Status Updates From Unspoken Words: A Romance C...

Cooler - it’s amazing the fear vindictive exes can strike in a person’s heart. Fortunately, it was quickly resolved in this short. Cute!

Friends - I liked this one! It felt only a little rushed, but only because I needed and WANTED more background! I love the idea behind the story and wish there was more!

Picturing Us - it was ok. Kind of a lot of issues to fit into such a short story that took place during the course of a couple hours. It needed more time to stretch and grow into what it could have been.

Without Saying a Word - well, this one just had me crying! What a touching relationship the two characters had. Love truly can overcome whatever barriers are put before you!

Seashell Secrets - Ok. This was great. And I’m really getting a feeling of getting the best, climactic parts of a story to indulge in. I need more!

Come Rain or Shine - cute! I wish I was more like Angelique, happy and brave and generous with her time. I think we all need someone like that in their life. Good thing Ryan figured out he needed her, too!

Picked - yeah! I want more like this one! I look a good YA short. Super cute!

Button Peak: Silence from Nashville - that moved quickly! I wasn’t a huge fan of India in the first scene (yikes...), but she mostly redeemed herself. And Ed was totally oblivious. Gosh! 🤦‍♀️

Constance - lovely period short. I liked that Felix finally realized what a dunce he’d been and didn’t waste time in going for what he wanted. Quick learner! Haha!

Longtime Love - THIS is why I love reading short stories. That was adorable! *sigh* Some of the other stories felt like they needed more to it to be told correctly, but this one didn’t need more. I WANTED more, though!

Tell Me - I feel like this could have been the ending of a much longer story. There was a LOT of past history to pack into this, and while it did an ok job of doing it, it was just ok. 🤷‍♀️

Because You’re Engaged: “Ashaan Inti Makhtouba” - that was sweet, though I had a hard time understanding her engagement to Colin. Had that been more hashed out, plus more of what happened in Kuwait, I think that would have made the story better.

Royal Burger Crush - oh my gosh, that was so cute! I loved it. I liked how even though the story was short, the characters didn’t feel 2-dimensional, or at least they were given enough background to make it feel like you made a good new friend.

Ribbons - that was... abrupt? I mean, I know these stories are short, but she seemed to let go of her grief pretty quickly. I think this one would’ve made a better novella-length story. I’d like to see the story hashed out a bit more.

Cooler ~ Michelle Pennington. 3.75 stars
Cute high school story. Athlete dumps girlfriend for heroine and they deal with her jealous bullying attempt.

Chloe brushed by me. “Nice try. Like you’d ever go for Alecia.” “I dated you, didn’t I?” She folded her arms across her chest. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I shrugged and walked past, saying over my shoulder, “I guess I like scary chicks.” I heard her yelling behind me, dropping swear words like they were pennies, but I ignored her.

Friends ~ Jen Geigle Johnson 3 stars
Actors, friends to love

We fist bumped. As our hands moved apart, we recited together, “Save it for the stage.” Every Friday of high school, Dax and I wore our ‘Save it for the Stage’ t-shirts together. We joked all the way to the event.

Picturing Us ~ Sara Cardon 3 stars
Overly wordy with adjectives and a bit abstract for me. College girl wants to be runway model but not leave boyfriend.

You’re beautiful, and not for the reasons a modeling gig will tell you,” he whispered in her ear. “There’s something raw and vulnerable about you and the beauty you see in the world. It makes me want to safeguard you.” Noah kept her wrapped tight. “I also want to feed you every chance I get. More than those few crackers you sometimes call lunch.

Without Saying a Word ~ Melanie Mason

Super short story of newly deaf soldier arriving home and his girl assuring him his isn't broken. Sweetly naive.
3.25 stars

He didn’t want her sympathy. His hearing was gone, shattered in the explosion that had killed half of his men. He’d accepted the loss during the last two months in the hospital in Afghanistan. She rose to her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his cheek. When his eyes met hers all he saw was love. The emotional wall he’d built inside cracked. How he’d missed this. He held her close, praying she could accept him broken.

Seashell Secrets ~ Rebekah J. Wells
2.5 stars. She got cancer diagnosis, confessed her love, got blown off. Meet up 1 year later. Eco geeks that should have communicated better.

A realization prickled down her spine. Daniel didn’t know about the cancer. She’d gone straight from the doctor’s office to Daniel and blurted out her feelings. When he didn’t say anything in return, Jane blocked his number on her phone, hopped on the first flight home, and started chemo. She hadn’t told him anything.

Come Rain or Shine ~ Laura L. Walker
3 stars. Single dad and do-gooder neighbor.

Get a grip, man. It’s just a handshake. But it brought back memories of holding his wife’s hand during long walks around the college campus where they met . . . and then at the beach on their honeymoon . . . during their son’s birth . . . while praying with her every night of their marriage . . . and finally when she took her last breath. He hadn’t held a woman’s hand since.

Picked ~ Rachel John
High school friends figure out a misunderstanding. Cute. 3.25 stars.

“You know, if things were reversed, and it was Ashley Tipton’s cookie that got ignored, she would have thrown me up against that decorated locker and demanded she had first dibs.” “And you would’ve liked that?” “I would’ve liked it if you did it.”

Buxton Peak: Silence from Nashville ~ Julie L. Spencer
(Forgot to put 3 stars on last book).
This one had annoying characters and wasn't my taste. 2.5 stars.