Tag / Zannie Adams

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Protected by Claire Kent

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Romance
POV: First Person, FMC
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Deck
Heroine: Lilah
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: July 03, 2025
Started On: August 01, 2025
Finished On: August 02, 2025

Protected by Claire Kent takes readers back into the brutal, stripped-down world of the Kindled universe, where survival is a daily battle, where tenderness is a tough commodity to come by. Two years after the world-ending Impact, the Lilah is alone, starving, and running out of options. Forced to join a roaming group of scavengers led by the calculating and unflinchingly pragmatic Logan, Lilah finds herself having to adjust to the new normal.

Among the group is a giant of a man named Deck, a silent, imposing man who has not deemed to speak a word since the day the world fell apart. What begins as an uneasy alliance between two survivors slowly becomes a deeply emotional journey about finding connection, safety, and love when there is little left worth fighting for.

Lilah at twenty-four has already lost everything; her family, her lover, and her home and lives with a constant undercurrent of fear until she finds a semblance of normalcy with the group. Deck, at twenty-nine, is her opposite in temperament but mirrors her pain. Traumatized by what he has endured, he communicates through gestures, small acts of care, and unspoken understanding.

As their partnership evolves, the story draws its tension not from the chaos of the world around them but from the delicate intimacy that forms between two broken people. The slow, cautious bond they build, one gesture, one shared glance at a time, is where the novel finds its heartbeat.

Claire Kent excels at writing love that grows out of impossible circumstances, and Protected is a just another trophy that attests to her strength as a writer. Deck’s silence never diminishes his presence and rather amplifies it, drawing the reader to him, trying to catch a glimpse into the depths of the emotional gentle giant that he is.

Every protective act, every lesson Deck teaches Lilah in self-defense, carries emotional weight. His strength is not just physical; it’s moral and emotional too, a contrast to the violent and often amoral world they inhabit. Lilah’s evolution from vulnerability to someone of indomitable strength is one that I rooted for wholeheartedly.

While the story delivers on emotional depth and survivalist realism, the external tension involving Logan and his group occasionally feels secondary. The stalker-like dangers and raiding conflicts add grit, but the real draw remains the understated romance and how it redefines what safety and love mean in a world stripped of both.

Readers familiar with the Kindled series will appreciate Logan’s reappearance; he remains the enigmatic force behind the group’s survival, setting up what promises to be an equally compelling story in his own book, which I believe will take some time to be published.

While I have loved this constant stream of heroes who are gentle, emotional, and able to be more open about their trauma, I also want heroes of the kind that Ms. Kent used to write – men who brood a bit more, rarely give away what they are thinking or feeling, adding that delicious tangible angst to the story. I sorely miss that.

Recommended for: readers who love post-apocalyptic romance with quiet emotional intensity, protective and gentle giant heroes, and heroines who discover their strength.

Final Verdict: Protected is a slow-burn romance set in a world of ruin, where silence speaks louder than words and love becomes the last refuge of the human soul.

Purchase Links: Amazon

by mvbookreviewer

Restoration by Noelle Adams

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: First Person, FMC
Series: Worthings, #4
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Edmund Worthing
Heroine: Autumn
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: August 16, 2024
Started On: July 31, 2025
Finished On: August 01, 2025

Restoration by Noelle Adams is a beautifully paced, emotional romance about survival, self-discovery, and the gradual blossoming of love between two unlikely people.

Autumn has spent six years being the efficient, ever-capable assistant to Edmund Worthing, a wealthy, charming, and often exasperating man who has drifted through life without any real purpose. When she finally decides to quit and reclaim her life, the last thing she expects is to end up stranded with him on a deserted island after a violent storm at sea. What begins as a nightmare slowly turns into something transformative, both in terms of their survival and their hearts.

