Member Reviews
A perfect book for the holiday season filled with some of the biggest industry titans! I thoroughly enjoyed every story included and loved getting more from some of my favorite authors
I was expecting Eye Candy to be a collection of spicy Halloween stories, and it is more or less, but there were some fun spooky surprises thrown in that kept me on my toes a bit. Most of the novella-length stories are set in the authors’ various bestselling series – none of which I have ever read. But the good news is that means I can tell you as a fresh new reader that you don’t have to know anything about any of these series to enjoy the Halloween stories within.
Fallen Crest Nightmare – Tijan, 80 pgs
“The characters of the popular Fallen Crest series are back together for a night of mischief! Sam, Mason, and the rest of the gang enter a Halloween-themed weekend with pumpkin carving, a girls’ night out, and a terrifying haunted house, but the weekend takes a turn into something far more sinister….”
Starts out college girls just wanting to forget their troubles and have a fun Halloween weekend of costumes, pumpkins, and parties and ends up going full-on bloody slasher fic.
Spice level: 3/5 – semi-explicit, but super brief
Spooky level: 4
So Much More – J. Daniels, 80 pgs
“All four couples from the Alabama Summer series—Ben and Mia, Luke and Tessa, Beth and Reed, and CJ and Riley—come together on Halloween night in this thrilling addition to the series. Between unexpected surprises, haunted mazes, sexy stolen moments, and good old-fashioned trick-or-treating, this Halloween promises shocks, thrills, and happiness for the beloved Alabama Summer crew.”
Four couples in loooove spending Halloween together. All four couples are in various relationship stages: married with children, married and expecting, married, and dating. The spookest this gets is when one couple goes to an over-the-top scary haunted maze for Halloween. The spiciest this gets is one couple having explicitly kinky sex in a supply closet (there’s rope and a belt involved).
Spice Level: 5/5 – explicit
Spooky Level: 1
Getting Down – Helena Hunting, 160 pgs
“Ruby Scott’s favorite holiday is here, all she needs is a moderately good excuse to throw a party. With the help of her best friend Amalie–and Amalie’s fiance’s budget–the two of them throw a Halloween-inspired fundraiser. But no event goes off without a couple hitches...”
There is zero spooky here, but plenty of spice and just a really good story. I was hooked from the first page and disappointed when it ended (kind of abruptly, guess you have to read the actual series to know how things turn out).
Spice Level: 5/5 – multiple explicit scenes
Spooky Level: 0
Unsafe Haven – Bella Jewel, 96 pgs
“After escaping an abusive boyfriend, Jade finally feels like her life is coming around: She works at a safe haven for people who’ve had similar experiences, and there’s a gorgeous handyman, Oliver, whom she can’t stop thinking about. But at Sanctuary’s Halloween party, eerie things start happening and they are starting to feel real. Is this an elaborate Halloween prank, or has Jade’s past come back to haunt her?”
I’m on the fence about this one. On the one hand, I liked the soft-spoken, shy Jade and her inner strength in starting over after an abusive relationship. On the other hand, Oliver is a walking red flag. He starts off shy and quiet, but quickly becomes kind of domineering and says things like “Don’t care if you’re an electrics expert. You’re a lady. It ain’t your job, sweetheart.” when Jade goes to check for a tripped breaker when the power goes out (she swoons at being called sweetheart) and “You have this softness about you that so many women lack. It’s like it’s been smashed out of them now.” – what an odd thing to say to an abuse survivor. Anyway, things get scary when partygoers get trapped inside a Halloween party in pitch blackness and it gets worse before it gets better.
Spice Level: 3 – explicit heavy petting
Spooky Level: 2
The Pumpkin Was Stuffed – Tara Sivec, 80 pgs
“The Holiday family is together one last time for Halloween! As Sam and Noel prepare for their upcoming life with a new baby, their crazy family and friends pull out all the tricks and treats and jack-o’-lanterns to make sure this ghostly holiday is one to remember…or, like the last few holidays they’ve celebrated together, one they’d rather forget.”
This farcical comedy is so absurdly ridiculous that it definitely feels like the trick part of trick-or-treat. If you like over-the-top humor, this is the one for you. I think the chapter titles tell you all you need to know about what to expect with this story: “Everyone Loves Clowns”, “Babies Do Not Go In Ovens”, “Apple-Butter Lube”, “It’s So Tingly”, “The Baby Knows”, “Phteven”, “Smell These Pills”, “Butthole Meat”, “Hung Stocking”, “I’m in Mother-Forking Labor!”, and “Stupid Man”.
