Taylor Jenkins Reid - Evidence of the Afair

 

Taylor Jenkins Reid- Evidence of the Affair 

4⭐

Genre: Romance, Fiction, Short Story, Contemporary

Format: E-Book

Publisher:  Amazon Original Stories

Date Published: 20th September 2018

 

Book Blurb: 

The repercussions of an illicit affair unfold in this short story by bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Dear stranger…

A desperate young woman in Southern California sits down to write a letter to a man she’s never met—a choice that will forever change both their lives.

My heart goes out to you, David. Even though I do not know you…

The correspondence between Carrie Allsop and David Mayer reveals, piece by piece, the painful details of a devastating affair between their spouses. With each commiserating scratch of the pen, they confess their fears and bare their souls. They share the bewilderment over how things went so wrong and come to wonder where to go from here.

Told entirely through the letters of two comforting strangers and those of two illicit lovers, Evidence of the Affair explores the complex nature of the heart. And ultimately, for one woman, how liberating it can be when it’s broken.

My Review: 

I was reading my way through the TJR back catalogue and found that she wrote a short story called Evidence of the Affair. Honestly, I didn’t think I would enjoy this as much as I did, as I am not a fan of short stories. Yet this story was unique, captivating and explored so much in so few pages.

The story follows a woman in Southern California who finds out that her husband is cheating on her. She decides to send a letter to a woman’s husband and tell him about the affair that his wife and her husband are having. That’s how we see Carrie Allsop’s and David Mayer’s friendship and story developing, through letters that they send each other…

I love the premise and idea of this book and the fact that it's all in letter format. However, through those letters, we learn so much about both Carrie and David, as well as their marriages, the affair that their spouses are having and their growing friendship in a time of betrayal. This short story packs so much in so few pages and explores love, grief, betrayal, relationships, friendships, and loyalty. The only thing I didn’t like about this story is the mention of Mick Riva…Other than that this story is great!

Overall: Short, sweet story that explores so much in less than 100 pages. Recommend if you are a fan of TJR, but we are aware that this story will leave you wanting more. It did that to me! 

About the Author:

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of Carrie Soto Is Back, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones & The Six, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as four other novels. She lives in Los Angeles.

https://taylorjenkinsreid.com/

Elle Kennedy - Say Yes

 

4⭐

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Fiction, Novella, Short Story, Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Time: 1h 32mins 

Narrator:  Stella Bloom 

Format: Audio 

Publisher: Audible Studios 

Date Published: 9th November 2021

Book Blurb: 

Maid-of-honor Emilia is looking for some stress-busting fun the night before her best friend’s wedding. And what’s more fun than a no-strings hook-up? Good thing there’s an app for that, and she’s in luck—the sexy stud she swipes right on is more than happy to fulfill all her sexual needs. Her hot night with “Dirk” is everything she knew it would be.

But this morning?

He looks a hell of a lot like the groom.

My Review: 

My first ever Elle Kennedy book/novella and I actually really enjoyed listening to it. The plot twist in this got me and I didn’t expect it at all. It was a very entertaining story; I just wished it was longer. There were some hilarious and funny moments, as well as some smut (as expected).

The story follows Emilia who has been asked to be a maid of honour by her friend Marcey who she hasn’t seen in years. Emilia agrees, but just before the wedding rehearsal, she sleeps with a stranger. No strings attached one-night stand. However, the next morning Emilia sees him right beside Marcey, as he is the groom…

Overall: Very well paced, with quite a lot of smut, and at times super funny. I wish there was a dual POV but even without it, the book was rather fun. I just really wanted it to be longer so that the romance between Emilia and her one-night stand/groom was less instant-love. It definitely got me hooked from the very first chapter and I loved every minute of it. 

About the Author:

A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.

Elle currently writes for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

http://ellekennedy.com/

Colleen Hoover -Finding Cinderella (Hopeless #2.5)

Colleen Hoover -Finding Cinderella (Hopeless #2.5)

4⭐

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult, Novella, Short Story

Pages: 176

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK 

Date Published:  14th October 2013

 

Book Blurb: 

A chance encounter in the dark leads eighteen-year-old Daniel and the girl who stumbles across him to profess their love for each other. But this love has conditions: they agree it will last only one hour, and it will be only make-believe.

