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jeannethinks's review
3.0
Stranded Hearts is three novellas with the common theme of being stranded together.
EF5 by Kris Bryant
Alyssa Bars is a wedding photographer trying to make it to a bridezillas wedding shoot before the weather turns. She's pulled over for speeding by Sheriff Katy Emerson and none too soon as the tornado turns towards them. They have to think on their feet and find shelter. Once the chaos is past the reality of what's left behind brings them closer together.
Trapped Tycoon by Amanda Radley
Clara Foster is not having a good day. She's usually the only one in the quiet office on the weekend. Her surpise at seeing the owner Francesca Burford quickly turns to horror when she's accused of something she didn't do. And to add insult to injury they get trapped in the elevator when they are just trying to leave.
It's hard to get connected when it's such a short storyline. Didn't really care for the hero worship/boss trope.
Wings Over Boston by Emily Smith
Loving your job is the best feeling in the work and flight paramedic Ryland Matthews had that in spades. She's ready for an amazing day when in walks in blast from the past, pilot Tess Goodwin. When an unexpected malfunction causes them to be grounded for the night there is no way they can fight the inevitable. That attraction is sizzling and its time to light the match.
Of the three stories this is the only one with explicit scenes. It also seems to have the most developed of the characters.
EF5 by Kris Bryant
Alyssa Bars is a wedding photographer trying to make it to a bridezillas wedding shoot before the weather turns. She's pulled over for speeding by Sheriff Katy Emerson and none too soon as the tornado turns towards them. They have to think on their feet and find shelter. Once the chaos is past the reality of what's left behind brings them closer together.
Trapped Tycoon by Amanda Radley
Clara Foster is not having a good day. She's usually the only one in the quiet office on the weekend. Her surpise at seeing the owner Francesca Burford quickly turns to horror when she's accused of something she didn't do. And to add insult to injury they get trapped in the elevator when they are just trying to leave.
It's hard to get connected when it's such a short storyline. Didn't really care for the hero worship/boss trope.
Wings Over Boston by Emily Smith
Loving your job is the best feeling in the work and flight paramedic Ryland Matthews had that in spades. She's ready for an amazing day when in walks in blast from the past, pilot Tess Goodwin. When an unexpected malfunction causes them to be grounded for the night there is no way they can fight the inevitable. That attraction is sizzling and its time to light the match.
Of the three stories this is the only one with explicit scenes. It also seems to have the most developed of the characters.
destijlx's review
3.0
Surprising I wasn't thrilled by the first novella while the second one was an okay read. I actually enjoyed the last book by Emily Smith the most.
cidnel's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
reading_with_ris's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ollie_again's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
EF5 3*
The first story was intriguing with its set-up, Alyssa gets pulled off for speeding by a sheriff Katy and then a tornado hits. It was quite tense in moments because the catastrophe is not banal. That being said, the dialogue between the two women was a bit stilted, it felt unnatural in places and towards the very end, the author fell into cheesiness that didn't quite fit the vibe of the rest of the novella. Overall, it was an okay read but it didn't reach the emotional depth I was hoping for considering the rest of the storyline.
Trapped Tycoon 4*
The second novella is much more lighthearted and I really liked the banter between the ice-queen Francesca and snarky Clara. Though I'm naming the archetypes here I don't think either of the two women fell into the trap of being too cookie-cutter, quite the opposite. The story well balanced the tension between the two and the ending was pretty sweet. For readers who needs this noted: there's a significant age-gap, the women are 26 and 52. I think that it was not brushed over and quite well discussed in the story itself so I was not bothered by it.
Wings Over Boston 3.5*
Ryland and Tess were probably my favourite characters out of the whole collection. And pilot uniforms? Yes, please! To be true, this story was a little bit of reach for what I expect from a stranded romance, except for a few pages of tension in the air (literally and metaphorically) the story was lighthearted as they go. I liked that the two women had history and had to sort through that and while I would like more dragged out slow-burn, I enjoyed the story well enough.
Overall, I think this collection is well balanced with a good variety of stories. In three novellas there is a range of atmosphere covered from very harrowing to lighthearted fun, emotional whiplash, some heart squeezes here and there, a smidge of adventure and a heap of funny back-and-forth. It would be hard to find a reader who would be head over heels with all of the stories the same, but I think every reader can find something in this collection to enjoy. For me it was the discovery that I don't dislike ice-queen characters after all and that I need to look for more pilot romances!
