Every once in a while I unintentionally choose two novellas to read, back to back. In those cases, rather than post 1 review at a time, I'll just condense two posts into one. So here we go...
Book 1:
by Rayka Mennen
124 pages
The Blurb: Destiny has never looked so beautiful.
Kat never believed she’d fall victim to her family’s stories about destined soul mates. She makes her own fate, thank you very much. When she walks by a construction site and admires the same sexy architect for the zillionth time in a week, the last thing she expects is to be slammed by a vision of his death—which activates the spell that will change their lives forever.
Jake is a single dad with a singular focus—create a stable life for him and his son. His ex‐wife cured him of any desire to fall in love, but when an intriguing woman saves him from what should’ve been a deadly accident, he can’t shake his fascination. Too bad she’s crazy. Her claims that she’s a witch and that they’re soul mates is not exactly the “stable life” he had in mind.
Kat’s destiny comes with a deadline. If they don’t fall in love by her twenty‐fifth birthday—a mere three weeks away—Jake will never find the peace he seeks, and Kat will lose her magic.
|Kat realizes how much she wants this destined path. Can she convince Jake they are meant to be before time runs out?
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
All the first born woman (witches) in Kat's family have 1 true mate and will recognize them through a clear vision. When Kat's mate shows up, neither are ready to take the plunge and trust the hand fate has dealt, especially our hero, Jake.
Shock, lust, apprehension, and misunderstandings ensue. This leads to some funny and sweet moments, as well as some heart-wrenching ones. Will they get their happy ending?
I liked the premise and the characters although I felt the way in which Kat explains what's going on to Jake was a little strange and abrupt. I also felt like the blurb and the story didn't always jive and it wasn't entirely clear as to why there was such a rush for them to pair up and if there were any consequences if they didn't.
Overall, it was a quick, easy and enjoyable read. We're introduced to several secondary characters and teased about their circumstances. Since this was such an easy ready, I may check out the others in the series to check on the rest of the family.
Book 2:
by Marie-Claude Bourque
99 pages
The Blurb: A duty-bound sorcerer. His panther shifter ex-girlfriend. A mystical dagger keeping them apart.
THE PANTHER SHIFTER: After fearless panther shifter Kerala Clark lost her mother at the hands of a cruel dark mage, she wanted nothing but to be left alone with her grief, far away from those who did nothing to prevent her mother’s murder, including her own father and very sexy ex-boyfriend. But when the warlock she used to love comes calling for her help, arousing feelings she thought were buried forever, she must decide if her quest for revenge is worth losing her second chance at true happiness.
THE WARLOCK: With his sister clinging to life from a terrible curse, leader of the Order of the Black Oak and powerful warlock, Diesel Stanford will do anything to force his ex-girlfriend to return the one artifact that can save his sister, even commit betrayal. Caught by the powerful emotions she still stirs in him, will he choose family duty over the one chance he has at winning his soulmate back?
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
For such a short story, this book is filled to the brim with tragedy, revenge, and passion.
Kera and Diesel have been in love since they were children, but an evil warlock and a tragic event have caused Kera to leave her home behind and seek revenge for her family.
When Diesel's sister is harmed, he must reach out to Kera and ask for her help. Old feelings and old wounds rise to the surface and Kera and Diesel need to decided where their priorities fall and if they can trust one another.
I think for a such a short story, we get a lot of background information but in a way that enhanced the story without bogging it down. It was well-written and I was easily sucked into the drama.
I did feel like the games Kera and Diesel played with each other was a little much. The back and forth trickery was a tad annoying and I think the author could have been a little more creative in fleshing out their true feelings without resorting to such juvenile antics.
Overall, it was enjoyable and I may take a gander at book 2.
Have you read either of these books? What did you think?
