The following review belongs to the short story Jailed with a Vampire, by Aria Stirling. It's part of a collection named Hearts of Darkness.
The story follows the witch Skye. Together with her twin sister Misty, she leads a rebellion against the vampire rulers of North-America. However, Skye is biding her time in a prison designed for supernatural beings. There she's able to recruit other inmates for the rebellion. When the vampire prince arrives as a prisoner, Skye is determined to recruit him. However, the prince has an agenda of his own...
I'm impressed by how Aria managed to create in-depth characters in only 100 pages. However, I do feel like more attention was given to their history than to their development throughout the story. That lead to me being able to connect with the characters, but it also lead to me questioning a lot of their actions. I guess I'm just not used to the fast-pacing of short stories.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I missed some world building, but that's the risk with short stories. I do recommend this story to people who feel like reading some smut, without having to deal with a load of world building. Just be careful if you're reading this on the train and someone is sitting next to you, the smut is very explicit.
Honestly, I would love to see this short story worked out in a book. With better world building and more room for a slow burn, this could actually turn into a novel with a 5 star rating from me. I'll admit, I might be biased because I'm a sucker for enemies-to-lovers.
3.5 stars
Next read: Starburner, by Claire Luana