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Time for a Mackenzies and McBrides triple feature as I review the first few novellas in the series: A Mackenzie Family Christmas by Jennifer Ashley is my favorite novella of the series so far because it features all my favorite Mackenzie fam characters! It felt like watching a Christmas special from your favorite show - just a lil snippet of what these guys have been up to since we saw them last. The Untamed Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley follows Lloyd Fellows, detective and illegitimate half brother of the Mackenzies and Louisa, Isabella’s sister, so it’s got two characters we already know from previous books. And yet I feel like I still didn’t know them by the end… I’m used to Ashley’s characters either having an existing relationship with one another or spending a lot of time together and didn’t get that here, so it felt a little insta love to me. The book is relying on them having an existing connection but the existing connection is that they’ve kissed twice in previous books so 🤷🏻‍♀️ I have high standards for the “officer/half brother falls for a lady” trope because I’ve been ruined by Hello, Stranger by Lisa Kleypas and this just didn’t measure up. My least favorite of the Mackenzie side of the series, but at least it was fun to hang out with the Mackenzies again! CW: attempted sexual assault Scandal and the Duchess by Jennifer Ashley follows Steven, a McBride soldier on leave, and Rose, a beautiful and penniless widow. What happens when they — literally — crash into each other? A fake engagement and a mystery to be solved. My least favorite of the series so far. Ultimately I didn’t love these novellas; they lack development compared to her novels, which I absolutely adore. I’d say skip these if you’re getting into the series — they’re definitely for fans who want to see every single sibling in this family get their HEA! ID: A collage of photos of a kindle displaying the ebook covers of the books mentioned above. via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/CoKWgrvr26u/