Short, Sweet, and Sexy - A Perfect Novella

Novellas are a tough breed. Enough time and words to develop the characters without rushing the story to the finish line. Good pacing is needed -- if you spend too much time developing and defining, you leave little time to wrap things up and the reader feels cheated or feels that the writer gave up or cracked up under dead-line pressure.

This was a perfect balance! Melanie and Drew were lovable from the get-go. (So cute how Drew's Texan accent came tumbling out like a spring thaw rushing over a pebbly creek bed on a blue sky, early bird's chirping in the bright sunshine.) Gotta love Prince Charming to the rescue with a level-headed, independent, ain-t-afraid-to-work cowgirl Cinderella.

Great job, Ms Thompson! I'll be looking for more of your work.

I received a digital copy of this book courtesy of NetGallery, Vicki Lewis Thompson and Penguin Group Berkeley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity. ( )

This was a quick, sweet, and romantic read. There wasn’t any drama or anything trying to keep the two apart, just a true love story. You have to believe in love at first sight to truly enjoy this one. Melanie and Drew only have four days together, but it is four days in Paris with no budget. The sexual tension in the beginning is palpable and then when they do give into its hot and intense. Neither Drew nor Melanie have past issues to deal with, they have just found love where they didn’t expect to.

Overall this an enjoyably sweet read. I did enjoy Drew and Melanie’s story, but I had a difficult time getting into it at first. I would’ve liked to connect to the characters more. I am interested in reading Astrid’s story.

I recommend this to anyone looking for true love without all the usual drama. This was a very refreshing break from all the angst that I seem to read these days.

(I was given a copy from the publisher/netgalley in return for an honest review.)

Darker Passions ( )

This is a sweet story of a Texas farmgirl who meets the man of her dreams on a vaction in Paris. Melanie ends up in Paris by herself after her two best friends have to bow out of their planned vacation. On her first day she gets mugged and a fellow Texan comes to her rescue. Drew is a wealthy businessman who noticed Melanie even before her difficulties. The story revolves around Melanie's concerns that their lives are just too different for the relationship to work even though they have great chemistry. Drew is convinced that he has found the woman for him and he is determined to get what he wants. It's fun to watch how the two of them work thing out.

This is the first novella in a trilogy. The second book Tempted by a Cowboy is due out in June. ( )