Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Short Story
Mallory knows she’s weird, and owns it. But that doesn’t stop her from being insecure. Her closest friend is someone who lives an ocean away, and Mallory doesn’t deal well with people in person. So when she meets her client, Corinne Ibori, she’s dumbstruck by the gorgeous woman. Corinne is everything Mallory could want, but she doesn’t know how to read Corinne.
When Corrinne asks Mallory out, Mallory can’t believe someone like Corinne would be interested in someone like her. Shy, awkward, and not all that fashionable, Mallory is the complete opposite of the put-together Corinne. But Corinne quickly shows Mallory just how alluring she finds her, and to prove it, Corinne fills Mallory’s fantasy.
For the New-To-Me Author Week, I snapped up this little gem of a story. I don’t read much F/F, but this one definitely caught my interest. And Rhodes has a poetic, smooth style that really kept the story flowing. I enjoyed both characters so much, and this erotic short story definitely has sweet undertones.
Mallory is the kind of character I love to read, and in Rhodes’ hands, she came off as quirky and endearing. Yes, she was also kind of a hot mess. But she was fully aware of her own insecurities. Didn’t mean she knew how to get past them, but she knows they’re there. This story is told from Mallory’s first person POV and so we really get to follow along in her thought process and watch as she unfolded and bloomed. I really enjoyed the character Rhodes created, and Mallory was showcased to perfection.
I loved the mysterious Corinne too, and if I had one complaint about this story, it was that we didn’t get to know her more. She’s so comfortable in herself and in what she wants, and I loved that she showed hints of vulnerability too. While I would have liked to see more of her thoughts, I loved how easily she got Mallory and the way she did everything she could to put Mallory at ease. The chemistry between the two MCs was smoking hot and just leapt off the page.
For as short as this story is, there’s a lot going on, and it’s everything a short story should be. Good pace, great characters, sweet, and nice heat. I loved watching Mallory come into her own, and this is an author I’ll happily pick up again.
This review is part of our Reading Challenge Month for New-To-Me Author Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win one of six $20 gift cards to NineStar Press. Commenters will also be entered to win our amazing grand prize sponsored by Dreamspinner Press (a Kindle Fire filled with Dreamspun Desires/Beyond books, plus a 3-month subscription!). You can get more information on our Challenge Month here, and more details on New-To-Me Author Week here, including a list of all the books in this week’s prize.
Thank you for the great review, Kris. I must recognise I do not read much f/f either, but I was looking for some new story to catch my attention. And this one has definitively done so!
It’s an well done done story that hits the right notes. Thanks Susana!
Funny thing, Kris, I *was* going to choose this too for the weekly read-along when I saw the challenge. I don’t read much F/F as well. This one gets my attention when I browse NSP site to buy books. But I ended up with another author. I think I’ll get back to this one because your review is encouraging. And I love poetic smooth writing style.
How funny! Hope you get a chance to read it now!
Kris, thank you for your review. I’m not very familiar with f/f romance and I will be adding this book to my TBR.
That’s great news. Enjoy!
I don’t think i have ever read a f/f story. My focus is more on the m/m genre and i don’t think this will change in the near future . But i do like your review and it has me wondering if maybe i do need to take a chance on a new genre and seeing that this one is a novella….. well you never know 😉
This does sound appealing, Kris, so thanks for the review. I’m curious ~ at what point does a short story become a novella? (Short stories sounds so … short, but according to the Amazon link this is 72 pages long so a healthy length.)
Thanks for the review. This book is something that I would have scrolled by normally, but I’ll now check it out.
I’m not sure why, but I’ve never been drawn to f/f. I feel like I should give it a try…I just might like it. I trust your reviews so this may be the first one I try. 🙂
This would be something very different for me.
Not quite my kind of read but the characters sound like very likable characters. Thank you for the review!
Glad to hear this one worked for you! I’m not big on contemporary, and I’m really not big on insecure MCs, but it’s always good to know what’s out there!
Thanks for the review. I’m not into ff, to be honest. If I were to read one it would need to be a favorite trope or genre so I could dive into the story.
I haven’t given ff enough of a try and a short story is a good way to dip my toes in. (@Serena S. Using a favorite trope to branch out is a good idea)
I haven’t read much f/f, but this does sound sweet!
Aww, I love hearing about an unknown-to-me f/f gem. I love how a short story can pack as much of a punch as a novel, that’s such a skill. Thanks for the recommendation, Kris. I can see myself really enjoying this one!
I don’t read a lot of short stories because many authors don’t have the skill to write a complete story in a shorter form. After reading your review I want to give this one a try.