5 Smooches
Synopsis
Party with your favorite New Adult authors as they celebrate Spring Break with a collection of 13 scorching hot novellas and short stories.
Confessions by Jay McLean: A flat tire and a twist of fate bring them together, but it’s their pasts and their confessions that keep them there.
Spider on a Plane by Ilsa Madden-Mills: When lead guitarist for Vital Rejects boards his plane, he’s assigned to sit next to the most famous, goody-goody in New York. He hits on her; she snubs him. The plane lands, but their journey is far from over…
Bunsen Burner Bingo by Penny Reid: Katy Parker likes being the invisible girl almost as much as she obsesses over the campus golden boy, Martin Sandeke. But when she inadvertently overhears a nefarious plot about Martin, she’ll have to overcome her fears and summon the courage to be seen.
To Steal a Kiss by Pam Godwin: When petty thief, Addy Goldner, is caught with her hands in the pockets of a dark-eyed college boy on spring break, will he turn her in or punish her by stealing something for himself?
Ricochet by Missy Johnson: He wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a one-nighter to ease my broken heart…he also wasn’t supposed to be my best friend’s younger brother.
Claiming Freedom by Dawn Robertson: Greyson Scott is exactly what Stella Lewis needs for a Spring Break to remember. But when the vacation is over and real life returns, she’s shocked to learn he’s one fling she can’t seem to forget.
Color Me Bad by Linda Barlow: Fleeing a dude with a shotgun, Rory McKay seeks help from bad boy townie, Griff O’Malley, only to learn that Griff may have murdered his last girlfriend.
Invaluable by Alana Albertson: For Kyle Lawson, former NFL star turned Navy SEAL, a hot one night stand with a USO cheerleader ends in an early morning rescue mission. He will never win MVP, never get the Super Bowl ring, but some heroes don’t play games.
Bling Ring in Mexico by Carly Carson: When spring break fun turns into crime, Susanna must choose between chasing bling and chasing a hot dolphin trainer. But straight-arrow Joaquin has no intention of being the boy toy of his flighty classmate. Too bad lust has such a good grip on him.
Contacts by Farrah Farside: Brooke thinks she’s got the best she can get in Liam, but those closest to Brooke make her face the harsh truth: she’s Liam’s secret after-hours screw.
Unbreakable by Nicole Blanchard: Stranded with her ex-boyfriend on an island during a storm, Rue Lawrence will either resist temptation…or surrender to it.
Rained In by Cherie Blakeley: Stuck dog-sitting for her boss, Kiera Vane’s spring break plans are looking bleak. When a handsome stranger appears she panics, but soon discovers he’s the least of her worries.
In a Daze by M-E Girard: Martie receives an invitation to a women-only evening from Daze, the girl she’s been obsessing over in class. She lands in a throwback to the ’50 butch-femme scene, and if Daze is the femme, then Martie better man up—and fast.
Review
This was a fun collection of coming of age New Adult stories from a variety of different authors. Each story revolved around spring break but they could not have all been more unique and . different. There were several authors in this anthology that I had previously read their New Adult stories and some that I had read in different genres. I really enjoyed the ones I had never had the pleasure of reading before. I can honestly say there was not one story I did not like, but that being said there were a few that I found absolutely FABULOUS!
Bunsen Burner Bingo by Penny Reid was amazing. I would die for this to be a full-length novel. I have read all of Penny’s Contemporary books and as far as I am aware this is her first dive into the New Adult world and I have to say I hope that she writes more in this genre in the future.
Spider in a Plane by Ilsa Madden-Mills was so much fun. Who doesn’t love a sexy British guy who is a bit of a prick and plays in a band. I mean really. I had no doubt that I would love this though because Ilsa’s first book Very Bad Things is to this day one of my favorite NA books!
Confessions by Jay McLean was a great start to this anthology. I had never read any of Jay’s books before but after this fun short story I immediately went and bought the first book in her series. This story set the whole anthology off to the perfect start and got me excited to see what else was to come.
To Steal A Kiss by Pam Godwin was a fun story that did not go the way I was expecting. I love to be surprised in stories and this one did that for me. I thought the premise was fun and different than anything I have read and look forward to reading more from her in the future!
Although I only picked four stories to highlight, none of the stories in this book disappointed me. Each one took me on a different journey and the way these girls spent their spring break was often vastly different and exciting. I hope everyone gives this anthology a shot because I guarantee you will discover some authors who will soon become among your favorites!
~miranda
