Month: August 2019

2.5 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 1st edition. 31 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

The situation seems ideal: a month off work and a sweet deal to extend his stay in an unexpected paradise. Needless to say, Aaron is thrilled to snag an extra few days in Scotland after his work conference to soak up the magic of the country.

However, his plans to tourist his way around Edinburgh before his January 1st flight home are thwarted by a strange influx of people into the capital. Add in trains that don’t run on New Year’s, fireworks, first-footing, and running into the same gorgeous stranger as he exits every other shop, and Aaron really should have googled what “Hogmanay” was before he found himself whisked into the whirlwind of Scottish revelry and the impossible draw of that sexy stranger who tastes like scotch and, impossibly, already feels like the beginnings of home.

A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar

Likes:

• Scotland.
• Hogmanay.
• The fireworks between Aaron and Connor.

Dislikes:

• The story felt almost stream of consciousness.
• Too many italics.
• Too many commas.
• No HEA or HFN ending.
• Connor isn’t Scottish.
• Insta-lust.

The ‘about the author’ note at the end of this story is on point. Cameron writes essays and poetry and “has been told throughout the years that she’s trying to beat James Joyce on account of sentence length”. In other words, romance fiction is not her usual style. And when it comes to style, I don’t have good things to say about this story.

The story is told from Aaron’s point of view and it’s almost like stream of consciousness. Aaron’s feelings are very well portrayed. Unfortunately, that includes this dizzying rambling that touched on all the typical romance points without making me feel any of them. They’re strangely surface level, lacking the depth needed to really catch my attention.

Also annoying was the overuse of commas, italics, and long sentences. This goes along with the rambling feel of the story. So much was said, yet none of it made an impact on me. Even the story blurb has a 65 word long sentence!

The actual plot is fine. Aaron is excited to stay in Scotland a few more days. He knows nothing about Hogmanay but finds a handsome man willing to show him around. The insta-lust begins the first time they meet, and although reference is made to them exchanging the usual kind of first date personal info, the reader sees none of it.

The tidbits about Scotland and the Hogmanay celebration, including a quick summary of its creation, were great details. The romance is cute and there’s definitely a spark between the men. Sadly, that can’t make up for the fact that the story doesn’t have a HEA or HFN. There’s a possibility that things might work out for them, but nothing concrete. This story could definitely have benefitted from an epilogue where the men get back together.

Overall, I’m glad this story was as short as it was. Considering the writing style, I don’t think a longer page length would have helped, at least for me. Even the quick smut scene didn’t leave me wanting more.

Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 1st edition. 53 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

The sexy Santa and the virgin dad….

Single dad Mario, twenty-one, has finally won shared custody of his five-year-old son, Sammy. They’re spending Christmas at a Tenerife resort to celebrate. The children’s swimming instructor, Josie, is sexy and fun, and Mario can’t stop dreaming about him. But Mario has no clue how to talk to a hot guy. 

With his suntan, Speedos, and rippling abs, Josie seems to be the typical jock. He’s super sweet too, and everyone loves him. But he only has eyes for the fire-eyed little dad who looks like his son’s older brother and won’t stop policing the swimming class.

Sammy would like to be a king in the hotel’s nativity play. But he’s too afraid to go anywhere without his dad. 
Mario would like a holiday romance with Josie, or even a little more, but between building his tech company and trying to do his part as Sammy’s father he has missed out on a lot and is too inexperienced to know where to begin.

Luckily Santa might have just the thing for everyone on his list…

A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar

Likes:

• Well written.
• The hardships of a young, single father.
• Sammy’s change.
• Good smut.

Dislikes:

• Angsty as fuck.
• Nothing happened between Mario and Josie until late in the book.
• Tons of backstory for Josie and Sammy.
• Mario’s lack of self-esteem.
• The romance took backseat.

This story is bittersweet, but not the usual type of bittersweet I’m used to. It’s a bitter kind of angsty right up until it gets sweet. And while I enjoyed the story as a whole, it’s lacking as a romance.

Mario is so full of sell-esteem issues and angst that the first two thirds of the story are saturated with it. As a young single father, Mario’s been dumped on by just about everyone. Only his sister’s always had his back, which makes him assume that everyone’s always judging him and looking down on him.

To be fair, people are judging him. But they’re also a lot friendlier than they first appear. In that respect, I wish Mario had had as much of a change by the end of the book as Sammy. It took Mario ages to believe that Josie could like him. As in, nothing happened between them until 73% of the way through the story.

I almost think I would have liked this story without the sex scene and/or Mario being a virgin. If the focus was on Mario discovering that not everyone was judging him for being such a young dad, and he went through a bigger personal change, the happy ending would have packed more of a punch. As it was, the ending was more about the sex and Mario finally losing his virginity than it was about him growing as a person.

There’s a lot to this story, and it’s well written. My heart went out to Mario for all the hardships he’s been put through as a single father. This story deals with the double standards of parenthood very well. Given the amount of content packed into the story, a longer format would have allowed the romance to unfold better.

Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 1st Edition. 43 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

No peacocks were harmed in the making of this story.

Rafa’s nautical skills are less than stellar. He’d rather be a full-time artist, but he has a duty to the family business and a fear of standing up to his father and brother.

Carpenter Lucas is determined to rebuild his business after a lover’s betrayal nearly destroyed it. But he runs into a snag when he misses the last boat to the job site.

Rafa offers to take him, but Rafa isn’t much of a sailor.

When they end up on the wrong island, fears for survival gradually give way to an appreciation of the beauty around them—and each other. Rafa insists a holiday miracle will save them, and he teases Lucas for being a Scrooge.

In the end, Rafa’s miracle might come from the last place he expects: inside himself. 

A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar

Likes:

• Interesting characters.
• Great scenery.
• Surprising amount of character growth.
• Just a hint of smut.

Dislikes:

• Not very memorable.
• Insta-romance.
• Rafa came across as a real idiot in the beginning.

The idea of being stranded on a deserted island has become so cliché in today’s world that I was surprised to see it in a story. There was some suspension of disbelief needed, both with how perfect the island was and how dumb Rafa seemed at the beginning. Luckily, Rafa’s character improved, as did Lucas’s grumpiness.

The island was beautiful and a great place to be stranded. I actually got jealous of Rafa and Lucas’s impromptu island vacation. They have everything they need – except lube – but that doesn’t stop them from getting passionate.

I really liked how each man comes to the island with a problem and basically has it solved by the time they leave. It allowed for both backstory and character growth. An impressive feat given the story’s short length.

Is the romance fast and a little clichéd? Yes, but that’s typical for stories this short. It did feel a little more prominent with this story though, maybe because the men themselves talked about how they don’t usually get attached so quickly.

My one big complaint is that the story, while a fun, cute read, isn’t too memorable. Neither man really stands out. They’re character types I’ve seen a million times, with problems I’ve seen a million times. In this case, I wish there had been an epilogue of sorts, showing the couple a year later. I was expecting one given the way the story went.

Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.