Truth or Date by Susan Hatler, Book Two in the Better Date than Never Series

Book Synopsis

Gina Hall is done with men who won’t commit. Ten years waiting for her ex to propose wasted her time. Never again. When her friend Kristen starts a game of Truth or Dare, she dares Gina to go on a date with Ethan, who’s amazing and total marriage material.
As Gina plans the going away party for office playboy Chris Bradley, she spontaneously initiates a game of Truth or Dare with him. When his turn comes around, he dares Gina to pose as his girlfriend to help get a flirty colleague off his back. Gina finds playing couple with Chris way too much fun.
Even though Gina and Chris are pretending, their relationship begins to feel painfully real. Fearing she might be falling for another fly-by man, Gina must focus on Ethan so she doesn’t make the same dating mistakes all over again. Truth or Date - Goodreads

My Opinion

3.65/5 stars.
This is another Susan Hatler's romance short story or novella. I got it for free from Amazon and you know I cannot say "No" to free books. Or maybe no? Whatever, now you know. I looove free books.
Beck to the actual review.
In a few words, the story was cute, funny, romancy, and relatable.
The writing was easy to follow and made the events to flow nicely. On the other hand, the narrative was quite rushed due to the short length of the book.
So far, this is my favorite Susan Hatler story.
Are you in a mood for a quick romance with no excessive steam and just the feels? If yes, this might be your cuppa tea.
Oh! Since it is asecond book in a series, spoilers for the previous book might be obvious. Although, I believe it can be read as a standalone too.

This is my sole opinion. ^_^

Feel Free to check out my other reviews on books written by Susan Hatler: Susan Hatler-A Christmas Kiss and Susan Hatler-Shaken.

Genre: Adult, Romance, Short Stories, Contemporary
Language: mild
Sexual content: mild
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: moderate

Obsidian Blade by Morgan Rhodes

A Falling Kingdoms spinoff

Book synopsis

Magnus from Falling Kingdoms and Maddox from A Book of Spirits and Thieves are on an epic quest through time in this series-bridging novella.
In a garden of ancient ruins on the cliffs of Limeros, Prince Magnus comes face-to-face with a witch. The old woman incapacitates him with a spell, presses a single object into his hand—an obsidian blade—and tells him to bring it to a woman named Samara before the sun sets and his portal home closes forever.
A flash of dark magic transports Magnus back in time to a Mytica he’s only heard about in storybooks. Lost in this foreign land, Magnus sets out to find Samara. But a chance encounter with the rumored Witch Boy derails his journey. Magnus saves Maddox from a beating, but the cruel Livius is now on their tail. The sun is starting to set. Time is running out. Both boys must fight for their lives.
Follow legendary bad boy Magnus and the enigmatic Maddox as their worlds collide in this high-stakes adventure.

My opinion

5/5 starts according to Goodreads rating.
It is an amazing short story. The cross between the two storylines happening in Mytica was genius. It is a must read if you like Falling Kingdoms and Spirits and Thieves series. Magnus and Maddox have an excellent dynamic. It foreshadows the two series’ future. We also get to see M&M (no pun intended :D) when they were younger and how their past selves reacted in different circumstances.
This short addition to the two major storyline offers a great opportunity to know M&M better. Think about it: unrecognized prince working with a famous witch-boy-forced-con artist.
Indeed, it is a time travel story.

This is my personal opinion.

Obsidian Blade
Original review: Obsidian Balde - Goodreads Review

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Short Stories, Novella
Language: none to mild
Sexual content: none (just some flirting)
Violence: moderate
Drugs/Alcohol: none to mild