Monday, November 3, 2014

Captivated by Megan Hart & Tiffany Reisz
LETTING GO by Megan Hart: Colleen goes to the same bar every night and orders the same drink: a whiskey, neat. She doesn't drink it, though. Jesse the bartender notices the beautiful, sad woman who keeps to herself. Until one night when she lets go and lets him in. And after that, Jesse has only one mission to show her one night is only the beginning…

SEIZE THE NIGHT by Tiffany Reisz: Five years ago, a night of forbidden passion between Remi and Julien, the heirs of two powerful and competitive horse-racing families, led to a feud that is threatening to ruin both farms. Now Remi must find Julien again but when she does, her need for Julien is just as strong and just as forbidden…

MrsNorthman's Review
Letting Go by Megan Hart
4/5 Fangs
Colleen has been going to the same bar every Thursday night for the last six months. Her order is always the same, a glass of scotch and a seltzer water with a slice of lime.  One of the bartenders, Jesse, suggests an order of onion rings and something about him knowing exactly what she needs captures her attention. Sure he's hot, but he couldn't possibly be interested in her, right? At least that's what she keeps telling herself. She hasn't really dated since her divorce.
Her and her ex-husband still own a condo together and he uses it as a way to control her.  She has a particularly rough night being verbally bashed by her ex and there's a huge blizzard in the forecast, but she still finds her way to the bar.  Jesse can tell she's been crying and sends everyone home before the worst of the storm hits, leaving them alone.  After a few drinks he gets her to smile and even to dance.  It's really sweet.  She invites him back to her place and they get snowed in together for the weekend.
Colleen comes off as a little insecure.  She has this burning desire to take control in the bedroom but is holding herself back.  She doesn't want Jesse to thinks she's controlling or uptight. It's her ex-husband's constant loop of negative talk in her head that makes it hard for her to let go.  Jesse gets her to relax and just be herself.  Turns out he likes to be told what to do! Jesse being younger and so eager to please freaks Colleen out.  She only sees their time together ending one way, with her getting hurt.
"This was a mistake. I don't want to miss you when we aren't together. I don't want to need you."
I love Megan Hart's writing. Whether a full length book or a novella, I always ending up getting attached to her characters.  It was easy to fall for Jesse.  He was sweet, volunteered at a dog shelter and was a great dad.  He got Colleen to she herself in a different way and it made for a great story.  I was happy that the "L" word wasn't thrown out there.  So  many authors try to do that with short stories and it's a turn off for sure.  This hot read was simply a glimpse into the beginning of their relationship.
Seize the Night by Tiffany Reisz
3/5 Fangs
Remi is the manager at her family's horse farm.  She gets suspicious when her father changes the passwords to the bank accounts and starts spending large amounts of money.  On top of that, her family's biggest rivals the Brite's, owners of Capital Hills horse farm, are also spending large sums of cash.  The feud between the families has been fueled by the upcoming race of their top horses and something just seems off.  Remi is determined to find out what.
She needs someone from Captial Hills to help her.  But who would be willing to talk to the enemy?  There's only one person that comes to mind, Julien.  Five years ago, she had a unforgettable night with the only Brite son. They met at a Christmas party and one thing lead to another, but didn't go all the way, because his mom walked in on them.  The two families came to blows because Julien was only 17 at the time! Remi had no idea.  It's years later and she's still thinking about that picture perfect night.
Her quirky assistant, Merrick, tracks down Julien in Paris and they make a surprise trip.  Julien is excited to see Remi, but there's a few things he needs to share with her before they can "sieze the night".  They  both want nothing more than to spend their lives together and stop their families from tarnishing both of the businesses and their reputations. Along with her assistant and his doctor, they put a plan in motion to ensure their future.
There were things I liked about this short story and others that I didn't really care for.  I really liked Merrick.  He was odd, but so funny throughout the whole story.  What I didn't like was that Remi almost seduced Julien when he was seventeen and she was 22.  Then when they finally see each other again, after 5 years, he breaks the news that he's a virgin.  I just cringed at her having to tell him everything to do. Add the extreme insta-love on top of that and I was lost.

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