I know that when I start a Carla Kelly book, I’ll get a certain number of things. An honorable hero, an unflappable heroine, some idiot secondary characters who may bluster and threaten to cause the hero and heroine some problems but who usually are mainly all hot air and dismissed as the pompous stuffed shirts they are and a gentle love story of two people finding each other – often where they least expected. As this is a linked anthology, here I get this in triplicate which makes sense since all three stories involve the military and we know how much the military, the world over and throughout time, loves its paperwork.

1812 Alta California and stranded Navy surgeon Thomas Wilkie wishes he were home in Scotland rather than in the Spanish held San Diego. Here by the fortunes of war and left here as a bargaining chip when his remaining shipmates finally head north to where they hope to eventually find passage home to England via the Americans in Oregon, he tends the people of the Presideo and surrounding area since he’s the only medical man between there and Tucson. When lovely Laura Maria Ortize de la Garza finds herself ostracized due to her father’s embezzling, Thomas also finds himself in the unlikely position of savior and new husband. Can this unlikely pair discover lasting love from such a beginning?

In 1855 Crimea, widowed Lillian Wilkie Nicholls trusted what she was told – namely that this war would be over in 6 weeks. Two years later she’s still Doing Good in a hospital in Anatolia as she and wards full of wounded soldiers await their return to England. With her is American military observer Major Trey Wharton who has somehow ended up as the administrator of the hospital and who, along with Lily, doesn’t suffer fools or nitwit English surgeons gladly. Their year long friendship will be ending soon – as quickly as the wheels can turn in a military environment. Or will they find the courage to speak up before it’s too late?

1877 Fort Laramie finds Army surgeon Wilkie Nicholls Wharton far from his parents in Philadelphia but finally headed home for Christmas and his long delayed marriage to a fellow Main Line Philadelphian. His hopes for a quiet journey are dashed when he’s asked to keep an eye on lovely Frannie Coughlin who’s also headed East and then has to take responsibility for transporting Nora Powell home from her 13 years of Indian captivity to whatever relatives she still has left in Iowa. Then, just as he thinks he might still get some of his medical journals read, yet another female joins them on the train and precipitates Wilkie and Frannie’s discovery of what they really want this Christmas season.

Paying homage to Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegone denizens, in your novels the women are strong, the men are honorable, and the children are usually cute without being annoying. The “villains” are generally just thickheads and idiots who might have a higher rank but who are usually dismissible from the main action by the hero and heroine who are as incapable of intentionally hurting anyone as they are unable to turn their backs on anyone in need. It’s more fantasy than reality but it’s a lovely fantasy to sit down to and drift into for a while as I forget just how awful the latest blaring news headline is. These are people as I would love us all to be.

I enjoyed the way the stories are varied in time and location with a mix of ages, nationalities and – let’s hear it for – experience. Lily Nicholls, who misses the comforts of marriage, and Frannie Coughlin, who earlier anticipated a marriage that never happened, are frank about their wants which delights their heroes no end. One thing I wish had been expanded was the substory of the young woman being returned to white society despite her wishes. There could be a whole book in this. The delightfully devious Sultan was a fun character and Father Hilario an example of pure compassion.

When I finish reading one of your books, I might feel as if I’d had one too many pieces of sugar sweet sheet cake but I also feel happy. These are people I’d like to meet in real life – real salt of the earth sorts.The time just flew while I read about them. And thank you so much for picking varied backgrounds for the characters and locations in which to set your stories here. I still enjoy reading Regency set anthologies but something different every now and then is a real treat. B for each novella.

~Jayne

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Related posts:

1. REVIEW: Here’s to the Ladies (Western anthology) by Carla Kelly
2. REVIEW: The Surgeon’s Lady by Carla Kelly
3. REVIEW: The Admiral’s Penniless Bride by Carla Kelly

Steampunk is that subgenre I want to love, that I think has so much potential. Unfortunately, we have a rocky relationship. I’ve attempted to read too many novels in which the steampunk trappings are superficial — put a pair of goggles on someone, mention an airship, and have someone drink some tea seem to be all that’s required. It can be disappointing.

