I’m making a real effort this year to clear out any book clutter. I’m focusing on quantity, which means knocking out some of the shorter books on my shelves in order to reduce the actual number of books I scroll through, etc. So, here I’m focusing on short novellas, books that are over 100 pages, but not by much. Technically, by my own blog rules, I could give them their own post. (100 pages is my unofficial minimum page count for a blog post.) I’ve posted a few already this year. However, for the sake of expediency, I’m combining several into one post, and I may return later to add to the list. (Which would mess with the alphabetization, but I trust the world can live with it.)
So, here we go. I read:
Reviews:
Black Briar, by Sophie Avett
Honestly, just florid and confusing. Half the time, I didn’t know if whatever was happening (if I could figure out what was happening at all) was happening in real life or some dream realm. I’m generally pretty tolerant of purple prose, so long as it doesn’t get in the way of the story. But the prose here isn’t just purple, it’s luridly so. To say I was confused is an understatement.
There is no character development or worldbuilding to speak of. Plus, there isn’t much of a plot, which would be fine if this were erotica, where the sex was the point. But despite starting the story with a sex swing, there is one singular sex scene in the book. And it’s overly long and full of purple descriptions of a whole lot of not-sex. Somewhere in the middle of it, the FMC had a personality shift that made all of the resistance and fight of the previous pages pointless.
Essentially, the reader is dropped into the middle of a scene with no context. The story continues from there, before the FMC undergoes a personality transformation, and we’re told they lived happily ever after. (I still know nothing about the MMC, least of all why he was so interested in the FMC.)I may be being too generous in giving this two stars.
Leather and Lace, by Rebel Carter
Very sweet. It’s clearly part of a series, all but instalove, the town is so accepting as to be fantastical, and the narcissistically cruel mother is pretty cliched. But Minnie and Alex are sweet characters who make an endearing pair. If you’re looking for a light and fluffy quick read, you could do a lot worse than this one.
To Run with the Wild Hunt, by Mallory Dunlin
Meh. I’ve read several of the Monsters of Faery books, and I can confidently say that this was my least favorite. Which is a shame because I liked Lexi, and Key is just adorable. Their fem-dommy relationship was wonderful and sweet. I wish we had gotten an equivalent for Hunt. Obviously, there’d be little sweetness there, but there could have been a little something of relationship growth before the sex. And don’t get me wrong. I picked up a spicy book for the sex. But by the time we got to it here, I just didn’t particularly care. I’ll continue the series. I liked the other books a lot more. I suppose this was just a dud for me.
Shared Veins, by Emily Elder
Not horrible, but pretty mediocre. The FMC is a doormat, though she does have a pretty drastic attitude shift at some point and grows the beginning of a spine. The men are not given equal attention, and I don’t feel I really know them as anything more than caricatures (the sunny one, the brooding one, the brainy one, the leader, etc). Also, it is heavily in need of further editing. There are several super obvious errors that a basic spellcheck should have caught.
The Good Body, by Eve Ensler (V)
This was an interesting read. I think a lot of women will find something to relate to in it. However, I also think that others will find it fails to say anything new or noteworthy on an old and well-trodden path. I suppose both can be true.
Entangled with an Elf Prince, by Amanda Ferreira
This was really sweet. Honestly, I often didn’t know exactly what was happening outside of the very tight focus on the two characters (and there are only the two characters). But watching them discover one another was lovely.
Treasure, by Marleigh Kassidy
Meh, I mean, it is what it is, right? It’s an erotic short; sex pretty much is the point. The sex is fine; a little rushed in the v to dp journey, but ok, whatever. I mean, it’s not great, but again, it is what it is. My only real complaint is that it’s lopsided. Too much time passes as she tries to escape, and what remains after she is finished being scared isn’t enough to balance it out. Oh, and it ends on a cliffhanger, FYI.
A Monster In The Dark, by R.K. Pierce
Erotic horror(ish) that isn’t particularly spicy. There’s a whole lot more talk of what he wants to do to her than them actually doing anything. He is appropriately obsessive for a demon (though he has a relatively sudden personality shift toward the end). She is understandably panicked and scared, although she got over it remarkably quickly. All in all, it’s an amusing enough read for what it is.
Finding Her Minotaur, by Evangeline Priest
Meh. This was an entertaining enough read for the evening. But I read it last night before bed, and this morning, writing a review, it’s already fading from memory. Nothing of note stood out as worth remembering. Despite its cover and Minotaur MMC, it’s not particularly spicy. And while I realize, of course, that it is a novella, it’s exceptionally shallow. (Plus, it could use an editing pass to shore up the past/present tenses.)
It feels very, very much like it is part of something bigger. People are given titles, honorifics, or social standing, while world and galactic politics are referenced, and a mystery surrounding the FMC’s origins is hinted at; however, none of these elements are explained or contextualized.
The MMC seems sweet, noble, and loyal, but you don’t get to know him at all. You get even less of a read on the FFC. Priest gives you her circumstances, but basically nothing of her as a person.
All in all, I don’t regret reading it. But I honestly won’t remember I did by tomorrow. So, it’s not a winner either.
Thrum, by Meg Smitherman
Perhaps I misunderstood the brief, or the marketing of this book is off the mark. But I expected a monstery romance involving a deep space edlrich horror. This has a light sex scene or two, but sex scenes do not a romance make. This is horror, maybe gothic horror if you’re willing to stretch it far enough to encompass space. That’s not to say I didn’t like it. It’s atmospheric, and the reader truly feels the main character’s crumbling reality and fear. But it’s not what I was led to believe it would be. I was left with questions, and the sudden reveal and wrap-up at the end felt rushed. But generally, I enjoyed this.
Matched to the Mafia, by Jenika Snow
I’ve tried several of Snow’s books now. (I bought several all at one time, at some point.) And I think she just isn’t for me. I thought this was pretty trash. We get ‘he’s a bad guy and wants her’ in 15 variations, and that’s honestly about it. I know it’s a novella. But it’s not a very good one, IMO.
Starbinder, by Mark Timmony
Very clearly just a small taste of something larger, Starbinder is an intriguing teaser to the series as a whole. The writing is clear, and the world seems interesting. But I do think it was a bit too big to squeeze into a novella.
Ink, Blood, and Other Afflictions: Episode One, by Kristen Coar
I am going to preface this review by stating that I don’t really understand (or enjoy) the serialization of novels. Why would I ever want to read only part of a story? I always finish them with a dissatisfied sense of incompletion. However, setting that aside, I very much enjoyed this first episode. I liked both characters quite a lot. While I got little sense of the world, I am intrigued by the setup for the future plot arc, and the writing flows easily. I’ll look forward to the rest…but maybe wait until I can have them all at once.
Vrauma’s Menagerie, by E.K. Darnell
This was cute, light, and fluffy. It’s not a complicated story, being fairly straightforward. But it’s a fun little read. The aliens are truly alien. One is given far more page time than the other, and that annoyed me a little. Our FMC is ultimately satisfied with them, however, and it all wraps up in an HFN ending.
Lessons With A Lich, by Emma Elizabeth
Meh. This wasn’t a big winner for me. I do not think it knows what it wants to be. There isn’t enough smut to say that it is “just smut,” but there isn’t anywhere near enough plot, character, or relationship development to be anything else. All of which leaves it feeling oddly formless and bereft. Add to that the irritating habit of saying names, titles, and endearments too frequently, and my just general ick factor with the professor/student dynamic. This isn’t a trope that always bothers me. But the way Elizabeth has written it here, it feels like an older professor taking advantage of a student’s infatuation. (That’s not how it’s meant, but how it comes across because there is so little else.) All in all, I wasn’t impressed.
Rain Through Her Fingers, by Rabia Gale
This was really lovely. Gale manages to squeeze a complete, meaningful story into a scant hundred or so pages. Elaine, despite being the retiring sort, claimed her agency and strength to come through and save the day. The male lead, Ned, remained a bit of a shadow, but he served his purpose well. I’d love to see this as a full-length novel, or failing that, more of Elaine’s adventures.
Dragon Burn, by R.L. Wilson
Meh. This would be a perfectly fine story outline, but it’s far, far, far too underdeveloped to be a story of its own, even a novella. On a side note, the use of “…my dear” felt so weirdly out of place.
Stolen Mayfly Bride, by Sarah K.L. Wilson
I will fully admit that Stolen Mayfly Bride was nothing like what I was expecting. But I’ll also admit that it was better. Brief though it may be, it’s atmospheric and humane and ultimately very sweet. The writing is lyrical, and it crams a whole lot into a few pages.
seriously irritating to have the men written to give lip service to it, commenting on equal opportunity, and women’s capabilities, etc. But then, the author uses the same misogynistic tropes of reducing women to disposable “pussy,” etc. This is super common in the genre. I get that, annoying as it is, once you become aware of it. But it played worse than usual to have male characters who are theoretically mindful but also enact the same old misogynistic games. I wanted to be like, ‘Choose a lane.’
