Tag: free

Review: Of Ocelots and Sexy Yetis (Winsford Shifters Short Story) by Alice Winters

Short and cute.

3 out of 5 stars

To get access to this free story, join Alice’s Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/419742381890887/user/100028775325444/

Blurb:

A prequel story about Ari and Logan’s first meeting.

Likes:

  • Cute.
  • Short.
  • Free.

Dislikes:

  • The promise of a followup novella never came to pass.
  • Ari’s personality is a bit much when he’s the main character.

Throughout the Winsford Shifters series, I alternated between finding Ari funny and finding him annoying. After reading this short story, told entirely from Ari’s point of view, I can definitely say that Ari is a lot. He actually reminded me of a stereotypical influencer who’s only funny in small doses, has no marketable skills, and is kind of an airhead.

That sounds a little mean, and its true that I don’t have the highest opinion of Ari (and his actions in this story didn’t improve my opinion) but I don’t hate him. He can be funny and charming. If the promised novella about Ari and Logan’s relationship had been written, I would have happily read it. Especially because Logan seems like a practical, kindhearted person and I like their dynamic.

Sadly, despite the comment that Ari’s story would show up in a novella that came out after Of Betrayal and Monsters, I don’t think it was ever written. Maybe people didn’t like Ari enough. I don’t know.

I am glad for this story thought. It was cute, short, and free. The perfect trifecta. And since I was already a part of Alice Winters’ Facebook group, I had easy access to the story. Even though this was a prequel story, I read it after finishing the series, and it was nice to briefly revisit some familiar characters again.

Be sure to check out the reviews for the rest of the series – Alice Winters – Of Secrets and Wolves (Winsford Shifters #1), Of Betrayal and Monsters (Winsford Shifters #2), Of Redemption and Vengeance (Winsford Shifters #3), Series Review: Winsford Shifters 

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) 

Review: Double or Nothing (The Chosen One #2.5) by Macy Blake

Short and free. Not a must read aside from introducing a few side characters.

2.75 out of 5 stars

E-book. 58 pages. Published August 28th 2018 by Macy Blake

http://bit.ly/MacyFreebie

Blurb:

Mikey Smith lives with what he calls his “flickers”. When he’s out in the world, sometimes other people flicker and change into something terrifying that no one but him can see. He’s been diagnosed with epilepsy, but part of him knows what he sees is real. When two men walk into his coffee shop, his world is turned upside down when they transform into something else… and they know he can see them.

Already mates, Asher and Quillon aren’t expecting to add a third into their mix… but neither of them are opposed to the idea either. When they meet Mikey, they’re drawn to him from the first moment. He’s a human exposed to their world, though, and the consequences are severe. Can Asher and Quillon protect their new human mate from the forces that threaten him? 

Likes:

  • Mikey and his abilities.
  • Mikey’s foster parents.
  • Manticore.
  • Explains how Mikey and his mates meet.
  • Free.

Dislikes:

  • Asher and Quillon aren’t well rounded.
  • Didn’t hook me.
  • Asher was too pushy too fast.
  • The story seems to have several discrepancies with the previous books.
  • Lack of information and reaction.
  • Mikey’s abilities aren’t explained.
  • Very rushed.

As much as I didn’t care for this story, I’m glad it exists. Plus, it’s free. Mikey and his mates show up briefly at the beginning of Next to Nothing, and this story tells how they got together.

When it comes to romance, I need to like both main characters. Or in this case, all three. Mikey was easy to like. He’s suffered from flickers ever since he was young, and it was the reason he was put in the foster system in the first place. His foster parents deserve a huge shout out for giving him a home and helping him find a way to manage the flickers as best as possible.

Neither Asher nor Quillon were well rounded enough for me to become attached to. In fact, Asher’s pushiness towards claiming Mikey was a huge turn off. It was less ‘I’m an alpha and must protect my mate’ and more ‘I have found my mate and he must become mine no matter what he wants.’

Asher did have some character growth on that last part. He started off buying Mikey expensive and unwanted gifts, and after having them turned down, finally realized that having a fun date was the better choice. It was nice to see, but I wish Asher had been more proactive in trying to find out what Mikey wanted. He stumbled on the date idea by accident, and spent very little time actually talking to Mikey.

And that’s the problem. This story is only 58 pages long, and includes way way too much for such a short story. There’s no time to develop anything or answer pressing questions. Only one date was shown, which meant that the special little moments where people fall in love were missing. Other dates are referenced, but happen off page. The question of why Mikey has flickers, or how his foster parents knew how to find a blessed amulet aren’t even brought up.

