If you read my tags, you must be like, “Wait, what?” Stay with me here. Hot Hires is a compilation of three very different stories by Nan Campbell, Alaina Erdell, and Jesse J. Thoma. Other than the fact that the stories are all about women who love women, these tales are all wildly different and that’s not a bad thing. The stories are all so distinct that I am going to separate them out to do them justice. First up is Nan Campbell’s New York is Losing Hope. It’s the story of Hope, who decides she is truly unhappy with her life in NYC and will move to LA, but moving to a city without a robust transit system necessitates driving lessons. Enter Val, the driving instructor that Hope hires for 40 hours of driving lessons from C&C Driving Instruction. Val was a traveling nurse who came home after covid and is staying to help her stubborn, ailing father. As Hope’s and Val’s time together roles one, they slowly become closer. Romance ensues. I super love Nan Campbell. I love her writing. Her NYC-centered stories are so NY that they make me homesick. In a Campbell book, NYC comes alive on the page. I found myself loudly laughing at so many of Hope’s thoughts, too, partially because they were all so true. Her angry gripe about people stopping at the top of the subway steps to look at their phones? OMG, used to make me homicidal. My NY love aside, the story is written so well. I would have easily kept reading about Hope and Val’s love story for another 200 pages. Campbell managed to make their love story a slow burn and a little angsty in such a small space. It felt so much longer, but I still wanted more. The characters were well rounded, even the side ones, and fleshed out. It made everything they did seem organic. Hope’s reason for leaving NY makes complete sense once you see her life and meet her family (who are all lovely, if super overbearing, people). Val’s reasons for staying are obvious once you hear about her family and what she experienced as a nurse. Their love story is so real and believable. I would read this one again in a heartbeat. Next up is Alaina Erdell’s Two Women, Two Weddings. This is the story of Aarti, a cardiologist who really wants to be an event planner, and Jo, a chef that works one of Aarti’s events. This sounds like a simple set up, but the family dynamic is what makes it more complicated. Aarti is a cardiologist because her mother strong armed her into med school. Their relationship has not been great since Aarti chose not to be a surgeon, forget the fact that Aarti is a lesbian. Her mother is trying to forget it, at least. Aarti plans her younger sister’s wedding and Jo fills in at the event for another injured chef. Romance ensues. The storyline is interesting. The tension between Aarti and her mom takes a bit of time to heat up. The first half or so of the novella is a lot of exposition that covers the set up of the weddings, the meet cute for Jo and Aarti, Jo’s cooking, and their attraction. Once the mother is added into the mix, however, the tenor of the story changes. By then, Erdell had basically completed the story of the romance and moved onto the tension, which was compelling. All of the tension was between Aarti and her mother, who is intensely controlling. It’s hard not to want to shake Aarti, a 40yr old woman, and tell her to live her own life. The third story is For Love or Money, by Jesse J Thoma. Now, you’re going to have to stay with me on this synopsis, because this story starts off with a bang, literally, and just goes wild from there. Bounty hunter Dakota “Oz” Osbourne is asleep in her favorite recliner when Frankie Sender beats down her door, trying to hire her for protection. Frankie is short seller, accused of murder, and about to skip out on her bail. Within minutes, bullets are flying and the two women are off on a hair raising flight from dastardly pursuers. Romance ensues. This story seemed way longer than it was and not in a bad way. So much happened that it felt like a full length novel. Almost from the first words, this story was compelling. I wanted to know how Frankie and Oz were going to get out of the next harrowing situation. They jump onto trains and off of trains. They kick men in the balls. There’s a car chase. They get kidnapped. ALL THE THINGS HAPPEN! I think the best comparison to this novella was watching a summer spy blockbuster, but with two hot women who fall in love with each other. I would have happily read a full length novel of Frankie and Oz and I’m super happy that this story introduced me to Thoma. I’ll be grabbing one of her books soon. Shout out to Nan Campbell and @netgalley for the ARC. The ARC in no way influenced my views.
If you want to read three awesome and completely different stories by three great authors, go on and grab this when it comes out.

Each of the three novellas in Hot Hires was a unique short story. The themes ranged from teaching a woman to drive in “New York is Losing Hope” to a full time cardiologist/part time event planner and a replacement chef coordinating a Christian and Hindu wedding and food in “Two Women, Two Weddings” to two women on the run in “For Love or Money”. All of the stories held my interest which in my experience is unusual for a compilation. But I would say my favorite was “Two Women, Two Weddings” because of the cultural aspects and the sizzling, yet forbidden character chemistry. 4.5 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Three very well written novellas. Although short, none of them feels rushed and the stories and characters are fully developed. A rarity in a collection like this, so well done to all three authors.

