When He Was Bad is a fantastic anthology with two yummy, steamy novellas. Just like Howl For It. They are both collections that are fun and light. But with a seriously lustful strain throughout. I absolutely adored both of the novellas in this, and I look forward to reading them again when I need a short distraction from reality.
There was honestly so much enjoyment from reading this. I read each novella in one sitting – they were just so good that I didn’t want to put them down. That used to be an impressive feat. Now I have a toddler, and it is more of an accomplishment… at least in my world.
Both the novellas in this anthology are shifter romances. There is plenty of steam and deliciously dominant males. Two worlds that I loved diving into and look forward to getting a glimpse of again.
Howl For It is a fantastic collection of two wonderful, lusty novellas. They both fit nicely together in this collection, with the paranormal romance and werewolves as the centre point. Yet, Laurenston and Eden have two distinctly different voices that you will fall in love with. Both of these novellas are fast paced and filled with a decent amount of death and mayhem. A little bit of betrayal and a whole lot of strong males who can howl at the moon. Definitely a fun anthology to sweep you away on a moonlit night.
This is one of those anthologies that I’m really glad I bought, I look forward to reading it again and again. There was something kind of sweet about both of these stories. Even as they are tales that involve a whole lot of blood and death. I might already have both of these authors in my TBR, but I most definitely want more!
The past chunk of time (I don’t know how long since I last wrote one of these) has been hectic as always. Parenting a toddler is hard enough all on its own. Then I add into that that I’ve taken on more coaching responsibilities and am about to start my very last Psychology subject… it’s been wonderful and somewhat insane. You can see how delayed I am in scheduling review publications though… a lot of Christmas themed stories in this summary!
This novella might be a prologue to the Trust Fund Duology, but wow, is there a lot of emotion in such a short number of pages. It is filled with emotion, intrigue, and drama. And honestly, it was such an amazing read all on its own. Now I can’t wait to see how the characters are going to develop in the two full-length novels within this series.
From the very beginning both Harper and Christopher have such a complex relationship. There’s kind of a bit of instant connection, and a bit of a nice Meet Cute moment, but it is so embroiled in political drama and nonsense. You get the feeling that anything they could potentially have is pretty much doomed from the beginning. Which, of course is what makes you root for them from the get-go.
There are so many hidden family dramas for Harper. So many that kind of break your heart. I am completely intrigued as to how these are going to develop in the greater storyline and destroy many of Harper’s potential chances at happiness. It’s definitely going to be a somewhat tragic love story in there, and I can’t wait to see how this is going to evolve…
Growing up, I always wanted to have a twin – there is something that seems so fun about twin shenanigans. And now I get to read an incredibly fun story about a twin mistaken identity. Alright, that mistaken identity lasted for only a very small handful of chapters, because Tom eventually does correct Gwen’s assumption. But, still, it is a great way to start a story. Especially since this moment of mistaken identity is what finally lets Tom spend time with the girl he is somewhat unhealthily obsessed with… it gets healthier when they actually converse and communicate, but still.
I really loved Gwen in Heart Smart, she was a nice counterpoint to some of Max’s grumpiness. And I love how she ends up actually being quite a good friend to Holly. The fact that she got to go on to get her own novel was just beautiful. And glorious. And gave me all of the happy feelings. Having said that, she was honestly kind of a scaredy cat. Kind of painfully at moments if I’m being honest. But, after getting a well-deserved kick up the backside, she actually finds her bravery. The final scene where she takes charge and show her brave was painful even through the pages of a novel, but so damn good.
I love how Max and Holly are able to make another appearance in this novel. They were such a wonderful couple, and seeing how they’re going later on in life was incredibly fun and brilliant. I also love how Max absolutely demolishes Gwen at one point and makes her actually stop and look at herself and reflect. Both Max and Holly are just a wonderful couple, and their brief cameo made me so incredibly happy. As did the mention of the 50’s list from Book Smart.
Tom might be a lovely and kind of puppy-adorable character, but his constant feelings of guilt do get to be a bit much throughout this story. I kind of get where they stem from, but honestly, if it wasn’t for his damn twin being such a knob, he’d realise that things that happen when you’re a kid aren’t really your fault. His infatuation is kind of sweet, and I do love how he starts to actually make moves towards fixing his relationships, rather than just feeling guilty for moments of the past that aren’t exactly his fault.
This was just a too damn cute story. Not only was it a fantastic getting to know you, removing misconceptions story, it was just all round cute. I love every dive I take into the SmartyPants Romance world, but there is something a little bit extra lovely about Emma Lee Jayne – probably because she features those who are neurotypical (ADHD).
This novel is definitely one of my favourite friends-to-lovers stories. There is something wonderful about Melanie and Cameron, you are hoping for their eventual get-together from pretty much the first page. But it also has all of those wonderful moments and complications that you kind of expect from this trope. And they’re both just so damn cute about their crushes on one another, even if they are also both kind of oblivious to each other’s indicators…
Melanie is a complete kook in this book and kind of self-centred. Which is her hurdle to overcome in realising how much Cameron means to her. But anyway, I love that even though she’s a little self-centred, she’s also incredibly kind and giving. A fun little dichotomy throughout. The fact that it’s her idea to follow a 50’s list to meet men that acts as the catalyst… priceless. Actually, pretty much every moment in which Melanie tries to follow the list and just epically fails is completely priceless. And had me laughing out loud a few times throughout my read through.
Cameron, although adorable is kind of a dope. Many of the moments and confusions throughout this would have been completely solved if he had’ve stepped forwards and actually said something. Instead of relying on some weird, arbitrary expectations of interest-indication. But I also love that although I got a bit frustrated with him throughout, Pennington still made him so completely dorky and loveable. The way Cameron is also able to begin to truly come to terms with and find closure after his stroke was also incredibly fun. In fact, it introduced me to another side character that I would love to experience more of – his best friend. Maybe there will be a future SmartyPants Romance book featuring him…?
The shenanigans and mishaps throughout this book make a beautiful romance sassy and funny. There is the moment when Melanie is escorted by a security guide (I smirked a whole lot when this happened) and then there’s the whole almost killing a workmate fiasco. I would most definitely read a book written by someone who tried to use the 50’s list to meet men today – especially if there were as many mishaps as happened in this beautiful romance.
When I first started reading this story, I didn’t actually realise that Matthew was the child from Finding Pride. Mostly because I didn’t really think things through for a little while. And then it all clicked, and I immediately loved this even more. I mean, I loved the first part of this was enjoyable anyway, but when I started realising the connections and putting all of the pieces together… it made me much, much happier. Although, when it comes to a well written book that is a nice, easy read, it doesn’t take much to make me an incredibly happy woman.
Blake’s disappearance from Matthew’s life is a bit of a mystery throughout much of the book. But I did love that when the truth is revealed, it might be a little bit about love, but mostly it was just totally unrelated to Matthew at all. The fact that they both kind of subconsciously pined for each other in the two year interim… it made the quick jump from calm to steamy in their relationship a whole lot more understandable… and palatable. It was also nice to read about their Meet Cute before the sparks even start to fly.
This was a fun Christmas story, but the part of it that I enjoyed the most was the fact that it is a Christmas story set in a haunted house. That added mystery built alongside the story of Matthew and Blake’s relationship. Again, making this a very difficult book to put down. Or aside, or just forget about in any way, shape or form. There’s something about haunted houses that make me very happy, and the fact that it’s a haunted house at Christmas?
Although I enjoyed this novel, it’s probably the house that I will dream about. It had this amazing old school charm, ghosts, history and just… it felt like the vibes of my dream home. So now I shall go and dream about it in my own time…
This was a very fun and short Christmas novella. One that transports you back to Pride, Oregon. It’s made me want to dig into yet another one of these contemporary romance series set in small towns. Just too cute and sweet to be real. But a whole lot of fun to read about. The fact that it was set during Christmas time was all that much better. And the fact that although it took place in Pride, it wasn’t actually about one of the couples from this town.
I always love a good childhood friends to lovers kind of trope. Particularly when they’ve always felt that way but been unable to act on their emotions. It’s this great jump from friendship to lovers that show that they know everything about one another. Probably my favourite trope because they genuinely know where each other’s skeletons are buried but choose to fall in love anyway.
Alice and Eric are an incredibly cute and sweet couple. They’re the kind of couple that I love to read about. And the backdrop of a winter storm along a beach at a bed and breakfast? Just ridiculously wonderful and enjoyable. I love the beach, but now I have a ridiculous urge to go and see it in the winter. At Christmas. With the man I love hunkered down into the cottage with me…
This is my first every Jill Sanders book, and I’m definitely feeling like I’m a convert after reading this. Sanders has tones of Robyn Carr, not quite as impossible to put down, but still that great feeling of simplicity and joy that I’ve come to associate with her novels. The small town romances are definitely a catnip for me, one that I love to settle into and drift away with. The fact that this is also a Christmas story, set in the snow was also seriously enjoyable. Even though this started partway through the Pride series, and I was definitely missing a few bits of information, this was a wonderful contemporary romance that had me smiling and just generally enjoying the feeling of falling in love in a tiny town, covered in snow.
There were a few sad moments through this that helped to contrast with the happy feeling of falling in love and finding your happily ever after. For starters, there is Luke’s gran – she is such an integral part of his life, and her loss is definitely a tragic one. I love that Amber is happy to take the moment and let him process his grief without the complications of a new relationship. Plus, he also buys a beagle puppy which made me incredibly happy. I love that as part of the grieving process for Luke, he has the whole town banding behind him as support. This is the dream of a community – one that is there when you most need them without judgement.
There is also Amber’s backstory. At least Luke’s is filled with love, I can’t fathom the difficulties that she goes through and how callous and horrible her parents are. I thought they would be a bigger challenge to the blossoming relationship between Amber and Luke that they were though. I also love that when this knowledge comes to light in the town, the people automatically and unquestioningly band behind Amber in support. Shutting down gossipers and those who are too far into their own delusions to see reality. Both Amber and Luke have negative family moments throughout this story that they are able to support each other through. But, they also are moments which show how loyal and supportive the town of Pride is.
As an introduction to the Pride series, I found this fantastic and overwhelmingly beautiful. The Christmas aspect made it even more enjoyable. And, even though it is a story that takes partway through a established series, I still enjoyed being swept away. Now I just need to find out more about the rest of the characters and fall in love bit by bit with this tiny little Christmas town.
This novel was a little bit predictable, but still very sweet. I mean, it’s a small-town romance – out of towner comes to escape an unpleasant past, finds a dreamy local and falls madly in love. It’s a tale filled with beautiful, happy, small-town vibes. But, sometimes that’s exactly what I’m in the mood for – a completely predictable romance that is a lot of fun and a pleasant departure from the real world.
Although Megan and Todd are the leads in this novel, I do love Lacey and can’t wait for her story. She’s an absolute firecracker and I love how she is able to just control those around her with the force of her personality. She was a bit of a show stealer, and it’ll be interesting when she is the one who falls head over heels. But, I digress, that’s a story that I look forward to delving into in the future. For now, Finding Pride was a fantastic beginning to a new-to-me series by an author I think I’m going to thoroughly enjoy.
Megan’s domestic violence background is not as well written as some of the other characters that I’ve had in my shelves, but it was still well done. I do love how she eventually stands up for herself. And the way in which she is constantly growing into her own independence and regaining that sense of self. The fact that this happens following the loss of her brother is kind of sad and tragic though. I spent the whole book lamenting the fact that Matthew wasn’t there to see Megan’s growth and the way she finds her new home in Pride. Which is probably the way Sanders wanted it to be.
There is tragedy in Todd’s background as well – the loss of a wife. I felt like this could have been used a little more for character development, it was barely touched upon. Even though it was mentioned that he never truly loved her, it just felt like a completely unnecessary and underutilised detail that didn’t need to be there. The death of his father though was a much better point of character development in this tale. Again, it wasn’t as well structured as some of the other stories I’ve read. But it was still well done. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I’m looking forward to reading the next tale in the Pride series.
Earth and Skye 