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The Boss of Her
Going to work never felt so good. Three office romance novellas from talented writers Julie Cannon, Aurora Rey, and M. Ullrich.
In For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon: Dress for success takes on a very different meaning. CFO Riley Stephenson finds herself in a particularly difficult position when the stripper she's fallen for shows up at her office―as her new employee.
In Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey: Attorney Elisa Gonzalez is happy working behind the scenes while still having time for a life. All that changes when her firm takes on a major case and Parker Jones, powerhouse litigator and her law school crush, is named lead counsel.
In Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich: Luca Garner is eager and hardworking, but her new boss is a total nightmare―snarky and uncooperative, not to mention an ice queen. VP Stephanie Austin doesn’t mean to be unkind, but the last thing she wants is an assistant getting under her skin, especially one who is as attractive as she is kind.
In For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon: Dress for success takes on a very different meaning. CFO Riley Stephenson finds herself in a particularly difficult position when the stripper she's fallen for shows up at her office―as her new employee.
In Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey: Attorney Elisa Gonzalez is happy working behind the scenes while still having time for a life. All that changes when her firm takes on a major case and Parker Jones, powerhouse litigator and her law school crush, is named lead counsel.
In Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich: Luca Garner is eager and hardworking, but her new boss is a total nightmare―snarky and uncooperative, not to mention an ice queen. VP Stephanie Austin doesn’t mean to be unkind, but the last thing she wants is an assistant getting under her skin, especially one who is as attractive as she is kind.
258 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2018
64 people are currently reading
376 people want to read
About the author
Ashley Bartlett
16 books43 followersAshley Bartlett was born and raised in California. Her life consists of reading and writing. Most of the time Ashley engages in these pursuits while sitting in front of a coffee shop with her girlfriend and smoking cigarettes. It’s a glamorous life. She is an obnoxious, sarcastic, punk-ass, but her friends don’t hold that against her. She currently lives in Sacramento. (from the author's website)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
March 27, 2018
3.75 Stars. This is a really good collection of novellas. I tend to have mixed feelings with novellas since they can seem a bit rushed. I’m happy to say all of these novellas had the quality of full novels. All three stories felt complete and only one had an ending that was a little rushed. This was a good quality collection and I’m glad I read this.
Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey- 4 stars. This was my favorite of all three novellas. The writing was good. The story was full and not rushed. It was a real feel good story. It also has a cameo from the couple in Crescent City Confidential.
For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon- 3.75 stars. This had a really interesting premise. This was about falling in love with a stripper, but with a twist. What really impressed me was the writing. To me this felt like classic Julie Cannon back from when I used to love her books. The only issue was the ending was rushed.
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich- 3.75 stars. An ice queen boss falls in love with her assistant. I was really enjoying this story. It had the chance to be my favorite, but the major conflict felt a little too forced, especially for a novella. I did really enjoy the “one year later” ending. Anyone who is a fan of Ullrich’s book Fortunate Sum, will get a nice treat. We get to experience what is next in Catherine and Imogene’s life.
This was a really nice collection of novellas. If you are a fan of these authors, or just a romance fan, I think you will enjoy this.
An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.
Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey- 4 stars. This was my favorite of all three novellas. The writing was good. The story was full and not rushed. It was a real feel good story. It also has a cameo from the couple in Crescent City Confidential.
For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon- 3.75 stars. This had a really interesting premise. This was about falling in love with a stripper, but with a twist. What really impressed me was the writing. To me this felt like classic Julie Cannon back from when I used to love her books. The only issue was the ending was rushed.
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich- 3.75 stars. An ice queen boss falls in love with her assistant. I was really enjoying this story. It had the chance to be my favorite, but the major conflict felt a little too forced, especially for a novella. I did really enjoy the “one year later” ending. Anyone who is a fan of Ullrich’s book Fortunate Sum, will get a nice treat. We get to experience what is next in Catherine and Imogene’s life.
This was a really nice collection of novellas. If you are a fan of these authors, or just a romance fan, I think you will enjoy this.
An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.
March 11, 2018
This is a compilation of three novellas under the common theme of boss/employee romantic liaisons by three seasoned Bold Strokes Books authors.
In 'Lead counsel' by Aurora Rey, Attorney Elisa Gonzalez finds herself having to work a major case alongside her former law school crush and now hotshot litigator Parker Jones who has possibly forgotten all about their quick tryst in college. Or has she?
'For your eyes only' by Julie Cannon. CFO Riley Stephenson's all work no play life is turned upside down by a gorgeous stripper who eventually ends up as her new employee.
'Opportunity of a lifetime' by M. Ullrich. VP Stephanie Austin likes to work solo but when her boss assigns her an assistant she finds out that maybe there's something to be said about working as a team as Luca Gardner is efficient, hardworking and incredibly beautiful.
Unlike other compilations where the quality of the works varies, in this book all the novellas are at the same level of writing standards. However, there are some issues like, for example, in 'For your eyes only' the end is a bit abrupt, 'Lead counsel' introduces too many secondary characters that are hard to follow, and 'Opportunity of a lifetime' drags the conflict between the main characters a bit unrealistically. Additionally, I think that in all three novellas, the powerplay and sexual tension between boss/employee isn't maximised to its full potential like in, for example, 'I remember' by Julie Cannon or 'Too close to touch' by Georgia Beers which are very good lesfic books of corporate romance. Having said that, this is an enjoyable compilation for those readers who enjoy this type of romance.
Overall, an entertaining and enjoyable read despite some minor issues. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at
www.lezreviewbooks.wordpress.com
In 'Lead counsel' by Aurora Rey, Attorney Elisa Gonzalez finds herself having to work a major case alongside her former law school crush and now hotshot litigator Parker Jones who has possibly forgotten all about their quick tryst in college. Or has she?
'For your eyes only' by Julie Cannon. CFO Riley Stephenson's all work no play life is turned upside down by a gorgeous stripper who eventually ends up as her new employee.
'Opportunity of a lifetime' by M. Ullrich. VP Stephanie Austin likes to work solo but when her boss assigns her an assistant she finds out that maybe there's something to be said about working as a team as Luca Gardner is efficient, hardworking and incredibly beautiful.
