Jeannie Watt

This is not a full-length novel. Almost half the file is another two stories set in this town. That's my first dislike. The blurb should state that there is content besides what the initial title indicates. I don't care if it's free, that is annoying.

The second dislike is, despite being shorter, there is too much repetition. Of eye color. Of the past hurts. Of the wedding date. Of the dad-son conflict. More. Any good editor will notice these, and any good writer will work to edit them out. Readers aren't stupid, and the shorter the work, the less we rely on memory anyway. It was feeling like filler to meet a word count. Insulting.

The third dislike nearly made me stop reading. (Now I know I wouldn't have missed much. At the time it looked like I had a lot of story left...) The one sex scene is minimal - they go from distant to sex in a very short time, not terrible since they'd known each other before. But then after-sex is waaay too casual for the amount of angst still to be resolved. It felt like the scene was lifted whole from something else and not transitioned very well.

I won't read this author again.

Gaining new readers with free books requires offering good work. Also, please be honest about what the file contains. Don't be annoying.… (mehr)

Very enjoyable romance between two characters I really liked. Molly is back in Eagle Valley, Montana, teaching classes at the community college. Finn is the guy who Molly feels humiliated her on their homecoming date back in high school. Now Finn is a student in Molly’s English composition class and his grades are not so good. Sparks fly between the two, at first as adversaries, and later of a romantic nature. This story had a wonderful cast of characters (in addition to Finn and Molly) who made the story even more interesting. I really liked Finn’s grandfather who lived next door to Molly and her younger sister. Also loved the cute kitten, Buddy. I enjoyed the college atmosphere including the students, a couple of whom caused Molly no end of trouble. A very entertaining read.… (mehr)

Lil is tired of the stares, the pity, and the sentimental looks. She's getting away to her family cabin, even if it means the entire town will think she's wallowing in sadness while her ex-fiance gets married on their old wedding date. She's got all she needs with her cat, Christmas music, food, and peace and quiet. That is, until a blizzard starts in and brings with it Casey Lanigan. Not only was he her first love, but he's also the brother of her ex-fiance. With their story unfinished, Lil and Casey have to work together to be as comfortable as they can stuck in the cabin until help arrives. Their unspoken feelings may just come to light and put them on a new path.

Easily my favorite Christmas story this year. I loved the two main characters, Lil and Casey, I liked their history and their personal background, and I especially liked how they both let their emotions make their decisions. As always, second chance stories tug at my heartstrings. In this case, there's a definite love-triangle type situation, but not one that overpowers the story. Yes, there's a past with Casey's brother that Lil wants to forget, and I kind of wish she'd never dated him, but there's more to it.. The rekindling of their romance is slow, but the feelings are strong and easy to feel through the words. I liked that Lil and Casey both dealt with some personal things that helped lead them to finally dealing with the history they share. I liked their humor and their witty dialogue, plus I really just enjoyed them as a couple. There's Christmas, family drama, and of course, a great love story in this short holiday read.… (mehr)