Autumn is practical, dependable, and tired of living her life in service to someone else’s whims. Edmund, on the other hand, is the definition of carefree privilege, a man who has never had to lift a finger for anything and masks his intelligence behind an easy, teasing charm. Stripped of the luxuries and distractions of his old world, Edmund is forced to face his own complacency, while Autumn is pushed beyond her comfort zone in ways she never imagined. Together, they learn how to endure hunger, illness, fear, and the stark reality of isolation, and in the process, they also learn how to see each other, truly see each other, for the first time.

The shift in their dynamic from boss and assistant to equals is one of the most satisfying elements of the story. Adams gives their relationship time to breathe, to evolve from mutual dependence to affection, and finally to love. The island becomes a crucible for both their growths: Edmund transforms from a spoiled socialite into a man capable of tenderness and grit, while Autumn, for all her composure, learns to let go of control and embrace vulnerability. The chemistry between them is charged, their connection deepened by moments of laughter, frustration, and the kind of intimacy that can only come from relying on someone with your life.

What I loved most about this story was how well Adams balanced the sensual with the emotional. The romance feels valid and not just a product of forced proximity but of two people who find their missing halves in one another. Edmund’s devotion, his quiet acts of care, and the way he steps up when Autumn falls ill all underscore how far he has come from the man she once worked for. The angst, particularly after their rescue, was perfectly handled. The inevitable readjustment to the real world hurts, but it makes their eventual reconciliation even more satisfying.

If there is one thing I might have wanted more of, it would be a deeper dive into the aftermath of their ordeal once they return home, how two people changed by survival reconcile that with normal life. But the epilogue delivers exactly what the reader hopes for, sealing their journey with warmth and fulfillment.

Recommended for: readers who love slow-burn, boss-assistant romances with emotional depth, strong character development, and a healthy dose of survival-driven angst.

Final Verdict: Tender, emotional, and quietly intense, Restoration is angsty, sensual, and deeply satisfying.

Favorite Quotes

We lie together afterward, holding each other urgently. His face is buried against my neck, and his heart is beating so fast and hard that I can feel it.
He doesn’t say anything else, and neither do I. We both know what just happened is goodbye.
It’s goodbye.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Redemption by Noelle Adams

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: First Person, FMC
Series: Worthings, #3
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Caleb Morrison
Heroine: Louisa Worthing
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: February 16, 2024
Started On: July 31, 2025
Finished On: July 31, 2025

Redemption by Noelle Adams tells the story of Louisa Worthing, who was once the quintessential rich girl spiraling through parties and bad decisions. Louisa has spent the past three years rebuilding her life in quiet anonymity. Sober and focused on her art, and learning what it means to live without chaos. But when a stalker who was focused on someone else in her family shifts focus to her, Louisa’s peace is shattered, and the man assigned to protect her is none other than Caleb, the ex-military bodyguard who has seen her at her worst.

Their shared history stretches back years. Becoming part of her life when she was merely sixteen years old, he was the one man she could not manipulate, the one who drew boundaries and held firm even when she tried every trick in her arsenal to test them. When trouble comes calling and Caleb is reassigned to protect her, Louisa is determined that this time around, she will redeem herself.

The chemistry between them is undeniable, but Adams writes it with restraint and emotional depth rather than dramatics. Louisa’s attraction to Caleb is not born of rebellion anymore, but rather rooted in understanding and a deep sense of yearning that goes beyond anything she has experience before.

Caleb, for his part, fights a losing battle against his feelings, torn between loyalty, morality, and the haunting awareness that he has always wanted her, regardless. Their romance builds slowly, with Louisa determined to take responsibility for her prior life and actions, and Caleb equally determined not to hold them against her.

What stood out most to me was the sensitivity with which Adams handles Louisa’s recovery. There’s no melodrama here, just the day-to-day honesty of a woman who knows that redemption is never a straight path. Louisa’s guilt over her past isn’t glossed over, and Caleb’s hesitancy feels both justified and also adds that delicious layer of angst to the story. Caleb low-key reminded me of Grant from Princess by Claire Kent, another pseudonym used by Noelle Adams. Their love unfolds with a kind of gentle realism that makes the eventual connection feel that much more worth it when all is said and done.