Great collection

Three novella type stories, one each from the talented Nan, Alaina, and Jesse, which all focus on romances started through a work venture.

Each story had a very different scenario to bring a great variety of events and characters. Each one had me emotionally invested in the characters and how their relationships would develop. The pace of the stories suited each of them, with moments for everything, some more intense than others but really adding to the excitement of each story.

All the stories were fantastic and I enjoyed them thoroughly. They took me through a range of emotions, and have left me hoping these wonderful characters are going to turn up in future stories.

Hot Hires is a fantastic anthology of 3 wonderful stories! Written by authors Nan Campbell, Alaina Erdell and Jesse J Thoma! They're about a new NY driver and her female instructor, an event planner and the female chef, and finally a female bounty hunter and the woman who asks her to save her! All three are beautiful stories, and the chase scenes in the third, are movie worthy. I found all three to be heartwarming and sexy! I give it 5 stars!

New York is Losing Hope
Stayed up late to finish this in one sitting- it was so sweet!!! I loved both characters and felt like they were fully formed despite it being a novella. I loved the broccoli joke. There were so many things that made me laugh and had me swooning. Classic Campbell Charm. I liked this the best of the three novellas.

Two Women, Two Weddings
This story is sweet and I liked the cultural elements sprinkled throughout, but it didn’t grab me the way the other two novellas did.

For Love or Money
Two women fall in love while avoiding getting killed as they try to disentangle themselves from financial scandal with a biotech company. Fast, funny, a little instalove but fun.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I've loved previous work by Nan Campbell and Alaina Erdell, and both of their novellas are beautifully done.

"New York is Losing Hope" by Nan Campbell is about a woman wanting a change in life so she decides to move to LA from NYC. But first, she has to learn how to drive. Her driving instructor inspires all sorts of change.

"Two Women, Two Weddings" by Alaina Erdell is about a doctor/event planner planning her sister's wedding when the chef has an accident, and the woman who replaces her is something else indeed.

"For Love or Money" by Jesse J. Thoma (a new to me author) is action-packed from the start. A short seller is on the run from a biomedical company that is supposedly trying to frame her for murder so she turns to a bounty hunter to keep her alive.

The novellas have the feel of being full novels in a shorter framework. I enjoyed the characters and especially where there was banter.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Hot Hires is consisted of three sweet and HEA stories.

'New York is Losing Hope' is about a woman who wants to leave New York for the greener pastures of LA, because she wanted to date someone new (to be more exact, she wanted to meet someone who can settle down with, and New York didn't seem like the answer). However, unlike in New York, driving is required in LA, so she hires a driving instructor, Val...who seems to exactly her type. And Val likes her back too. Now she has to make her choice, her original plans for LA...or taking a chance with the woman who has her heart.

'Two Women, Two Wedding' features an woman who is trying to meet up with the expectations of her strict Indian family. She becomes a doctor because of her parent's wishes, but what she really wants to be is a event planner. Now, her sister's wedding is approaching and here is here chance to prove herself to her family. However, the chef that stepped in due to the original one's injury...is more gorgeous than she would have expected. A sizzling connection blooms...but will she break out of the chains of expectations for the woman she loves?

In 'For Love or Money', enters a bounty hunter. Someone suddenly visits her and asks her for protection against a evil corporation who is trying to kill her. And that woman has criminal charges against her, alleged murder. Now, she would usually just hand her over to the authorities...but something tells her to trust her. While navigating multiple life threatening incidents...would something more happen between the two of them? Of course, if they survives these goddamn goons with their guns.

It's all about making choices. Would you choose to abandon your life plans for the one who is right? Can you choose the one who is right over family expectations? Is it possible to trust your own guts and instincts (though it is not the thing you usually do) for the person who needs it? And maybe you need her too. All of these stories were easily read, yet had enough plot and conflict to immerse a person deeply. I really enjoyed reading this one! Maybe I should think of hiring someone to break out of my single life....😉


I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

Hot is right! Phew!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I enjoyed the 3 different books.

I really enjoyed these 3 novellas. They were well written and not rushed or lacking chemistry for being on the shorter side. Loved that all the characters were on the older side. 

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book with 3 novellas inside it

and what a ride it was...not a big fan on novellas as a rule but this one was not to bad at all....the first story wasnt very strong but still enjoyable but the other two were outstanding as short stories go....

but at least it gives you a hint of how well the authors write and their style... i for one will be looking out for the work from now on