Paired Off

The Mating Grounds

By: Ciree Hawthorn

Narrated by: Laura Horowitz

Sean and Ana are competitive to a fault. Can they team up to find love or will the government step in to referee?

Ana has been living in her sisters’ shadow for years when the choosing ceremony comes around. Much as she loves them—now that she’s been given a coveted spot at the Mating Grounds—she’s determined to finally make a life for herself outside of their notoriety.

Sean is good looking, a professional handball player and a secret virgin. Unfortunately, his home Zone is running out of eligible women, so it’s become one of the Chosen or bust. Can he push past his nerves and let love in or will he be sidelined when his competition blows him away?

Paired Off is a spicy, interconnected stand-alone in The Mating Grounds series. If you like opposites attract, big himbo energy and an inexperienced MMC, then you’ll love this dystopian romance novella.

Listen to Paired Off to immerse yourself in Ciree Hawthorn’s world of sexy short reads today!

©2023 Ciree Hawthorn (P)2023 Ciree Hawthorn

Dystopian Rom Com

Audio Review: The narrator was clear and easy to understand. They did a good job of telling the story.
Story Review: The story was bite-sized and cute. It’s probably the most fun dystopian story I’ve ever read.
Stats (by Cat):
MMC/FMC- Sean and Ana
Genre- Dystopian Rom Com
Premise- in a post apocalyptic world, young men and women are selected to be put into a dating pool for breeding purposes.
Length- under 2 hours
Heat- later in the book.
Series? Y
Triggers- they spend way too much time in the gym when they could be doing anything more fun, like getting a tooth filled.
Tropes- May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favor, Himbo, Virgin Hero, Noah’s Ark, Gym Rats, Not-So-Surprise Pregnancy.

“Well, I’ve Come To Seduce You…”

Shawn and Anna have been chosen, along with 12 other young people. They’re awkward and excited, trying their best to find someone to be their mate. This story is sweet, a bit juvenile, or maybe just youthful, with a cute ending. I enjoyed this story for the most part, and Laura Horowitz does an excellent just of narrating it. I will say, calling the characters ‘children’ was a bit off-putting, since I had assumed that they would (or should) be young adults. A short and simple read.

If you really loved the first book, you’ll likely enjoy this one.

This was a retelling of the first book in the series from the perspective of a different pair, so while there were some twists, a lot of it felt the same. I’m not sure a retelling works well in this context since the story didn’t have much surprise or suspense. If you really loved the first book, you’ll likely enjoy this one, but it didn’t add enough new elements to fully hook me.

The narrator did a good job distinguishing the different voices, though I did notice at least one instance where the same line was repeated, which was a bit distracting.

Paired Off!

Like "Our Year in Cria", this is a short and quick read/listen and a sexy spin on Hunger Games. It is a stand alone but there are connections with the other story. The story is about Ana and Sean who are paired off with each other. Their story is cute and fun.

Horny Hunger Games

I enjoyed this short story. It kind of reminded me of the hunger games where people were selected to go to the mating grounds from each area. the book is well written and the narration is good. There is humor some romance of a sort spicy scenes and a HEA.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.