Kayt Miller

This book is full of short stories by fantastic authors some I knew before and some are new to me and I have fallen in love with. There are a lot of short stories and some I have not got to yet, but I definitely plan to, so here are my reviews on the stories I have read so far:
Her Mafioso’s Honor by Patricia Eddy:
In this story we are instantly introduced to Evelyn who has been captured by some mafia guys. She is treated horribly but she is strong and can hold her own. Damian is the nephew to the current mafia boss who thinks it is horrible the way his uncle has ran the family into the ground so he is out to right the wrongs and he starts by saving Evelyn from an even worse fate. At first Evelyn is very skeptical a guy like Damian wants to help her and cares for her well being but their attraction is undeniable. The story is a short one, but I loved it so much and enjoyed the characters. A fast paced intense read with an incredible alpha and tough as nails heroine.

Real by Magan Vernon:
In this cute read we get to see the banter between two individuals who entertained me and made me laugh. Wren is starting a paper for her English class and starts to email her professor so she can get a few things approved but the TA answers to response. This TA comes off as abrupt, kind of mean, but she does not know it is not her professor but instead his TA, Wolf the school bad boy. Wolf is smart and knows what he likes, and he knows his stuff when it comes to the class he works for. Their back and forth arguing is so good that you know they love to get a rise out of each other but know it may be kind of forbidden. I loved Wolf and the way he was straight forward with Wren. I also how Wren could give back as good as he could and that they were so attracted to each other just by arguing.

The Cabin Between Us by Dani Rene:
This story was cute, and it followed Calandra who left her hometown to try and make it in Hollywood, but we find out when she left town she left behind her heart. She is returning because her mother has decided to sell their cabin but she has so many memories there it’s hard for her to see it go, but when she gets home Kolton her heart and soul at one point is there. Kolton let the love of his life go but now he has a plan to make up for lost time.
… (meer)

I received an advanced copy of this book from Patricia D. Eddy, whose contribution "Her Mafioso's Honor" is about midway through the book, for review. I started with her story, and am slowly making my way through the rest.

I love anthologies like this, especially romance-laden ones, as they give a ton of heat in bite-sized stories that don't have the same kind of pressure to commit as a full-length novel or series (though, who are we kidding - most of these stories are going to send you searching for the full catalogues of the authors within).

"Her Mafioso's Honor" serves up the kind of characters you can't help but want to see more of. Evelyn and Damian are both driven by a sense of duty and pride, though stemming from wildly different circumstances, and clash together when Evelyn finds herself over her head. Cue the steam, swoon and that longing to see a so-called "bad boy" take names and save the day. I'm thrilled that we may see more of these characters developed in the year ahead.

Following Eddy's story was "So Much More" by Reina Torres. Somehow the author managed to create that delicate sense of hesitation and slow burn within just a few chapters. The shared history and pining between the two characters made the heat in the story that much more satisfying, and I'd happily read about the hinted back story in a full-length novel.

As I continue through the other stories, I will try to update my review, however, considering this anthology is literally free across all major retailers, I'd highly recommend diving in. With so many stories to choose from, there's bound to be one that draws you in and provides that perfect evening escape.… (meer)

A mixed bag for me
4 stars

This is my first Kayt Miller but one of many Cocky Hero books I’ve read. I tend to inadvertently gravitate towards the books based in the world of Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s Stuck-Up Suit. Graham from that book appears in this one - as does the Ask Ida column - but all the Cocky Hero books stand completely alone. No need to have read or know anything about any other book to read, understand and enjoy this one.

In this story, Ben is a marketing manager in a department fraught with drama. Allison is a consultant brought in to get to the bottom of the problems. They start off wary of each other due to their initial meeting but it soon turns into a friendship and then more.

Ben is an absolute sweetheart and I fell for him instantly. The author manages to make him a great blend of strong, quirky and sweet. A lot of his appeal comes from the way he is with his rescue dog, Sky. Any man who loves his dog as much as Ben loves Sky, is the perfect kind of hero in my eyes.

I liked Allison, too, although I did feel I knew less of her than I knew of Ben. She’s driven and strong and she does seem to hold her own in a hostile environment. I do wish she could have been less professional when it came to Ben - but having said that, I probably wouldn’t have liked the worry of whether they would get caught fooling around in the office!

As a whole, this is a strange one to review, if I’m honest. For the majority of the book, I was thinking it would likely get 4 or 5 stars. I enjoyed the writing style - it was easy, fresh and eminently readable; the office intrigue, while overshadowing the romance for much of the book, kept me both entertained and guessing; and as I mentioned, I liked the characters.

But as soon as we find out who was behind the office issues, it just went downhill for me. Okay, fine, it got me so friggin’ annoyed. Without spoiling the ‘whodunnit’, the outcome was so unbelievably sexist, I was disgusted. It was all so ridiculously unprofessional. And don’t get me started on the fact that Allison suddenly got offered the Director of Marketing role (which is what it was) without experience or training. Aaargh!

The main storyline in the book was definitely the comings and goings in the office over the romance. Had that been resolved satisfactorily, I wouldn’t have considered this worth mentioning as Allison and Ben’s relationship was still in there and it was pretty much adorable. There was a teeny tiny bit of sex at the end but other than that it’s hand-holding and kissing. Again - adorable.

Oh, and the idea of Ben as a superhero was again, cute, but it didn’t really add anything to the story other than as a reason for Ben’s actions when meeting Ali. And as a way to “explain” Sky.

So if it was 5 stars pre-whodunnit - and definitely 3 afterwards, I’ll give the book 4 stars overall. The chapters were nice and short and I was always interested in the story and keen to read just a little more. Just a few minor niggles for me but I’d be happy to read more from Kayt Miller in the future.… (meer)