Review: Possess by Various Authors
Note: This ARC was provided by Sassy Savvy Fabulous PR in exchange for an honest review.
Possess is an anthology of contemporary romance and erotica romance novellas from eight various authors. My favorite thing about reading anthologies is that the stories are short enough that you can finish any number of them but don't necessarily need to finish the entire book because you can always go back and read the rest later on. Of course, being the anal person that I am, I need to finish everything before moving on to a new book because I hate leaving things hanging so I purposely set aside four books that I had slated for Friday so that I could concentrate on this newest anthology with its very alpha males.
While I do admit that what drew me to Possess was one author in particular--Rebecca Yarros--I discovered seven other authors in the process, which is another good thing about anthologies. Most of the stories are different, though a couple of them both have motorcycle clubs as part of the backdrops, but the one thing that ties them all together are the alphas that serve as their heroes. I fell totally in love with one story, adored two exceptional ones, and enjoyed the five others. As always, I'm going to briefly review and rate each of the stories individually. My overall average rating for Possess is 4.25 stars out of five stars. ♥
Bound to Me by Joanna Blake - 3.5 stars
When Daniel Delancey and Francesca Duarte first meet, she assumes he's nothing more than a ranch hand and someone she can wile away the time while she's trying to breed her mare. The Italian countess has no idea that the man before her is one of the owners of the ranch as well as a horse trainer, but Daniel has no plans to correct Francesca's assumption and gives her a night neither of them will ever forget. However, once Francesca learns who Daniel really is and believes he played her for a fool, Daniel will have to find a way to get her to stay and see if there's a possible future for him and the woman healing her broken heart.
Bound to Me is a fast-paced story and one that had a couple of very strong main characters. These two push each other's buttons, and Francesca is clearly a woman who likes being in control and not allowing men to dictate to her. However, Daniel could very well be the man who she can entrust with her body and heart so that she can let go and give in to her wants in the bedroom. The author has stated that there will be an expanded version of this story and I'm quite interested to see how everything will play out once that's released. Daniel also has brothers so this could be a possible series starter as well. It gets four stars. ♥
Hickey by Cora Brent - 4 stars
They were both eighteen and very much in love when they decided to get married, but that ended when Cricket Monroe suspected Matthew Branson of cheating on her. Seven years later and the two see each other again at, of all places, college. Cricket is now Constance and Bran is Matt and they both think themselves wiser and older. However, the feelings that once tied them together begin to roar back to life and while Bran may want to show Cricket that they're still good when it comes to dealing with their feelings of lust, Cricket may never be ready to trust again or forgive him for what he did seven years ago.
Hickey is a second chance romance between two people who got married way too young and who have a lot to learn when it comes to trust and communication. Cricket is pursuing her MBA and Bran is out of the military and starting college life when they cross paths seven years after their divorce. Bran was a player before he and Cricket got together and he was so cocky that I was glad Cricket brought him down a peg or two when they were in her dorm room. What happened seven years ago was pretty clear, but I guess it was a matter of having the right love at the wrong time with these two. I'm giving this story 4.5 stars out of five. ♥
Saint by Lana Grayson - 5 stars
James "Gold" Mered and Annie Scott could never seem to get their timing right. The feelings were clearly there, and just when they thought they finally had their chance, fate threw them a curve ball that they both believed ended them forever--Gold's one-night stand shows up pregnant. Months pass before Gold seeks Annie out for her help. No other woman has meant to Gold what Annie does, and when her life and that of his six-month-old daughter are put in danger by a rival MC member, Gold decides it's time for him to take action and do whatever is necessary to make sure his woman, his child, and his brothers make it out alive.
Favorite story numero uno goes to Lana Grayson's Saint, which is a novella in her Anathema MC series. So taken was I by this novella that I found myself quickly wanting to get my hands on the rest of the books. Annie being a veterinarian and the one that Gold goes to once he's injured was a nice touch. Add to that the fact that these two have always had a thing for one another but could never really make a go of it all made this one intriguing story that had me fully engrossed from start to finish. With two distinct main characters and supporting characters I want to find out more about, this intense love story gets five stars. ♥
Craved by Jordan Marie - 3.5 stars
Sabre is a member of the Devil's Blaze motorcycle club and he's had more than his fair share of beautiful women before, but from the moment he meets straight-laced and prim and proper librarian Annabelle, he's done for. She may have grown up under the thumb of her strict and abusive evangelist father and she's always followed the rules, but Sabre can tell that Annabelle is a woman waiting to break those rules, especially in the bedroom. He wants to be a part of her life as much as he wants her to be a part of his, but before they can move forward, Annabelle will have to confront and break free of her past once and for all.