The only weak thread in an otherwise beautifully told story was the stalker subplot. It serves its purpose in bringing Caleb back into Louisa’s life, but it remains peripheral to the emotional core of the novel. The tension it introduces feels muted compared to the internal struggles both characters face. That said, it does not detract from what truly matters here; their journey toward forgiveness, both of each other and themselves.

Recommended for: readers who enjoy emotional, character-driven romances with age-gap and forbidden elements, and second chances built on quiet strength rather than grand gestures.

Final Verdict: Thoughtful and tender, Redemption is a novel that is quietly powerful and deeply human!

Favorite Quotes

This is different from the other night.
This wasn’t fumbling together in the dark.
This is real.
This is us.
All of us.
He knows me completely—everything I’ve ever done, everything I’ve ever been—and he still wants me.
Right now it feels like he always will.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Recollection by Noelle Adams

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: First Person, FMC
Series: Worthings, #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Arthur Worthing
Heroine: Scarlett Elizabeth Kingston
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: August 25, 2023
Started On: July 30, 2025
Finished On: July 30, 2025

Recollection by Noelle Adams is one of those quiet, aching love stories that sneaks up on you and refuses to let go. Told entirely from Scarlett Kingston’s perspective, it opens with her waking up in a hospital after an accident that wiped out six months of her life—six months that changed everything. Her father is dead, her life is unrecognizable, and she finds herself living in the sprawling, centuries-old Worthing estate under the care of Arthur Worthing, a man who was once merely her father’s friend.

Arthur is forty-six, a brilliant, scarred, and reclusive man whose sense of control masks a heart that feels too deeply. Scarlett, at twenty-eight, is raw from grief and confusion, her amnesia leaving her trapped between two realities; the one she barely remembers and the one she is now living.

The dynamic between them is immediately loaded with tension: gratitude, dependence, attraction, and the unspoken history she cannot recall. What unfolds is both tender and devastating, a slow, deliberate exploration of love rediscovered under the strangest of circumstances.

The story moves fluidly between past and present, peeling back layers of their relationship with a kind of aching inevitability. Arthur is a quintessential Noelle Adams hero; quietly protective, honorable to a fault, and burdened by his own insecurities. His restraint is painful to witness at times, especially as he struggles to keep his distance while Scarlett unknowingly falls for him all over again. Scarlett’s journey, meanwhile, is one of piecing herself back together, of rediscovering not only her love for Arthur but also her strength and sense of self after trauma.

What makes this book unforgettable is how Adams captures intimacy beyond the physical. Every touch between them feels earned, charged with emotion and memory. The sex scenes are sensual, yes, but they are also suffused with tenderness and pain, the awareness of what was lost and what might be regained. Arthur’s fear that he is holding her back, his conviction that she deserves a future unshaped by his scars or her dependency, gives the story its most heartbreaking edge.

If I had one complaint, it is that I wanted an epilogue, a glimpse into the happily ever after they fought so hard to earn. After the emotional whirlwind of their separation and reunion, I longed for that final exhale. But perhaps it is fitting that the story ends where it does, leaving readers to imagine the rest, as Scarlett once had to imagine the missing months of her life.

Recommended for: readers who love emotionally charged age-gap romances, scarred heroes who love quietly and fiercely, and heroines who must rediscover both themselves and the man they love.

Final Verdict: Poignant, sensual, and beautifully written, Recollection is a love story that asks what it means to fall in love twice—and makes you believe it’s possible.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Beacon by Claire Kent

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Post Apocalyptic Romance
POV: First Person, FMC
Series: Kindled, #8
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Malachi (Mack)
Heroine: Anna
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: October 11, 2024
Started On: July 20, 2025
Finished On: July 22, 2025

I just woke up one day and knew—I knew—that you were my resting place.

Nostalgia is the word that best describes how I felt reaching the end of Claire Kent’s Kindled series with Beacon. Throughout the series, on and off, Mack has been a towering presence in the background, the steady hand, the heart of the community, the man everyone leaned on when the world crumbled after the event known as Impact. His story has been one of the most anticipated of the series (which I am sure is a sentiment shared by many followers of the series), and while this installment may not have become my personal favorite, I can appreciate the way it brought his journey full circle.

