GRR Reviews Crushing on the Billionaire by Liwen Ho

NOTE: 52-page short

Devon is vacationing in Maui, contemplating his life. He has more money than he can spend, but his life is lame without love. When he spotted his ex, Kylie, on the beach, he can't believe his luck... // Kylie is actually working... She's the nanny to an young child with an entitled mother. When the child got away from her for a moment and ran into Devon, she was let go. Devon can easily fly her home on his jet, but he wanted to just stay and enjoy the time, but she needs to go home and find another job, because her family has lost their fortune, and her mother needs her to earn a paycheck for medical treatments. But Devon can easily afford all that, if she'll just let him help her...

Ah, another "pride goeth before the fall" story, where the girl was "too proud to beg" and all that. Didn't really feel much here though, but then this is a 52 page short. 3/5

GRR Reviews Falling for the Younger Cowboy by Liwen Y Ho

Lexi is about to turn forty, single, and happy, working in Sage Valley Ranch as the gift shop manager. She had to leave her home and reinvent herself in Texas, after her ex's betrayal. She enjoys the platonic friendship with the ranch cook James, who's ten years younger. Until her ex came to the ranch with his much younger GF. // James had been smitten with Lexi since she set foot on the ranch a year ago. And he wanted out of the friend zone for a while. When Lexi's ex showed up, and Lexi doesn't want to be outshined, Lexi grabbed James and announced he's her fiancee. And James is happy to oblige. Then her mother showed up, and now what was merely a face-saving lie turned very real indeed...

Awww, sweet, but not much else. Also, I had NO SENSE that Lexi was Asian-American until her mother showed up. Usually I spot those references right off. *sigh* 

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.

GRR Reviews A Spoonful Of Spice: A Short Story by Liwen Ho

A Spoonful of Spice is a title so generic you wonder if it's set in a cafe or a kitchen. However, what you'll find instead is a delightful and short (only about 50 pages) romance set in an IT department that managed to amuse but not blow me away.

Josh Pepper wants to be the next IT manager, but his plans got interrupted by the new bubbly, beautiful and brilliant Cin Thomas, whose skills in IT may rival his own. While trying to manage his team from being distracted by her presence, he ended up falling under her spell himself...

The attraction was a slow simmer type which frankly is the type I prefer and the IT stuff seems to be on target (being a former IT guy myself). And how often do you find books featuring sapiosexual people?

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Short tale of how an IT supervisor fell for the new female engineer recruit

Tropes: co-worker, geek/geekette

Overall Rating:  4/5 (rounded up)

GRR Reviews Puppy Dog Tales by Liwen Ho

Puppy Dog Tales is a fun short novella that had the unusual Asian Americans as the main characters, something rather rare in mainstream romances. It also featured cute pets. Well, hold on, let me recap...

Melvin Lai inherited something he never expected... His uncle's cocker spaniel. He... doesn't like animals, and he had no idea how to take care of one, esp. one who's leaving brown stains all over his carpet and refused every command he gave. At his wit's end, he went to the pet clinic and met Dr. Vivian Chu, who basically struck him dumb as Vivian was everything he dreamed of. But let's just say Melvin did not leave a good impression, and Vivian's foremost rule in dating, not that she dated, is "must love animals", and Melvin is anything but. But Melvin is determined to make Vivian his Valentine. It's going to take a miracle... and a little help from the cocker spaniel, to make it happen.

Well, for a short, there really is a fun tale, with rare setting of Asian American main characters.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Man who inherited a cocker spaniel but no idea how to take care of it wanted to romance the female veterinarian...

Tropes: different worlds, pets

Overall Rating: 4/5 (rounded up)