One Taste
I was given a copy of this anthology from the authors for an unbiased review.Okay, nobody who knows me will deny that I'm an unabashed Taryn Elliot/Cari Quinn fan. I love them. Now here's the unbiased part of my review... I could definitely tell that these were earlier works from my fave ladies.
By far my favorite, [b:Insatiable|10418725|Insatiable|Cari Quinn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1297218777s/10418725.jpg|15322993], was one that I'd read before. This was a solid four-star read, and one of my go-to tropes. BFF falls in love with his bestie and convinces her that she loves him too. I mean, how can you not dig that story? There was a bit of angst with some fake-alt-love-interest teasing, but otherwise - flawless. Rom-Com category.
Next up was [b:Suspended|16325921|Suspended|Taryn Elliott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355190962s/16325921.jpg|45946396]. This was much more serious, but I definitely liked this one as well. I'd probably give this four-stars too, even if the edge was given to it because part of it is set in my old stomping grounds of central California. I was really sad for Kendall because of her situation with her father, and it left me a little unsettled. I struggled a little with the rating here - there were reasons to dock it slightly, but ultimately, I liked it too much to lower it from four-stars.
[b:Virgin Territory|29342584|Virgin Territory|Cari Quinn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456465021s/29342584.jpg|18058106] came next. This may have been my least favorite. I'd probably put this at three-stars, and it surprises me because it's slightly more recent than the other titles included in the anthology (2012). I couldn't put my finger on why I didn't connect with the characters, but that was my main issue. They just didn't seem real to me. And that is the first time this has ever been an issue with these ladies' books. Even the best peeps have an off day, and in this case, it may just be me!
The last story was [b:Uncross Your Heart|13421267|Uncross Your Heart|Taryn Elliott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327275409s/13421267.jpg|45946437], and I'd rate it between 3.5 & 4 stars. It was good as well. I found myself rooting for Miranda even though she was keeping a lot of things hidden about her past. Usually that's pretty frustrating for me, but it was pulled off well here. Nate is also great, which helps a lot. *wink*
Overall, a really solid anthology that includes some slightly older (2011-2012) works from Cari & Taryn - so if you're looking to score a few books from their back catalog, this is a super easy way to do it. I rated the entire thing four-stars, you could probably tack .25 on top for the utter convenience of getting all the utter goodness included in one compact tome.