When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them seemed perfect only because they were pretending it was. Moments like that happen only in fairy tales.

One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in love-at-first-sight is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. Unfortunately for Daniel, finding true love doesn"t guarantee a happily ever after... it only further threatens it.

Will an unbearable secret from the past jeopardize Daniel and Six's only chance at saving each other?

My Review: 

Finding Cinderella is a short novella about the two side characters of the Hopeless series, Six and Daniel. Basically, this short story is their Cinderella-inspired love at first sight story.

The novella was very short, quick and easy to read. It was quite entertaining, especially as both Six and Daniel have a great sense of humour and some funny situations made me laugh out loud. For me, it was more of a comfort read in between other books.

Although, this is Hoover we are talking about, so even if it is a novella, still expect the unexpected. Yes, there is quite an interesting and surprising twist at the end of the novella. However, since I read All Your Perfects before reading the Hopeless series, I saw this twist coming, but if you haven’t read All Your Perfects before, you might be in for a shock.

This story gives us a depth glimpse into both Six and Daniel, as well as their new relationship and newfound love. It is their love story, with all the good bits, the bad, the secrets and the shocking revelations.

Overall: Very cosy, quick and easy novella. Full of laugh-out-loud moments, some secrets, humour, and some shocking revelations all wrapped up in Hoover’s brilliant writing. I truly recommend this little novella if you love instant love and romance, because it is like a true-life Cinderella story set in high school with a Princess and Prince Charming being two weird, funny and at times odd, yet lovable young adults. 

About the Author:

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thrillers. 

Colleen Hoover is published by Montlake Romance, Grand Central Publishing and Atria Books. Colleen also has several indie titles, including Heart Bones.

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service and bookstore, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box is a subscription service that provides readers with an exciting opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world. All profits from the subscription service are donated to various charities each month. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need.

https://www.colleenhoover.com/about-coho/

Colleen Hoover - Finding Perfect (Hopeless #2.6)

Colleen Hoover - Finding Perfect (Hopeless #2.6)

5⭐

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult, Novella, Short Story

Pages: 128

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK 

Date Published:  30th November 2019

 

Book Blurb: 

Finding Perfect is a novella that brings back some of Colleen’s most beloved characters. Told from the point of view of Daniel from Finding Cinderella, readers will finally get the conclusion they’ve been hoping for.

For the best reading experience, make sure you’ve read all four books that come together to make up this heartwarming story: Hopeless, Losing Hope, Finding Cinderella, and All Your Perfects.

My Review: 

Super short yet super cute and feel-good novella mainly about Daniel and Six, but features all the other characters from Hopeless and All Your Perfects. This novella for me seemed like a perfect way to summarise the series and link it all to All Your Perfects.

This short story is from Daniel’s POV and follows him and Six during their first Thanksgiving and Christmas after starting college. After spending Thanksgiving with Sky and Holder at home, Daniel and Six take a trip to meet someone they both wanted to meet for months, and alongside that, they meet Graham and Quinn, which are the two main characters in All Your Perfects.

Without spoiling the story, I just loved how Daniel’s and Six’s story was so beautifully connected to Graham’s and Quinn’s and how they are now wholesomely in each other’s lives. Also, we finally learn the connection between the Hopeless series and All Your Perfects, which in my mind was one of the most amazing connections ever, that made both stories just so heart-warming and adorable.

I also loved the writing, as even though the novella itself is super short, the number of things and information that was given to us in this story allowed readers to gain so much more depth from all the beloved characters throughout the series. It also talked about important subjects, had so many heart-warming and heart-breaking moments, etc. Honestly, I don’t know how someone can pack so much in such a short novella, but Hoover managed to do it beautifully.

Overall: Loved this short novella so much. I just wished it was longer! As I needed much more of both, Six and Daniel. I loved how this book and the Hopeless series tied up into All Your Perfects too. Honestly, such a cosy, beautiful and heart-warming novella and end to a series. Brilliant!

 

About the Author:

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thrillers. 

Colleen Hoover is published by Montlake Romance, Grand Central Publishing and Atria Books. Colleen also has several indie titles, including Heart Bones.

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service and bookstore, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box is a subscription service that provides readers with an exciting opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world. All profits from the subscription service are donated to various charities each month. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need.

https://www.colleenhoover.com/about-coho/