Book Review: Toothpaste Kisses by Xio Axelrod

Mixtape Anthology

Format: ebook

Rating: 3.5 stars

How I Got It: Purchased

Genre: Contemporary romance, M/M

Publisher: Self-published

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

Twelve bestselling and award-winning authors have curated an anthology of brand-new, standalone stories inspired by love songs.

Review

I am having a real hard time settling on a rating for this. Is it 3 stars or 4?

If this was a full-length novel it probably would've been 4 stars. There is a ton of potential to these characters and story. But neither were developed as much as I would've liked. I find this to be a common problem with novellas.

The art was probably my favorite part and I'm not even an artsy person. But I could feel how passionate Mal and Pell were about the paintings. And I could picture them-probably not exactly as the author intended, but my interpretation. 

In the end, I just wish their was more to this story than there was. The romance felt a little rushed. And I came away wondering if these two were just a one-night stand/fling or a HEA.

Thanks for reading!

Holly

Guys My Age by Saffron Kent

Mixtape Anthology

Format: ebook

Rating: 1 star

How I Got It: Purchased

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Age Difference

Publisher: Self-Published

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

What’s more romantic than a love song? A mixtape full of them.

Twelve bestselling and award-winning authors have curated an anthology of brand-new, standalone stories inspired by love songs.

Review

I have never given anything a 1-star rating. But there is nothing redeeming about this story. I only forced myself to read this so I could write a review. Except the sex scene. I didn't read that because I thought it was inappropriate.

Looking at this author's Goodreads it looks like they (she?) writes edgy romances. To be honest that is not typically what I read, but this went beyond edgy into uncomfortable.

There is a substantial age difference in this story. She is 18, he is 33. And they have known each other since she was 3. I could've been fairly OK with it if she was 23 and he was 38, but not 18. And he knowing her that long was what really made it wrong for me.

This may come across judgy, but I felt violated by this story. I'm so glad I already read the Elle Kennedy story so I knew the whole anthology wasn't going to be bad and a disappointment.

Thanks for reading!

Holly

Book Review: Say Yes by Elle Kennedy

Stand Alone-Part of the Mixtape Anthology

Format: E-Book

Rating: 4 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Self-Published

Review

I want to read this whole anthology but I needed to read the Elle Kennedy story first. I figured I would do a quick review of it.

This was such a cute novella. And she packed a lot in a short story and a short amount of time.

The hero-name redacted for reasons-was amazing. He was funny and sweet. He kept asking the heroine-Emilia-out in a non-creepy and adorable way. I also liked her. She's so honest and owns who she is. Their interactions were fun to read and they have great chemistry.

The epilogue thing was perfect. It was short, but explained so much. I don't need more, but I would love more from these characters because they are great.

Thanks for reading!

Holly