I almost never give a 2-star review, but this book drove me nuts.

Insta-love I haven't seen outside a 00's YA book, a mystery that we're left without an answer to, and an epilogue that is 100% telling, no real glimpse into the couple's future just to try to negate the mystery.

I've read other Kauffman books and was disappointed this one didn't live up to her standards.

4 - "Santa is being very, very good to me this year..." Stars!

Novella one of Donna Kauffman’s Hamilton Christmas series, sees us snowed in with pet-sitter Emma Lafferty.

He was one very fine-looking man, with far too much charm and the kind of confidence that naturally came along with it…

Emma is expecting a quiet Christmas looking after two dogs and a chatty parrot, however what she actually gets is snowed in with Trevor Hamilton, great-nephew to the man who hired her, and not being entirely honest about his reasons for turning up at his Great-Uncles mansion while he is out of town for the holidays.

He’d come looking for one thing… And, it appeared, had found something else entirely…

Being trapped together in a house, while the snow falls, the temperatures drop and the fires roar, brings out all sorts of ‘insta’ connections between our pair, and produced the perfect little Christmas interlude, for anyone looking for a few hours of escapism from what is generally a hectic season.

"I’ll have you warmed up in no time."

Unleashed by Donna KauffmanEmma Lafferty is trying to get her fledgling pet sitting business off the ground. Sitting for for Lionel Hamilton of THE Hamiltons is going to get her into some posh circles. The house is supposed to be completely deserted, not even any of the servants would be there but, out of the storm comes a man. Trevor Hamilton, Lionel's great-nephew to be exact. And he is immediately smitten. The two are trapped in a house, alone, and the power goes out. But why was Trevor there in the first place.

As a novella, the story is restricted by the number of pages. And, ufda, believing that Emma is going to uproot her life for a man she's known for less than 24 hours? Not exactly the movements of a sane person. But it's an okay story nonetheless. If you're a Kaufman fan, you'll enjoy this story.



Three stars

This book comes out September 25th

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

This is a quick, easy holiday read. It has romance and a bit of mystery. Cute characters. A good book to curl up with on a cold winters night.

I enjoyed romantic Christmas read shame the end seemed a bit rushed but nevertheless a good book .

It sounds like she never lost that connection to her old job.

It must be a hefty paycheck to go through this.

Who is this guy?!

If pets have anxiety, I bet his do.

Nowhere in that huge notebook did it mention that someone was already home?

Ruh-roh.

He needs to find a better class of women.

Couldn't he just ask to see the family Bible?

Cryptic ending.

I was given this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This quick little read was originally part of a collection of novellas. It was a sweet little romance, full of impractical details that you overlook because you're not looking for realism in your romance.

I'd recommend for a fun, quick read.

A very quick wintery romance. Basically a love at first sight love story so the relationship between Trevor and Emma was super intense super fast. Which I didn't mind at all. Sexy, sweet and romantic banter between the two with an HEA so I am very satisfied. The only thing I want to know is the family secret that Trevor was searching for. In the end it was no longer important to him but I still wanted to know. So as to a cliffhanger, that is the only one for those who would like all their romances wrapped up in one book. However there are two more books in this Hamilton series which I think will reveal the secret with two new couples which I want to read, Lock, Stock, & Jingle Bells and Naughty But Nice. All Christmasy/winter themed romances perfect for reading in front of a warm fire.

I like Donna Kauffman's stories and this was no exception. A sweet novella to be read anytime though it has a holiday-ish backdrop.

Unleashed is a funny and loving holiday story with a bit of mystery thrown in! This is a re-release of a novella by Donna Kauffman but as I re-read my holiday stories many times throughout the year(s), I had much fun revisiting Emma and Trevor.

