Minis

Monday Minis: A Few Novellas

I don’t typically read novellas – not because of some active choice on my part, but merely by happenstance. But over the past couple months, a few novellas have managed to find their way into my reading queue, and so I thought I’d do a special Monday Minis looking at these three completely different little books. All opinions are my own.

My Dirty Duke: A Victorian Novella by Joanna Shupe completely knocked my socks off! I heard about this book, because I follow author Sarah McLean on Twitter and she recommended it, and thank goodness she did. This novella checks all the boxes in terms of pure, unadulterated enjoyment for me. The writing is superb. The characters come to life on the page, and their arcs are real and meaningful despite its short length. The romance is delectably steamy right from the beginning (including naked, amateur photography) and is amplified by the age-gap trope – he is her father’s best friend – truly magnificent! If you want a wickedly decadent historical that you can read in a couple hours before bed, this is the novella for you! (Aside: OK, after writing this, I’ve decided I need to go read this yet again…)

The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a fantasy novella about a sorceress who loses her position of power after being betrayed by her lover. I was looking to fill the r/fantasy Latinx Book Bingo square, and was drawn to this novella by the description in Goodreads advertising it as Sword and Sorcery. Although I would not classify the book as such – I believe this to be a personal story about coming to terms with one’s hubris – it was still a pleasurable read delivering a solid message about the evils of desiring power in a interesting, fantastical setting. For me, the highlight of this book was the meso-american folklore influence on the world-building, especially in the form of what I would consider the main character’s cheeky familiar, the Nahual. Overall, a short, satisfying story.

I saw a preorder announcement from the author for this book on my Twitter timeline (via the Romance Books hashtag), read the description, and immediately went to Amazon and bought it. Flesh and Stone: A Monster Romance Novella by Emily Hemenway is a steamy, contemporary romance novella that takes place between an almost 200 year old gargoyle and a contemporary, young New York woman. Yes, you read that correctly – the MMC is a gargoyle, and he and the FMC have gargoyle sex. You can thank me later. Thomas was part of a secret organization that investigated the supernatural when he was transformed into a gargoyle by an evil witch. He awakes in the present day when Hannah, an FBI analyst, recently moved to New York City, touches the statue on a tour of the old cathedral. You can imagine her surprise, but maybe not her reaction to this stony gentleman! This book was so cute and simply a fun read, perfect for October with all its witchy, monster vibes. 

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