Mack is a man who has carried the weight of countless battles, both physical and emotional. For ten years he has been the anchor in the storm, the one who kept order amidst chaos, and the one everyone else turned to for assistance. But even the strongest shoulders eventually give way and that is what happens when a certain chain of events becomes the final straw after years of loss and responsibility. Add to this, the loss of his dreams of a family with the woman who owns his heart, needless to say he withdraws completely, retreating into the wilderness to nurse wounds too deep to share.

When Mack fails to return back to the community even as months pass, it is Anna who finally sets out to bring him back, knowing that it may not be as easy as that. Mack who would rather nurse his wounds in private, is reluctant to let her in, both literally and figuratively, until he is forced into sharing his quarters with Anna, which serves to the start to the journey of shared healing for the two.

Though Anna is pivotal to the story, I often found myself struggling with her choices. At thirty-three, she is a survivor of an abusive marriage, determined never to lose her independence again. Her hesitancy to commit to Mack comes from a place of self-preservation, a belief that she cannot be the partner he deserves because she still has so much healing of her own to do. And yet, beneath all that, it is evident she has always loved him. She just could not let herself give in.

What I did admire was Anna’s decision to risk her life for Mack, both literally and figuratively. When she ventures into the dangerous forest to bring him back, it is as much about saving him physically as it is about proving her feelings at last. Mack’s need for reassurance, for proof that he is not alone and unloved, felt heartbreaking and necessary after all he has endured. It was only fair that she had to be the one to step forward and make that sacrifice, just as he has carried everyone else, including Anna, for so long.

The theme of positive masculinity runs strong here. Mack is written as a man of great strength, but also deep vulnerability. His willingness to shoulder responsibility, his devotion to community, and his steadfast love for Anna makes him a hero worth remembering.

Still, as much as I admired his character, I found myself less enamored with the romance than I expected. Perhaps it was the years of buildup between Anna and Mack throughout the series which Ms. Kent expected us to take notes of, or the way their relationship often simmered just below the surface, but when it finally took center stage, I did not connect with their love as deeply as I hoped.

That said, I do understand why the characters were written the way they were. Breanna, in her story, needed a gentler partner to help her heal, and while Mack’s trauma was different, he needed the space and solitude, time to grieve and recover privately before he could return whole. The conclusion between Anna and Mack perhaps makes sense for who they are, even if the emotional punch did not hit me with the same intensity as some of the earlier books in the series.

Now that the series has come to a close, I cannot help but feel a bittersweet ache. Beacon ties the threads together, but it also leaves me looking forward. Logan, who made only a small appearance here, completely stole my attention, and I am already anticipating his book with high hopes. Now there is a hero of the kind I identify with!

Recommended for: readers who love end-of-the-world survival romances, broken-but-steadfast heroes, and heroines learning to claim their own strength.

Final Verdict: A bittersweet finale; Mack’s story closes the series with quiet strength, even if the romance did not burn as brightly as I had hoped.

Purchase Links: Amazon

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Fall by Claire Kent

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Sci-Fi Romance
POV: Third Person, FMC
Series: Hold, #3
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Rone
Heroine: Lenna
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: November 13, 2016
Started On: February 21, 2025
Finished On: February 23, 2025

Rone kept nuzzling her cheek, her jaw, her shoulder, and he was mumbling words it took her a minute to hear clearly.
“Lenna good. Lenna home. Lenna home.”
At least for the moment, it felt like she was.

I picked up Fall right after finishing Hold and skipping Rise, curious to see where Claire Kent would take a story that seemed to offer a unique setting; a modern, capable heroine dropped into a brutal, stripped-down world to see what she does to survive.

Lenna, a 29-year-old smuggler, has lived her life skirting rules and staying one step ahead of trouble. But when she is planet-dumped and forced into a primitive society, survival suddenly depends not on clever smuggling routes but on aligning herself with the right people.

