What do you think?
Rate this book
Oregon, Jewel Novellas #1
His Strawberry Cupcake
Ruby Ryan
There’s something strange in Jewel, Oregon, and that’s why I love it. So what if there is an abnormal amount of people with really pointy ears and a senior citizen who runs around downtown, naked, every Tuesday? All part of the charm. It gets a whole lot more charming though, when Corbin Dresden shows up in town. Suddenly, I’m dreaming of sex on a motorcycle with a tattooed bad boy. Corbin Dresden
I’m in Jewel to catch the Heartless Killer, but all I can think about is my new neighbor. Her delightful curves are a distraction I don’t need when someone is taking out shifters and ghosts. At least the murderer isn’t targeting humans, so Ruby should be safe…I hope.
This is book 1 in the Oregon, Jewel series that can be read as a standalone. Guaranteed HEA, shenanigans, dark humor, and quirky characters.
There’s something strange in Jewel, Oregon, and that’s why I love it. So what if there is an abnormal amount of people with really pointy ears and a senior citizen who runs around downtown, naked, every Tuesday? All part of the charm. It gets a whole lot more charming though, when Corbin Dresden shows up in town. Suddenly, I’m dreaming of sex on a motorcycle with a tattooed bad boy. Corbin Dresden
I’m in Jewel to catch the Heartless Killer, but all I can think about is my new neighbor. Her delightful curves are a distraction I don’t need when someone is taking out shifters and ghosts. At least the murderer isn’t targeting humans, so Ruby should be safe…I hope.
This is book 1 in the Oregon, Jewel series that can be read as a standalone. Guaranteed HEA, shenanigans, dark humor, and quirky characters.
84 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 19, 2022
24 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Niki Brazen
20 books6 followersMost books only have one climax, unless you are reading a Niki Brazen story.
For real, when you read one of my novellas, you can expect multi-orgasmic scenes that will *fingers crossed* make you smile a couple of times and cause you to want to try some new things in the bedroom with your significant other.
I hope for you, a raucous good time, while reading insta-love, OTT, stories full of quirky characters, places, and plots. I adore supernatural elements so don’t be surprised by the ghosts, vampires, and shifters, oh my!
For real, when you read one of my novellas, you can expect multi-orgasmic scenes that will *fingers crossed* make you smile a couple of times and cause you to want to try some new things in the bedroom with your significant other.
I hope for you, a raucous good time, while reading insta-love, OTT, stories full of quirky characters, places, and plots. I adore supernatural elements so don’t be surprised by the ghosts, vampires, and shifters, oh my!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 3, 2023
Okay, here's what I liked about this novella: it used the paranormal/supernatural creatures existing alongside humans without their knowledge trope.
The writing was... it showed potential, but it was in desperate need of an editor. Everything seemed rushed. I really felt like I was coming in in the middle of a series, despite this being labeled as the first book in the series. The "humor" and "sass" of the main character was... It came off like someone who had always wanted to be funny and sassy, but wasn't, in fact, funny or sassy. Also, the whole "strawberry cupcake" thing... it was mentioned constantly, and it really only needed to be mentioned like a max of three times. Like, we get it. That's what she calls it. Ha, ha. And it also suffered from a bad case of "nobody in the history of ever talks like that." As for the love interest, they kept making a stalker joke for him, but all of his little "she's mine" things were precursors of abuse, straight-up. That works in the mafia romances because they're criminals... not where he's supposed to be a sweet, badass protector of the people.
And the killer? How? Why? When? He literally does nothing, the love interest is all like, "stay away from my woman,"--when he was just having LUNCH in PUBLIC with her, and love interest hasn't even gone out on a DATE yet with her... and suddenly this other guy's a killer? Like, what?
TL;DR needs a lot of work
The writing was... it showed potential, but it was in desperate need of an editor. Everything seemed rushed. I really felt like I was coming in in the middle of a series, despite this being labeled as the first book in the series. The "humor" and "sass" of the main character was... It came off like someone who had always wanted to be funny and sassy, but wasn't, in fact, funny or sassy. Also, the whole "strawberry cupcake" thing... it was mentioned constantly, and it really only needed to be mentioned like a max of three times. Like, we get it. That's what she calls it. Ha, ha. And it also suffered from a bad case of "nobody in the history of ever talks like that." As for the love interest, they kept making a stalker joke for him, but all of his little "she's mine" things were precursors of abuse, straight-up. That works in the mafia romances because they're criminals... not where he's supposed to be a sweet, badass protector of the people.
And the killer? How? Why? When? He literally does nothing, the love interest is all like, "stay away from my woman,"--when he was just having LUNCH in PUBLIC with her, and love interest hasn't even gone out on a DATE yet with her... and suddenly this other guy's a killer? Like, what?
TL;DR needs a lot of work
September 1, 2024
This book was awful. Horribly written. It seemed like a 14 year old writing a oversexed cartoon. The dialogue was immature at best.
