Linda Lael Miller
Batteries Not Required
Contrary to popular opinion, Gayle Hayes’s love life is out of service. But when she returns to her small Montana hometown, rodeo bad boy Tristan McCullough gives her a whole new lesson in power surge. . .
Jill Shalvis
Captivated
James Scott warned his investigator ex-wife Ella to be more careful. Now he finds the irate woman nearly naked and handcuffed to … naked and handcuffed to the towel rack in his Mexican vacation condo. He should release her. Then again. . .
Lucy Monroe
Seducing Tabby
Everybody always wants Tabby Payton’s beautiful sister. But not sexy English spy Calder Maxwell. He wants Tabby, body and soul, and he’s willing to take seduction to new levels to prove it. . .
Kate Angell
No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service
Violet Cates is done with surfing beach bums. She’s ready for a new wave, someone with more ambition than a grain of sand. Like Brad Davis. He looks like a beach bum, but looks can be so deceiving. . .
Cat Johnson
Fish Out of Water
Carla Henricks is a cowgirl through and through, but her lasso has never met an English professor like Mark Ross. It’s true opposites attract. Staying together is the juicy part. . .
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Some of my favorite authors in one book. All the stories are good.
When I saw this book, I knew I needed to read it. I’ve read each of the 5 authors in the past and have enjoyed their books. There was no real tie between these five stories other than than five single women have met “the one” for them.
Batteries Not Required by Linda Lael Miller is a reunion story. In high school Gayle and Tristan were sweethearts. Then a misunderstanding broke them up and now years later they’re seeing each other due to a business deal and old feelings come flooding back. As the story is only about 50 pages long, there wasn’t enough time to really get invested in the characters. I enjoyed the story, but could have used a little more background and development to have fully connected with the book.
Captivated by Jill Shalvis is another reunion story. In this one, we have James and Ella who are divorced but both end up at their Mexican vacation condo at the same time. He’s just trying to get away for a vacation and she’s on an investigative job. Even though this story was only 60 pages long, it was very well rounded. There was enough background and development to connect with the story. Because this story is also a romantic suspense, there was enough action to keep me happy.
Seducing Tabby by Lucy Monroe was quite interesting and probably my favorite story. Tabby is shy and often overlooked when in the presence of her sister. And then there’s Calder, who sees her and has to go to great lengths to prove that he wants her. Within 50 pages, Ms Monroe was able to draw me in and care for the characters. I could particularly relate to Tabby and was rooting for her to get her happy ending.
No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service by Kate Angell is part of her Barefoot Williams series and is another reunion story. At about 70 pages, Ms Angell created a wonderful story about Violet and Brad. Violet works at a small beach side cafe and can barely make ends meet. Then she runs into Brad, an ex-boyfriend who broke her heart, and he doesn’t seem to be any better off than she is. But as they spend time together, sparks fly and they look for their happily ever after. I enjoyed the characters Ms Angell has created as well as the setting and I especially liked the twist at the end.
Fish Out of Water by Cat Johnson wasn’t quite what I expected. This one was about Carla, a cowgirl and Mark an English professor. It was interesting for role reversals… having an alpha female and beta male. This story was probably the spiciest of the stories and it was quite enjoyable. This was also the longest story at about 80 pages and Ms Johnson uses every one of those pages to the fullest advantage. There was enough character and romance development to satisfy this reader.
All in all, if you’ve not read any of these great romance writers, this will be a wonderful introduction to them. And if you’re already a fan, as I am, then just sit back and enjoy some short stories.
My review originally posted at Romancing the Book.