Her first encounter with Rone, the caveman-like warrior of the Kroo tribe, is tense and bewildering. He is gruff, mostly silent except for his clipped language, and entirely different from anyone she has known. Lenna has always thrived on her independence, but here she is dependent on him in ways she does not want to admit. The Kroo’s world is harsh, patriarchal, and unforgiving, yet through Rone’s eyes, Lenna begins to see glimpses of protection, devotion, and a kind of love she never expected.

The heart of the story lies in how two people from entirely different worlds manage to connect. The language barrier and cultural chasm between them creates misunderstandings, jealousies, and insecurities, yet there is no denying the pull between Lenna and Rone.

Their mating is both raw and tender, a reminder of how survival and intimacy can become hopelessly intertwined. Still, I could not help but feel that Rone’s character deserved more depth; his perspective was deeply missed, and the language gap kept him from being as fully fleshed out as he could have been.

What I liked most was how Claire Kent does not shy away from showing the compromises Lenna has to make. She is not a damsel; she is pragmatic, stubborn, and willing to fight for herself. Yet she is also forced to adapt, and the choices she makes feel both frustrating and understandable. The dynamic with Desh added another layer, particularly his role as translator and outsider, though at times it distracted from the intensity that could have been between Lenna and Rone alone.

On the flip side, I wished this story had been longer. The richness of this setup, with its primitive tribe politics and the clash between Lenna’s modern worldview and Rone’s way of life, begged for more space to breathe. The brevity meant some emotional beats felt rushed, especially towards the end, when resolution came quicker than I would have liked.

Recommended for: readers who enjoy survivalist sci-fi romance, primitive existence dynamics, and heroines who are fighters in their own right.

Final Verdict: Raw, primitive, and unexpectedly tender, Fall is engaging but left me craving more depth.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Hold by Claire Kent

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Sci-Fi Romance
POV: Third Person, FMC
Series: Hold, #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Cain
Heroine: Riana
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: November 02, 2007
Started On: February 16, 2025
Finished On: February 21, 2025

“Tell me you’re mine.”“I’m yours,” she gasped, meaning it—far more than in body. “Just yours.”

Hold is a novel that I reviewed way back in 2010 when it was first published under the pen-name Zannie Adams through Ellora’s Cave. Revisiting it now feels almost like stepping into a time capsule of dark, gritty sci-fi romance with that touch and flair that is unique to Kent in her romances.

The story follows Riana, an archaeologist whose life takes a devastating turn when she is unjustly convicted and sent to Genus V, a brutal prison planet where survival hinges on the law of the strongest. With no hope of release, no possibility of escape, and surrounded by chaos and violence, her only chance lies in Cain, the brooding, solitary prisoner who has carved out his territory through intelligence and sheer force. Their relationship begins as one of necessity, Riana bartering the only thing she can offer for protection, but it evolves into something rawer, darker, and far more emotional than either of them expect.

Cain is the epitome of the dangerous hero; stoic, fierce, and with a predator’s strength that makes him both terrifying and magnetic. He is a man of few words, but every action speaks volumes. He shields Riana, but he also makes her face truths about herself she would rather avoid. Riana, on the other hand, is not the delicate damsel one might expect in such dire circumstances. She is resourceful, determined, and unwilling to let the horrors of the Hold break her spirit, even when the odds are stacked impossibly high.

What struck me the most in this reread is how the book balances its relentless brutality with moments of startling tenderness. Cain is not gentle, not by any stretch, but there are flashes of protectiveness and even affection that feel monumental because of who he is and where they are. The intimacy between him and Riana is primal, often public, and utterly unapologetic, yet layered with a vulnerability that sneaks up on you. This dynamic makes their connection both uncomfortable and deeply compelling.

I loved the way the story explored power dynamics, survival, and the question of what humanity means in a place designed to strip it away. Cain’s possessiveness and Riana’s stubborn grit made them unforgettable, even as some of the violence and voyeuristic elements of the Hold made me squirm. The setting is a world that is bleak and merciless, what makes their relationship stand out as something worth clinging to.