Not to mention the fact that Mikey always thought he was seeing monsters, but didn’t have any kind of negative reaction to finding out that he was mates to two. I’m blaming this, and a lot of my complaints, on the short length. This is a free story, and I get the feeling that Blake didn’t want to put too much time and effort into it. Mikey meeting his mates could have easily been a novel of its own, but since they’re all essentially side characters who only show up briefly in the next novel, there was no point in a full story.

My final complaint is that there seem to be a few discrepancies from the other novels. Mikey feels a bond snap into place between him and his mates, which has never been mentioned before with any of the other couples. And Asher and Quillon haven’t shifted for years, when the Jerrick pack needs to shift regularly.

I think this short story goes to show that, while I’m enjoying the series overall, I have to accept that Blake simply isn’t the kind of author who excels at in-depth characters or world building. And this story really highlights those weaknesses.

Be sure to check out my reviews for 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).

Review: Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76) by Macy Blake

Another short freebie set after the main story.

3 out of 5 stars

E-book. Published December 12th 2019 by Macy Blake

https://BookHip.com/TGXXPZ

Blurb:

What happens when a group of shifter children misunderstand exactly who Santa Claus is? Santa Trouble, that’s what. When Jack overhears a conversation about Christmas, he thinks Santa is out to challenge his siblings right to be an alpha’s kids. Not to fear, though. The Jerrick pack kids are nothing if not resourceful and they come up with an epic plan to stop him in his tracks.

Likes:

  • How much the kids were determined to stay with their dads.
  • The ways the kids interpreted the Christmas songs.
  • Told from the kid’s point of view.
  • Free and easy to get.

Dislikes:

  • Didn’t add anything to the overall story of the Jerrick family.
  • Made me sad for the kids all over again.
  • Didn’t get to see the kids actually celebrate Christmas.

This is the second short story following the novel Sweet Nothings. It’s free and can be downloaded or read in-browser from book funnel, but I’ve also included the link. Getting the book also offers you a chance to sign up for Macy Blake’s email list.

This story was told completely from the point of view of the kids, which is a first for everyone but Ollie. None of the kids know about Christmas, and since the adults don’t explain anything, the kids end up with a twisted idea of what’s going to happen. It would be cute, if it didn’t make my heart go out to them all.

Despite how wonderfully everything is going with the new family, the kids are still expecting something bad to mess everything up. They end up convinced that they need to defeat Santa in order to stay with the alpha. I don’t know if the story is supposed to be sad, but that’s my take on it. The kids still don’t trust that they can be happy and safe without someone trying to take it away.

The one silver lining is that all six of the kids are determined to defeat Santa and stay with their dads. The ways they interpreted the snatches of Christmas songs they heard was funny. It just goes to show how many different meanings words can have.

The story also shows how everyone is settling in. It was nice to get to know a little more about each of them in their POV section.

This story is definitely not a necessary read. In fact, I don’t think it added much of anything to the overall story of the Jerrick family. We didn’t even get to see the kids celebrating on Christmas morning.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1)

Review: The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75) by Macy Blake

A cute story that showed what happened after the ‘and they all lived happily ever after.’

3.5 out of 5 stars

E-book. 39 pages. Published February 8th 2019

claims.prolificworks.com/public/9zsAogp5

Blurb:

Vaughn Jerrick’s life has changed completely. He’s the adoptive alpha and father to six shifter cubs, and he’s the mate to a human he loves more than life itself. There’s only one problem. He’s been so focused on the kids, he’s forgotten to truly romance Sam. With Valentine’s day approaching, Vaughn decides to give his mate a romantic evening. If only it were that simple. Chaos comes in all shapes and sizes, but Vaughn quickly realizes that the trouble with love is that it isn’t any trouble at all. 

Likes:

  • Short and sweet.
  • Good to see more of the family.
  • Got to see everyone all settled.
  • Free and easy to get.

Dislikes:

  • Not particularly impactful.
  • Not particularly romantic.
  • Letting Natasha pick Valentine’s Day for her birthday.

I was excited at the chance to see Sam, Vaughn, and the kids again. Not to mention, in a free story. One that promised romance.

Maybe I expected too much. The story was cute. But it didn’t have that special something the book did.

The story’s more about the daily lives and routines of the family, with Vaughn desperately trying to find a time and place to shower Sam with romance. There’s a little more to it, but I won’t spoil anything.

Vaughn comes up with multiple plans for how to make this grand gesture of love. Each time, something gets in the way. It felt very realistic, especially since they have six kids and busy lives. The story felt more like a comedy of errors, except I didn’t find it particularly funny. I honestly would rather have seen the big gesture. In my opinion, making a plan work despite the roadblocks is more impressive than giving up whenever something goes wrong.

