Review: A Royal Baby Surprise - Cat Schield

Title: A Royal Baby Surprise

Author: Cat Schield

ISBN: 9780373734061

Publication Date: July 17, 2015

Publisher: Harlequin

Source: purchased

Chasing the man who broke her heart halfway around the world to tell him she's pregnant is the hardest thing Brooke Davis has ever had to do. But when she catches up with him, he's got a surprise for her, too: he's been hiding his royal roots. Nic Alessandro is a prince, and Brooke's an unsuitable match—but their attraction is hotter than ever!

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Oh Harlequin, you provide me with such wonderful ways to pass the time. :)

Although this book is part of a series - all about the Sherdana royals, oo-la-la! - I read it as a standalone and wasn't left feeling as though I was missing the entire backstory.

I enjoyed Schield's writing, and the story between Brooke and Nic.  Their romance felt like a real, believable connection and not one of the insta-love kind I find in a lot of romance novels.  My one major complaint in the story was Nic's need to repeat the name of his former project, the Griffin, every other page.  It got redundant, and irksome.

More of a novella in length, A Royal Baby Surprise was a fun, quick read with a well crafted HEA that makes me want to find a copy of the first book in the series and find out what I've missed.

Review: Merry Mary - Ashley Farley

"Miracles come in all shapes and sizes.  You were Mary's miracle, not the other way around."

Title: Merry Mary

Author: Ashely Farley

ISBN: 97810986167225

Publication Date: October 15, 2015

Publisher: Smashwords Edition

Source: NetGalley

Investigative journalist Scottie Darden is photographing the homeless for her Lost Souls series when she makes a discovery that could change her life forever. Under a makeshift tent in subzero temperatures in a downtown city park, she finds a woman's dead body with her infant child. Without her cell phone to call for help, Scottie makes the split-second decision to take the baby home. Her initial instinct is to provide the baby with food and shelter until her family can be located. But as her fondness for the baby grows, she finds herself facing a life on the run or worse—prison time for abduction.

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Merry Mary is a quick read, being that it's only an 89 page novella.  However, Farley still packs quite a whallop of emotion into the too short story.  I spent the story torn between shaking some sense into Scottie, and being in complete accord with the insanity her biological clock insisted was 'right'.

Further, I really loved the tight knit family bonds Merry Mary portrayed, both with Scottie and her parents, and Scottie and her brother.  Everything about them felt true to life, and very believable.  Scottie's husband, Brad, was probably the only person in the novella I didn't like - he came off as immature and lame, which I imagine was the idea of his portrayal.

Definitely a well thought out novella, with characters I want to see more of in more of Farley's writing.  I eagerly look forward to the next story of hers that I get the opportunity to step into.

-Digital ARC provided by NetGalley, in exchange for a review