This anthology, however, spans the gamut of what steampunk can offer. From the South Pacific or ancient Rome, it takes us to places beyond the traditional Victorian England setting. Some stories take place in the modern day; others in the far-flung future on an outpost-like planet. In total, Steampunk! collects twelve stories and two short comics. For the purposes of this review, I’ll only be covering the included short stories simply because my review copy mangled the comic formatting so badly I could barely follow what was going on.

“Some Fortunate Future Day” by Cassandra Clare
The opening story is surprisingly creepy. The protagonist is a teenage girl who’s been living alone for some time. Her father went off to war, and she has no idea if he’s ever coming back. The only thing keeping her company in that big, empty house are the automatons her father made for her. That is, they did until the day an injured soldier comes crawling out of the forest and into her garden.

I thought this story did a great job showing how the innocent can transform into something menacing. It starts off on a normal, if melancholy, note but as it progresses, the tone becomes increasingly ominous. Things that seem harmless transform into the creepy and macabre. In the end, the protagonist — for all her faults — is a pitiful person, left alone and caught in a self-destructive cycle. B

“The Last Ride of the Glory Girls” by Libba Bray
My favorite story of the entire anthology, “Last Ride” takes place on an outpost planet, proving that even a sci-fi western can embody the heart and soul of steampunk. This tale is about a young woman who left her religious fundamentalist home and sought her fortune as a gifted tinkerer of technology. First, as a watchmaker’s apprentice, then as part of a investigative task force, she later goes undercover with a gang of female outlaws who rob trains courtesy of a gun that can stop time.

This short story reminded me of why I love Libba Bray’s writing and makes me want to give Beauty Queens another try. The strong voice of the narrator combined with the female outlaws and a heroine with a strong technological bent, it features so many of my favorite elements. I also loved how it interwove the present-day plot with the past events that drove the heroine to her present circumstances. A-

“Clockwore Fagin” by Cory Doctorow
I’ve heard a lot about Doctorow’s work so I read this story with interest. It tackles the disabled orphan trope of many a Victorian story, portraying children who’ve sustained injuries (lost limbs, lost extremities) from working on various forms of steampunk technology and are sent to an orphanage under the care and guidance of an abusive monster. The main story gets going, however, when a new orphan arrives and faces their caretaker head on.

I won’t say that this isn’t an interesting story nor will I say this isn’t a well-written story. It’s both of these things. But for all that, it left me feeling ambivalent. B-

“Hand in Glove” by Ysabeau S. Wilce
What’s a steampunk anthology without a mad scientist story? This story features a female detective who struggles not against sexism but against skepticism over her style of investigation — one that utilizes forensics (e.g. fingerprints and evidence) over beating confessions out of suspects (who, past a certain point, would admit to anything to make the pain stop). Her rival, the golden boy of the precinct, has just caught the perpetrator of a series of brutal stranglings. Our heroine, however, thinks he’s gotten the wrong guy because none of the evidence supports it but no one will believe her. Despite this, she won’t stop her own investigation because she refuses to let an innocent man hang.

This story was entertaining and over the top. It treaded just barely on this side of ludicrous and made it work all the more because of it. Overall, I thought it was a good story but the ending left me unsatisfied because it lacked that comeuppance of the golden boy rival for mocking the heroine. I admit I prefer that in my stories, realistic or not. B

“The Ghost of Cwnlech Manor” by Delia Sherman
This is the gothic offering of the anthology, complete with absent-minded heir of an established family, a young local woman who becomes the housekeeper, and a ghost who knows the location of the family treasure. Again, another well-written story but not particularly exciting. While I liked that the story didn’t walk the well-trodden “housekeeper falls for heir” storyline, I wish there’d been a little more life to the narrative. As far as I’m concerned, the best part of the story was the ghost. Poor thing. I’d be annoyed too if the person I’d been trying to reveal the location of the family treasure to completely explained away my existence and wouldn’t acknowledge it because he was a man of science. C

“Gethsemane” by Elizabeth Knox
Chronicling what happens to the denizens of a South Pacific town before a volcanic eruption, this is one of those stories where I knew it was referencing something while reading it. Unfortunately, not knowing the what it was actually referencing, I suspect a lot of the context went right over my head. I never connected with any of the characters nor cared what happened to any of them. Perhaps if I’d been familiar with the reference/event beforehand, my initial experience would have been different. As it is, my reaction can only be described as “meh.”C-

“The Summer People” by Kelly Link
In addition to being what I consider a characteristic Kelly Link story, this is also one that pushes what steampunk can be. More magic realism than outright genre SFF, it’s about a girl whose female ancestors have taken care of the local faeries for generations. The steampunk comes in with the faerie inventions that they bestow on their caretakers and people they like.

