Day: June 16, 2021

Review: Sweet Spot (Paranormal Sugar Daddy #1) by Macy Blake

Wish it had been turned into a novel or novella.

3 out of 5 stars

E-book. 53 pages. Published May 1st 2020

Read for free on Prolific Works: https://claims.prolificworks.com/public/JqPtPBne

Blurb:

When the goddess tells Augustus Eastaughffe to go to the mountains to find what he needs, he’s more than happy to comply. The billionaire griffin is in the midst of a deepening mystery and expects to find some of the answers he seeks. Instead, he finds a captivating human who proves to be sweeter than any he’s ever met. 

Likes:

  • Good setup.
  • Hot smut.
  • Bebe.
  • Jamie and Augustus.
  • The way Augustus defended Jamie.

Dislikes:

  • Not long enough to be a novella.
  • Abrupt ending.
  • Not a necessary read.
  • Why not make it into a full story?

When I first got this story, I thought Augustus was the perfect choice for a novella. He’s a familiar figure to those who have read the Chosen One novels, and wealthy enough to make just about any problem disappear.

The story’s setup was good, with Augustus getting direction from a goddess, and finding Jamie in need of minor rescuing. I didn’t mind the insta-lust, especially since the two had great chemistry. Seriously, the smut was great. Augustus was more than ready to shower Jamie with gifts and attention, even before he realized they were mates. And once he realized what they were? Well, Augusts showed everyone that Jamie was his, and it was hot.

Jamie was cute and easy to like. He was more than a little overwhelmed by the way Augusts spoiled him, but it was nice to see Bebe again. And I loved that Augustus defended Jamie from some ruch assholes who looked down on him.

Jamie had no idea about anything paranormal, and unfortunately, we don’t see him learn about it. The story has an abrupt ending without Jamie ever learning a single thing. It’s heavily implied that Jamie will find out soon, but we don’t get to see it.

This story really doesn’t deserve the to be called a novella. A novella has all the same basic components as a novel, minus a side plot or two. This story didn’t wrap up Jamie and Augustus’s story. It just kind of stopped. Which honestly bothers me, because I liked both characters. I would have happily read a complete novella or novel about them.

I honestly don’t know why Macy Blake chose to make this into a free story. I get that freebies often attract new readers. But I don’t think the story would make a ton of sense for people who haven’t read the series. There’s practically no world building, and little mention of anything related to the main Chosen One storyline. Augustus doesn’t shift into his griffin form, and there’s no magic. It’s mostly sex and dates and more sex. I get not wanting to put a ton of time and effort into writing something that won’t make money, but this story could have been good.

Needless to say, this isn’t a necessary read. There’s a one sentence mention of Augustus mating with Jamie in the next book, All Kidding Aside, but it’s not a big deal. And it’s not even Augustus’s son speaking about the mating, it’s Victor.

Be sure to check out the rest of the series – Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75), Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1), Nothing Ventured (The Chosen One #2), Hell on Earth (Hellhound Champions #1), Double or Nothing (The Chosen One #2.5), Next to Nothing (The Chosen One #3), Give Him Hell (Hellhound Champions #3), Nothing Gained (The Chosen One #4),  Stop at Nothing (The Chosen One #5)