Review: Grateful for You: A Thanksgiving Small Town Romance Novella by Katana Collins

Grateful for You: A Thanksgiving Small Town Romance Novella Kindle Edition by Katana Collins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a super sweet, super steamy novella set over the Thanksgiving holiday. Everything takes place in the course of about 72 hours, so naturally things move kind of fast. If you aren't a fan of characters instantly falling for each other, this might not be the story for you. If you don't mind that give this a read, it is a nice treat.

This follows small town sheriff Mason on a snowy Thanksgiving eve as he helps Piper from the scene of a car accident. Piper has just swerved off of the icy road to avoid a squirrel and now she is left stranded in Maple Grove with her dog, very little money, and no way to get to her sister's house in Vermont. Mason offers to let them stay with him and enjoy an "Orphan Thanksgiving" with him and his friends. Naturally Piper is wary of his offer after escaping a bad relationship and trusting the wrong man for too long. After settling in, Mason and Piper find it difficult to fight the attraction and growing lust between each other. They have both been hurt by people they loved but will this Thanksgiving finally heal those wounds?

This novella is a quick, feel good read, with a happily ever after. It is a standalone set in the small town of Maple Grove. I've only read Beefcakes so far, and I can tell you that you don't need to have read the rest of the books in the series to enjoy this. If you are a fan of Katana's writing, I think you will enjoy this! Fair warning there is mention of domestic abuse in this novella but I feel it is handled well and I do like the way that the character dealt with the situation and her future relationship with Mason.

I was provided an advanced copy of this novella by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Blog Tour: BEEFCAKES by Katana Collins

Things are about to get sticky...

Beefcakes, an all-new ”amazing and unforgettable” romantic comedy from Katana Collins, is available now!

I might as well permanently add the label "Ex" to my name. I'm an Ex-Mr. Universe. Ex-Mr. Olympus. An Ex-Hollywood Stuntman. But no one from my small hometown cares anything about that. They only care that I'm the ex-boyfriend to the beloved Mayor's daughter, Elaina Dyker.

And now, ten years later, I'm back, helping my siblings run my mother's bakery while she takes on chemo. What should have been a routine cupcake delivery turns into utter chaos when the bachelorette party thinks I'm a stripper. And what's worse? Elaina is the maid of honor.

But the meme about us sure went viral fast. My small hometown has become positively infested with tipsy bridesmaids looking for my erotic cupcakes.

Now Hollywood's knocking again—and this time they want me and my ex, Mr. Beefcake and Ms. Prude, to star in a reality show.

It could solve all my problems—except her.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

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Excerpt

I arched my brow at her. “I bragged about knowing you so well…but man. I did not see this almond croissant massacre coming. What do you have against almonds? Or was it the amount of butter that offended you? Because as a fitness expert, let me tell you butter isn’t the enemy. Sugar is the enemy.”

She laughed. “I, uh…I might have some anger management issues.”

I took the bag from her and peeked in. There were knuckle marks against the outside of the croissant. Literal knuckle marks. I barked a laugh. “Elaina Dyker. Did you punch the croissant?”

She laughed, pressing her lips together as though this would hide the fact that I saw her adorable little giggle. She brought her thumb and forefinger up beside her temple. “Maybe a little.”“Did you even try a bite?”

She shook her head no. “I like my routine. I like my daily lunch of yogurt and almonds.”

I made a face. Because she had to be exaggerating. Sure…she liked them. But having that same thing every day? Even chocolate cake every day would get tedious. “You can like yogurt and almonds but still indulge every now and then, you know.” I reached in and pinched off a piece of the smashed croissant, holding it out toward her lips. “C’mon. Live a little. I promise you, it is actually healthy, if that’s your concern.” Not that she needed to be concerned about that. “Almond flour. Gluten free. Grain free. Only two net carbs. The only sugar is the honey in the honey roasted almonds and the natural sugar in dates.” Her eyes grew wide at that and I knew I had hooked her.

She reached out her hand to take the piece of croissant from me, but I pulled back. “Nuh-uh,” I teased. “We can’t have your fingers getting sticky. Might ruin that fancy suit you’re wearing.”

She rolled her eyes, but parted her wet lips, her tongue peeking out just enough for me to place the croissant on top of. She moaned as soon as it hit her mouth, and her eyes fell closed as she slowly chewed and swallowed. “That’s…that’s healthy?”

I nodded. “See? I’m not just a pile of muscles. I’ve got some talent, too.”