Unlike other compilations where the quality of the works varies, in this book all the novellas are at the same level of writing standards. However, there are some issues like, for example, in 'For your eyes only' the end is a bit abrupt, 'Lead counsel' introduces too many secondary characters that are hard to follow, and 'Opportunity of a lifetime' drags the conflict between the main characters a bit unrealistically. Additionally, I think that in all three novellas, the powerplay and sexual tension between boss/employee isn't maximised to its full potential like in, for example, 'I remember' by Julie Cannon or 'Too close to touch' by Georgia Beers which are very good lesfic books of corporate romance. Having said that, this is an enjoyable compilation for those readers who enjoy this type of romance.
Overall, an entertaining and enjoyable read despite some minor issues. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at
www.lezreviewbooks.wordpress.com
June 10, 2018
This is a collection of novella's that are quite good. The problem I find with novella's are that they end up too short. You are left wanting more.
I found all three very good but the one I loved the best was Aurora Rey Lead Council. This one felt complete and unrushed. I will admit it sounded familiar but for the life of me I can't put my finger on it. The other two I felt could have been longer as the endings felt rushed.
Yes, I would recommend this book. Enjoy!
*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*
I found all three very good but the one I loved the best was Aurora Rey Lead Council. This one felt complete and unrushed. I will admit it sounded familiar but for the life of me I can't put my finger on it. The other two I felt could have been longer as the endings felt rushed.
Yes, I would recommend this book. Enjoy!
*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*
March 17, 2018
All three of these novellas were enjoyable and well-written.
Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey
Elisa Gonzalez finds herself assigned as co-counsel to Parker Jones, out-of-town high-powered litigator and former law school crush. This is a nice easy read with two women trying to figure out if they can reconnect.
For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon
Riley Stephenson, a highly respected CFO, finds herself instantly attracted to a stripper at her best friend’s party. This has a fantastic sexiness and sense of anticipation but, as I’ve found with most of Cannon’s books, I feel as if my fingers get slammed in the book with the abruptness of the ending.
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M Ullrich
Luca Garner, an astute and hardworking junior forensic accountant, is assigned to VP Stephanie Austin as her assistant. ‘Stone Cold Stephanie’ is not known to have ever taken an assistant and her reputation precedes her. This was my favourite of the three novellas.
Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey
Elisa Gonzalez finds herself assigned as co-counsel to Parker Jones, out-of-town high-powered litigator and former law school crush. This is a nice easy read with two women trying to figure out if they can reconnect.
For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon
Riley Stephenson, a highly respected CFO, finds herself instantly attracted to a stripper at her best friend’s party. This has a fantastic sexiness and sense of anticipation but, as I’ve found with most of Cannon’s books, I feel as if my fingers get slammed in the book with the abruptness of the ending.
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M Ullrich
Luca Garner, an astute and hardworking junior forensic accountant, is assigned to VP Stephanie Austin as her assistant. ‘Stone Cold Stephanie’ is not known to have ever taken an assistant and her reputation precedes her. This was my favourite of the three novellas.
Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
April 26, 2018
ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a mixed bag for me, I liked one, thought one was average, and didn’t warm to the other.
The first story is Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey, I don’t think I’ve read anything by her before, but I will now. This was by far the strongest story, and I wish it wasn’t a novella. I enjoyed both MC’s and the plot was interesting, there was also no stupidly interspersed drama. I would have liked more time with these characters, still what was there didn’t feel forced or rushed.
Second is Julie Cannon’s For Your Eyes Only, which had an out there premise featuring a stripper and a woman who’s wound so tight she has to keep paying her to dance for her. I didn’t really get a handle on either character and the reveal at the end was rushed and unrealistic. No way do I see that relationship lasting.
The last was M. Ullrich’s Opportunity of a Lifetime and I just couldn’t warm to it. Didn’t like either character, the plot wasn’t terribly interesting and the contrived drama was way over the top.
All in all I’m happy I tried this because I found a new author, but overall, it was an average read.
This was a mixed bag for me, I liked one, thought one was average, and didn’t warm to the other.
The first story is Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey, I don’t think I’ve read anything by her before, but I will now. This was by far the strongest story, and I wish it wasn’t a novella. I enjoyed both MC’s and the plot was interesting, there was also no stupidly interspersed drama. I would have liked more time with these characters, still what was there didn’t feel forced or rushed.
Second is Julie Cannon’s For Your Eyes Only, which had an out there premise featuring a stripper and a woman who’s wound so tight she has to keep paying her to dance for her. I didn’t really get a handle on either character and the reveal at the end was rushed and unrealistic. No way do I see that relationship lasting.
The last was M. Ullrich’s Opportunity of a Lifetime and I just couldn’t warm to it. Didn’t like either character, the plot wasn’t terribly interesting and the contrived drama was way over the top.
All in all I’m happy I tried this because I found a new author, but overall, it was an average read.
June 3, 2018
Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey
I think this one is an okay read to me. I enjoyed it but not much. For some unknown reason, i dont really like Parker. There was one moment, while i was reading it, i felt like i didnt want both mc together at all. Sorry i dont know what else to say. And tbh, after i finished this story, i kinda forgot what it was about.
3 stars
For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon
I Enjoyed this one better than the first one. The story is also okay. Both characters were likable to me. Riley was an introvert and sometimes she did thing kind of awkward and i found it amusing. Though the ending is a bit rush to me.
3.5 stars
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich
Out of the three, this one would be my favorite. That probably because one of the MC is an ice queen character. She seem a bit too harsh at the start and quite unreasonable to me. But i still like it better than the other two books. And i enjoyed it alots too.
4 stars
I think this one is an okay read to me. I enjoyed it but not much. For some unknown reason, i dont really like Parker. There was one moment, while i was reading it, i felt like i didnt want both mc together at all. Sorry i dont know what else to say. And tbh, after i finished this story, i kinda forgot what it was about.
