Duo Review: H.O.T. - Hot Mess & Hot Package

Hostile Operations Team

by Lynn Raye Harris
Book #2: Hot Mess | Goodreads | Rating:  3.0 Stars
Book #3: Hot Package | Goodreads | Rating:  3.0 Stars

See Also, Previously Reviewed:
-- Book #1: Hot Pursuit


These were two short, sweet novellas.  Both are second chance romances, with the main couples having separated under angry conditions, so both sides of both couples have unresolved conflicts to deal with.

And that's really all there is to these two novellas.

English professor Dr. Georgeanne Hayes has a problem.  Her star pupil, an Army sergeant who works in a Top Secret government program, is missing—and someone tried to push her in front of a train last night.

Sam “Knight Rider” McKnight is used to looking out for Georgie.  When they were kids, she was just his best friend’s baby sister.  But Georgie’s not a baby anymore and Sam is getting some very male—and very dirty—thoughts about the girl he knows he can never have.

When someone threatens Georgie’s life again, Sam will do anything necessary to keep her safe.  Even if it means spending the next few days locked up in a remote house on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with her.

Sam might be used to denying himself what he wants, but he’s about to find out that being cooped up with Georgie will push him to the limit.  And maybe beyond.

I'm not as content as everyone else seems to be about this short story.  Granted, it was a bite-sized novella, with a good amount of story and action, even for something that wasn't quite novel-length.  I've been conflicted about my rating, because the truth is, I DO like our female MC, Georgie.  I love that she knows what she wants and she goes for what she wants, and screw the rest of the world.

But I also have a problem with romances where the heroine continually flings herself at the hero, and he all but tells her he can't, and won't commit to anything, and just keeps pushing her away.  But because Sam has a pretty legit reason for pushing Georgie away, I can't be entirely too upset with him, or with the relationship.  But that doesn't mean I didn't get frustrated, especially when he continually, in his own head, decided for Georgie what she should be doing: going home to Texas, marrying someone in the blue collar community, being in her junior league, raising kids...

Did he not think that maybe he should let Georgie decide what she wants with her life?  It got really, really annoying that he kept going on about this, no matter that Georgie would remind him that she has a life in D.C., and she quite likes her life, and is quite happy not having to be in Texas, under her parent's thumb every minute of the day.

Anyway, this was short, but not quite sweet, as even the romance and the sex didn't feel like it salvaged anything--some of it just made me more frustrated.  Of course, this story is so bite-sized, it's perfect for those times when you don't know what else to read before a big Halloween Bingo game coming up in less than a week.

When public relations expert Olivia Reese stumbles onto evidence of a dangerous conspiracy right before Christmas, there’s only one man she can call for help.  Billy “The Kid” Blake is a member of an elite military unit—the Hostile Operations Team—and he’s Olivia’s former lover.

Billy never forgot the sexy woman who rocked his world—and his bed—before she walked out on him.  Now that she needs his help, he’ll do anything he can to keep her safe.  But as time runs out and the snow piles up, can Billy and Olivia work together to thwart a lethal plot against the Pentagon without getting involved again?

Much like the previous book in this series, Hot Package was short and entertaining during the read.  Unlike Hot Mess, I found this short romance a bit sweeter, and the couple only slightly more relatable.

Whatever it is, I'm thinking that both Hot Mess and Hot Package probably could have benefited from having a more fleshed out set of characters, as well as a more in depth story line.

Though the truth is, as I'd already said, both are nice enough reads for those times when you're between books, or between reading games, or at the end of a COYER readathon week and want to squeeze a couple more books in to feel like you've accomplished more than make a really big list of books that need to be read.

The main couple of Hot Package honestly didn't stand out much, and if I were to be honest, this book, while sweet, was less memorable than Hot Mess, if only because it didn't rile up any emotions in me at all.  At least with Hot Mess, I got indignant and upset on the heroine's behalf--not that that's something to be proud of, really.  But it gave me something to write about.

And now, I've stretched my thoughts as far as they will go without starting to ramble about nothing.