It was nice to see how everyone had settled into a routine. This story really did feel like an example of what happened after the ‘and they lived happily ever after’ ending of the book. Even Ollie got a POV section in the story, and it was so cute how excited he was for craft time.

The downside of a story about the everyday things that can get in the way of romance is that the story lacked impact. It’s definitely not a necessary read. Luckily, it’s easy to get. Just search for Macy Blake on prolific works, or follow the link I provided. You have to sign up for her email list to get the story, but can unsubscribe at any time.

My biggest complaint about the story is that Natasha’s birthday was on Valentine’s Day. Sam and Vaughn don’t know any of the kid’s real birthdays, so they put all the days of the year in a hat (excluding the days when other pack members had birthdays) and had them pick one at random. Yet for some reason, they didn’t take out holidays as well? It was a good idea, but not implemented particularly well.

There’s a second short story featuring the Jerrick family, and I’m hoping for a little more out of that one.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1)

Review: Naughty Neil: A Hidden Species Novella by Louisa Masters

A cute, fun novella that shows some of Sam’s old team.

4 out of 5 stars

https://claims.prolificworks.com/public/vebxRkqe

Blurb:

I’m just an ordinary guy… who feeds on sexual energy. I never knew my dad. Mom said he was a nice enough guy, but she never got his name. Then a government agent shows up and announces that I’m not really human. Dear old Dad was an incubus, a being that needs sexual energy to survive. Apparently that means I am too. Gotta be a scam, right?

Or so I think… until Agent Cutie changes into a canine (not a werewolf) in my living room. Turns out, other species do exist.

Being a stripper means that all my incubus needs are being met without even trying. And now that I know the situation in my pants is normal, a fling with Agent Mark is definitely on the table.

Between being sexy Santa at work, feeding hellhounds cookies, and learning what sexual stamina really is, I’m not so ordinary at all

Likes:

  • Short and sweet.
  • Community explanation for Christmas/Jesus
  • Got to see some of Sam’s old team.
  • Neil and Mark, together and separately.
  • Positive sex work.
  • Versatile couple.
  • Nice to see a main character who’s not with the CSG.
  • Easy to find.

Dislikes:

  • Didn’t actually get to see Neil’s incubus dick.
  • Made me feel a little bad for Noah.
  • Not much on-page smut.
  • Only found the novella through prolific works.

Unlike the two bonus short stories for the Hidden Species series, this novella was listed under Louisa Masters’ name on prolific works. That made it easier to find than the short stories, but at the same time, I only found out that it existed because I searched her name. The novella isn’t listed on Goodreads, and I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere.

It’s definitely not a necessary read, but I enjoyed it. Neil is an incubus, which is a species that hasn’t been shown in detail in any of the books. There’s actually a lot in this novella that’s never been shown in any of the novels. Neil is the first main character doesn’t work for the CSG. He gets the whole ‘you’re not actually human’ introduction, which includes a visit from Mark, counselling, and ‘new to the community’ chat groups.

Since neither Sam or Noah got the normal treatment, it was nice to see how it worked. In fact, I ended up feeling a little bad that Noah didn’t get a chance at getting the normal treatment. I understand why it wasn’t possible, since the CSG was trying to keep his presence a secret from the bad guy. But still, he could have used the community chat groups.

Mark is part of the team Sam left behind when he went to work with Gideon’s team. It was nice to get to see those guys, however briefly. They clearly missed Sam, especially his homemade cookies. It was a nice tie-in with the series at large.

Mark was nice. He had the typical hellhound energy, and it was fun watching him try to keep Neil a secret because he didn’t want to share Neil’s cookies with the rest of the team. Neil himself was easy to like. He was full of good cheer, and I liked that his incubus influence made his neighborhood feel warm and welcoming.

The fact that Neil worked as a stripper was treated like it was no big deal, which I liked. In fact, it was the perfect job for an incubus like him. There’s too much hatred towards sex workers of any kind, and I was glad that there was none in this book.

There wasn’t much on-page smut, though both men were versatile. I was especially disappointed not to see Neil’s incubus dick. Each species has a different shaped dick, and while Neil’s was described, it wasn’t shown.

I wouldn’t have minded if the novella was longer. I think there were definitely places that could have been expanded on. Still, it was a fun, cute read. The Christmas theme was especially nice, and it was fun seeing how confused Mark was about Christmas traditions. I also liked the community explanation for Christmas and Jesus.

Be sure to check out my reviews for Demons Do It Better (Hidden Species #1), One Bite With a Vampire (Hidden Species #2), Hijinks With a Hellhound (Hidden Species #3) , and the Hidden Species Bonus Short Stories.