Runaway Home by Camille Anthony
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Fleeing the shame of being rejected in favor of an Omega, Jackson Southerly, alpha wolf, has run away to one of his family’s ski resorts.

Fleeing the shame of being left at the altar, Sioux Brown has traded in her tickets to the Bahamas and run away to the snowy slopes of Colorado, where she plans to lick her wounds in solitude.

The snow in their hearts melts as they share the deserted lobby in the dark of night, but will their growing attraction survive the light of day?

After being rejected for an Omega, Jackson Southerly decides to run away to his family’s ski resort. Sioux Brown has also fled after being literally left at the alter. Going to polar opposite of her longed for honeymoon in the Bahamas, Sioux finds herself knee deep in the snow alongside Jackson. Even though their attraction is instant, they are both at rock bottom. Will their tenuous attraction survive the long haul?

While I do admit the general concept of this story is not very unique – I did enjoy how the author managed to squeeze in quite a few twists within the first chapter to have this very short story feeling fresh and different to me. I thoroughly enjoyed the fast pace and feel readers who are wanting just a quick and tasty spicy read should find this highly enjoyable.

Disconnect your brain, sit back with a delectable drink and just enjoy the ride. I laughed in quite a few places – so don’t expect to find a complicated plot or anything too deeply serious in this lovely short story. Just enjoy the steamy shenanigans and relatable characters.

A fun and super quick read – this was a good story I enjoyed.

Fox Hounds by Lia Connor
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Foxy Lady…

Reyna’s a skilled thief and the lightest-fingered pickpocket around. Several professionals would love to have her on their side, if only to be able to keep an eye on her. What they don’t know is that Reyna’s nickname isn’t just fantasy — she’s a shapeshifting fox and as clever and wily as they come. No one can catch her if she doesn’t want to be caught, and so far no one’s come close to winning her over.

Not, that is, until the hounds pick up her trail. Jonas, Si and Boone, lovers as well as skilled tricksters, have the Fox’s scent and they intend to woo her, outsmart her and win her to their team. As hounds in name as well as in shapeshifting nature, they know they’re just as good at getting the job done as Reyna is. All they have to do is catch this thief and get her not only on their side, but in their shared bed.

And they won’t give up until they get the job done.

Reyna’s got a secret weapon – she’s a shapeshifting fox who is both clever and wily in addition to being a darn good thief. No one has come close to picking up her scent until she comes across the hounds – Jonas, Si and Boone. Shapeshifting hounds, the three men are also skilled tricksters and are determined to bring Reyna into their team – no matter the cost.

I found this to be a sexy quick read. I was impressed with this slightly different take on a paranormal spicy storyline – the three hound-shifters a cohesive and long-standing team and very comfortable with their personal and working relationship. While initially I was somewhat in the dark as to why they needed Reyna and her fox abilities to join their team, I admit I found it very fun to watch the three men collectively tempt her into collaborating with them.

An enjoyable and sensual read, it was clear there was more to the plot than just a quick seduction and I was thrilled when the author followed through on that. Readers wanting a quick, sexy, paranormal story that has a few twists and turns in it should find this a lovely and refreshing change of pace. I thought this was a good story and I’m interested in reading more by this new-to-me author.

Lord Of Dreams by Alice Gaines
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Psychotherapist Thea’s instinct to help urges her to reach out to the man who haunts her dreams. When they finally touch, she finds herself drawn into his arms.

He’s the Lord of Dreams, and together they help him heal from a past disaster. But can she learn to get over her own fear of attachment and give herself to him?

Thea works as a psychotherapist and spends most of her days helping people. Yet there’s a man who constantly fills her dreams and she desperately wants to help him – but is unsure how to. But can Thea get past her own fear of attachment and help the Lord of Dreams heal from his own past?

This is a steamy and wonderful novella. Like many erotic novels I do feel the reader needs to just go with the plot and enjoy the flow of the story. I admit I didn’t find the main premise very realistic – that all patients across all the psychotherapist’s were experiencing similar nightmares every night – but it was an excellent plot device to use as incentive for Thea to try and connect with the mysterious man in her dreams.

While I do feel the reader will need to suspend their disbelief, I was really impressed with the depth to the plot, especially considering the short length to the story. Readers who like a good amount of characterization and substance to their plot along with their steamy sex scenes should find this a good balance and an interesting story. I also really enjoyed the pace – Thea wasn’t a stupid character and so her being able to readily connect the various dots helped make me feel like the pace to the story went along at a good clip and I didn’t find myself skimming forward or getting bored.

With steamy sex, a decent plot and strong characters I found this to be a good quick read.

Bewitched By The Bear by Jessica Coulter Smith
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Discover the power of true love in this spellbinding tale of magic and adventure.

All Amara wants is to live a life of adventure, without being tied down. With the dark fae relentlessly pursuing her, she needs a place to hide. Her gram’s cottage seems like the perfect spot, but the old witch’s words leave Amara unsettled — What you seek is in Cutter’s Creek.

Alpha bear shifter Hale is determined to safeguard those closest to him. His life takes an unexpected turn when he crosses paths with a captivating witch. Enchanted by her very presence, he’s unable to banish her from his thoughts.

As destiny ties them together, not even the dark fae will destroy their newfound happiness.

Uncover the magic in this fast-paced, insta-love story that’s sure to warm your heart.

Amara wants to be free and have adventures, but with Dark Fae pursuing her she need to hide out and her gram’s quiet cottage seems like the perfect place. Only her path crosses alpha bear Hale and they both discover their destiny is something neither of them can outrun.

I really enjoyed this short story. With Hale being a cranky old bear who was clearly ready to turn a corner and start fresh I found him to be a wonderful and believable hero – with issues and not being perfect. I also found Amara to be a strong and enjoyable character, with plenty of magical powers of her own and not one to just swoon and give herself easily over to Hale. I thought they were very well matched and deliciously modern.

Readers who don’t like insta-love (or insta-lust) stories might not find this story suits their tastes. While I completely understand Hale as a were-bear recognized Amara as his true mate and couldn’t help his physical and chemical reaction to her it was rather amusing that he did seem to pretty much lose control and his mind over the whole situation. I was pleased Amara seemed to take it in stride – and with a bit of humour herself – but it was a little disappointing that it meant the sexiness was fast-tracked and they didn’t have much time initially to get to know each other.

There was a really intriguing sub-plotline around another werewolf – Sage – part of Hale’s pack and the dark fae prince that I found interesting. I suspect this leads off into a different book and I found the whole plotline interesting enough I may very well search that book out. This also helped the story feel like it wasn’t simply about Amara and Hale and their mating but helped the story feel like it was part of a much larger paranormal world and I really enjoyed that.

With interesting characters and plenty of steamy intimacy this was a good book and one I enjoyed reading.