was a baby. I felt exhausted on their behalf.

I’d give this story a 3.75 because everything s worked out a little too perfectly but it was really cute and it made me smile. Have a pint on me and enjoy this little story.