Neither the so called hero nor heroine have any redeeming qualities. The hero is a walking red flag. He starts to isolate the heroine right away. Everything goes how he says without input from her. I’m also grossed out by a 30 year old sexing up an 18-19 year old. Though the heroine seems to be some kind of sex addict based on her inability to control her impulses and the way her family/town talk about her.
This is listed as insta-love, but it’s more of an jnsta-lust with poorly written sex scenes. So not a romance really. You can’t even really call it erotica as the sex is not part of the overall story as much as the title would have you believe.
If you’re a young adult or teen or college age and reading this book please know this is not how a health loving relationship should work. And if you’re in a relationship that looks like this it’s ok to reach out to DV hotlines for help.
Neither the so called hero nor heroine have any redeeming qualities. The hero is a walking red flag. He starts to isolate the heroine right away. Everything goes how he says without input from her. I’m also grossed out by a 30 year old sexing up an 18-19 year old. Though the heroine seems to be some kind of sex addict based on her inability to control her impulses and the way her family/town talk about her.
This is listed as insta-love, but it’s more of an jnsta-lust with poorly written sex scenes. So not a romance really. You can’t even really call it erotica as the sex is not part of the overall story as much as the title would have you believe.
If you’re a young adult or teen or college age and reading this book please know this is not how a health loving relationship should work. And if you’re in a relationship that looks like this it’s ok to reach out to DV hotlines for help.
July 18, 2024
Um, no.
August 9, 2024
2.5, round up
I didn't much care for this, but mostly it was because it isn't my kind of humor. Where I'm sure I was meant to find it sassy and fun, I found it vapid and stupid. I didn't even particularly care for the smexy scenes, and the villain was amazingly obvious. He's literally the only extraneous character. So, of course, it was him.
I didn't much care for this, but mostly it was because it isn't my kind of humor. Where I'm sure I was meant to find it sassy and fun, I found it vapid and stupid. I didn't even particularly care for the smexy scenes, and the villain was amazingly obvious. He's literally the only extraneous character. So, of course, it was him.
July 20, 2022
Hilarious and so much fun
I had not read anything from Niki Brazen before this book, but I sure can’t wait for her to get more of these books out! They are the perfect length for a short but sweet, though no less intriguing story to relax with. A cup of tea and a good short story is the best way to spend the evening! This story, and hopefully the other’s I’m sure are on their way, are fantastic stories. I think I love Ruby, though, so she might always be my favorite character in this series, so I love that her story came first.
5 ⭐️s= Perfect story, exciting, engrossing, well developed complex characters, solid plot with few to no holes, descriptive environments and place settings, great mystery elements, realistic dialogue, believable reactions and behaviors, loved this story so much I’d buy it.
4 ⭐️s= Great story, highly entertaining and enjoyable, exciting storyline, well developed characters and settings, a few discrepancies but nothing that can’t be overlooked. Believable actions and reactions, realistic dialogue, a book I would consider buying.
3 ⭐️s= Good but not great story, noticeable discrepancies, grammatical and or spelling errors, undeveloped characters or unbelievable behaviors but still readable. Nothing majorly wrong with the story, just not interesting enough for me to continue. Would not buy the book.
2 ⭐️s= Not offended by the story, but not interested enough to finish. Unbelievable characters, poor writing, many mistakes, big holes or discrepancies, many spelling or grammatical errors, characters not believable, unlikeable or TSTL.
1 ⭐️= Offensive, extremely poor writing, horrible characters, victimization, gaslighting, blatant abuse, unnecessary violence, child endangerment, or any other highly objectionable behaviors by Main characters. Would never buy this book, and do not recommend it to anyone.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I had not read anything from Niki Brazen before this book, but I sure can’t wait for her to get more of these books out! They are the perfect length for a short but sweet, though no less intriguing story to relax with. A cup of tea and a good short story is the best way to spend the evening! This story, and hopefully the other’s I’m sure are on their way, are fantastic stories. I think I love Ruby, though, so she might always be my favorite character in this series, so I love that her story came first.
5 ⭐️s= Perfect story, exciting, engrossing, well developed complex characters, solid plot with few to no holes, descriptive environments and place settings, great mystery elements, realistic dialogue, believable reactions and behaviors, loved this story so much I’d buy it.
4 ⭐️s= Great story, highly entertaining and enjoyable, exciting storyline, well developed characters and settings, a few discrepancies but nothing that can’t be overlooked. Believable actions and reactions, realistic dialogue, a book I would consider buying.
3 ⭐️s= Good but not great story, noticeable discrepancies, grammatical and or spelling errors, undeveloped characters or unbelievable behaviors but still readable. Nothing majorly wrong with the story, just not interesting enough for me to continue. Would not buy the book.
2 ⭐️s= Not offended by the story, but not interested enough to finish. Unbelievable characters, poor writing, many mistakes, big holes or discrepancies, many spelling or grammatical errors, characters not believable, unlikeable or TSTL.