3 stars
For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon
I Enjoyed this one better than the first one. The story is also okay. Both characters were likable to me. Riley was an introvert and sometimes she did thing kind of awkward and i found it amusing. Though the ending is a bit rush to me.
3.5 stars
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich
Out of the three, this one would be my favorite. That probably because one of the MC is an ice queen character. She seem a bit too harsh at the start and quite unreasonable to me. But i still like it better than the other two books. And i enjoyed it alots too.
4 stars
April 17, 2018
Lead Counsel
I'm not sure how to rate this, there's just nothing that really stands out in this story. I read it and almost immediately forgot about it. Perhaps because the author spent quite some time writing about characters that I didn't particularly care for.
For Your Eyes Only
If I had to pick a favorite of the three stories this would be it. It reminded me a lot of "thirteen hours" by Meghan O'Brien especially given that one of the main characters from each book share the same name. I just wish the author hadn't told the story from two POV's because the ending felt a little abrupt. Instead I could have done with a few more chapters because Riley and Jess/Dana have great chemistry.
Opportunity of a Lifetime
This was my least favorite story of the three, I simply couldn't get over my hatred of Stephanie. For someone who claims to be a professional her behavior towards Luca is downright rude and condescending. This is the second character written by this author that I absolutely loathe.
I'm not sure how to rate this, there's just nothing that really stands out in this story. I read it and almost immediately forgot about it. Perhaps because the author spent quite some time writing about characters that I didn't particularly care for.
For Your Eyes Only
If I had to pick a favorite of the three stories this would be it. It reminded me a lot of "thirteen hours" by Meghan O'Brien especially given that one of the main characters from each book share the same name. I just wish the author hadn't told the story from two POV's because the ending felt a little abrupt. Instead I could have done with a few more chapters because Riley and Jess/Dana have great chemistry.
Opportunity of a Lifetime
This was my least favorite story of the three, I simply couldn't get over my hatred of Stephanie. For someone who claims to be a professional her behavior towards Luca is downright rude and condescending. This is the second character written by this author that I absolutely loathe.
April 23, 2018
For Your Eyes Only was my favourite of the three novellas. I just really connected to the story from the beginning and boy, was it sexy. I think if Julie Cannon decided to use that novella as a prologue or prequel it could be a best seller. The characters had chemistry, the story and pace was tight and the premise was extremely sexy. I want more!
Remember Elisa, Sam’s cousin from Aurora Rey’s novel, Crescent City Confidential? Well she’s one of the main protagonists in Lead Counsel. As soon as I had worked out the connection to Crescent City Confidential and Lead Counsel I read them both again. As soon as Parker Jones, Elisa’s beau was written into this story, I was a goner. Talk about oozing sex appeal… this chick has it in spades and it just made her chemistry and undeniable connection to Elisa excruciatingly more potent. I loved this story and just another reason I adore Ms. Rey’s books.
Opportunity of a Lifetime made me get all the feels. The moments in this were written beautifully and I sincerely love when authors bring characters together from other books. It really makes me feel like the characters are one big happy family. I love the Ice Queen trope, it is sexy and makes the happy ever after all the more special. I particularly loved Luca’s character and loved reading her thought process as her feelings developed for Stephanie.
All together a fantastic collection of stories that I know I will enjoy over and over again. 5 stars
Remember Elisa, Sam’s cousin from Aurora Rey’s novel, Crescent City Confidential? Well she’s one of the main protagonists in Lead Counsel. As soon as I had worked out the connection to Crescent City Confidential and Lead Counsel I read them both again. As soon as Parker Jones, Elisa’s beau was written into this story, I was a goner. Talk about oozing sex appeal… this chick has it in spades and it just made her chemistry and undeniable connection to Elisa excruciatingly more potent. I loved this story and just another reason I adore Ms. Rey’s books.
Opportunity of a Lifetime made me get all the feels. The moments in this were written beautifully and I sincerely love when authors bring characters together from other books. It really makes me feel like the characters are one big happy family. I love the Ice Queen trope, it is sexy and makes the happy ever after all the more special. I particularly loved Luca’s character and loved reading her thought process as her feelings developed for Stephanie.
All together a fantastic collection of stories that I know I will enjoy over and over again. 5 stars
May 4, 2018
This is an anthology of three lesbian romance novellas with the theme of workplace romance. In order they are:
Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey: Elisa Gonzalez is an attorney determined to maintain a work-life balance, in sharp contrast to her new lead counsel and former crush Parker Jones. The story is mostly them reconnecting through their shared history and misunderstandings. This was ok, but very light with the central conflict more around a misunderstanding than anything else. As a personal preference I was a bit put off by head-hopping in the narrative, but I do understand it's more of a thing in romance novels.
For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon: Riley Stephenson is the CFO for her company considers herself to be serious, thoughtful and stable. So when she encounters an off-the-charts attraction to Jess, a stripper that she meets at a friend's fiftieth birthday party, it takes her completely by surprise. What she does subsequently is anything but serious and thoughtful as she continues to see Jess. It's all in jeopardy when Jess shows up at Riley's workplace as a new Financial Analyst under her real name Dana. My favorite of this collection with the staid Riley on a roller-coaster of passion and confusion as she deals with her feelings towards Dana, and Dana's growing attraction to her mysterious client turned boss. Unfortunately it feels like the story cuts off just as it gets interesting and it doesn't really deal with the central premise of the anthology at all, that of a relationship between a boss and a subordinate, as the action stops once they get together.
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich: Probably the least believable of the three with some truly outrageous Devil Wears Prada shenanigans between the boss forensic accountant Stephanie Austin and her new assistant Luca Gardner. Somehow Stephanie's growing respect for Luca's tenacity and Luca's determination to handle anything that Stephanie does to her translates to a relationship rather than lifelong enmity. I didn't really buy it, although the story did have entertaining parts.
One of the reasons I like to read LGBT fiction is that I find relationship dynamics outside of traditional male-female roles quite interesting. Add in boss-employee dynamics to that and the relationships should become fascinating, and a bit of an inherent minefield. It's probably a shame then that only the third story really delivers on what I was looking for here, and that one was a bit spoiled by relatively unbelievable behavior on the part of the boss character. Still, I enjoyed the collection overall, even if it wasn't quite what I was after.
Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey: Elisa Gonzalez is an attorney determined to maintain a work-life balance, in sharp contrast to her new lead counsel and former crush Parker Jones. The story is mostly them reconnecting through their shared history and misunderstandings. This was ok, but very light with the central conflict more around a misunderstanding than anything else. As a personal preference I was a bit put off by head-hopping in the narrative, but I do understand it's more of a thing in romance novels.
For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon: Riley Stephenson is the CFO for her company considers herself to be serious, thoughtful and stable. So when she encounters an off-the-charts attraction to Jess, a stripper that she meets at a friend's fiftieth birthday party, it takes her completely by surprise. What she does subsequently is anything but serious and thoughtful as she continues to see Jess. It's all in jeopardy when Jess shows up at Riley's workplace as a new Financial Analyst under her real name Dana. My favorite of this collection with the staid Riley on a roller-coaster of passion and confusion as she deals with her feelings towards Dana, and Dana's growing attraction to her mysterious client turned boss. Unfortunately it feels like the story cuts off just as it gets interesting and it doesn't really deal with the central premise of the anthology at all, that of a relationship between a boss and a subordinate, as the action stops once they get together.
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich: Probably the least believable of the three with some truly outrageous Devil Wears Prada shenanigans between the boss forensic accountant Stephanie Austin and her new assistant Luca Gardner. Somehow Stephanie's growing respect for Luca's tenacity and Luca's determination to handle anything that Stephanie does to her translates to a relationship rather than lifelong enmity. I didn't really buy it, although the story did have entertaining parts.
One of the reasons I like to read LGBT fiction is that I find relationship dynamics outside of traditional male-female roles quite interesting. Add in boss-employee dynamics to that and the relationships should become fascinating, and a bit of an inherent minefield. It's probably a shame then that only the third story really delivers on what I was looking for here, and that one was a bit spoiled by relatively unbelievable behavior on the part of the boss character. Still, I enjoyed the collection overall, even if it wasn't quite what I was after.
March 1, 2020
The Boss of Her is an anthology of three stories by three different authors with the boss/employee relationship as the common theme.
Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey - Attorney Elisa Gonzalez has to work a major case with her former law school crush, now New York hotshot litigator Parker Jones. Can Jones adjust to living in Hotlanta again? Does she even remember Elisa and their drunken fumble?
For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon - CFO Riley Stephenson is all work and no play until she meets this gorgeous stripper who – as it turns out later – happens to be in her employ. Oops.
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich - snarky VP Stephanie Austin likes to do everything herself, but has no choice when her boss appoints Luca Gardner as her new assistant. A battle of wills begins as Luca is on a mission to slowly thaw the ice queen.
Of all three I preferred Julie Cannon’s story. It was the most entertaining and brought the sizzle the other two lacked. Aurora Rey was okay, a bit bland perhaps. M. Ullrich’s story was the least successful. The emotions of both characters where all over the place. Stephanie was a nasty bitch in the first part and had a personality transplant in the second. The drama at the 80% felt forced. I couldn’t really connect.
f/f one out of three was sexy
Themes: boss/employee romance
3.5 Stars
Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey - Attorney Elisa Gonzalez has to work a major case with her former law school crush, now New York hotshot litigator Parker Jones. Can Jones adjust to living in Hotlanta again? Does she even remember Elisa and their drunken fumble?
For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon - CFO Riley Stephenson is all work and no play until she meets this gorgeous stripper who – as it turns out later – happens to be in her employ. Oops.
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich - snarky VP Stephanie Austin likes to do everything herself, but has no choice when her boss appoints Luca Gardner as her new assistant. A battle of wills begins as Luca is on a mission to slowly thaw the ice queen.
Of all three I preferred Julie Cannon’s story. It was the most entertaining and brought the sizzle the other two lacked. Aurora Rey was okay, a bit bland perhaps. M. Ullrich’s story was the least successful. The emotions of both characters where all over the place. Stephanie was a nasty bitch in the first part and had a personality transplant in the second. The drama at the 80% felt forced. I couldn’t really connect.
f/f one out of three was sexy
Themes: boss/employee romance
3.5 Stars
July 6, 2018
Detailed score: 4.0
This was a better than average anthology: 3 novellas and no weak ones in the bunch.
When I was looking up the authors after I’d finished I was surprised to discover that I’ve given each of them 2 or 3 star reviews on some of their other work.
I’d known that beforehand I probably wouldn’t have picked up this one so... don’t make my almost mistake!
On reflection, I think the constraints of the shorter form helped iron out (or didn’t leave room for) the issues that had annoyed me in their full length works: + Sweet and only minimal angst? That’s ok - it’s a novella, no much room for too much drahmah.
+ Barrier to love has been strung out for too long and is no longer plausible? Not enough time for that in a novella!
Yet the experience of the authors shows: the characters are rich and 3 dimensional and the pwoar scenes are confidently written.
Overall: 3 swoony stories well suited to a novella length. Noice.
This was a better than average anthology: 3 novellas and no weak ones in the bunch.
When I was looking up the authors after I’d finished I was surprised to discover that I’ve given each of them 2 or 3 star reviews on some of their other work.
I’d known that beforehand I probably wouldn’t have picked up this one so... don’t make my almost mistake!
On reflection, I think the constraints of the shorter form helped iron out (or didn’t leave room for) the issues that had annoyed me in their full length works: + Sweet and only minimal angst? That’s ok - it’s a novella, no much room for too much drahmah.
+ Barrier to love has been strung out for too long and is no longer plausible? Not enough time for that in a novella!
Yet the experience of the authors shows: the characters are rich and 3 dimensional and the pwoar scenes are confidently written.
Overall: 3 swoony stories well suited to a novella length. Noice.
April 20, 2019
For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon - 3.5-stars. Great chemistry, but I didn't love it. Perhaps it's just me. I've never found strip dancing to be appealing. (Although, what do I know, I've only ever seen it in scenes of movie and television.)
Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey - 5-stars. I love legal stories, and this is just a novella, so the legal part takes a back-seat to the romance, but I really liked it. This novella is nominated for a RITA, main- stream romance award, and it deserves it.
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich - 4-stars. Well done ice queen.
Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey - 5-stars. I love legal stories, and this is just a novella, so the legal part takes a back-seat to the romance, but I really liked it. This novella is nominated for a RITA, main- stream romance award, and it deserves it.
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich - 4-stars. Well done ice queen.
March 25, 2018
4 stars
Three nice novellas by three experienced BSB romance authors. All three well written, interesting and enjoyable. One big complain though. I would have liked a more fleshed out ending in For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon. It felt very rushed and not well thought out and it knocked a star off my rating.
Recommended to all romance fans.
eARC via NetGalley
Three nice novellas by three experienced BSB romance authors. All three well written, interesting and enjoyable. One big complain though. I would have liked a more fleshed out ending in For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon. It felt very rushed and not well thought out and it knocked a star off my rating.
Recommended to all romance fans.
eARC via NetGalley
May 28, 2018
Novellas are so cute....I mean yeah it's all rushed but if the story plays out well I'm a happy person.
So this set of novellas are all set in the workplace, and there's a sense of forbiddeness about romances in the workplace. That had me intrigued. I wasn't familiar with one author, Julia Cannon but now that I've read this novel I'm gonna be looking her up.
*Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey*
I've read one book by her, 'Winters arbour's and I kinda liked how warm and fuzzy that novel was. This was a nice novella to read. It covered everything I wanted in a story albeit a shorter version. The characters seemed nice and the romance played out well.
*For her eyes only by Julie Cannon*
This book was hot! Nothing else to say. It starts off from Riley's perspective, and then from Dana's perspective and finally has a third person narrative. The story development was great but the ending felt too rushed for me. This novella is like a guilty pleasure for me.
*Opportunity of a Lifetime by M Ullrich*
Now this was the story I was interested in. I loved 'Fortunate Sum' and I was so psyched when I saw the characters from fortunate sum came in this novella. Their story arc was awesome. This novella is the kind of story I like. An uptight person who changes for the good. After this novella I had a tiny crush on Luca. She's so damn precious. This novella had everything a novel would have, a slow burn, the hookup, and then a brief breakup (Ooh the drama). I'd certainly read this story again.
That pretty much sums up my review. Personally I'd totally recommend these novellas. They are so similar and yet so different.
So this set of novellas are all set in the workplace, and there's a sense of forbiddeness about romances in the workplace. That had me intrigued. I wasn't familiar with one author, Julia Cannon but now that I've read this novel I'm gonna be looking her up.
*Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey*
I've read one book by her, 'Winters arbour's and I kinda liked how warm and fuzzy that novel was. This was a nice novella to read. It covered everything I wanted in a story albeit a shorter version. The characters seemed nice and the romance played out well.
*For her eyes only by Julie Cannon*
This book was hot! Nothing else to say. It starts off from Riley's perspective, and then from Dana's perspective and finally has a third person narrative. The story development was great but the ending felt too rushed for me. This novella is like a guilty pleasure for me.
*Opportunity of a Lifetime by M Ullrich*
Now this was the story I was interested in. I loved 'Fortunate Sum' and I was so psyched when I saw the characters from fortunate sum came in this novella. Their story arc was awesome. This novella is the kind of story I like. An uptight person who changes for the good. After this novella I had a tiny crush on Luca. She's so damn precious. This novella had everything a novel would have, a slow burn, the hookup, and then a brief breakup (Ooh the drama). I'd certainly read this story again.
That pretty much sums up my review. Personally I'd totally recommend these novellas. They are so similar and yet so different.
May 12, 2020
3.5/5 for this trilogy of novellas, all somewhat tame in the romance department. Light, fun, nothing too ground-breaking but a welcome distraction to stressful days.
I believe there was only one fairly descriptive intimate scene (Ms. Rey's) and the rest were glazed over as a summary paragraph. I was particularly disappointed in this fact in Ms. Cannon's, as she set a very sizzling premise of a stripper/CFO couple and the lead up was hot hot hoooot. But the predictable hook-up was barely mentioned. Ah well, onwards!
I believe there was only one fairly descriptive intimate scene (Ms. Rey's) and the rest were glazed over as a summary paragraph. I was particularly disappointed in this fact in Ms. Cannon's, as she set a very sizzling premise of a stripper/CFO couple and the lead up was hot hot hoooot. But the predictable hook-up was barely mentioned. Ah well, onwards!
April 2, 2018
Nice stories. I liked alle three of them, though the last two more than the first one ‘ for your eyes only’. Though I liked the storyline, there was a little too much repetition as a result of telling the story from the different viewpoints. I liked that Catherine and Imogene (from Fortunate Sum) made an appearance in the third story.
March 21, 2018
There is something very appealing in stories about boss/subordinate relations... If written skillfully, it's a winner ! These novellas I've practically devoured in over 2 hours! Considering the "theme", I'd wished it was more M rated than it was, but still - it felt very good reading them!
April 15, 2020
It's always difficult to rate a book like this one since it's composed of different stories by different authors. But let's see,
So we started with Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey, as I'm writing this review nothing spectacular comes to mind but it was a good story, we got a little bit of the MCs background which was nice but I found that Elisa changed her mind too quickly, I found it a bit uncharacteristic of her but that can be only me who knows. The second one was For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon, I'll say that I liked this one better than the first one and even if a bit short I found that it was still well written and interesting, the only thing that wasn't mentioned was how they were supposed to deal with the fact that they still had to work together and that bothered me a little I have to admit.
And the last one was Opportunity Of A Lifetime by M. Ullrich, this one was my favorite it had the little bit of angst I love to hate, both Steph and Luca were great characters with also great chemistry even if at first Steph was the picture perfect of the ice queen. I loved how their story was developed to eventually lead to the perfect ending.
Lead Counsel: ⭐⭐⭐
For Your Eyes Only:⭐⭐⭐⭐
Opportunity Of A Lifetime:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So we started with Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey, as I'm writing this review nothing spectacular comes to mind but it was a good story, we got a little bit of the MCs background which was nice but I found that Elisa changed her mind too quickly, I found it a bit uncharacteristic of her but that can be only me who knows. The second one was For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon, I'll say that I liked this one better than the first one and even if a bit short I found that it was still well written and interesting, the only thing that wasn't mentioned was how they were supposed to deal with the fact that they still had to work together and that bothered me a little I have to admit.
And the last one was Opportunity Of A Lifetime by M. Ullrich, this one was my favorite it had the little bit of angst I love to hate, both Steph and Luca were great characters with also great chemistry even if at first Steph was the picture perfect of the ice queen. I loved how their story was developed to eventually lead to the perfect ending.
Lead Counsel: ⭐⭐⭐
For Your Eyes Only:⭐⭐⭐⭐
Opportunity Of A Lifetime:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
March 19, 2018
A compilation of 3 novellas by 3 different authors:Julie Cannon, Aurora Rey and M.Ullrich. All having the same theme...Boss/subordinate relationship. I was a little nervous as I had tried to review another anthology similarly themed not long ago and it was way too icky for my liking. Thankfully, these stories have no ick factor. This was a quick read. All of the stories were good, but not great. The first one by Aurora Rey...Lead Counsel was outstanding. It was interesting and steamy. The characters had great chemistry. Unfortunately the other 2 were just ok.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 9, 2018
I enjoy d the 3 novellas but my favorite was written by Aurora Rey. Characters from city confidential popped up in the story which was fun. The setting was great.
March 27, 2018
Brilliant. Sexy. Perfect.
These little novellas were amazing! They were all beautifully paced - short and sweet but not rushed at all, and the romance developed naturally.
Lead Counsel (Aurora Rey) - Eliza Gonzalez finds herself working a new case with a big shot lawyer from out of town, who also happened to be her one upon a time crush in law school. Will the past stay in the past? Or is this the beginning of something new? Aurora Rey always writes a story that touches my soul. Her stories always really hit home with me. Eliza's character meant everything to me. I really liked how fully developed this story was as well. The romance was perfectly swoon worthy and damn sexy. The characters were unique and really relatable. I loved seeing Sam and Tess again (Crescent City Confidential).
For Your Eyes Only (Julie Cannon) - What happens when Riley's perfectly controlled life get's set on fire by a sexy stripper. When happens when that stripper is her newest employee? Wow. This was sexy. One of the sexiest things I've ever read. It started out sexy and sensual and then developed into a really lovely romance. The POV use was really clever. This is the first story I've read by this author - I'll definitely be checking out some of her other works.
Opportunity of a Lifetime (M. Ullrich) - Luca finishes her internship at the top, and she's assigned to the firms top forensic accountant. But Stephanie refuses to acknowledge she has an assistant and she makes Luca's life a living hell. But it's not long before the combination between Luca's skill and her attractiveness starts to thaw the ice queen. I really love a good ice queen story and I loved how this story progressed really naturally. They were both really cool characters and I enjoyed the gradual way the layers of the characters were revealed. I feel like M. Ullrich has only become a stronger writer with each work she writes. I really looking forward to what's in store next!
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
These little novellas were amazing! They were all beautifully paced - short and sweet but not rushed at all, and the romance developed naturally.
Lead Counsel (Aurora Rey) - Eliza Gonzalez finds herself working a new case with a big shot lawyer from out of town, who also happened to be her one upon a time crush in law school. Will the past stay in the past? Or is this the beginning of something new? Aurora Rey always writes a story that touches my soul. Her stories always really hit home with me. Eliza's character meant everything to me. I really liked how fully developed this story was as well. The romance was perfectly swoon worthy and damn sexy. The characters were unique and really relatable. I loved seeing Sam and Tess again (Crescent City Confidential).
For Your Eyes Only (Julie Cannon) - What happens when Riley's perfectly controlled life get's set on fire by a sexy stripper. When happens when that stripper is her newest employee? Wow. This was sexy. One of the sexiest things I've ever read. It started out sexy and sensual and then developed into a really lovely romance. The POV use was really clever. This is the first story I've read by this author - I'll definitely be checking out some of her other works.
Opportunity of a Lifetime (M. Ullrich) - Luca finishes her internship at the top, and she's assigned to the firms top forensic accountant. But Stephanie refuses to acknowledge she has an assistant and she makes Luca's life a living hell. But it's not long before the combination between Luca's skill and her attractiveness starts to thaw the ice queen. I really love a good ice queen story and I loved how this story progressed really naturally. They were both really cool characters and I enjoyed the gradual way the layers of the characters were revealed. I feel like M. Ullrich has only become a stronger writer with each work she writes. I really looking forward to what's in store next!
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 10, 2018
I devoured this collection in one sitting. Yay for lazy Saturday afternoons.
Each story is unique, yet, as the title suggests, held together by a common theme.
While I'll enjoyed them all, Cannon's story stuck out as a winner for me.
Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley.
Each story is unique, yet, as the title suggests, held together by a common theme.
While I'll enjoyed them all, Cannon's story stuck out as a winner for me.
Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley.
April 28, 2020
Set of 3 amazing stories by 3 amazing writers. Those are short and you wish for way more after finishng each.
There is something cool about falling for a boss. This amazin woman who has it all together, or so it seems, and is the most beautiful thing ever.
I honestly want to read the full story on each touigh with happy ending end wonderful epilouge.
There is something cool about falling for a boss. This amazin woman who has it all together, or so it seems, and is the most beautiful thing ever.
I honestly want to read the full story on each touigh with happy ending end wonderful epilouge.
March 18, 2018
Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey
My favorite of this anthology, Elisa Gonzalez is startled to learn that the lead attorney her firm is bringing in is the same woman she had a crush on in law school, Parker Jones. They had had one night of heavy making out but Parker burned her the next day. Now they're both powerful women who are better able to deal with their emotions as well as the pressures of life.
