Review: "Get Lucky" by Various Authors

Note: This ARC was provided by Season Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Get Lucky is an anthology composed of six romance stories with an Irish-themed twist to each one. Each one has at least one Irish character or a character with Irish heritage. The book's release is timed for the day before St. Patrick's Day so if you're looking for something to get into the St. Paddy's Day spirit, look no further than this fun and diverse six-authored collection of stories that will have you believing in the luck of the Irish, especially when it comes to love. I'm giving it an overall rating of four stars out of five and below are my reviews for each of the stories.

Walking the Line by Nicola Marsh (four stars) - contemporary romance

Finn Ahearn, twenty-four, and Ellie Finch, thirty-four, find themselves working together in a bar in Kings Cross, Australia after Ellie agrees to hire him to help out for a month. Finn's always been the good son, but he's ready to break free and finally choose to do what he wants. Ellie's wary of other people, hiding behind a tough exterior of heavy make-up, piercings, and leather. Even though they're both attracted to each other, Ellie's past heartbreak has her keeping her distance but Finn's counting on his Irish charm and luck to get him closer to his prickly but beautiful boss.

Walking the Line was a fine start to the anthology and I liked how Finn always had a positive outlook on life and how he was able to see beyond the rough and touch persona Ellie was projecting. The ten-year age difference wasn't as much of a hurdle in the story, though it did give Ellie an excuse in the beginning to stay away from Finn. Kye Sheldon, Ellie's closest friend and the guy who helps Finn out in the start of the story and becomes a close friend as well, is an interesting supporting character whose story I'll definitely be checking out. This first romance gets four stars.

Amazed by You by Kelsey Browning (four stars) - contemporary romance

Olivia McLaughlin and Cody Kavanaugh were each other's first love, but when Liv decided to leave their small town of Shelbyville, Texas to follow her dreams and ambitions, their relationship came to a sudden end. Years later, the two cross paths again when Olivia, a personal assistant to a bestselling author, hires Cody, a landscape designer, to work on her boss' garden for a party. The sparks between them are definitely still there but so are all the reasons why things didn't work out for them before. Will this second-time around have a different ending?

Amazed by You was a sweet second chance romance between two people who haven't really changed much from when they were together in their teen years. Admittedly, Olivia was a teeny tiny bit frustrating, especially since she had all these pre-conceived notions in her head about Cody, their small town, and even how he chose to help her. As with the first story, this one had a supporting character that sparked my interest--Olivia's boss, Sadie Leigh, and I'd be curious to read her own love story in the future. This second story had a good ending and gets four stars.

One Little Kiss by Robin Covington (five-plus stars) - new adult romance

Leighton Greer and Jonas Sutton have known each other since they were college freshmen and have always had a certain connection between them. The only reason Jonas keeps his distance is because of Landon, Leighton's twin brother and Jonas' best friend, who asks him to not pursue his sister. But one night together on New Year's has created some awkwardness between the two and now that they're stuck together during a snowstorm, Jonas tells Leighton something that will test just how strong they both are and if there's room for a future together.

One Little Kiss gets two thumbs up from me and I'm naming it one of my two absolute favorites in the entire anthology. This had a lot of heart and had me tearing up a time or two. Leighton and Jonas were wonderful characters who brought humor and drama to a friendship in transition, even before either of them realized it. With the sweet comes the steam, so there's a good balance of both for my fellow romance readers out there. If I could wish for a full-length story to come out from this anthology, it would be for this one. One Little Kiss = five-plus stars!

Big, Bad Red by Avery Flynn (three stars) - paranormal romance

Liam MacTire is after the Caladbolg sword and he's been able to trace it to none other than the most well-known fence in all of Ireland--a woman named Red. When she doesn't sell him the sword right away, he ends up trying to steal it from her, which then leads to a curse that befalls both of them. Time is limited on all fronts for the couple--without the sword, Liam may be destined to spend the rest of his life as a wolf, and with a curse courtesy of Red's inability to keep her hands off the sword, he may be left without a mate if he can't get her to fall in love with him.

Big, Bad Red was a good read that had just the right amount of snarkiness that I like in my characters. It's a twist on the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale and I was happy to see the lead female character Red being portrayed as someone with a brain and a backbone and refusing to bow down to anyone. The amount of time the two had to fall in love seemed pretty unbelievable but then that tends to be one of the pitfalls when it comes to short stories. With a creative switch on who needs rescuing, this ended on a great note, which is always a good thing. Three stars.

Luck of the Irish by Sara Humphreys (five stars) - paranormal romance

Declan Aherne is a centuries-old leprechaun who is banished to live in a mirror by the father of his deceased wife in 1800 in Ireland. Over two hundred years later in New York City, a young woman named Maggie O'Malley purchases a specific mirror based on stories her late aunt told her when she was little. The mirror combined with the amulet that Maggie wears sets Declan free. Now, he owes her three wishes and with someone like Maggie who wants to a more adventurous life, those wishes may be more than Declan could have anticipated from the lass.

Luck of the Irish was different from the books in the Dead in the City series but it did have the elements that I've come to know and love. There are two beautiful love stories in the tale: one that has come to a tragic end and the other which appears to be at the beginning stages, and both involving Declan. It's a magical read and one that ends with a promise of even more in the future. Thank goodness for that because this short story alone has already gotten me quite excited for more of Declan and Maggie. Luck of the Irish is a favorite and gets five stars!

Something Borrowed by Kimberly Kincaid (three stars) - contemporary romance

Sasha Arrington and James "Sully" Sullivan are both culinary students and both at a point in their lives where they needed a change. They're very good friends, but while Sasha prefers keeping everything in the friend zone, Sully wants out and has long contemplated asking Sasha to take a risk so that they can be more than just friends. The wedding of Sasha's brother in Ireland has Sully suggesting that he be Sasha's plus one, hoping that the time together pretending to be in a relationship will inspire Sasha to be in a real with him when they return to the U.S.

Something Borrowed is a friends to lovers romance that features a woman who's rather jaded when it comes to love, no thanks to having witness the demise of her own parents' marriage. She may think her friend Sully is attractive but she refuses to pursue anything outside of a friendship with him because she doesn't want to risk losing him as a friend. It's an okay story, even though the idea of a guy spending that much money to try and convince a girl he likes to be more than friends is all that realistic. Not bad for a quick read so I'm giving it three stars.

Release Date: 16 March 2015

Date read: 12 March 2015

Learn more about the authors: Nicola Marsh (here), Kelsey Browning (here), Robin Covington (here), Avery Flynn (here), Sara Humphreys (here), Kimberly Kincaid (here)

Pre-order a copy of Get Lucky on Amazon | Kobo.