Recommended for: readers who enjoy dark, intense romances with a sci-fi twist, survival themes, and heroes who are anything but conventional.

Final Verdict: Dark, raw & unapologetic; Hold turns survival into a love story that lingers long after the last page.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

by mvbookreviewer

Review: A Christmas Mystery by Noelle Adams

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Fantasy Romance
POV: First Person, Single
Series: Green Valley, #5
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Theo Humphrey
Heroine: Maya Alexander
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: December 13, 2024
Started On: December 16, 2024
Finished On: December 18, 2024

A Christmas Mystery by Noelle Adams is a gentle, heartwarming holiday romance wrapped in the tenderness of loss, healing, and unexpected love.

Maya Alexander returns to her small hometown for Christmas after years on the road, living in her tiny house and chasing a nomadic life that has helped her process the grief of losing her fiancé just three weeks before their wedding. Her plans are simple enough; spend time with family and finally discover the identity of the mystery pen pal who has been writing her for more than a year. Those letters, filled with warmth and understanding, have been a lifeline. What she does not plan on is the constant, grumpy presence of Theo Humphrey, her late fiancé’s best friend, who never seemed to approve of her in the past.

Theo is the kind of hero who quietly steals your heart. Reserved and steady, he has always seen Maya as flighty and too frivolous for his best friend, but his actions tell a different story. Beneath his glowers and dry sarcasm lies a depth of patience and devotion that slowly begins to surface as they are drawn together during the holiday season.

Maya, with her free-spirited and restless nature, is his opposite in almost every way. Yet their banter, the unexpected moments of tenderness, and the ways they challenge each other create a beautiful, slow-burn connection that feels all the more satisfying for the push and pull.

The undercurrent of grief runs through them both, but while Maya’s healing has taken her on the road, Theo has stayed rooted, holding on to quiet truths he is not ready to voice. Their dynamic is layered with the shared weight of the man they both lost, which makes their growing feelings all the more complicated.

Theo is perhaps everything that I loved about this story; steadfast, quietly protective, and endlessly patient. His love for Maya is the kind that waits, no matter how long it takes. I also enjoyed the epilogue, though I did wish the epilogue had been from Theo’s perspective; seeing the world through his eyes would have added an extra emotional punch. The pacing is gentle, almost deliberately so, matching the tone of a story about healing and second chances. While some readers may find the plot quieter than expected, it works for the emotional journey these characters are on.

Recommended for: fans of holiday romances with emotional depth, grumpy hero dynamics, and stories where love waits with patience.

Final Verdict: A tender and quietly romantic Christmas tale that shows how love can bloom even in the shadow of loss.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Seven by Claire Kent

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
POV: Third Person, Single
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Owen
Heroine: Amy
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: May 01, 2014
Started On: July 09, 2024
Finished On: July 10, 2024

Claire Kent’s Seven is a short, sizzling novella built on the premise of a no-strings-attached arrangement that inevitably turns into something more complicated. The story revolves around Amy and Owen, two people who had set out with the firm intention of keeping things strictly physical, only to find themselves tangled in emotions neither expected. What begins as a daring wager between them soon unravels layers of possessiveness and longing that belie their casual arrangement.

Owen is the quintessential Claire Kent hero; gentle and understated in everyday life but all alpha behind closed doors. A British transplant with charm tucked under his quiet exterior, he is the sort of hero who sneaks up on you with his intensity. Amy, by contrast, is ambitious, a woman determined to keep her emotions in check and not lose herself to something she insists should remain temporary. Yet, despite her best efforts, she struggles with the growing pull Owen has on her.

Their dynamic is built on friction. Amy’s determination to keep things light clashes with Owen’s increasing inability to pretend he doesn’t care more deeply. The push-and-pull between them is where the tension lies, and while the novella is heavy on erotic encounters, it also highlights how easily a relationship meant to be uncomplicated can grow roots.

