A Tale of Mischief and F*ckery

by Liz Shipton

His name was Zarin Stevenson...

Zarin Stevenson is twenty-seven years old and six-foot-four, with a jawline that could cut glass, and cheekbones you could hang your washing on. You can tell he's dangerous because he's constantly staring broodily at things in the middle distance, and because he has a tattoo somewhere—probably his neck.

You'd think he'd have no problem breaking hearts and bedding girls, but Zarin's been passionately in love with shy, frumpy Penelope since the third grade, and has never been able to express that love because...reasons.

But when a threat is made against Penelope's life on the Day of the Lucky Saint, Zarin can no longer stand on ceremony. He must protect. He must attack. He must tell her how he feels.

There's only one archer, assassin and all-around lady badass Leotrix Cottswaddle has been assigned as Penelope's bodyguard. And Zarin doesn't trust her one bit.


This is a steamy, lighthearted, standalone St. Patrick's Day story you can read in an hour or less, at any time of year! I go for QUALITY over QUANTITY when it comes to spice, and I rate my chili peppers at about a 3-4.

You'll find the following

HFN ending
sword and sorcery
badass females
forced proximity
enemies to lovers
one bed
W/W spicy scene
plot twist


About the Series

Small town apocalypses? Dystopian billionaires? Fae mafia bosses? How about hockey playing shifters? A Greek god desperately in need of a nanny?

You may ask, "Why?" This series of steamy holiday instaloves asks, "Why not?" Why not a mishmash of genres? Why not funny, off-the-wall romance with hot spice and big heart? Why not a sexy hockey shifter rom-com starring the Easter bunny?

Inside these 12 books, you'll find 12 short standalone instaloves, each set during a different holiday in every month of the year.

"Even August?" I hear you asking.

Yes, friend. Even August.

"But there isn't even a holiday in Aug—"

Don't worry about it. It's gonna be fine. I have, like, eight months to figure that out. Just start at December, and we'll all be fine. Okay?

Okay.

Genres: Fantasy

73 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2024

About the author

Liz is a hybrid author best known for her urban fantasy Dot Slash Magic, which received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, and for her viral comedy videos. She lives on a sailboat in the Caribbean with her partner and dog. On the rare occasion Liz isn't writing, you can find her reading, swimming, telling her dog "I love you" for the bazillionth time today, or watching 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

Reviews

[Rebelle]

This one is so fun and so unserious. It’s a quick read but has so many plot twists! It’s hilarious and spicy and shocking. Can’t wait to get the kickstarter of the anthology!

[Woeful Whimsy]

A short and fun read, although I expected one thing and what happened is something else entirely🤣

[Zureena]

Is there a follow up!

Really enjoyed this book. Sassy, 🔥 action and a total 360° story twist. What an amazing shocker 😊. A 5🌟 all the way. Would like to see where our new lovers and life long friend get up to and their journey to the gold.

[Annette Summerfield]

I enjoyed this short read. I bet the 3 of them are going to have quite the adventure.

[Lisa Sparkle]

LOL. This was hilarious

"How the fuck was she supposed to afford food for her seven ungrateful sisters in the hovel back home if she got axed? Is not like any of them had jobs, for some fucking reason."

I laughed out loud on the train to work reading this short story. I LOVE the dumb dude who is completely oblivious trying to save the girl who doesn't need his help. If you have read fae and magical type books then this is like the piss take Scary Movie type version. Highly recommend for those who don't take reading too seriously and just want to laugh at stupid guy. Also great spicy scene and one hilarious spicy scene. 👌

[Philae_02]

I totally loved this adult spicy fantasy novella from LZ Shipton! Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, featuring leprechauns and fairies. This was a super quick read (about 1-2 hrs), and it had everything— humor, romance, swashbuckling action, and magic. My absolute favorite line was: “It exploded outside, showering hearts, stars, horseshoes, clovers, and blue moons into the trees.” :) Can’t wait for the next novella!

[Kerryn Griffis]

quirky read

This was a quirky, quick read with leprechauns, a fairy, 2 gay fmc’s and a massively hung mmc living a delusion — it was definitely interesting and entertaining in a what the hell am I reading kind of way — I downloaded it purely due to its title, cover design and super short length and I don’t regret it —

[Candis]

Previous one better

Seemed like a different author wrote this book compared to the previous one, because this book felt rushed. I'm not sure if that was the author's intent in regards to this storyline & list of characters. The book had an odd flow to it with the plot and seemed like maybe there should be another chapter to tidy things up with the King,the lady, the gold, etc.

[Sarah Andrews]

Fantastic short read

Delightfully campy and fun! This was lighthearted and sexy. The spice level was nice if not my brand, and I loved the rainbomb!

[Sam]

A quick spicy fantasy story! A fun read for those that like it hot!

[Sophie]

Quick and spicy fantasy read. LGBTq+ rep and a fun magical world inspired by Irish mythology. I loved the characters, the plot surprised me and I just had a lot of fun with reading this story.

[Gabrielle]

It's camp, ridiculous, and delightful, and I'm here for it.

[Elle]

4.5 stars.

[Michelle Pizarro]

3.5⭐️

[karifin]

took long (for a novella) to get into. twist and ending felt very rushed

[Ruby]

Fun, sassy, scandalous... and then BAM! Didn't see that coming! Gotta love a story where everyone gets what they deserve... and a happy ending?

So glad I pre-ordered the hard cover.

[Sophie Glascott-Roberts]

made me laugh! every cheesey trope achieved 👏

[Gabby]

This was a fast read, but in the best way. The spice was on point and it was simply a fun story.

[Ryna]

A Whimsical and Mild Quick Hit

Used this as a nice little palate cleanser after the Red Rising Trilogy. Low stakes, forgettable characters. It knows what it is and that's perfectly fine.

[Leslie Hallman]

Super funny romantic novella with a friends to not lovers surprise alternate romance.

[Shelly]

Ahhh, the tiktok that started it all. Chef's kiss.