Mine to Keep: A Short Story

by Ann Marie Croft

Sarah Oliver thought her love life was perfect until a betrayal on Valentine’s Day destroyed it all. Now, two years later, she’s still picking up the pieces of her life. Her cautious approach to relationships is tested when her new boss, Joe, asks her to join him for Valentine’s Day dinner.

Joe Thatcher wants one Sarah Oliver. After a company merger puts Sarah in his path, he knows she’s the one. Valentine’s Day seems like the perfect opportunity to make his move, but Sarah has built an emotional wall around herself that has proven difficult to break through.

As the night heats up, Sarah’s past heartache and fears rise to the surface, but Joe is determined to prove to Sarah that it’s safe to open her heart again, culminating in a night of unforgettable passion.


"A great office romance. The chemistry between Sarah and Joe was brilliant." —Goodreads review

"Title alone is enough for me to give it a 5-star rating. Excellent story full of love and passion. Office romance tops every romance plot out there." —Goodreads review

"I could feel the tension and wanting desire between Joe and Sarah from the first page." —Goodreads review

"Loved this billionaire romance. Joe Thatcher is yummy." —Instagram review

Genres: Ebooks

39 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 12, 2025

Reviews

[Ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute light read!

[Liz Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐💫, rounded up

This was a fun read, even though I didn’t realize until I started reading it that it’s Valentine’s Day themed. It’s a dual POV, which I don’t find a lot in novellas, and I enjoyed that. I do think that dynamic worked well for the FMC, Sarah, but I would’ve liked to see a bit more from Joe’s perspective about what he didn’t like about how he handled relationships in his 20s. I think this story was paced well while still creating an emotional depth between the couple, which is always a plus with novellas.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

short, amazing, spicy!

Omg I loved this so much. Their chemistry, the warm feeling I got from their love. And the passion. It left me wanting more and I’m going to look up this author and read everything else there is.

It’s hard to write short stories and pack it to the brim with all the feels and passion—but oh boy, did Ann Marie Croft do just that. Perfect!!

[Shan · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.75 stars.

This was fine but i probably would’ve dnfed it if it wasn’t like 40 pages. The ending was cute but i think there’s better written romance short stories/novellas out there.

But hey if you have 20 minutes and want to pick up a spicy, workplace kinda romance this will hit the spot x

[Ashleigh Diaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

lol so I didn't know what I was signing up for. Just saw this mentioned a stuff your kindle say. It's like Penelope Douglas but with zero plot lol cute if you want to read for 25 mins and.........

[Whit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love short stories and this one hit the spot. 👌🏼

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great spicy short valentine read! Who doesn't love a man who wants the woman to have the pleasure she deserves 😌🥵🤭

[Z R · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nice quick read. Love the setting, progression and ending. It's true that it's lone standing book that one can read without reading the others in the series.

[Kat Stine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean I suppose that was an okay way to spend 30 minutes? Writing was cheesy and cliche, dialogue felt like it was out of a bad porno movie. But like… it was fine I guess?

[Laurianne Lefebvre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Christina Mattingly · Rating 2 out of 5]

A perfectly decent instalove short. Ends with spice. :)