Loading... Please wait...A Valentine’s Fairy who doesn’t believe in love, a human who can’t let go... can one wish change them both?
It’s her first year as a Valentine’s Fairy and Amelia has been given an impossible task. Gavin Peters wants his ex-girlfriend back but Fae magic can’t make people fall in love. If Amelia is to complete her task she’ll have to get creative, and that creativity will have to include ignoring her own rapidly developing feelings for the human she’s been tasked with.
Gavin has pined for his ex for months so when the mysterious Amelia offers him a wish he knows exactly what to request. But when his ex returns Gavin begins to wonder if what he’s wished for is really what he wants. Can his Valentine’s Fairy grant him another wish and if so will he be able to ask for what he really wants?
Excerpt
Amelia would have liked to keep him standing on the doorstep. She hadn’t forgotten that he’d kissed her senseless then rejected her for his human woman. Nor had she forgotten his face in her mind as she’d strummed herself to orgasm. She clenched her fists and tried to keep her glamour in place, clearly now wasn’t the best time for a conversation. She’d either slap him or ravish him.
“What do you want?”
“That’s hardly the reception I was hoping for. Enough of this. Let me in.”
She fumed inwardly. It was like being back in the office. “Make me a coffee, Amelia, Why aren’t you answering the phone? Stop filling your desk with flowers.” The kiss had swept from her mind just how freaking annoying he could be.
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
He leant forward, his hand on the doorframe, their faces inches apart. Great Titania he smelled good, woody and earthy, and her glamour flickered in response.
“I need some advice,” he said. “You’re my fairy, aren’t you? Shouldn’t I be able to get some advice from you?”
“I’m not you fairy anymore, my job is done.”
“You granted me my wish. I’d say that makes you my fairy forever.”
Her hearts picked up tempo at that comment, latching onto the word forever with a furious intensity. Damn it.
“It doesn’t work that way.”
“Well, tonight it’s going to have to,” he insisted. “I need your help.”
“Wish not going as you hoped?” she quipped.
“Not quite,” he replied and then he reached out, hands spanning her waist, and moved her aside.
She was too stunned to do anything to stop him, the feel of his big hands on her hip-bones made her shiver and she had to apply a concerted effort to keep her glamour in place.
“What happened to the wings?” he asked, shutting the door behind him with an audible thud.
She swallowed down the feelings of panicky excitement to answer him. “I have my glamour on.”
“Glamour?”
“A kind of magic. It keeps us hidden from humans. The wings are still there; you just can’t see or feel them.”
“I prefer you without it.”
Great Titania. “Well, I don’t much care what you prefer, Gavin.” If there was ever a time to be firm, it was now. No flirting with him. Flirting? Where the hell did that come from, Lia? Shock filtered through her entire body as she realized that’s what they’d been doing all damn week. How stupid could she be? The back and forth, the impulse to bring him odd flavored coffee just to see his reaction, it had all been a kind of flirting and she, inexperienced as she was, hadn’t picked up on it. Faeing hell.
“I think you do. In fact, Amelia, I know you do.”
“I—”
“Drop the glamour now.”
The glamour obeyed him instantly. It fell before she even had a chance to stop it, like it had a mind of its fucking own. And it was a full glamour fail, which meant the dress went too, falling in a pile next to the door. A blush travelled straight through her and she raised her arms to hide her breasts, before it occurred to her that she should be hiding other areas.
“Drop your arms.”
She looked up into his perfect eyes and tried to ignore the fact that her wings were beating excitedly behind her. Had he been fae he’d have known exactly what those frantic beats meant. She clenched her fists to try and reassert the glamour, but her hearts were beating too fast and Gavin didn’t give her a chance. He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. Once again her head lay flush against his chest and she had to tilt her neck up to look at him. “Stop this right now. Let me go,” she demanded. “I need space to reassert the glamour.”
“Fuck the glamour, this is preferable.”
“I’m naked.”
“At last.”
Her blush deepened. She could feel it spread across her body and it was a bloody good bet that Gavin could see it. Her skin would be sparkling red rather than silver, she couldn’t hide it.
“I’ve been thinking about you all night, Amelia,” he whispered and his words were like a caress across her blushed skin.
She shook her head and tried to order her thoughts. “With Kerry in the same room? My, you are inconsistent, Gavin. No wonder she left you.” It was a mean thing to say, but Amelia couldn’t help herself. She felt hot and excited and angry all at the same time. It was disconcerting and she didn’t know what to do.
“Hardly. I chucked Kerry out after ten minutes.”
Amelia’s jaw dropped. Could he be telling her the truth? “But why? You wished for her back.”
“I told you it was complicated.”
“Well it’s about time you explained yourself.”
He didn’t, he simply bent his head and captured her mouth. Amelia pushed against his chest, intending to keep him at bay, but his teeth tugged on her lower lip and she melted against him.
“God, Amelia, you are so damned hot,” he muttered and she shivered.
“You can’t do this, Gavin.”
He ran his hands over her bare ass and her nipples puckered. “Why the hell not? I should have done it days ago, the moment we met in fact, but I didn’t realize…”
“Realize?”
“That I was supposed to.”
Posted by Unknown on 11th Apr 2012
The Valentine’s Fae is a short story with a fun twist. As a Valentine’s fairy, Amelia is supposed to dispense wishes relating to love and affairs of the heart. Kind of hard to do when she doesn’t even believe in love. Gavin is a bit into himself, but he is also dealing with Valentine’s Day after having been dumped by his cheating ex.
