Saturday Shorts

Saturday Shorts

 Saturday Shorts is a feature where I review 3-4 short stories that are 100 pages or less. Enjoy! 

*Books source ~ Many thanks to NetGalley & Forever Yours (Dead Sexy Dragon) and the authors for providing review copies in exchange for honest reviews. 

Title ~ Dead Sexy Dragon 

Series ~ Dragon Heat, #1

Author ~ Lolita Lopez

Publisher ~ Forever Yours

Published ~ 6 August 2013

Genre ~ Paranormal/Romance

Pages ~ 128

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Cora Cardenas has gotten into some deep and pretty scary trouble, so she heads to the only person she trusts to help her out and keep her safe. Stig Wyvern, best friend to her deceased brother told her if there was ever anything she needed she could come to him. And boy, does she need him. So she arrives on his doorstep, but it’s the worst possible time for her to come knocking. Stig is a dragon and is in his mating heat. With the way he’s always felt about Cora, well…let’s just say Stig is stuck between a rock and a hard on, I mean, place. Hard place.

I enjoyed this short story. I like both Stig and Cora, they are fairly well-fleshed out as characters. Smart, funny, a bit insecure but courageous. It’s also a well-written story, but since it’s short there isn’t a lot of world-building going on. However, there is enough, combined with Cora and Stig and a glimpse at Stig’s compatriots that I’m interested in continuing on with the series. Oh, and did I mention the steamy scenes? Yeah, those are hot. *fans self* I am so looking forward to book 2, Red Hot Dragon.

Title ~ Choosing Chase

Series ~ Old Enough to Love You, #1

Author ~ Julie Raust

Publisher ~ Julie Raust

Published ~ 12 August 2013

Genre ~ Contemporary/Romance

Pages ~ 45

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Tess is approaching 40 and feeling very middle-aged even though she is far from that in body or spirit. Her best friend Chase is nearly a decade younger and no matter how hot he is, she is determined she will not be a cougar. Plus, he’s her best friend. If by some chance they do the horizontal polka, she’s likely to lose the best friend she has when they stop sleeping together. Having been burned in the past, she’s too afraid to take that chance. But Chase is made of sterner stuff. He loves Tess and he means to have her for all time. He just needs to convince her he’s in for the long haul.

This is a great story about overcoming fears ingrained from the past and really living life. Even though this is a short story I got a pretty good feel for both Tess and Chase since it was told from both POVs. Well-written and fairly spicy, this is one steamy read. Chase did do something that was pretty dumb (he’s not the only guy to do it and you’d think all guys would learn by now, like that’s ever going to happen) and he’s lucky it didn’t screw everything up for good. Anyway, that’s my only complaint.  This one will leave you smiling.

Title ~ Fated Hearts

Author ~ P.R. Mason

Publisher ~ P.R. Mason

Published ~ 14 January 2012

Genre ~ YA/Fantasy/Romance

Pages ~ 70

My Rating ~ 3 bites and a nibble out of 5

Eve is at a high school dance with a loser when she spots a guy she’s never seen before but who seems oddly familiar to her. She’s sure she’s never met him, but he acts like he knows her yet won’t reveal the facts. It frustrates her that evening, but the next morning she’s about to get the surprise of her life. Will she be able to let go of the past and go with him or will she play it safe and stay?

A very interesting concept! I like it! The story is too short to get a good sense of Eve and Holden, but I love the plot. While the dialogue is a bit stilted at times and the background is sparse, the story is still a decent one. I wonder what happens after the end?