Craved is one of those stories that has two people who appear to have nothing in common meeting and falling for each other because they satisfy each other's needs in the bedroom. Annabelle and Sabre were curious about one another from the very beginning and their relationship escalates really quickly soon after. While this was a pretty good story, I do wish that it hadn't followed the one that preceded it because I couldn't help but compare the two, what with both being MC-related romances. Hopefully the series starter gets an expanded version in order for it to have better overall flow. I'm giving this story 3.5 stars. ♥
Tormented by a Dangerous Man by Cleo Peitsche - 4 stars
Being a bounty hunter isn't easy and when you're a female bounty hunter like Audrey Stroop, you feel the need to prove yourself over and over again. Their family-owned business needs an influx of cash and positive press so their hunt for one particular white-collar criminal has them all on their toes. Unfortunately, with them missing out on capturing the man each and every time they get close enough, Audrey may be left with no other choice but to tap her greatest resource--her boyfriend, Corbin Lagos. But when Corbin turns out to be gunning for the same wanted man, all bets are off between the two lovers.
Tormented by a Dangerous Man was a fun novella that had elements of action and romance to it. It's part of the By a Dangerous Man series, which is a collection novellas currently comprised of two seasons. Audrey and Corbin clearly had history based on their interaction with one another, but this was a fact that I was not aware of going on and I felt a bit lost at times because I had no clue as to what happened to them before. Other than that, the story itself was interesting and there were quite a few lighthearted moments. My curiosity is piqued so I may check out those previous novellas in the future. Four stars for this novella. ♥
Bitter Rivals by Winter Renshaw - 5 stars
Do best friends really make the best lovers? Possibly, but there are no guarantees when it comes to them living happily ever after. Just ask Xavier Fox and Magnolia Grantham, former best friends who had the perfect partnership working side by side as real estate brokers. When they crossed the line and slept together, it felt like the beginning of something more but turned out to be the beginning of the end when Magnolia overhears Xavier betraying her. More than two years later, they unexpectedly find themselves stuck in the same Hamptons home and the ex-besties turned bitter rivals are feeling too close for comfort.
My second favorite novella comes courtesy of Winter Renshaw's friends-to-lovers-to-enemies slash second chance romance Bitter Rivals. Xavier and Magnolia have chemistry in spades and I couldn't get enough of these two. They have history--both good and bad--so when it came to all the button-pushing, their reactions were far more personal and on a greater scale. There's a point in the story where my heart broke for Xavier, because the man may be a confident and cocky real estate broker but he was vulnerable when it came to his confusion as to why he and Magnolia went their separate ways. This one gets five stars. ♥
Chasing Liberty by D.G. Whiskey - 3.5 stars
When waitress Liberty Tilset finds herself the unwilling recipient of an obnoxious customer's advances and insults, she's rescued by dashing billionaire Stephen Deveraux. He later offers to photograph the aspiring model in order for her to have better pictures to hand out to agencies. Their mutual attraction has both of them wanting to spend even more time together, but Liberty doesn't want to rely on Stephen's generosity and still intends to make a name for herself in the modeling industry. Then a chance at a photo shoot comes along, one that sounds far too good to be true and may end up costing Liberty her freedom.
Chasing Liberty is a love story between a waitress who dreams of becoming a model and a billionaire who's trying to find some sort of direction in his life. Overall, the story was good and I liked that element of suspense thrown in much later on. Liberty comes off as a bit naive and with her desperation to become a model, that naivete costs her more than she may have expected. Stephen is a mystery and we don't really come away with a lot of answers to all the questions, especially with as far as his billions are concerned. A full-length novel featuring Stephen's brother is up next so maybe we'll get answers then. It gets 3.5 stars. ♥
Point of Origin by Rebecca Yarros - 5+ stars
"So you can say this won't be happening again, but I know better. You and I are inevitable, and you know it. We always have been. Gasoline and fire."
"I'm not denying that. But we both know that I'm the one who ends up a giant pile of ashes, so forgive me if I'm not quite ready to let you burn me again."
He left her without saying goodbye six years ago and when firefighter Sebastian Vargas returns to their hometown of Legacy, Emerson Kendrick has no warning whatsoever. There is no warm homecoming for Bash, not after the way he left the only girl he ever loved behind to pursue a firefighting career in California. Now, he plans to bring back a group of elite hotshots, similar to the one their fathers belonged to and were part of when they died saving the town ten years prior. Bash has no plans of staying for long, but leaving Emerson behind a second time may end up breaking them both beyond the point of no return.
Rebecca Yarros can do no wrong and with the Legacy series starter, and my top Possess favorite story, in the form of the Point of Origin novella, not only do readers get a complete and threshed-out story with main characters we become so totally invested in from the get-go, we also have other characters that spark our interest, to the point that we'll be looking for them with each new book in this promising series. Emerson and Bash have officially knocked everyone else down a slot on my list of favorite fictional couples and are currently sitting pretty at the top spot. These two just make you want to fall in love all over again.
This drew out strong emotions from me, and for something so short to do that is a feat in and of itself. It wasn't just a second chance love story between Emerson and Bash; it was the story of a town called Legacy and the painful history that still reverberates around it after a fire took the lives of almost every single member of the town's hotshots crew. My heart broke for both Emerson and Bash's life stories and the love story they shared, but with the hope that second chances bring, my heart mended alongside theirs. By the end of this mini masterpiece, I actually stood up and applauded. It was simply that good. Five-plus stars. ♥
Date Read: 13 November 2015
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