Spice Level: 2 – one, non-explicit scene that I wish I hadn’t read
Spook Level: 0
I loved Tijans story!! Any glimpse back into fallen crest universe is a solid winner for me!! 😍😍 and who doesn’t love anything by Helena Hunting Tara Sivic J.Daniels and Bella Jewel! This was a perfect fall weekend read!
I love all of the authors in this anthology, but I read it for Helena Hunting’s novella. It was such a great little snippet of life that happens with Ruby and Bane after the end of Shacking up! Sweet and sexy and funny. I love this series and all of the characters!
These stories were so great and made for quick, fun reads! My favorites were Helena Hunting and Tara Sivec's. You can never go wrong with those two! These novellas gave you a little bit of everything from the sweet, to the sexy, to a bit of suspense. It was a well-rounded and entertaining collection that I enjoyed.
I really enjoyed this one and have attached my good reads link to my review https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35265623
These were really good stories. They blended and worked well together. I've read the authors before and enjoyed some.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.
This books, compiled of short stories following existing couples was just what I needed to fill the void after reading the initial books. I love this group of authors and will read just about anything they write. This was no different
I absolutely loved Eye Candy! It brought a sexy Halloween treat, from all of my favorite couples together in one book! It was such a treat to go back and revisit them!!
(In reference to Getting Down by Helena Hunting)
I loved that we get Amalie’s POV here. This is a great bridge between Shacking Up and Hooking Up! The foreshadowing is delicious and as much as I anticipate a bit of heartbreak and drama in Amalie’s future, I know it’ll be worth it for her HEA. 4 out of 5 wine glasses.
Reviewing J. Daniels', So Much More and Helena Hunting's, Getting Down.
I haven't read Bella Jewel's, Tijan's and Tara Sivec's books that follow up to these short stories, so I didn't want to spoil myself. Once I do introduce myself to those series, I'll come back to these short stories. But until then, I'm reviewing Bama Boys and Shacking Up!
So, it should be no surprise how much I absolutely adore J. Daniels' Bama Boys series... It's one of my all time favorite series. So I was excited to hear that she was writing a short story of the characters. It follows all the men in the series- Ben, Luke, Reed, CJ and of course, our dragon slayer, Nolan. Seriously, that kid is precious. I immediately messaged Daniels saying how much I absolutely adore Nolan; seriously...
Earlier this year I was introduced to Bane (Bancroft) and Ruby. If you've read Helena's work before, then you'll know how funny her books are (well, I guess minus the Clipped Wings duology...). This was so amazing. I love that we get some chapters of Ruby's best friend, Amie. She will be getting her own book in Hooking Up, coming out in November. I absolutely adore her character as well and cannot wait to see what happens for her!
Overall, I LOVED these 2 stories! Perfect to get ready for Halloween!!
This was an anthology with a holiday theme. All of the stories were quick and easy with well-liked characters. I highly recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book
I loved Tara Sivec's story, which was the conclusion to her spectacularly funny Holidays series. The other stories were only OK in my opinion. I can't say that based on these stories, I would be interested in reading any of the other authors' books in the future, except for possibly Helena Hunting.
Seriously loved! Individually these authors are amazing and are very talented writers. So to combine them was a genius move.
I voluntarily reviewed this book.
This was a great collection of stories I forgot to come on here and review. Loved them all, especially the Helena Hunting one!
Fun selection of stories. Loved how they exposed me to authors I hadn’t read before and I’ll definitely check out more of their writing.
I have to say, I'm a little swayed by the love I have for J. Daniels. Those novellas were just purebred perfection and I absolutely loved reuniting with my Alabama favorites! The other novellas in this collection were also just as enjoyable, but Reed really just knocked it out of the park for me! Had I known more about the other stories (not written by J. Daniels), I might have loved this so much more.
I honestly just read the J. Daniels story. She is my absolute Fave!! And haven't gotten around to reading the other stories in the book. So Much More by J. Daniels picks up from her Alabama Series. The 4 couples that surround her series. It has family, love, lots of entertainment and steamy, steamy stuff. The love that she pores for her characters. Each couple is unique, and all the men completely ADORE their wives.
If you love romance, family, friendship, comedy and just the best sex you have read about, read this book.
What a great book! Honestly, I only know the full stories of J. Daniels, so I really got the most out of hers. So Much More was exactly that. Ben, Reed, Luke, CJ, and sweet little dragon-slaying Nolan! CJ was the most recent Baja Boy I read, and it was great catching up with all the other guys I've fallen in love with, and their awesome ladies. I can't get enough of these dirty-talking, sweet as hell alphas, and I'm so excited for Nolan's story. Great job, Jessica!