Her head fell to the side. “I never said you weren’t talented. I just wish you wouldn’t show off quite so much of your other assets.”

I grinned. “I thought you liked my assets?”

“I do,” she answered absentmindedly, then immediately shook her head, realizing what she’d said. “I mean, I did.”

About Katana

As an author and a story-teller, it is the lifeblood to which my ideas take flight. And I believe in giving credit where credit is due. Occasionally someone (ie – my husband) will try to secretly switch out my beloved regular coffee for decaf. I always know the difference. ALWAYS (I’m looking at you, SEAN).

I am incapable of achieving the perfect ponytail. I’m dyslexic. I can never wear white without spilling on myself. And I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice (gasp!).

When I was younger and stole my mother’s Harlequins to read beneath the covers with a flashlight (seriously, did we ALL do this? I think we did.), I wanted to read about the tough as nails heroine. The perfectly imperfect girl with quirks and attitude and sass. And the anti-heroes who were anything but “Prince Charming.” Forget the knight on a white horse… give me the bad boy on a motorcycle.

So, now, I write those romance novels I craved to see on the shelves all those years ago—the sassy heroines. The badass heroes. I spend my days in the throes of my imagination, and am loving every minute of it. I can travel anywhere and become anyone I want to be. One day, I’m a mechanic in Boston and the next, I’m a vampire stripping in Las Vegas.

Since penning my first novel back in 2012, I’m now an international author with 15 published books, in a wide range of contemporary romance genres–(Paranormal, New Adult, Small town, Erotic Suspense… you name it!).

After living for a decade in Brooklyn, NY, I took the plunge and moved to beautiful (although kinda chilly) Portland, Maine. I now live full time in ‘Vacationland’ with a kind of mean cat, a mellow chihuahua, and a very NOT mellow lab-pittie mix. Oh, yeah… there’s a husband who draws comics somewhere in that mix, too. I can usually be found in a coffee shop with my nose in my laptop wearing fabulous (albeit sometimes impractical) shoes.

I love connecting with readers and fellow sassy storytellers, so feel free to drop me an email at katana.collins@gmail.com or connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@katanacollins). You can find a list of my available books over on my Bookshelf or if you’ve already read a book, it would make my day if you wrote a review!

Threats, complaints, and criticisms should go to comments@fbi.gov.

Connect with Katana

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Join her reader group, Kat’s Kittens: http://bit.ly/2QvrP4P

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Website: http://www.katanacollins.com

Review: Beefcakes by Katana Collins

Beefcakes by Katana Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you like second-chance romances you need to read this.  This was sweet (no pun intended without being over the top.  The characters felt like real people with real relationship problems.  They lived real lives with real problems.  This was the perfect mixture of romance, comedy, and serious. 

I love it when a couple works through their issues and they actually talk about their problems instead of hiding behind lust and ignoring the bad stuff.  In this book, there is a lot of baggage between main characters Neil and Elaina.  He broke her heart when he left, and if he has any chance of winning her back he has to earn her trust back.  Elaina has been hurt far too many times in her life by people she cared for, and Neil was probably the worst.  She isn't going to make it easy for him to waltz right back into town and win her back with his antics.  I also love it when couples don't change for each other or settle to be something they are not.  Neil loves being a stuntman and loves to bake.  When he was injured on set, his career in the movies was over so he came home to help out with the family cupcake business.  Elaina is the town manager, and she's very serious and business oriented.  The Elaina from high school that Neil used to know was fun and a bit of a party girl.  He wants to know where she went and inspire Elaina to let "Lainey" out because you can be responsible and serious and still have fun sometimes.  All the while Neil is trying to help his mom's struggling business while she is going through cancer treatments and racking up debt.  When Elaina and Neil are thrown together in a crazy TV show that could potentially solve both of their financial issues, they realize that they still have feelings for each other.  They both have issues they will have to face, but the only way they will win is to face them together.

I love to bake, and I need the recipes for Neil's low carb, protein cupcakes in my life.  All of his recipes sound amazing!  Did I mention there are a couple of recipes at the end of the book?  As someone who eats a low carb diet, I'm excited to try them and see how they work out.  The author has even thought through substitutions for sugar alternatives and flour alternatives which makes me a very happy girl!

This is part of the Maple Grove series, but it is 100% standalone.  This is my first book from Katana Collins and I didn't find myself lost or confused by not having read the other books in the series.  I actually had no idea there were more books until I got to the end of this book and there were links to more books which I will of course be reading in the future.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.  This book will be published on March 24, 2020.


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