"Treacherous Love: A Short Story of Misdirected Passion" by Karen Black

A reverse on the typical story of domestic violence, 'Treacherous Love' features a man trying to hold his family together while suffering physical abuse from his spouse. Ethan tolerated far more than I thought he should. I felt sorry for him up until his son was injured. Instead of being the end of their marriage, Rochelle got the upper hand and further manipulated Ethan. The ending surprised, and it didn't say what consequences Rochelle faced but I don't think she'd have the upper hand anymore. I enjoyed the story. 

"Breathless A Short Story" by Yvette M Cailleiro

I found the characters of this book interesting and loved the twist on the usual fairytale. Silena's weakness in using her magic selfishly makes her human and relatable. Her curse harms not only herself and William but innocent and unsuspecting women. This tempers your sympathy for her character. A good balance between sympathy and dislike. The author mentions a full-length novel coming to complete William's tale, and I look forward to finding out if and how he breaks the curse. Well done!

"The Wedding Pact Box Set" by Denise Grover Swank

I will review each of these books in the set individually:

THE SUBSTITUTE:

Megan and Josh's comedic beginning turns into a sweet story, but Josh has ulterior motives for helping her, and it's fun to watch and see if he chooses his business or the girl. When it comes down to the wire and all is revealed, it's worth it. P.S. Grandma is a hoot! 


THE PLAYER:

This was my favorite story in the book. Blair seems hardened and practical and she's marrying a man she doesn't love because it appears the logical choice. Her one true love reenters the picture and stirs up her emotions and intends to stop her wedding. She has to decide if she'll take another chance on the man that broke her heart or stick with the guy she could live without.  

THE GAMBLER:

This was my least favorite story of the book as far as the two main characters were concerned. I liked Libby's role in the other two books, but I didn't enjoy that she set out to marry a man on purpose because she wanted someone else to step in and stop her wedding. I didn't feel a love connection between Libby and Noah. My favorite redeeming part of this book was the two grandmother's antics. They were hysterical.

THE VALENTINE:

I guess Blair was my favorite character in this series. I truly enjoyed seeing her softer side emerge months after the wedding. Her fear of loss during this installment over a misunderstanding touched my heart.