The sex scenes are exactly what one expects from Kent; creative, scorching, and layered with emotion that sneaks in when least expected. That said, Amy as a heroine was a harder sell for me. Her stubbornness sometimes crossed into annoyance, making her difficult to empathize with. In contrast, Owen’s blend of control, humor, and unexpected tenderness made him the clear standout.

What worked best was Kent’s trademark way of blending intimacy with vulnerability. Even in a story this short, she manages to showcase the risk of opening yourself up to love when you have convinced yourself that you are not looking for it. Still, I could not shake the feeling that Amy’s characterization needed more balance to match the depth Owen brought to the table.

Recommended for: Readers who enjoy erotic romance novellas, British heroes who ooze charm, and the tension of a friends-with-benefits arrangement evolving into more.

Final Verdict: A friends with benefits novella with Kent’s signature eroticism that stands out for inventiveness in the bedroom!

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Homestead by Claire Kent

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Romance
POV: First Person, Single
Series: Kindled, #7
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Jimmy Carlson
Heroine: Chloe
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: May 17, 2024
Started On: May 16, 2024
Finished On: May 18, 2024

Drawing closer to the conclusion of the Kindled series by Claire Kent is bittersweet. With the publication of Haven, the debut book in the series, Ms. Kent opened to readers a world of chaos following a catastrophic event that effectively ended life as we know it today. It is a series that has made me think beyond the romance, witticism, and eroticism that Ms. Kent pens so effectively. What would happen to us when (and not if), the world meets such a fate? I believe that what Ms. Kent has outlined through each of her books in the series brings to light varied different circumstances under which the most vulnerable would fare in a world where survival of the fittest becomes the center theme.

With the seventh installment in the series, Homestead takes us back into the raw, stripped-down world as mentioned above. This story is about Chloe, a young woman left with nothing after the loss of her family, who finds safety through an arrangement with Jimmy Carlson, a widower whose quiet strength and steady presence offers her not only shelter but also a chance at a new life. Their partnership begins as one of survival and convenience but slowly transforms into something deeper, more tender, and unexpectedly intimate.

Jimmy is not your typical romance hero. He is gruff, practical, and a man of few words, but beneath that stoic exterior lies loyalty and decency that make him a quietly compelling character. Widowed and experienced, he knows the cost of loss and the value of stability.

Chloe, in contrast, is young and untested, her adult years shaped by the collapse of modern civilization. She starts out with no skills, resources, and no real sense of her place in the harsh new world. What makes her journey resonate is that she does not suddenly morph into a fearless survivor; instead, she builds on her own strengths and learns to carve out her space in a way that feels authentic.

Their arrangement comes with inherent conflict. Chloe feels the imbalance in power between them; Jimmy as protector and provider, she with little to give but herself, and yet Jimmy continually proves that he is not a man who takes advantage. Instead, as feelings emerge between them, the dynamic shifts into something more equal, rooted in choice and growing trust. Watching them move from uneasy strangers to genuine partners added weight to the romance, even amidst the bleakness of their world.

What I appreciated most about Homestead is how realistic the characters felt. Jimmy may not be the forceful alpha typical of post-apocalyptic romance, but his quiet authority was just as magnetic. Chloe’s vulnerability and her gradual steps toward finding her own kind of strength gave her a dimension I found refreshing.

The story delivered exactly what I expect from Kent: a balance of danger, survival, and scorching intimacy. And yes, there were a few unexpected surprises with Jimmy that made me smile. The narrative also underscores how, in a world where most pleasures have been stripped away, physical intimacy becomes one of the few remaining ways to feel alive—and that theme struck with me long after the last page was turned.

Recommended for: readers who enjoy slow-burn survival romances, realistic heroines finding their place, and protective but quietly commanding heroes.

Final Verdict: A grounded, tender, and intimate addition to the Kindled series—Homestead blends grit, realism, and heat—showing how love can grow even in the harshest worlds.

Purchase Links: Amazon