~Synopsis~
Sometimes it takes a force of nature…
Kyle Callahan thinks he has life all figured out. After a winning season on the university football team, he’s studied, partied, and slept with willing women. And not necessarily in that order. After graduation, he’ll cap off four years as an Army ROTC cadet by becoming a Second Lieutenant.
Sarah Morgan thought she was getting an engagement ring. Instead, she got dumped for another girl. After throwing herself a pity party, she decides to make the most of the remainder of the school year. With two job offers in hand, she can afford to have some fun.
When a crazy spring storm brings them together, their last weeks of school develop into a series of steamy encounters. But when Kyle steps into the role of hero, Sarah discovers her knight-in-camouflage has captured her heart.
But their mapped-put life plans didn’t include each other. With graduation around the corner, are they ready to be tied down?
Kyle Callahan thinks he has life all figured out. After a winning season on the university football team, he’s studied, partied, and slept with willing women. And not necessarily in that order. After graduation, he’ll cap off four years as an Army ROTC cadet by becoming a Second Lieutenant.
Sarah Morgan thought she was getting an engagement ring. Instead, she got dumped for another girl. After throwing herself a pity party, she decides to make the most of the remainder of the school year. With two job offers in hand, she can afford to have some fun.
When a crazy spring storm brings them together, their last weeks of school develop into a series of steamy encounters. But when Kyle steps into the role of hero, Sarah discovers her knight-in-camouflage has captured her heart.
But their mapped-put life plans didn’t include each other. With graduation around the corner, are they ready to be tied down?
*This is an erotic romance novella with M/F and M/F/M scenes. 18+ please. *
Book Review: At Her Service (The Callahan Brothers #1)
by Shayna Snow
4.5 Stars...or an 'A' grade since this is college ;-)
Drenched in rain from an abrupt thunderstorm, Sarah Morgan catches the eye of football player/future army soldier Kyle Callahan one afternoon on campus. Both are seniors and share the same major, but they’ve never met before. Though Sarah plays a little coy at first, Kyle has his sights set on her now.
Sarah is a nice balance of confidence and moments that make her blush. She’s pretty down-to-earth. Kyle is cute and sweet… And then he’s pretty hot and dirty talking!
“‘Gonna start spanking you for every time you say that….Lie back. Shorts off.’”
Yes, there is spanking and encounters that make use of their surroundings. ;-)
This is a novella so the pace moves fast, and there isn’t much of a build up to their relationship although that isn’t necessarily unrealistic in a college setting. But both characters are likable, developed sufficiently for the length of the story, and have good chemistry. Even the side characters are likable; plus there’s a subplot with a creep loose on campus.
Told via Kyle and Sarah’s alternating first person point of view, the pair get down and dirty; and when Kyle discovers Sarah’s secret fantasy, he offers to make it come true.
“I relent and give her the book. She clutches it to her chest and stares at me.”
While Sarah stands ‘book-bosomed’ with her favorite romance novel, she realizes she’s been given the opportunity to make the scene come to life. I’ll admit that I liked Kyle and Sarah as a couple and was weary of them going a ‘non-exclusive’ route, not that they ever defined their relationship as such. But the m/f/m is handled well, and by well I mean hot but in a way that still kinda keeps certain encounters to just Kyle and Sarah.
Is Sarah’s sexy rebound guy a white knight in shining armor? Do they have a future beyond graduation?
If you are in the mood for an upbeat, hot, and dirty new adult erotic afternoon (or late night) read that you can devour in one sitting, then this is definitely one to pick up!
AMAZON GOODREADS
Author Interview: "Five Questions with Shayna Snow"
Q1. First let’s talk writing in general. How did you decide to start writing, and what is your favorite part of the writing process? What do you think is the most challenging?
A. I’ve been reading romance for a while – it’s pretty much all I read. The idea for this series formed in my head one day and I mulled it over for a bit, then decided I had to write it down and see it through to completion. I love writing the rough draft – I just write as fast as I can, get the words out, and turn off my internal editor. And for the last part of your question…my least favorite part – that would be choosing a cover. Yes, it’s actually really difficult! I rely on stock photos, as a lot of new authors do, because I simply don’t have the budget to hire models and a photographer. So I look through lots of stock photos to find something that hopefully comes close to being a good fit for my story.
Q2. I felt you blended the new adult and erotica genres together well in this novella as college can easily be a place for casual hook-ups and experimentation; what led you to the genre and the topic?
A. The New Adult genre is full of potential for so many different emotions. It’s a time where you’re finding your footing in the adult world, but you need to figure things out as you go, so mistakes will be made. And there’s a joy in finding people (friends or significant others) who will live through the mistakes and muddling with you, sharing in your successes and being a comfort when things don’t go the way you planned. As for the erotica side, well, I can’t resist. ☺ I’ve heard some writers say that writing sex scenes is difficult, but they never are for me. So I decided to combine the two, and college was a natural location for the story.
Q3. Do you have a favorite scene, and why?
A. My favorite scene in this story (and in almost all that I read) is where the two main characters first see each other. It’s that “magic moment” where they can’t look away and they instantly feel something for the other. And any plans or pre-conceived notions they may have had just go *poof* and suddenly they are on uncertain ground.
Q4. What was your inspiration for the characters, Sarah and Kyle?
A. I wanted characters in their early twenties, because I love that new adult age. I wanted to make them relatable, and most of us can relate to getting dumped (unfortunately) as Sarah did. And then we can also relate to the feeling of wanting a fresh start, and to take chances because of it. Also, there was a family in my town growing up, where the parents really did have eight boys. They were trying for a girl but it never happened, and that was too interesting NOT to put into a story!
Q5. Kyle is one of eight brothers in his family (wow)! Since this is book #1 in the Callahan Brothers series, what can readers expect with future book and Kyle’s siblings? Will they be able to be read as stand-alones? Will we see more of Kyle and Sarah?
A. I plan for all of the Callahan books to be erotica stand-alones, and the first three will be novellas. I may turn one into a full length novel, because I’m thinking of giving one brother a MUCH darker side. And I may come back to Kyle and Sarah in a new story, because I see a lot of potential with them. I do plan to stick to the New Adult genre as much as I can, though some of the brothers will be in their late twenties. The next book will be about Kyle’s younger brother, Dean, and is called Cherry Bomb. I’ll release it right before Christmas. ☺
Thanks Shayna and can't wait to read Cherry Bomb!
Shayna Snow lives in the Midwestern United States, enjoying the changes of seasons and the crazy weather extremes, from blizzards to heat waves. She’s addicted to coffee and her Kindle and is hard-pressed to find a reason to read anything other than romance.