Four stars
For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon
Riley Stephenson is a powerful CFO but she's awkward. Like, super shy and awkward. So she's astonished to find herself making the first move and ordering a stripper for herself after meeting her at a friend's birthday party where Jessie, the stripper, performs. I liked this story because the two were able to meet outside of work and Cannon really worked to make Jessie have her own agency in the romance. I wish we had had a better/softer ending to the story.
Three stars
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich
Luca Garner is a stellar intern who is assigned to work under VP Stephanie Austin, known as the office ice queen. She works hard and eventually the two find that they appreciate each other both for their good working rapport and their mutual attraction.
This was the story that worked least for me. I'm not sure how we're supposed to connect to either character nor how we're supposed to believe they work as a couple. There was so much packed into this short story that I felt a little whiplashed from how fast emotions went from love to hate.
Two and a half stars
Four stars overall
My favorite of this anthology, Elisa Gonzalez is startled to learn that the lead attorney her firm is bringing in is the same woman she had a crush on in law school, Parker Jones. They had had one night of heavy making out but Parker burned her the next day. Now they're both powerful women who are better able to deal with their emotions as well as the pressures of life.
Four stars
For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon
Riley Stephenson is a powerful CFO but she's awkward. Like, super shy and awkward. So she's astonished to find herself making the first move and ordering a stripper for herself after meeting her at a friend's birthday party where Jessie, the stripper, performs. I liked this story because the two were able to meet outside of work and Cannon really worked to make Jessie have her own agency in the romance. I wish we had had a better/softer ending to the story.
Three stars
Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich
Luca Garner is a stellar intern who is assigned to work under VP Stephanie Austin, known as the office ice queen. She works hard and eventually the two find that they appreciate each other both for their good working rapport and their mutual attraction.
This was the story that worked least for me. I'm not sure how we're supposed to connect to either character nor how we're supposed to believe they work as a couple. There was so much packed into this short story that I felt a little whiplashed from how fast emotions went from love to hate.
Two and a half stars
Four stars overall
November 12, 2018
For Your Eyes Only was my favourite of the three novellas. I just really connected to the story from the beginning and boy, was it sexy. I think if Julie Cannon decided to use that novella as a prologue or prequel it could be a best seller. The characters had chemistry, the story and pace was tight and the premise was extremely sexy. I want more!
Remember Elisa, Sam’s cousin from Aurora Rey’s novel, Crescent City Confidential? Well she’s one of the main protagonists in Lead Counsel. As soon as I had worked out the connection to Crescent City Confidential and Lead Counsel I read them both again. As soon as Parker Jones, Elisa’s beau was written into this story, I was a goner. Talk about oozing sex appeal… this chick has it in spades and it just made her chemistry and undeniable connection to Elisa excruciatingly more potent. I loved this story and just another reason I adore Ms. Rey’s books.
Opportunity of a Lifetime made me get all the feels. The moments in this were written beautifully and I sincerely love when authors bring characters together from other books. It really makes me feel like the characters are one big happy family. I love the Ice Queen trope, it is sexy and makes the happy ever after all the more special. I particularly loved Luca’s character and loved reading her thought process as her feelings developed for Stephanie.
All together a fantastic collection of stories that I know I will enjoy over and over again. 5 stars
Remember Elisa, Sam’s cousin from Aurora Rey’s novel, Crescent City Confidential? Well she’s one of the main protagonists in Lead Counsel. As soon as I had worked out the connection to Crescent City Confidential and Lead Counsel I read them both again. As soon as Parker Jones, Elisa’s beau was written into this story, I was a goner. Talk about oozing sex appeal… this chick has it in spades and it just made her chemistry and undeniable connection to Elisa excruciatingly more potent. I loved this story and just another reason I adore Ms. Rey’s books.
Opportunity of a Lifetime made me get all the feels. The moments in this were written beautifully and I sincerely love when authors bring characters together from other books. It really makes me feel like the characters are one big happy family. I love the Ice Queen trope, it is sexy and makes the happy ever after all the more special. I particularly loved Luca’s character and loved reading her thought process as her feelings developed for Stephanie.
All together a fantastic collection of stories that I know I will enjoy over and over again. 5 stars
April 21, 2018
*ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review*
This book contains a compilation of 3 stories:
Lead counsel: I was really impressed with this short story because it told a full story without being rushed or leaving anything out. I think this was the best story in the book so it I could I would give it *3.6 stars. I could see Elisa and Parker's story being expanded on and I would definitely read it.
For your eyes only: This story was very rushed and I found myself getting annoyed with the constant use of the characters names when referring to their actions. Compared to the other two stories I think that this one had the weakest storyline and the worst ending.
I would give this story *3 stars only because it is meant to be a short story an it had a slightly interesting storyline.
Opportunity of a lifetime: This story is the reason I am giving this book a 4 star rating. The story is a bit rushed at the beginning and I was expecting another disappointing end but I was quite surprised by how the author managed to create such intense chemistry between Luca and Steph. I was actually rooting for them by the end an would definitely read any further storylines with them in it.
*3.7 stars.
This book contains a compilation of 3 stories:
Lead counsel: I was really impressed with this short story because it told a full story without being rushed or leaving anything out. I think this was the best story in the book so it I could I would give it *3.6 stars. I could see Elisa and Parker's story being expanded on and I would definitely read it.
For your eyes only: This story was very rushed and I found myself getting annoyed with the constant use of the characters names when referring to their actions. Compared to the other two stories I think that this one had the weakest storyline and the worst ending.
I would give this story *3 stars only because it is meant to be a short story an it had a slightly interesting storyline.
Opportunity of a lifetime: This story is the reason I am giving this book a 4 star rating. The story is a bit rushed at the beginning and I was expecting another disappointing end but I was quite surprised by how the author managed to create such intense chemistry between Luca and Steph. I was actually rooting for them by the end an would definitely read any further storylines with them in it.
*3.7 stars.
May 20, 2018
The theme of this book attracted me straight away however the authors have not been my favourite is the past which made me pause questioning if I would enjoy the book. I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed all three stories, I actually could not pick a favourite. In fact I really felt all three could have been standalone books.