An ARC of this book was kindly provided to me by Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
The first story was intriguing with its set-up, Alyssa gets pulled off for speeding by a sheriff Katy and then a tornado hits. It was quite tense in moments because the catastrophe is not banal. That being said, the dialogue between the two women was a bit stilted, it felt unnatural in places and towards the very end, the author fell into cheesiness that didn't quite fit the vibe of the rest of the novella. Overall, it was an okay read but it didn't reach the emotional depth I was hoping for considering the rest of the storyline.
Trapped Tycoon 4*
The second novella is much more lighthearted and I really liked the banter between the ice-queen Francesca and snarky Clara. Though I'm naming the archetypes here I don't think either of the two women fell into the trap of being too cookie-cutter, quite the opposite. The story well balanced the tension between the two and the ending was pretty sweet. For readers who needs this noted: there's a significant age-gap, the women are 26 and 52. I think that it was not brushed over and quite well discussed in the story itself so I was not bothered by it.
Wings Over Boston 3.5*
Ryland and Tess were probably my favourite characters out of the whole collection. And pilot uniforms? Yes, please! To be true, this story was a little bit of reach for what I expect from a stranded romance, except for a few pages of tension in the air (literally and metaphorically) the story was lighthearted as they go. I liked that the two women had history and had to sort through that and while I would like more dragged out slow-burn, I enjoyed the story well enough.
Overall, I think this collection is well balanced with a good variety of stories. In three novellas there is a range of atmosphere covered from very harrowing to lighthearted fun, emotional whiplash, some heart squeezes here and there, a smidge of adventure and a heap of funny back-and-forth. It would be hard to find a reader who would be head over heels with all of the stories the same, but I think every reader can find something in this collection to enjoy. For me it was the discovery that I don't dislike ice-queen characters after all and that I need to look for more pilot romances!
An ARC of this book was kindly provided to me by Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Stalking, Blood, and Death
tornadolauren_miller's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
Thank you to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I decided to pick this up because A) it's pride month and I haven't read a damn thing even remotely queer in ages, and B) I wanted to give novellas a shot again. I have to say, I love this format! It was so refreshing to enjoy the "falling in love" or "falling back in love" stage of each romance and then leave the rest to the imagination. Each took about 45-ish minutes for me to read too a.k.a. the perfect "before bed" treat! My favorite thing about these novellas was learning about the industries of the characters; I know absolutely nothing about disaster protocols, stock trading, or air ambulances, so being dropped into those professions was fascinating!
Here are my thoughts on the individual stories:
EF5 -- Like I said, I've been privileged enough to never live through and thus know nothing about natural disasters and the protocols that follow, so I found all that just as entertaining as the romance. And both Katy and Alyssa were very endearing to me. Their their forced proximity was so. satisfying. I love a good "we're about to die, so let's try not to focus on how hot the other is" moment haha. Overall, this was definitely my favorite out of the novellas; there was something so genuine and precious about it.
Trapped Tycoon -- I don't really like age gap romances, so while I didn't jive with that part of the story, I found the characters, Clara and Francesca, to be dynamic and funny. The banter was pretty good! Please note that there is a lot of internal ageism in this story (i.e., Francesca emphasizing how OLD and past her peak she is at 53 years old...), which was kind of depressing. Thankfully (and strangely, I guess) that didn't hinder the getting together. Out of the three, this was my least favorite and the most... unrealistic? It was well-written and I'd love to pick up something else by the author though, something that I'm more likely to enjoy.
Wings Over Boston -- Out of the three, this was definitely the hottest! The chemistry between Ryland and Tess was palpable the entire story and, well, I'm a sucker for a good second chance romance. Despite the passion coming to a head, the author managed to really emphasize how both characters have matured in their time apart, so when they come together, not only is it fiery, but it's also healthy—I love that! I would definitely consider picking up something else from this author too.
So, in summary, I had fun reading this! Nothing too serious (minus the almost drowning and the prevalence of western beauty standards) and satisfactorily queer! Solid 3 out of 5 stars, ★★★☆☆
I decided to pick this up because A) it's pride month and I haven't read a damn thing even remotely queer in ages, and B) I wanted to give novellas a shot again. I have to say, I love this format! It was so refreshing to enjoy the "falling in love" or "falling back in love" stage of each romance and then leave the rest to the imagination. Each took about 45-ish minutes for me to read too a.k.a. the perfect "before bed" treat! My favorite thing about these novellas was learning about the industries of the characters; I know absolutely nothing about disaster protocols, stock trading, or air ambulances, so being dropped into those professions was fascinating!
