Review: 38% of 222 pages = I Don't Think So
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 11 16, 2012
My life has been very busy lately and all I have had time for are short stories.  Which is fine, I like short stories.  Today, however, I had the whole day to myself, no housework except a load of laundry.  I looked on my Kindle and thought Romance.  As I looked I saw "The Bride and the Brute", ooooo, excitement.  I love Beauty and the Beast Tales.  222 pages. YES just long enough to last me a couple of hours without having to carry over until tomorrow.The story starts with a lot of energy as Jayce and Reece are getting married.  Not that Reece is enjoying the experience, he dislikes the thought of marrying Jayce so much that he fakes the wedding sheets.  The story continues with everyone knowing why Reece dislikes Jayce except for Jayce.  When she finds out she feels betrayed, yet she has nowhere to go.  Since they have to live in the same castle well proximity does raise interest.I felt that that some of the language was a bit over sweet for my usual preference, but it wasn't so sweet as to be saccharine.  The romance portion is kept in the PG level even for the "denouement", in fact the consummation was a bit rushed.  The characters were just beginning to become interesting when BAMM. It was done.  I looked at the bottom of my Kindle and it said 38%.  I was NOT happy.I can understand giving up 10% of a Kindle for self promotion.  That is the fun part of having a Kindle.  Or if you are going to give up such a large percentage, mention it in the DESCRIPTION.  (I just read the "From the Author", on the Editorial Review Section, she does mention it is a novella there, however, I rarely read that section. I only read it now as I was searching to see if anywhere it was mentioned how short this was.)HOWEVER, having a book stop at 38%, just as the characters are becoming interesting, puts me off.  With the addition of the rushed ending of the novella, I began to feel cheated.So while the story is OK. The ending is bad.  The 38% is the worst.Read it or not.  You choose.  It's not horrible, but the 38% keeps clouding my ability to say I recommend the book.