I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review.
I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review.
July 22, 2020
This was a decent read.
The first story was a 2* for me. It's too mundane.
The second story was my favourite but it ended so abruptly as soon as they confess their feelings. It wasn't very satisfying. 4*.
The third story was the lengthiest. I found the character Stephanie to be inconsistent and not very likeable. Good setting though. 3*
The first story was a 2* for me. It's too mundane.
The second story was my favourite but it ended so abruptly as soon as they confess their feelings. It wasn't very satisfying. 4*.
The third story was the lengthiest. I found the character Stephanie to be inconsistent and not very likeable. Good setting though. 3*
July 18, 2018
3.75. I enjoyed these little snack sized romances. Although, just what HR would make of the scenarios, I don’t know.
Recommended for when you’re busy, distracted, or can’t settle on your next read, these will fill the spot.
Recommended for when you’re busy, distracted, or can’t settle on your next read, these will fill the spot.
April 19, 2018
This anthology that comprises of 3 stories (novellas) by 3 authors is more like a 3,98 rating. It's generally a good read. I love office romance. I enjoyed all 3 of the novellas even though I do have my favourite. :) See below my brief comments of each novella:
1. "Lead Counsel" by Aurora Rey
- This is a typical Rey romance story. Warm & fuzzy feels. Light and fun. Very well-written & structured. Former high school enemies to friends to lovers. Although it's a novella-length, Rey managed to weave her story with enough depth that it didn't feel rushed in the end. Although, I'd have preferred a full-length one because I can see this story being fleshed out more widely especially the time-frame between being enemies to being friends. So, if Rey decides to expand this story into a novel, I'd read it. :)
2. "For Your Eyes Only" by Julie Cannon
My favourite of the 3. Very well-written. Having had experience with Julie Cannon's writing & storytelling style, I wasn't surprised there. I like her writing style of character development. Love that it wasn't fluff/vanilla, per se. I do like romances with intense, explicit/erotic depths, physically and emotionally, which make the love story more acutely potent, imo, which is good! :)
An original story, at least to me, since I'd never read anything like that before. A butch stripper? That I never read about before. I was instantly sold, then! :) I loved Jess, from the get-go. Cannon's ability to create a character that piques one's curiosity was evident here. As soon as Jess appeared, I wanted to know more about her. And Riley was just adorable, period. Aloof & awkward, I loved how she bucked up her courage to do what she really wanted to do when it came to her encounter with Jess. Riley & Jess' chemistry just worked right away. And how it sizzled as their story progressed! And that twist?! Absolutely brilliant! I couldn't get enough of Jess/Riley's journey! I was very disappointed that it ended. :( It'd have been great to read about how they would romance each other, fall in love and be together in the end. I just wish Cannon would expand this story into a full-length novel. I'd definitely read it so hard and re-read it!!!
3. "Opportunity Of A Lifetime" by M. Ullrich
- This is my 1st Ullrich experience and I enjoyed her writing style. This story's an ice-queen/age gap romance. Although the plot was interesting & enjoyable to discover, I wish the story was developed more effectively within the restricted length, so that the attraction, the thaw, the conflict and ultimately the union between Stephanie & Luca would read more smoothly and by the time the plot twist happened, Luca's heartache & disappointment would've been more impactful & I'd have been more invested in Stephanie's dilemma & empathised with her more fully. If it were a full-length novel, I'm sure the flow of emotions & their chemistry would have been much more deeply felt. Instead, I felt the aftermath of the twist to be a tad convoluted. But all in all, though, it was an enjoyable read.
*I will try another book written by Ullrich that is full-length just so I could properly figure out her writing and storytelling style.
1. "Lead Counsel" by Aurora Rey
- This is a typical Rey romance story. Warm & fuzzy feels. Light and fun. Very well-written & structured. Former high school enemies to friends to lovers. Although it's a novella-length, Rey managed to weave her story with enough depth that it didn't feel rushed in the end. Although, I'd have preferred a full-length one because I can see this story being fleshed out more widely especially the time-frame between being enemies to being friends. So, if Rey decides to expand this story into a novel, I'd read it. :)
2. "For Your Eyes Only" by Julie Cannon
My favourite of the 3. Very well-written. Having had experience with Julie Cannon's writing & storytelling style, I wasn't surprised there. I like her writing style of character development. Love that it wasn't fluff/vanilla, per se. I do like romances with intense, explicit/erotic depths, physically and emotionally, which make the love story more acutely potent, imo, which is good! :)
An original story, at least to me, since I'd never read anything like that before. A butch stripper? That I never read about before. I was instantly sold, then! :) I loved Jess, from the get-go. Cannon's ability to create a character that piques one's curiosity was evident here. As soon as Jess appeared, I wanted to know more about her. And Riley was just adorable, period. Aloof & awkward, I loved how she bucked up her courage to do what she really wanted to do when it came to her encounter with Jess. Riley & Jess' chemistry just worked right away. And how it sizzled as their story progressed! And that twist?! Absolutely brilliant! I couldn't get enough of Jess/Riley's journey! I was very disappointed that it ended. :( It'd have been great to read about how they would romance each other, fall in love and be together in the end. I just wish Cannon would expand this story into a full-length novel. I'd definitely read it so hard and re-read it!!!
3. "Opportunity Of A Lifetime" by M. Ullrich
- This is my 1st Ullrich experience and I enjoyed her writing style. This story's an ice-queen/age gap romance. Although the plot was interesting & enjoyable to discover, I wish the story was developed more effectively within the restricted length, so that the attraction, the thaw, the conflict and ultimately the union between Stephanie & Luca would read more smoothly and by the time the plot twist happened, Luca's heartache & disappointment would've been more impactful & I'd have been more invested in Stephanie's dilemma & empathised with her more fully. If it were a full-length novel, I'm sure the flow of emotions & their chemistry would have been much more deeply felt. Instead, I felt the aftermath of the twist to be a tad convoluted. But all in all, though, it was an enjoyable read.
*I will try another book written by Ullrich that is full-length just so I could properly figure out her writing and storytelling style.
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