Melody > Recent Status Updates

My Fair Lacey - super cute! I just love Janette Rallison’s writing. It’s sucks you right into the story and doesn’t let you go! Lacey was a fun protagonist, though I wish we got more of her background so we know better how she came to speak the way she did before undergoing Garrett’s tutelage. Ultimately, wonderful!

5 stars.

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.

Oh my goodness. Gabriel Worthington. He is seriously giving me whiplash with his emotional back and forth. Isn’t it usually women that are accused of being fickle? I can sorta understand his reasons, but SERIOUSLY. If you can’t just decide, PLEASE! Just stop leading her on. 🤦‍♀️

The first story, Ashbrook Abbey by Heather Chapman, was sweet! I loved the changes brought about in both the main characters. *happy sigh*

Ahhhhhh this is so good and so AWKWARD! Since I’ve been watching a lot of Asian dramas lately, this book is seriously right up my alley, but whyyyyyy do some of the steps have to be so over-the-top? He’s going to find her list and get mad or embarrassed! Ughhhhh

A Billionaire Abroad by Sarah M. Eden - Of course Sarah’s story was my favorite. The plots she weaves always seem so real, but make it sound poetic. I enjoyed Keighley, but I mostly loved Brogan. *sigh*

5 stars!

How to Woo a Billionaire by Danyelle Ferguson - sweet story! And I loved Mac! His heart really was coming from the right place.

5 stars.

Bow Tie or the Billionaire by Annette Lyon - This was cute, but had a very fast relationship progression though - 3 days! 😮 That just seems unrealistic to me. Not that these are necessarily meant to be realistic... I loved the writing though, especially the feel of the setting of Finland; it made me want to go there!

3 1/2 stars.

To Hide and to Hold by Sophia Summers - I have to admit, I know nothing about business mergers or how high-level business is run, but I’m not sure how accurate the ending was...? The rest of the story was quite cute, though.

3 1/2 stars.

Be My Plus One by Heather Moore - the only downside to this was how quickly it progressed! I wish the hero and heroine could have known each other a little longer before the high school reunion, but it was still really fun!

4 stars.

The Undercover Billionaire by Taylor Hart - the ending was quite rushed and unbelievable, but I loved that the billionaire in the story was a woman! I just assumed all the billionaires in this anthology would be men. Serves me right for being judgemental. Haha! Anyway, it was cute, despite the ending.

3 1/2 - 4 stars. Can’t quite decide.

What’s the deal with Charlotte choking all the time? And Maddie is a terrible best friend. Or at least she has been since the book started. Ugh. Why am I still reading this?

Oh. My. Gosh. Charlotte is so annoying. Although, I have to admit, she does seem to be displaying typical teen angst mixed with a healthy dose of grief from losing her mother a year ago. But seriously. Her love-hate relationship with Lucas is giving me whiplash.

Faith and the Foreman by Marsha Ward - this one had a dangerous feel to it, which shook things up! Poisoning, rattlesnakes, shootings, “swearing encyclopedically” (I thought that phrase was hilarious, even if there were more swears than I would like)... it was good! A good last story in the anthology.

4 stars.

The Sweetest Taste by Annette Lyon - oh, Joseph! I loved him. He was so sweet. And I understand Della and why she felt she had to leave; I also understand why she came back. Smart girl.

5 stars.

The Silver Mine Bachelor by Heather B. Moore - I was surprised that there were a few swear words in this one. But this one had a lot of depth that I wasn’t expecting, and I really liked it.

4 stars.