ARC Review: '90s Playlist by Brighton Walsh, Lorelie Brown, Amy Jo Cousins, Audra North, Rebecca Grace Allen and Jennifer Blackwood

I'm not too big on anthologies because of the length of the stories. I really wanted to give this one a shot though after reading which authors were a part of this one though. I have to say that these felt even shorter than most stories in anthologies though since there were six here. I really loved the '90s concept though, as I am a huge fan of all things '90s. It was great to see some things here that I hadn't thought about in forever, and I really enjoyed seeing all the different music referenced here. I will admit that I definitely had to listen to some of them as I read these. 

My Strongest Weakness-Brighton Walsh

Mason is the typical All-American Jock and Tia is his exact opposite, the goth girl. Yet despite their differences, they find themselves drawn together in a way they aren't with anyone else. They live by a set of rules to keep others from finding out what is going on between them, but before long real feelings are starting to develop and Tia wants more. But is Mason willing to risk everything by letting others see how he really feels about her? 

I really liked this short story from Brighton Walsh. I always enjoy her books, and she proved to me what a talented writer she was here with this one being so quick of a read. I was really surprised with the amount of depth and feeling she was able to show here between Mason and Tia, and I really felt like these two were it for each other. They were really sexy together, and I liked seeing them get to know one another better too. My only complaint here is that even though this was really great for being so short, I would have loved more. This opposites attract story was romantic and emotional, and I enjoyed it a lot. 

Creep-Lorelie Brown

Roni and Tom meet when Tom shows up at the shop where Roni works looking for his brother Corey. Roni knows Corey as her drug dealer Skittles, and is reluctant to give information to Tom. She is attracted to Tom though, and gives him some information on where he might run into Corey/Skittles. The attraction between Roni and Tom is instant, and she finds herself drawn to him.   

This one was flat out confusing, and it didn't really go anywhere or explain anything. It made no sense to me and ended right where the story seemed to start. I have no idea if this story is continued anywhere by Lorelie Brown, or if this is all there is. The whole thing with Roni and Tom didn't work for me, and I didn't feel like they had any connection at all. It was too instant, and honestly just seemed out of nowhere. The situation with Tom and Corey/Skittles was never briefly and partially explained, but it was never resolved. If this one hadn't been so short, I would have ended up not finishing. I also hated how casual the use of drugs was here, and the fact that pretty much everyone seemed to be okay with it. This one was a miss for me. 

The Belle vs. The BDOC-Amy Jo Cousins

Shelby wants Florence, but Florence is convinced that Shelby is straight. So Shelby sets out to make Florence notice her and finally realize that she is also a lesbian. But what starts out as Shelby putting together a team to beat Florence on trivia night quickly escalates, and soon Shelby and Florence are not only competing at trivia. But can Shelby show Florence that she wants more than to just beat her?

This was one that I just couldn't connect with at all. I don't read a lot of F/F stories, but I don't have anything against them. For me though, I wasn't really feeling the connection between Florence and Shelby here. Florence was super judgmental, and flat out awful to Shelby at times. I didn't understand why Shelby would continue to want her after everything. I just didn't really care for the characters or the story here, and this was another case of it being just short enough that I was able to finish. 

Worthwhile-Audra North 

Just as Jill begins a semester abroad, the boyfriend she traveled there for dumps her. Two weeks into her semester and she is ready to return home, but she stumbles into the arms of sexy Stuart. As Jill and Stuart get to know one another, sparks begin to fly and soon Jill is glad that she decided to stay. But is Jill ready to move on with Stuart, or is she still hung up on her recent ex? 

I really liked Jill and Stuart. They were great together, and Stuart was such a good guy. This story was short, but really sweet and I enjoyed it a lot. Stuart and Jill's connection was quick, but it felt very real and believable to me. I loved how cute they were together, and this was definitely one of my favorites of the entire anthology. I would have loved for these two to have been given a full story though, as I was really curious to see where things would go from here for them. I also found myself wishing that we had been given Stuart's POV, as I would have loved to have seen what was going on in his head. 

Smells Like Teen Spirit-Rebecca Grace Allen 

Rory is working a dead end job in the town where she graduated college. One night she meets James, a sexy singer about to graduate from the same college she went to. They instantly hit it off, but Rory is scared to allow herself to feel anything for him after all that she has been through with her parents. She has always felt lonely and abandoned, but James makes her want more. Can Rory and James have something together or will it be over before it ever really begins? 

I liked James and Rory. These two were super hot together, and the chemistry between them was explosive. I thought that they also had a great connection though, and I enjoyed seeing them get to know one another. Rory loved poetry and James loved music, and they seemed to always be able to relate to one another and discuss their passions. James and Rory's connection felt real to me, but it was a bit rushed. I did feel as though these two were meant for each other though, and I would have liked to have seen a bit more down the road for them after where things left off here. 

Little Red Thong-Jennifer Blackwood

As Emily, her brother Drew, her best friend and her brother's best friend Chase set out on a spring break cruise, they each set out to win a game of spring break bingo. There are several things that they must each accomplish in order to win, but with each of them being competitive they will do whatever it takes to win. Chase has always liked Emily, but he knows that he needs to stay away from her as the sister of his best friend. Emily finds herself drawn to Chase though, and is interested to see where things could go between them. But will Chase risk his friendship with Drew in order to see what he could finally have with Emily?

I love stories about heroines falling for their brother's best friend, so I couldn't wait to read this one. It was really good, and I liked the characters a lot. I loved that Chase had grown up with Emily and Drew, so they had a lot of history together. That made this super short story about them seem real and believable to me in a way that it might not have been had they just met. Because they already had a connection, it didn't feel rushed. Chase and Emily were cute together and they had a lot of chemistry. My only complaint here is the same as most of the stories in this anthology, in that I wanted more. I would have loved to have seen what happened after the cruise was over and they returned to their lives at home. I didn't doubt that they could handle the distance, yet it would have been nice to see. 

Overall 

Overall, this was a good anthology and I really enjoyed four of the six stories here. I wish that those had been longer though, and that was my biggest complaint for them. There were two of the stories here that just didn't do it for me though, and I probably wouldn't have finished those if it wasn't for how short they were. I would still recommend this anthology for the other stories though, and I will definitely be checking out other works by those authors.

**ARC Provided by Xpresso Book Tours**

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ARC Reivew: Composing Love by Audra North

This book was a bit of a challenge for me to read. I was really disappointed from the beginning. The first time they met, the way they interacted and the way things worked out just felt awkward. Also, everything happened within such a short amount of time that the book felt rushed. The whole feel of the book was like I was running a race and it was not a good run.

Minh was such a hard person to relate to. She was annoying at times, especially when she would refer to “the rules.” I couldn’t get my mind around the idea that a person could be so close-minded. I could not understand why she connected so well with Chris. A person that is so into “rules” would not have even looked twice at a guy like Chris.

I loved the way Chris was described. The tattoos and piercing had me intrigued. Unfortunately, I quickly lost my admiration for him when he would start speaking about his ex and always compared Minh to her. It seemed as if he just could not let that go and I was almost certain he would never be able to get over it.

Overall, I just could not get into this book. It seemed so unrealistic and hasty. The story lacked something, almost like Minh’s music. It was ordinary and didn’t have that special something to make it stand out. Unfortunately, the whole mathematician and musician story just did not add up for me.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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Guest Post with Author Amanda K. Byrne

Meet Amanda K. Byrne, author of One Night in Buenos Aires.

When she’s not plotting ways to sneak her latest shoe purchase past her partner, Amanda writes sexy, snarky romance and urban fantasy. She likes her heroines smart and unafraid to make mistakes, and her heroes strong enough to take them on.

If she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking hot chocolate, and trying not to destroy her house with her newest DIY project. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and no, it really doesn’t rain that much.

Find Amanda at:

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ARC Review: One Night in Santiago by Audra North

I’ve read Audra North before and really enjoyed her writing style and her story. Her story, “Falling for the CEO” was very good. I loved the characters and their chemistry. However, “One Night in Santiago” fell short for me. I thought that the characters did not mesh well. Even though the meet under an unpleasant situation their conversation seems forced and awkward. Lily seems, almost immature. Although I think the conversation where they meet is supposed to be light hearted and funny it was uncomfortable and strained. Some of the scenes seemed overly dramatic. Lily is going through a lot of emotions. She is on a trip that was supposed to be her honeymoon. She gets stranded there because of a terrible storm and misses her sisters’ graduation. Although it’s understandable that she is under emotional stress after she discovers her fiancé was cheating on her with her friend. Lily seems to be all over the place. She goes through a lot of different emotions in a short period of time… she can’t wait to rip Bruno’s clothes off and then she is weeping on his chest after speaking with her sister. She makes the statement to Bruno that she is “the worst sister in the world”. The set up the story was interesting. Both Lily and Bruno are stranded at the Ritz and there is only one room available. They fight over it and eventually Bruno, chivalrously, lets Lily have it. But then they fight again about why she is letting him share the suite… Even though both characters attribute their bickering to their mutual stubbornness, it doesn’t play out well. Instead of chemistry it comes off as petty and trivial.

As Lily and Bruno Komarov spend the night in their shared suite they get to know each other. Bruno despite his last name comes from Chilean heritage. Lily also finds out that Bruno is inheriting a very profitable wine making company. Lily in her own right owns a consultant company that is also successful. Lily decides that she is not going to let the opportunity to be with Bruno pass by. She throws caution to the wind and makes it clear to him that she is interested. After a very hot and steamy night together they have to part ways. Lily gets up the next morning and goes to the airport. When Bruno wakes up he does not find Lily but only the note she left. Realizing that the still has time to reach her he goes to the airport to find her. Novellas are tough because the author has a hard job, make the characters relatable and the reader interested in a small number of pages. I definitely plan to read more by this author in the future. I really like that her characters are very unique and different.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Falling for the Ceo by Audra North

I really enjoyed this story by Audra North. Meredith Klaus works for Andrew Stanton at Harbor Technologies for the past three months, she is the Chief Financial Officer. Meredith is walking to Andrew’s office to give him a little bit of bad news when she overhears him on the phone with his ex-girlfriend. Meredith in an effort to give him privacy trips and drops her laptop on her foot. Andrew notices and tries to give Meredith a hand. This is a turning point in their relationship because up until that point they had a strictly business relationship.

When they are in his office Meredith tries to explain to Andrew that his most valued project the Christmas Bonus Fund has money that is missing. Andrew although very rich has a strong passion for philanthropy. The Christmas Bonus is a project that he started which gives a bonus to Employees and they use to give to a charity of their own. Andrew has a reputation for being very generous and has the nickname “the Santa CEO”. Before she is able to mention the missing funds Andrew asks Meredith if she can accompany him to a black-tie dinner. Meredith has big crush on her boss. He is handsome and very kind. Meredith accepts but is worried that he will blame her for the missing funds. However, Andrew is a super sweet guy and knows that Meredith is not responsible.

The day of the black-tie dinner Meredith and Andrew do no regard themselves as employer and employee. Meredith is very overwhelmed with the evening. She is a very sweet and hardworking person who lost her parents when she was very young. After the death of her parents she was placed in different foster homes, since then all she has ever longed for is a family. Andrew and Meredith are both very sweet and caring people. They both appreciate each other’s wholeheartedness and have great chemistry. This was a very sweet and romantic read. Andrew is a complete gentleman and appreciates Meredith for who she is. Meredith finds in Andrew a caring, handsome and super sweet guy. This is a heartwarming read!

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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