Day: April 9, 2021

Review: Frost and Raine by K.L. Noone

A sweet, fluffy novella that’s night on the supernatural but takes its time to develop the romance.

5 out of 5 stars

 E-book. 138 pages. Published February 13th 2021 by JMS Books

Blurb:

A Frost spirit who runs a coffee shop. A Cupid who works as a divorce lawyer. And magic in the air …

Raine’s never been a conventional Cupid. He likes organization, his job as a successful lawyer, and black coffee, and he dislikes messiness, physical and emotional. He tries hard not to use his powers, because he’d rather not manipulate anyone’s desires, and he’s not planning to fall in love himself – and he wouldn’t trust it if someone fell in love with him. But the owner of Raine’s favorite coffee shop is endlessly patient, kind even in the face of sarcasm, and an artist with flavors and window decorations … and he could even challenge Raine’s resolutions about love.

Don enjoys his life. Even though he’s a Frost, he finds comfort in giving people warmth: good coffee, a cozy refuge from the rain, holiday decorations, and overall cheer. But one gorgeous Cupid seems immune to Don’s cheerfulness – and he keeps coming back, day after day. Fortunately, Don’s always liked a challenge, and now he’s determined to make Raine smile at least once … and he’s discovering that Raine’s sarcasm hides a generous and lonely heart, keeping the world at bay.

And if Don and Raine can learn to trust each other – with new coffee flavors, with their hopes for the future, and with their hearts – the Frost and the Cupid just might find their own magical happy ending. 

Likes:

  • Short, sweet, and fluffy.
  • Hooked me.
  • The way Don and Raine flirted.
  • The idea of Personifications.
  • BDSM being treated in a positive way.
  • Hot smut.
  • The story was complete despite its short length.

Dislikes:

  • Raine didn’t make a great first impression.
  • The way Raine was treated by some people because he was a Cupid.
  • Not much use of anyone’s personification abilities.

I’ve read stories by K.L. Noone before, and have liked them, but this one was longer than most. I’d definitely call it a novella, and I was excited about what Noone could do with more page space. A lot of my complaints about their previous stories was the shortness. And I have to say, the length of this novella was perfect.

At first, I was surprised that the first half of the story took place in a coffee shop. It’s the only place Don and Raine interact, and since their relationship is the core of the story, there’s not a lot of other stuff going on. But I didn’t mind. Each time Raine comes in for coffee, his and Don’s relationship deepens. It was a slow but steady progression, with them getting closer in a believable way.

Don was easy to like. He’s the gentle giant type, someone who wants people to be cozy and warm despite the fact that it goes against his Frost personification. Likewise, it’s strange for a Cupid to be a divorce lawyer, but Raine is good at it, and he’s helping people in his own way. Raine was a little prickly at the beginning. He does it on purpose, and finding out why tells a lot about him. Watching as he warms up to Don was super sweet.

 The story hooked me fast even though there’s no urgency to the plot. The novella covers months of time, but again, that let Don and Raine’s relationship develop. I loved the slightly awkward flirting. It made the story feel complete and fleshed out despite its short length.

The idea of the personifications was interesting too. The novella didn’t show much of anyone’s abilities except Don putting frost pictures on the coffee shop windows. Raine’s cupid powers, though not directly shown, were never far from his mind. I liked that what the personifications were and how they were treated by society, both the good and the bad, was included in the novella.

My favorite thing about this novella is the treatment of BDSM. There was no freaking out or kink shaming. In fact, both men’s desires lined up nicely. It led to some super hot smut, as well as some honest conversations. The only thing Don was worried about was that Raine wasn’t talking good enough care of himself.

Overall, I have to say that I liked this novella a lot. It was different from what I expected it to be, but I’m not mad. I’m glad to see that Noone finally has a full length novel out as of August 2020, and that’s definitely going on my to-read list.

Be sure to check out more of my reviews of K.L. Noone’s short stores – The Arch-Mage’s Firebird, Port in a Storm (Kitten and Witch #1), Fire and Ink (Kitten and Witch #2).