Mini Review: The Billionaire's Con

I loved Mackenzie Crowne’s short story That Dating Thing so when I found out she had another story published, The Billionaire’s Con, I jumped at the chance to read it.

Here’s what this short story is all about:

Determined to succeed, Chef Meggy Calhoun realizes her dream with the opening of Boston’s hottest new culinary experience. But will her secret connection to one of New England’s most powerful families poison her recipe for success, and leave her heart flambéed?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved that there was a great mix of intrigue and romance. As the reader, we’re not sure who to trust and we’re not sure what the motive is behind a lot of actions. Slowly the story is unraveled and we find out why everyone’s been deceitful.

Maggy was such a great character. She seems like the type of person that I could be friends with - smart, funny, down to earth. She also has some great friends of her own and it’d be fun to hang out with all of them.

At just over 100 pages, The Billionaire’s Con is pretty much the perfect length for a short story. There’s enough action to keep things interesting and there aren’t any lingering questions, which can sometimes happen with stories that are just too short.

If you’re looking for a quick, romantic read, I definitely recommend The Billionaire’s Con by Mackenzie Crowne.

*A copy of this story was provided by the publisher, Still Moments Publishing, in exchange for an honest review*

Just Finished: That Dating Thing

Let's start things off with a simple statement: I loved That Dating Thing by Mackenzie Crowne! It was a great short story that left me loving the characters and wishing there were more stories about them.

Here's the synopsis:

An irresistible attraction to a sexy assistant district attorney threatens the only daughter of Wall Street’s most notorious stock swindler with exposure and ruination.

Dog trainer, Rylee Pierce has perfected the art of flying beneath society’s radar. Prosecutor, Cooper Reed is a threat to her carefully hidden truths, but how is a woman supposed to resist a man capable of handling a psychotic Great Dane while charming her out of her panties before she has the chance to blink?

This was a long short story (is that an oxymoron? Hm. No matter.) at around 125 pages and I loved the pace of it. Normally I find that short stories have to rush through things to have the story all wrapped up nicely by the end. That wasn't the case with this story, thankfully. Everything happened at the right time and I felt like I was getting all the information I needed. Of course, I would love to see this expanded into a full length novel but I feel like everything was resolved by the story's conclusion. I just wanted to spend more time with the characters!

The romantic storyline in this story was great. After they meet, Rylee and Cooper eventually agree have a "dating thing" - after much deliberation on the part of Rylee. She's so closed off and is always worried about what her father's past will mean to the guys she dates. This proves to be a valid concern. I thought Cooper was being a bit of an idiot when it came to her past but (and this is a very minor and vague spoiler) she should have been up front with him in the first place. But, before things even get to that point, there's a very sweet and sexy relationship between them and it was fun to read about.

I was really happy with Mackenzie Crowne's That Dating Thing and I will definitely be looking out for what she writes next. I think any romance lover would enjoy this story. It's fun and sweet and all around enjoyable.

Thank you to Still Moments Publishing for the copy to review!