Emma has a newly formed pet-sitting company and she is hired by a rich CEO to watch his dogs over the holidays, while he (the CEO) is out of town. Unbeknownst to her, Mr. Hamilton’s great-nephew has also shown up at the mansion…not knowing that Emma will be house and pet sitting while his uncle is out of town. That’s a bare bones set up of the story; I don’t want to give away any details. Know that Emma takes her job seriously – she and the pets are hilarious! Trevor has a “mission” but oh boy, is he ever falling for Emma, even while trying to keep her in the dark about why he is really at his uncle’s home.

These two are adorable together. Emma’s bible/list, from Mr. Hamilton, will make you roll your eyes one minute and laugh the next. I can just picture someone handing me one of these lists… This is the first story of three, is a standalone, and although this story “ends”, an overall theme carries on to the next book. It was fun and a wee bit different for a holiday read. Thoroughly enjoyed it! I received a copy of this ebook from NetGalley.

The first of a trilogy, UNLEASHED is a sweet Christmas story, that was easy to read and progressed quickly. As with most novellas, there were aspects that could have been expanded, such as Trevor’s search for his ancestry that was never answered. The romance between Trevor and Emma however was fun and captivating and made the book enjoyable. There is also an interesting epilogue that sets the stage for book two. So best I get started on that one!

"Unleashed" starts a trio of novellas in Donna Kauffman's Hamilton series. It is a charming story of love at first sight, with a little more steam than I would have liked. There is a nobility in Trevor's decision about discovering his true heritage which unfolds in the rest of the trilogy. This is a lovely Christmas read.

Three and 1/2 Stars

I liked the main characters in this story. The heroine, Emma Lafferty takes on the job of house and pet sitting for a CEO billionaire. I like that she takes on jobs for all kinds of critters. She is a very caring person. The hero, Trevor Hamilton is the CEO's great-nephew and heir, but Trevor wants to make it on his own so he hasn't touched his trust fund. I admire his toughness and determination. He has his doubts about some family history and wants to find answers. As both Emma and Trevor end up getting snowed in at CEO Lionel Hamilton's mountain retreat they will have time to get answers to Trevor's questions or will they?

This is a well-written story but I didn't find the instant relationship between the two main characters to be very realistic. I can believe in love at first sight but this story went beyond that. Other than my disbelief of the instant relationship I enjoyed this story.

I enjoyed reading this book. I found it to be a fast, easy read. Although I hoped there would have been more especially when Trevor was trying to find out more information. Instead he just decided against the idea and let it go. Other than that I enjoyed it, I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

I was given a copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

2.5 stars

A promising start to the story, but the plot and character development felt rushed.

Emma and Trevor were attracted to each other, but I didn't feel like it was enough of a connection for the plot to take place over just the one night. Also, it was disappointing that some plot points weren't fully resolved.

I believe more may be revealed in the next novella in the Hamilton series.

fast paced short story.
Pet sitter Emma has a job over Christmas in a remote mansion for the towns most wealthy business man. His nephew Trevor shows up unexpectedly and she knows he's not telling the truth about why he is there.
Trapped in the house in a storm, there is no where to hide and they soon start to get on!

Trevor and Emma meet when she pet and house sits for Trevor’s great uncle over the Christmas holidays. Trevor knows that his uncle is a way for a couple of weeks and plans to use his uncle’s absence to his advantage. He believes that his uncle is hiding a very important family secret, and he intends to discover it. In the meantime, he and Emma are instantly attracted to one another; although, they both fight it at first. As a Trevor comes to realize that his feelings for Emma have become serious, he begins to realize that he really doesn’t need to unearth the family secrets after all.

"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."

Loved this book very much. It had just enough sweet romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!

Unleashed by Donna Kauffman is a short and sweet Christmas story. There's humor, bad weather and mystery. I really enjoyed reading this book and I especially loved the humor!

This was a cute Christmas story. The story was fast moving and an easy read, but there wasn't a lot of depth. I was disappointed that Trevor, after spending years searching for answers about his ancestry, just dropped the whole idea so quickly. The story between Trevor and Emma, though, was a fun romance. I read this book knowing its part of a trilogy with a bit of mystery, so I was intrigued by the set-up in the epilogue. I look forward to the next book.