Thank you for the opportunity to read Once and Forever. Unfortunately, I did not download the book before it was archived in July 2014. I do not plan to finish the book.

This is a compilation of 5 novellas which in the end, seemed more like short stories.
Playing for Keeps: I actually DNF'd this story. Most romances are cliche and formulaic. I like knowing there is going to be a HEA at the end. But when the characters and scenes are also cheesy and cliche and not terribly well-written, it is not enjoyable.

The Princess & the Pinot: I actually enjoyed this story the most. It was predictable and a little cheesy but it was also sweet and actually gave me a happily ever after tied up in a pretty bow.

Duets: I don't even know what to say. This story almost made me throw my Kindle. A typical love triangle with smarmy guy at one point and quiet sensitive guy at the other. I knew what was supposed to happen. I thought it was headed that way....and then it just ended. And had notes at the end that made it clear this was just an introduction to another book. So frustrating.

Never and Forever: This one had the makings of a classic romance: dashing duke with no desire to marry paired with an independent lady who cares nothing for marriage or family brought together by meddling older family members. I liked all of the characters, the dialogue was fine, there was just the right amount of passion without crossing into erotica.....and then, it too....ended abruptly.

The Psychic Detective: This book had a very interesting plot. Female cop needs to solve a mystery and clear her name. Gritty private detective who communicates with the dead. This story was going somewhere interesting too before it just ended.

With the exception of the first story, I felt the writing was decent with engaging characters. One pretty unique plot line and the others were variations on a theme but they were shaping up into nice little romances. But three of the four I read were not complete stories and that really frustrates me.

(I'd give it 1 star but the stories did interest me enough to bump it to 2).

I was provided an eARC by the publisher for review purposes. Here is my honest review.

Absolutely love the variety of stories included in this anthology. I usually don't read many anthologies because you'll get one or two good books and the others are ok but this was spot on. All the stories were hot, sweet, sexy, and the plots were well done. I'd check out more books from the authors for sure.