It’s nearing the middle of December! If you’re anything like me, you’re looking at that lofty reading goal you set for yourself in January and wondering, “Self, what was I thinking?”
Sound familiar? Good news! Here’s a few of my favorite short reads (around or under 150pages) from the last few years to help you impress the Goodreads Librarians:
Monster Romance
Freak-o-dile by Kel Bruem
Lola is definitely not in Port Douglas on vacation. She’s only accepted a borrowed timeshare to get some work done while her Sydney flat is renovated after historic flooding. But her plans are interrupted by an ill-fated miscommunication, resulting in the handsome himbo Hogan becoming her new roommate. Lola can’t resist his rippling pecs and flirtatious attitude, but what will she do when his claws come out?
24 pages
On Kindle and KU
Seduced by the Singapore Merlion by Kel Bruem
When one joke too many has Michael’s travel girlfriend seeking alone time in Singapore, he finds himself alone, bored, and horny.
A surprise visit from a mystical half-fish half-lion results in an undeniable offer, promising a little peace of mind and a whole lot of release. Michael just wants to get off, but instead, he gets on an emotional rollercoaster that will change his life.
26 pages
On Kindle and KU
Tinsel & Tentacles by Kate McDarris
World famous rock star Barney Myles needs a miracle. All he wants for Christmas are his manager and bodyguard underneath the mistletoe… but he’s hiding a secret that could ruin his chances with them for good.
Little does he realize Marci and Ryder know more than he thinks, and they have a plan to make all their holiday fantasies come true.
120 pages
On Kindle and KU
Diamonds & Tentacles by Kate McDarris
Barney’s siren song keeps the world hanging from the tip of his tentacle. Now, his entire world has become the two people sharing his bed.
This New Years, he’s got a plan to turn their happily for now into a happily ever after… with a little specialized help from a friend.
100 pages
On Kindle and KU
Fantasy Romance
A Queer Trade by KJ Charles
Crispin Tredarloe returns to London to find his master dead, and his papers sold. Papers with secrets that could spell death. Crispin needs to get them back before anyone finds out what he’s been doing, or what his magic can do.
Enter waste paper dealer Ned Hall. He needs help, and Ned can’t resist Crispin’s pleading—and appealing—looks. But can the waste-man and the magician prevent a disaster and save Crispin’s skin?
53 pages
On Kindle and KU
In Love and War by Lisette Marshall
A demon craving revenge. A fae looking to prove herself.
When Naxi and Thysandra meet in the middle of a battlefield, neither expects a worthy opponent. But with dark pasts and desperate ambitions driving them, peace is not an option … so when Naxi is forced to flee, Thysandra gives chase, bringing them far from the clash of armies.
91 pages
On Kindle and KU
Blood Tribute by Vela Roth
To trick the powerful creature into drinking poison from her veins, Nora promises him a tribute of her blood for three nights. But the alluring heretic will accept on only one condition: if Nora can’t resist his seduction, she must let him transform her into one of his kind.
Will she make her kill, or will she lose both her honor and her humanity?
85 pages
On Kindle
The Witch’s Grave by L.E. Eldridge
On this bewitched autumn night, someone special has entered my woods…someone different. And soon, I will claim her.
The girl has had no choice in life–and coming to the witch’s grave, on Connecticut Hill is no different. Her friends seek cheap thrills and Become much worse than any nightmare…but I want so much more for her.
43 pages
On Kindle and KU
Fantasy
Prosper’s Demon by K.J. Parker
In a botched demonic extraction, they say the demon feels it ten times worse than the man. But they don’t die, and we do. Equilibrium.
Prosper of Schanz is a man of science, determined to raise the world’s first philosopher-king, reared according to the purest principles. Too bad he’s demonically possessed.
106 pages
On Kindle
Fury of the Sorceress by Krista Walsh
Immortality has its perks. Dealing with vampires is not one of them.
When vampire Adrian asks me, his favorite sorceress, to do him a favor and help find a missing vampire queen, what can I do but say yes? Especially when my sort-of protégée has a vision about all the ways the city will go sideways if we don’t get her back on her throne.
111 pages
On Kindle
Smuggler’s Fortune by Angela Boord
Kyrra d’Aliente’s family is dead, her pockets empty, the man she loves missing, and now, a group of out-of-work sellswords want to steal her metal arm. When an encounter with an old friend leads to a smuggling job, she’s more than willing to hop on board in exchange for a bag of coins and a little revenge.
As this seemingly simple job leads down an ever more treacherous path into her past, will their mysterious cargo be worth the danger it brings with it—or will it cost her far more than her arm?
176 pages
On Kindle and KU
Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
A young royal from the far north, is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully.
Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor’s lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for.
124 pages
On Kindle