Queen B’s Decree: Only A Taste includes three different novellas with variable tropes and genres, so I’ll plan to review each story individually.
Spark: The trope here was “one night stand leads to secret baby.” It was cute and sweet, but I always feel like there are no great reasons for keeping a baby secret. The angst was high and the short length contributed to the disconnection I felt. Their love story wasn’t very believable, but I think if there was time for a full length novel, it could have been better fleshed out and more enticing.
Bear With Me: With a name like Bear With Me, this could only have been a paranormal about bear shifters. Sully is grieving over the unexpected deaths of her parents, while simultaneously dealing with a new psychic “gift.” Then she meets Declan, a man on whom her gift doesn’t work, and their obsession with each other is immediate. Declan feels guilt about past secrets and does his best to push Sully away, and honestly, she lets him. It’s not until she’s in the direct path of a tornado (excuse me, what?) that Declan shifts and saves her life. And then, does the silly girl call her family so they know she’s safe? NO. She just spends all night and day with Declan, happily in love. The chemistry was definitely there, but the romance went off the rails for me.
Darkest Desires: For a novella, this one packed a big punch. I am normally not very into BDSM storylines, but Darkest Desires hit the spot. Stella is moving back to her hometown after her attempts at acting in the big city, and is immediately talked into a blind date with a doctor at her mother’s hospital. After she’s stood up due to an emergency, she meets some likeminded people who are part of a sex club. She can’t keep away as she explores her kink, and from there she’s torn between her developing relationship with Misha and the secret man she’s met at the club. Erotic and sweet, while I wish there could have been more explanation or further relationship progression, for a novella this was well done and very enjoyable.
Overall, Only A Taste gave us three very different tropes, but each story suffered from the short length. An enjoyable read, but missing that spark.
Book: Only A Taste by Nicole Blanchard
Series: standalone
Genre: Anthology including Contemporary, Paranormal, Erotic
Hotness: medium-hot salsa
Plot Devices/Tropes: second chance, shifter, BDSM