Ms. Shortt has written some interesting settings, likable characters and a great holiday theme.
Posted by Maura on 15th Mar 2011
Amelia is the new Valentine’s Fairy. She is taller and thinner than the average fairy and has always felt left out because of it. Rejected by most of her peers, she does not believe in love.
Gavin is tall, dark, handsome, and successful. A disastrous office romance with his cheating secretary soured him on love. He is confused by his new secretary.
Gavin is Amelia’s assignment this Valentine’s Day. She has to grant him a wish by Valentine’s night before she can go back home to Faery. Gavin was disappointed by the curvy red-haired Kerry and wonders where she is. He is also intrigued by his new secretary despite her drab clothing. Amelia is fiercely attracted to Gavin but bound to grant him his wish despite her feelings.
I really enjoyed this Valentine’s tale. Amelia lack of confidence and her disbelief in the very thing she is dispensing make her a very interesting creature. Her description of Faery and the Wishing Pool are very beautiful and vivid. Gavin is a bit too gruff and impatient at first, but he grew on me quickly. The other characters were equally well written, especially the faithless Kerry. Gavin more than makes up for his unfriendly beginnings by the end of the tale with a really great gesture.
Posted by Jessica Rabbit's Corner on 7th Mar 2011
"...a cute steamy read that's just perfect for those lazy days where you don't know what to read or do."
( a snippet from my full review )
Posted by Lia on 15th Feb 2011
Sweet, sensual, and engaging. Amelia, despite being a Valentine’s fairy, doesn’t believe in love, so when she’s sent to make business man Gavin Peters’ wish come true, Amelia doesn’t expect to fall for him.
All Gavin wants is to see his ex-girlfriend one more time. It’s an easy enough wish to grant but in the process of making Gavin’s dream come true, Amelia finds herself in his arms. The passion is undeniable, but could she ever be with a man who’s after another woman?
I found both of the characters to be very engaging and enjoyable and they complimented the plot perfectly. Although the attraction between Amelia and Gavin was apparent from their first scene together, they didn’t fall in love too quickly, unlike in many romances. The angle with the ex-girlfriend added the right amount of tension to pull the plot trough to the end.
The Valentine Fae is a short and sweet little story that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day. It has just the right amount of sexual passion and sweet romance paired with likable characters to please any reader who’s looking for something fun to read.
Posted by Weston-Super-Mom on 4th Feb 2011
I’ve always been an avid reader but, just lately, I’ve been stuck for what to read, so few books managing to hold my attention. Recently, I tend to open the pages, only to find myself switching off almost immediately, not being one to force the issue, knowing that life is far too short. But after trying out Emma Shortt’s new romantic novella, I seem to have overcome this inability to concentrate for any given length of time.
In fact, with The Valentine’s Fae, just the opposite happened: I didn’t want to stop reading. Romantic, sexy fiction isn’t a genre I usually find myself browsing, so this short magical tale took me by surprise.
The story centres on the Valentine’s Fairy, Amelia: confidence-deficient, gawky, vulnerable, kooky, rebellious Amelia. We can see that she’s beautiful but she hasn’t realised it yet. Sent reluctantly by the Fae Council to the human world, armed with fae magic, to grant one wish on Valentine’s Day, she lands up as secretary to the “impossible, hot, annoying, hot, infuriating” Gavin Peters. Now, all Amelia has to do is discover his one true Valentine’s wish.
Emma Shortt writes with wit and originality and, at some points in the story, I had to let out a little cheer and a clap of the hands. The Valentine’s Fae is deliciously sexy and keeps the reader right on the edge, eyes not daring to leave the page. This fairy tale for adults flows effortlessly and it kept me gripped to the very end. And that is something to be celebrated!
Now, I just need to get hold of some of that fae dust ...
Posted by Moonlight and Roses Reviews on 4th Feb 2011
The Valentine's Fae by Emma Shortt is the story of a Valentine's fairy who doesn't believe in love, a human who can't let go, and one wish that can change them both.
Amelia has been given an impossible task during her first year as a Valentine's fairy. Workaholic Gavin Peters wants his ex-girlfriend back. But Fae magic can't interfere with human will. It can't make people fall in love. To complete her task, Amelia must get creative. How unfortunate her creativity leads to genuine feeling for this human whose wish she must grant.
When Gavin's wish is granted, he quickly realizes ex-girlfriend Kerry isn't what he wants. What he wants is the Fae, Amelia.
Hot, sexy, and sweet at the same time. Isn't that what everyone wants from a Valentine's wish? I thoroughly enjoyed this. It's a keeper.
Posted by Nicola Cornick on 4th Feb 2011
Yesterday I was in the mood for a read that was romantic and funny, sweet and sexy. Lucky for me, then, that fellow author Emma Shortt had sent me a copy of The Valentine’s Fae, her latest novella. The Valentine’s Fae is a delicious treat of a fairy story. I loved the magical world that Emma has created. It’s vivid and fun but it’s not without its sharp edges. These are fairies with attitude – Amelia, our fae heroine, is adorable, vulnerable but sparky at the same time. And I loved her friend Isadora so much that I hurried off to download her story too. Throw in a hot hero to die for, some laugh out loud moments and a truly original take on the life of a contemporary fairy and this is a perfect romantic – and very sexy - read!