{Beg- Songs of Submission, P.1} by CD Reiss {40¢}

What a great experience! I stumbled upon Ms. Reiss on a GoodReads comment thread. That led to an opportunity to read her novella for free in exchange for a fair review. Since this was my first exchange I was hoping not to be bias, as she just gave me a free book and inflated my ego with wanting me to review it. She was my favorite person that day.

Through our correspondence, I found that she is very thoughtful, extremely insightful and looks at stories and writing in a very unique way. When I asked her if she would be interested in doing a small interview that I could add to my review/blog she generously complied. You can find that interview here in The Horse’s Mouth with  C.D. Reiss.

I look forward to a continued literary friendship with her. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Reiss!

Plot-8¢:

Shorty, shorty. I typically do not read or buy novellas, or shorties, until the series is complete. Mostly because I am too impatient and greedy. I have an out-of-sight, out-of-mind mind-set. With that being said, this little book was a quick burst of great. I am hooked.  Judging the first installment of the series,I thought it had a great flow. The author did a great job of introducing her characters, communicating their goals/conflicts and there was some sense of resolution and all within 70ish pages. As with any novella, there were little teasers to lead you to the next edition. So, judging it on plot goals of a shorty, it did exactly what it needed to by manifesting a desire for more.

Main Characters – 4¢

Monica, is a singer/songwriter, waitress and devoted friend. This leaves her little time to worry about a full-blown relationship. When the hot, newly single, billionaire Jonathan Drazen sets his sights on her she just can’t resist. Monica is a type-A personality. She likes having her freedom and her dreams front and center, but her heart is too big to keep her from protecting her friends. Jonathan can’t resist Monica and is willing to wager anything that she feels the same way.

Secondary Characters – 4¢

I really liked all the secondary characters, even the villain-ish ones are well thought out.  Her closest friends are members of her band and most often housemates. So, they are quite present in the story line. I like when novels  have engaging and thought-provoking secondaries. It adds much color and depth to the main character seeing how they react and feel about other people’s problems. That was most certainly accomplished by these secondary characters. I want to learn more about them, too. They didn’t distract my attention away from the mains and they added much to the brief story.

Setting – 3¢

The landscape in all the scenes is well painted. Even though the author didn’t waste time by filling the book with lavish descriptions of everything, she gave me just what I needed so I was present. She did add, quite smartly, telling descriptions about different places in a biased way let me know exactly how Monica felt about her surroundings.

Humor – 3¢

There was some witty word-play in this first segment of the story, but nothing that split my side. In fairness, it wasn’t because there were joke attempts that didn’t hit home, this read just wasn’t meant to be funny. I think in the few spots meant to be funny, or at least in jest, she got the point across very well.

A/R – 4¢

Well, if a 70 page novella can’t keep my attention… this story did keep me reading all the way through flipping pages and wishing there was more. As all good books do, it went too fast, but it was only a few chapters long. I suppose we will see how well it kept my attention by how much I do remember when the next part releases.

Vocab – 4¢

CD Reiss has a wonderful vocabulary. She uses words that are different and I really enjoy that. Sometimes when I read the same type of story I feel like it is the same adjectives over and over. Okay the guy was hot. Okay the girl was beautiful. Blah, blah. Where she shined was the unique words she used. I look forward to reading on. Quality, yes.

Steam – 4¢

Oh, yes. Steam it had. There was a buzz about these two that I was hoping I would get to witness before concluding the first piece of their puzzle. I, myself, was begging the author for a thrill. She complied and how. I thought the door scene original and was biting my lip to see what was up his sleeve. I really am quite the perv it seems.

Value – 3¢

Boy did I get value. I was given this book in return for an honest review. So, I received a heck of a deal. The book was small, but the quality was big. At under two dollars as an e-book, this book is well worth the clams is costs.

Ending – 3¢

Three cents. Yes, this is my tantrum. I wanted more and since their story is merely beginning I can’t honestly judge the ending. It wrapped up, basically, the introduction of characters, set the tone for the next installment and slighty foreshadowed possible sub-storylines.

In closing, I am not cut out for novellas. I am patient about some things, but I am a huge baby when it comes to books. I want my story and I want it NOW! I have to know what happens and I hate thinking about all the time in between now and my next fix. I suppose if this story wasn’t so good and I wouldn’t feel as deprived. But, it was and I am.

When I opened my eyes in the dark club, I knew I had them; every one of them stared at me as if I had just ripped out their souls, put them in envelopes, and sent them back to their mothers, COD.

I froze in place. He had brown eyes and thick black lashes, and when we saw each other, the distance between us became a plucked cello string, vibrating, making a beautiful sound.

C.D. Reiss’s Facebook page

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• The Unexpected Novella (thedarkglobe.wordpress.com)
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