Here are my thoughts on the individual stories:
EF5 -- Like I said, I've been privileged enough to never live through and thus know nothing about natural disasters and the protocols that follow, so I found all that just as entertaining as the romance. And both Katy and Alyssa were very endearing to me. Their their forced proximity was so. satisfying. I love a good "we're about to die, so let's try not to focus on how hot the other is" moment haha. Overall, this was definitely my favorite out of the novellas; there was something so genuine and precious about it.
Trapped Tycoon -- I don't really like age gap romances, so while I didn't jive with that part of the story, I found the characters, Clara and Francesca, to be dynamic and funny. The banter was pretty good! Please note that there is a lot of internal ageism in this story (i.e., Francesca emphasizing how OLD and past her peak she is at 53 years old...), which was kind of depressing. Thankfully (and strangely, I guess) that didn't hinder the getting together. Out of the three, this was my least favorite and the most... unrealistic? It was well-written and I'd love to pick up something else by the author though, something that I'm more likely to enjoy.
Wings Over Boston -- Out of the three, this was definitely the hottest! The chemistry between Ryland and Tess was palpable the entire story and, well, I'm a sucker for a good second chance romance. Despite the passion coming to a head, the author managed to really emphasize how both characters have matured in their time apart, so when they come together, not only is it fiery, but it's also healthy—I love that! I would definitely consider picking up something else from this author too.
So, in summary, I had fun reading this! Nothing too serious (minus the almost drowning and the prevalence of western beauty standards) and satisfactorily queer! Solid 3 out of 5 stars, ★★★☆☆
starklinqs's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
EF5: 3/5. This one was by far my least favorite of the novellas, though I wasn’t particularly into any of them. One of the mains felt almost too altruistic in my opinion - there was just something in how she seemingly was shocked at how good her pictures sold for but then immediately turning it into a beneficial thing for the entire town, while also being judgmental about a news reporter being there to report the news before thinking to herself that she…wanted to talk to the news and doing an interview? It just felt a little bit too perfect and I found myself getting irritated at the character in what’s meant to be a sweet story.
Trapped Tycoon: 3.75/5. I’m a sucker for a locked room scenario. The characters could have been developed a bit better and I think if I were the boss I’d personally turn and run the other way but the characters had a fun dynamic and back and forth.
Wings Over Boston: 3.25/5 A cute enough story, even if I don’t think the characters would actually stay together. I’d be interested in reading this author’s stuff in the future - while I wasn’t drawn in with this story, I felt like her writing style is something I could vibe with in other pieces potentially.
Overall - I’m not quite sure how to rate this but it’s in a 3 star range. The races of the characters were never stated so I guess they can be whatever we want, but the stories felt overwhelmingly white regardless. I didn’t knock the stories any points for that, it’s just something I felt while reading. It also felt a bit like I was reading fanfiction at times - which is great when you’re reading characters you know, not so much for new characters.
I don’t want to be overly negative though - they’re cute fun queer stories and I’m sure a lot of people will have fun with them! It just personally wasn’t really for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Trapped Tycoon: 3.75/5. I’m a sucker for a locked room scenario. The characters could have been developed a bit better and I think if I were the boss I’d personally turn and run the other way but the characters had a fun dynamic and back and forth.
Wings Over Boston: 3.25/5 A cute enough story, even if I don’t think the characters would actually stay together. I’d be interested in reading this author’s stuff in the future - while I wasn’t drawn in with this story, I felt like her writing style is something I could vibe with in other pieces potentially.
Overall - I’m not quite sure how to rate this but it’s in a 3 star range. The races of the characters were never stated so I guess they can be whatever we want, but the stories felt overwhelmingly white regardless. I didn’t knock the stories any points for that, it’s just something I felt while reading. It also felt a bit like I was reading fanfiction at times - which is great when you’re reading characters you know, not so much for new characters.
I don’t want to be overly negative though - they’re cute fun queer stories and I’m sure a lot of people will have fun with them! It just personally wasn’t really for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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