1 ⭐️= Offensive, extremely poor writing, horrible characters, victimization, gaslighting, blatant abuse, unnecessary violence, child endangerment, or any other highly objectionable behaviors by Main characters. Would never buy this book, and do not recommend it to anyone.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 11, 2022
This novella was the perfect mix of sassy and sexy! Ruby and Corbin were a match made in heaven, or better yet match made in the mystical town of Jewel!
The chemistry between the two is hot and fun! They're drawn to each other right away. Sparks fly and we get to enjoy the craziness that is Ruby and everything that comes out of her mouth. Corbin falls for it all and knows that even when his job is done in Jewel there's no way he's leaving with her here!
A great quick read and I can't wait for the next one!
The chemistry between the two is hot and fun! They're drawn to each other right away. Sparks fly and we get to enjoy the craziness that is Ruby and everything that comes out of her mouth. Corbin falls for it all and knows that even when his job is done in Jewel there's no way he's leaving with her here!
A great quick read and I can't wait for the next one!
October 15, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶
If you're looking for something quick, light, with elements of paranormal, then this books for you. It's a very quick novella, and even for me, the insta-love was a little much.
The spice was okay, I think the insta-love put me off a little.
The plot was semi interesting.
I am considering reading the other books in the series as I'm curious and they are only a couple of hours long...
🌶🌶
If you're looking for something quick, light, with elements of paranormal, then this books for you. It's a very quick novella, and even for me, the insta-love was a little much.
The spice was okay, I think the insta-love put me off a little.
The plot was semi interesting.
I am considering reading the other books in the series as I'm curious and they are only a couple of hours long...
July 17, 2022
a fun sexy read
This is was a fun short read that immerses the reader into the world of Jewel,OR. With the different potentials for twists, turns and sexy times with sexy men this series is an easy buy for a beach read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is was a fun short read that immerses the reader into the world of Jewel,OR. With the different potentials for twists, turns and sexy times with sexy men this series is an easy buy for a beach read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 22, 2023
I didn’t think I would like this book that much, but it was oh so fun and quirky. You immediately fall in love with Ruby and her goofiness. Corbin rolls through town in a mission and Ruby is part of it. Instant chemistry and fun begin. Not only is Corbin fighting against a paranormal killer, but he’s winning over Ruby’s heart, er cupcake. Ha Loved this quick read!
June 14, 2024
Maybe
I really couldn't decide what to rate this one. There are parts I liked a lot, I thought the "suspense" was done fairly well for such a short read. And the parts I didn't care for I overlooked when I decided on 3 stars. That's just me though others might enjoy this immensely
I really couldn't decide what to rate this one. There are parts I liked a lot, I thought the "suspense" was done fairly well for such a short read. And the parts I didn't care for I overlooked when I decided on 3 stars. That's just me though others might enjoy this immensely
July 15, 2022
A Solid Read
A cute erotic paranormal story set in Jewel Oregon. The author's unique voice makes it a quick and enjoyable read for those of us who are short on time yet yearn for a good story with a few twists and turns. I look forward to reading more of her books.
A cute erotic paranormal story set in Jewel Oregon. The author's unique voice makes it a quick and enjoyable read for those of us who are short on time yet yearn for a good story with a few twists and turns. I look forward to reading more of her books.
October 18, 2023
Quirky & far fetched
This book is interesting but very far fetched not just because of the paranormal world but also because things happened way to quickly and it's romance was just too unbelievable and fast.
This book is interesting but very far fetched not just because of the paranormal world but also because things happened way to quickly and it's romance was just too unbelievable and fast.
Want to read
August 4, 2023🎁 Books 1 & 2 in the Series are FREE on Amazon today (8/4/2023)! 🎁
September 22, 2023
That was cute. Weird but cute.
Read
September 25, 2023Funny with spice
Man oh man didn't I laugh at the witty banter that happens throughout this book. Spice is pretty decent as well.
Man oh man didn't I laugh at the witty banter that happens throughout this book. Spice is pretty decent as well.
October 7, 2023
Cute for what it is
It’s definitely insta-love and a novella, but the story is decent and the spice is hot. It’s a cute little quicky
It’s definitely insta-love and a novella, but the story is decent and the spice is hot. It’s a cute little quicky
October 9, 2023
cupcake
When Ms Brazen said insta-love she meant it! I love the instant connection between Corbin and Ruby. They were made for each other.
When Ms Brazen said insta-love she meant it! I love the instant connection between Corbin and Ruby. They were made for each other.
January 4, 2024
Mehhhh
This is a short story with very little detail, would love for it to be more fleshed out. Too much going on and not enough world building.
This is a short story with very little detail, would love for it to be more fleshed out. Too much going on and not enough world building.
December 8, 2024
This book was all over the place, it has the makings of a great series. But decided put the whole series in this 88 page book. Which made it a bad read.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews