Rocky Waters by C.M. Steele

🍎🍎

Wanting a quick novella late Friday night before bed and something summery, I decided to pick up the next book in the Lovers Lake series. This series have different novellas written by different authors. Book two is Rocky Waters by C.M. Steele. Update: I applied this to the prompt of black on cover for the 3rd board of Summer of Swoon.

Bennett is an author and returning to his cabin in a small mountain town in Colorado to seclude himself and finish his latest novel. Everyone in town knows that they need to stay away from the trails and natural areas by his house since he needs silence. Since his phone is off, he doesn't receive the messages from his friend that's a photographer. He has scheduled a shoot for romance novels at the lake by his cabin and wanted to give him a heads up. Bennett gets angry and stomps down to the lake. He gets one look at the female model Darcy and immediately lays claim. Darcy is actually a big fan of Bennett's books, and is more than happy to be "kidnapped."

This book had so many tropes going in that I was super into. We have a bookish heroine, author hero, she's a model for romance covers, he's a grumpy/broody alpha hero and she's a fan of his writing. This is also less than 30 pages long, and certainly needed to be longer. I didn't like that they were both virgins and their fist time was perfect. And that they went on a marathon. It was just too much. I wish that this book was longer to flesh things out a little more. 

I knew it was going to be a novella going in, but I didn't look at page count. That aside, the 2-stars is mainly for the writing style. It was so weird and felt more like telling than showing. It wasn't just telling though, but telling every little thing. This is isn't an exact quote, but it was things like the author's going to sit down to write. The author listed out every little thing like he gets dressed in comfy clothes, sits down and turns his computer on, checks his phone before turning off, pulls up his writing program and starts writing. I didn't need a second by second list of every little thing he was doing. It wasn't just once and happened for both of the main characters. I found myself quickly just skimming in between dialogue. I guess for that reason it's good this was super short.

I will try more of the books in this series, but I might look at page count and tropes before picking on up. I don't know if I'll pick up anything else from C.M. Steele, I just don't think her writing style is for me. Maybe after she's got more books under her belt I might try another novella and see if her style changes? Mostly likely not though, especially if they are just as short.

Have you read Rocky Waters?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Rocky Waters, C.M. Steele, 2-stars, 0 days, eBook, 24 pages, published in 2021

Seized by Love by Susan Johnson

🍎🍎

The 10th, and last book, I read for the Kindle Clear Out Readathon was Seized by Love by Susan Johnson. This is the first book in her Russian/Kuzan Family series. I chose this book for the oldest tbr prompt on my kindle since it was the oldest published book I had that seemed interesting. I did take a peek at reviews and saw that despite this being written and published in the late 1970s, it didn't really have any rape or other major items that modern historical readers don't like.

Now, I agree with the reviews that I saw that there wasn't really rape in this book. There was definitely some, what should I call it, forced seduction? She caves and her body is definitely into it, but she tries to fight her body but her mind usually loses. But, back to the premise. Prince Nikolai Kuzan in staying at a Finnish lodge of his with friends and his contingency just getting drunk and enjoying women. One afternoon, him and two of his friends are having a picnic. One suggests a bet to help keep Nikki from getting bored with life, and it's to seduce the chaste ice queen Alsia. She is married to a local merchant and very off-standish. 

He quickly accepts and approaches her, as she's painting across the way. Now I like the premise and I enjoyed the initial seduction and time they spent together afterwards. Nikki just kind of tells her how she's coming with, especially as they've discussed her abusive husband and how he likes to beat her to find pleasure. She mentions her daughter and he says that's fine that she comes. Alsia also wants to bring her servants from before her marriage, which Nikki gets frustrated about, but allows. She still denies him. Alsia is falling for Nikki, but he just wants her as a mistress. She doesn't want that at all.

Why this is 2-stars for me is Prince Kuzan. I liked the premise and I kept feeling like he would start to care for Alsia, or at least come to realize his feelings. Every time he took a step forward though, he would go back to the start. I really just started to get frustrated with him. I could see the change coming and kept reading hoping for that switch to happen, but it never really did. Alsia does get kidnapped by her husband at one point and he rides to rescue her (if course it's right after they've come to new terms and stopped arguing, but he assumes the worst before finding out she was actually kidnapped). He then tells he that he loves her at that point and we see a few weeks of good relationship building. Then, his parents force them to marry and all that work and feelings seem to disappear on his end. It just was so back and forth and they kept antagonizing each other and it didn't stop. Finally when it comes to the birth of their child after they're married (and having a horrible marriage), Alsia struggles a lot and it seems like both will die. Suddenly, once again, Nikki realizes he loves her and promises he'll do better if she lives.

Honestly, it felt like too little too late. He never groveled or apologized or even realized how hurtful the things he was saying. He just stuck to his pride and what he thought was independence. I know that this is an older book, but it was re-edited and re-released in 1994 and Susan's author note mentioned updating things. Now don't get me wrong, I have read and loved older historical romances. The 1990s and early 2000s tend to be my sweet spot of enjoyment. I just couldn't get behind him at all. I didn't find very much redeeming of Nikki and was pretty disappointed with the read. I think what bothered me the most is that I would be thinking of dnf-ing but then there would be moments of good. I would get sucked back into the story only to eventually be let down. Repeatedly. I don't know if I'll read more in this series or try her again. I won't avoid her, but it's definitely not at the top of my tbr. Honestly after reading this, I was just hoping that it wouldn't put me in a book slump.  Spoiler Alert: It didn't, thankfully.

Have you read Seized by Love?

Bookishly Yours, 

Stasi🍎

STATISICS: Seized by Love, Susan Johnson, 2-stars, 1 day, eBook, 304 pages, published in 1979

Steele Your Soul by Decadent Kane

🍎🍎

The second book I read for the Lunar New Year Readathon (hosted by LaceyBookLovers and remarkablylisa) was Steele Your Soul by Decadent Kane. This is book 3 in her Trouble with Elves series. After my huge tbr for the readathon with all my options, I ended up picking something not on my radar for either. I did want to read something that would also work for FaRoFeb. After scrolling and going through my kindle, goodreads and my tbr, I finally settled on this. I have not read the first two books in this series, which is rare for me. Usually I read things in order. 

I'm not sure if starting with this book meant I missed something? Maybe a little bit of world-building? I don't know if I'll go back to read the first book at this point. Okay, so this book is definitely more novella or even short story length. At first we see Elven pirate Joren Steele. He looks off of his boat and meets eyes with Pepper. She has just left a meeting with a drow (evil elf) woman that has sold her some special spice. In her mind, she mentions something about him possibly being fated mates since she feels a pull of attraction to him she's never felt before. 

Something happens and she ends up on his boat. Then the drow working with Joren tries to steal her and rape her. While this is happening Joren runs into his "lady" at this dock and they get intimate in an alley. First of all, I know that they just met, but to immediately have Jorean sleep with someone else I didn't like. Then after the whole thing with Tide, he takes this other woman to his ship and they hang out all night. We see Joren sleeping with this other woman MORE than the entire relationship of him and Pepper. Not cool. Then she's kidnapped, blahdy-blahdy-blah and he ends up saving her at the cost of his ship. Then they have "thank god we're alive sex" in a cave before the drown king magically floats them to him. Then it was the end. 

This is two-stars because I was intrigued by the world and dynamic of normal elves vs drow. It seems that they get some sort of disease that causes them to lose(?) their soul and all elves has this disease inside them. It's just when it gets activated, if it does. I just wish that it either went full fated mates or just strait insta-lust erotica. I didn't like, as mentioned above, we saw more sexy times with another woman that wasn't our heroine. As as soon as they kind of got together, end of book. I would love to see an extended version of this book. I definitely would love more Elf fantasy romances, especially dealing with the drow element. Makes my table-top gamer heart happy.

Have you read Steele Your Soul?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Steele Your Soul, Decadent Kane, 2-stars, 0 days, eBook, 59 pages, published 2014