Rebecca Warren

Steampunk is not one of my usual genres, which led to this book languishing on my shelf for far too long. A unique, beautiful world, memorable characters, and action-packed battles kept me enthralled.

There is nothing special about this novella. It's BDSM with a dull plot that drags a proper, older widow to the Chateau Debauchery trying to ensure her son's happiness. Arthur clearly has no intention of granting Phillipa's request, but he sees a chance to seduce her and takes it. Phillipa's kindness is the only thing that raises this novella from a 1 star.

Sebastian and Bella are both trying to do what is best for their families. While Sebastian is less headstrong about it, he is well matched with vivacious Bella. I especially liked her take-charge attitude.

These two certainly are randy. Masturbation and sex take up much of the novella. Questions that are raised by what little plot there is are never answered. If you are looking for a raunchy read, this one works well; otherwise, I would look elsewhere.

Clara's Soldier is a haunting rendition of The Nutcracker set at the end of World War II. Clara is waiting for her soldier, James, to come home from the war even after nearly everyone else has given up hope. This tale is darker than the original, but Godfather Drosselmeyer's Christmas Magic still has a part to play.

I never really clicked with Charity. She is incredibly naive, impressionable, and helpless, especially after living in a brothel for years. It doesn't take much effort to talk her into doing anything. She never grows a backbone through the entire novella, and that was a letdown.

This novella got better as it went along, but the amount of angst never let it get better than mediocre. Several grammatical errors made me do a double-take, but the 11-year feud between the brothers sunk the story. I did enjoy the Irina storyline and her parallels to Helen.

This is a bittersweet tale of reunited love. A lot has happened in the six years that Karta and Dom have been separated. It's a slow burn as they relearn each other. The dramatic reveal was not one that I was expecting, which is a pleasant surprise.

I did not expect much from a novella starring a mistakenly shared bed. Allegra and Baird grew on me, and I thoroughly enjoyed their journey beyond the pains of their pasts. Their hurts are very different, but they both find a way forward by leaning on each other.

Stories starting with a bet usually end with a lot of annoying drama as the bet is discovered. This novella neatly sidesteps that trope as Holly leads Michael on a merry chase. I adored Holly's feistiness, which meshed well with Michael's (sometimes overbearing) protectiveness.

This Victorian novella is a sweet romp in the snow. Angelica is a spirited miss who is not afraid of rushing off in her dressing gown to confront suspected peeping toms or throwing things at her brother when he annoys her. Ben is enchanted with her from their first face-to-face meeting, and their subsequent romance is fun to watch.

Marcus and Diana make a good couple. The smuggling draws them closer together as they brave the danger to bring them together. Marcus is steadfast, but Diana was more flighty when it came to her feelings.

This novella is an amusing series of crazy hijinks. Katherine, an almost highwaywoman, and Marie, a notorious widow, duke it out for the hand of a Duke. The story stays light-hearted, and Katherine and Marie work very well as contrasts in handling adversity.

Rose is a popular young miss who has flocks of admirers. Instead of accepting one of the men vying for her hand, she sets her sights on the one man who refuses to even consider courting her. Her master plan is to force him into compromising her reputation while traveling back to their country homes. The entire situation was eye-roll worthy as Rose can't seem to make her mind about what she wants to do, and Ian just caves to most of her whims.

I loved how Lila and Vincent came together to make the best of a marriage that neither of them initially wanted. There is sweetness, tension, intrigue, and a dash of sorrow. There were some questions unanswered at the end, but they weren't enough to spoil my enjoyment.

I despised Fabian for most of this novella. His arrogance and unwillingness to let Alice talk was aggravating. He did get better towards the end of the novella, but the cliff-hanger ending annoyed me.

Two fish-out-of-water come together in this fun and quirky novella. Ursula is determined to make her own way, fleeing from her controlling uncle and landing in the highlands as an etiquette tutor. Rye is floundering to find his feet after being called to Scotland to take over his uncle's title. There is plenty of mayhem and giggle-worthy moments (courtesy of the local animals) as they both struggle to land on their feet.

This novella has Home Alone vibes as Beatrix finds that she missed the carriage taking her family to Abingdon Hall, leaving her alone in London with Merrick Hart, who she has loved for years. Bea is headstrong, stubborn, and an absolute brat. Merrick knows that returning Bea's feelings will destroy his life as he works for her protective brother (who happened to forget her in London). They did not mesh well as a couple, and I quickly lost interest in their antics.

My True Love Gave to Me has a cute concept, and it works very well. The gifts are very inventive and entertaining. Sadly, the ongoing lack of communication between the lead characters spoiled the story for me.

Ransome's Honor has a lot in common with one of my favorite books, Persuasion by Jane Austen. The main characters are both older with the maturity experience brings. The navy plays a large part as it is central to both Julia and William's families. A close-knit group of family and friends are easy to fall in love with, and an engagement that never happened is in their past. It's truly a pity that Julia and William were such frustrating characters who acted the opposite of their established backgrounds.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Tidewater Bride is an intriguing look at early colonial life in Virginia. Everything is a study in contrasts: Old World vs. New World, Naturals vs. colonists, slavery vs. indenture. The vocabulary was my largest stumbling block in this book as I had to look up what different articles of clothing were as I had either never heard of them or did not know the difference between various items.

I think this book had a massive case of overhyping, and I expected better than what I got. This world is exciting, and an intriguing concept, but the characters fell flat. I can easily see it getting better, but this book was not exceptional.

This one started well but slid downhill rather quickly. Fun and fluff turned into angst and drama. Oliver and Cerian began as a fun couple, but the angst between the two soured my enjoyment of them. Even the ending wasn’t able to save this novella from being mediocre.

One Hot Scot is a fun, fluffy frolic through the highlands. There isn't a great deal of substance, but it's an entertaining read nonetheless. Julia is a strong-willed woman, and Duncan is a kind, protective man. Whether bantering over a Chessboard or facing down an enemy, these two make a cute pair.

I picked up this anthology for the Suzanne Enoch story. Sadly, it was the only one that I truly enjoyed.