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Six brand new contemporary romance novellas with bestselling and award winning authors.
In the sweet novella TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE by Heather B. Moore, Gwen uses her wedding photography business to keep her life simple and focus on something other than her own broken heart. When Jack, a guy too handsome for his own good, helps her clean up after a photoshoot, then asks her out, she doesn’t know if she can handle dating again. But Jack’s charm wins her over, and she agrees to meet him for dinner. The more she gets to know Jack, the more she likes him, but everything about him seems too good to be true.
GONE FISHING, a charming novella by Kaylee Baldwin, follows Claire as she tries to convince her dad to leave his start-up company as a boat guide and come back home to Colorado. He’s the only one who can defend Claire against her domineering mother. But when she arrives at the San Diego harbor, she’s met with more than one surprise. First, that her dad is truly living his dream and has never been happier, and second, she’s unexpectedly attracted to his business partner, Miguel.
In THE PIER CHANGES EVERYTHING, an enchanting novella by Annette Lyon, Alexandria has one last task to perform for her late husband, who died much too young: scatter his ashes in the Pacific Ocean. She goes to the Santa Monica Pier to do just that, but her plans get sidetracked after meeting Michael and feeling an immediate connection to him. They grab lunch, and the more time they spend together, the more they discover that they have in common—including past romantic hardships. As the day wears on, Alexandria begins learn that her heart just might be able to find love again.
In Jennifer Moore’s captivating novella A HERO’S SONG, AnneMarie’s career as a romance novelist is skyrocketing and her agent books her on a late night talk show. The host gets her to admit that she was in love once, with a guitar player. Moments after her segment, Lance Holden appears on the same stage, to perform his newest song. Is it a terrible coincidence? AnneMarie hasn’t seen Lance ever since he broke her heart ten years ago, and she has refused to think about him again. Their lives are worlds apart, but as Lance tries to reconcile with AnneMarie, she finds herself taking a second chance.
In STAY WITH ME, an endearing novella by Shannon Guymon, Jolie moves to L.A. to take on a nanny position for the summer, since apparently having a degree in art doesn’t translate to getting a job as a graphic designer. When Fitz, the family’s chauffeur, picks her up at the airport, she wonders if every man in LA is model-gorgeous. When Jolie meets her two charges, she finds them adorable and needy. But it’s harder to hold onto her job than she thought with a hostile Mrs. James and her spoiled brother. Fitz becomes both the silver lining of her job and the man who just might convince her to stay in L.A.
In the delightful novella, A PLACE TO CALL HOME, by Sarah M. Eden, Ada is the best realtor around. The best. She prides herself in matching each client with the house that will fit all of their needs. She hasn’t failed yet. So when Craig hires her to find him the perfect condo for him and his son, Ada is up for the challenge. What she may not be prepared for is her unforeseen attraction to Craig, her immediate attachment to his nine-year-old son, and her heart telling her that it’s okay to take another chance.
Review
Let me start by saying this was a fun read, very light, short stories, ideal for a holiday read. Looking back I would say I enjoyed them all, but certain ones where good/great where other ones just were OK, and had me thinking too much about how unreal and not thought through the plot was. Like I said, the main opinion here is, it was a good deal, and it is nice to get to know new authors when reading an anthology like this one.
The first book by Heather K Moore was very good. I really liked that one. Although it was a short read, I think Miss Moore did an excellent job at developing the characters, and giving you a story you could connect with. Yes these are all California Dream tales, but this one felt real to me. I enjoyed it very much.
The second book was also a good read. The story was not as great as the first, but it was enjoyable. It took me a little longer to connect with the characters, but eventually you get a nice, completed tale, that worked for me.
The third story was probably the hardest for me. I liked the whole Fat-camp idea, and two people reconnecting like they did. What rubbed me up the wrong way was how rushed it seemed. How after one great day the female lead is willing to move across the US to be with the male character. That was just too out there for me. I think it could have used a few more pages to take the story to where they wanted to go with it, and make it more believable.
Story number four was OK, not really great. I liked how the author stayed true to who she was, but it seems a little weird they would get back together and all would be well. So much history in between, … HMMM???
In Stay with Me Shannon Guymon does a good enough job with the story, making me like the idea. I loved the strong leading lady, and the fun way she connects to her love interest. I must say though that I have read many books by Shannon, and those seem better to me than this one. Maybe it is due to the fact that a full novel gives you the space to do your characters and story the justice it deserves, whereas now in this novella I felt I missed the depth I so like in a good read.
The last story in the book is selected well to go in at the end. You go out on a real high. This book was a great read, and a great way to end this collection. Miss Eden told us a great story with believable characters, and a great heartwarming HEA at the end.
I would recommend this as a light, fun beach read, and a great way to meet a new author to check out.