I liked “The Summer People” more for the ideas and concepts it introduces than for the feelings it left me. In the end, it’s about escaping the burdens parents leave their children and while that’s something I can understand, I also don’t like that often times in stories it means finding someone else to take your place. Sure, I’d like to think the replacement would be more willing and happy to do so, but there’s a part of me that dislikes a character for doing so. C+

“Peace in Our Time” by Garth Nix
I have a feeling this story is one that only Garth Nix fans would enjoy. While I thought the technology portrayed in the story was great, an example of how versatile steampunk can be, I thought it was depressing and there were parts of it I could not understand. I think it might have been better as a longer story. D

“Nowhere Fast” by Christopher Rowe
In a future where technology has broken down and the U.S. is divided into sectors, a group of teenagers meet a guy with a car. And I use the term “car” very loosely. But given the state of technology, this is a big deal that causes a ruckus among the local people and law enforcement. When I finished this story, I felt like it was an extended set-up that finished just as the main narrative was about to start. Disappointing. C-

“Steam Girl” by Dylan Horrocks
Similar to Kelly Link’s story in which it’s set in the modern day, “Steam Punk” tells the story of a high school outcast who befriends the new girl, another outcast who tells the awesome adventures about a young woman named “Steam Girl.” What I liked best about this story is that it can be read two ways. It can be about a girl telling stories about an alter-ego that lives an amazing, adventurous life to make her real life in high school bearable. At the same time, though, I think the story plants enough hints to make you doubt that and wonder if she is in fact telling the truth and is really from an alternate universe where she used to be Steam Girl. The second option is more outlandish, I’ll give you that, but wouldn’t it be nice to imagine that was true? B

“Everything Amiable and Obliging” by Holly Black
The fantasy of manners offering of the anthology, Black’s story tells the tale of a young woman who’s been recently orphaned and taken in by her aunt. But unlike other stories where the relatives hate her or treat her badly, this aunt actually wants her to marry her son. Now our heroine would like nothing more than this as well. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem aware of her existence which is a change from their childhood. Things get further complicated when her aunt’s other child, a daughter, falls in love with one of the house robots. Awkward.

This is my second favorite story of the anthology and one I wish could have been longer. Not because it needed to be longer but because I wanted to see more of Amelia and Valerian. That said, I felt horribly sorry for the robot who’s become the object of the sister’s affections. I suspect that fate is not a good one for him. Robot or not, it can’t be a good thing to be wanted solely because you’re incapable of saying no! B+

“The Oracle Engine” by M.T. Anderson
I suspect the final story of the anthology is one that is simply not for me. A reader-story mismatch, if you will. It puts a steampunk spin on ancient Rome, which I like, and portrays a revenge tale, which I normally like even more, but I admit I found it boring. It’s written in a semi-historical voice (it’s meant to be a translation), but it just didn’t work for me. C

While I’m not sure this anthology is worth the price of hardcover, I liked that it contained a variety of stories set in different places and time periods as well as spanned many different genres. When I think of an anthology, this is the sort of variety I expect. I also like that there was good representation of women and minorities. And once again, I do think “Last Ride of the Glory Girls” is not a story to be missed and the anthology is worth checking out for that story alone.

My regards,
Jia

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Related posts:

1. REVIEW: Necking anthology, edited by Julianne Bentley
2. REVIEW: Zombies vs Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier
3. REVIEW: My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon edited by P.N. Elrod

Are angels the new vampires in romance novels? It seems like the number of books starring angels continues to expand exponentially. When choosing to write about angels (or winged beings, in the case of the Guardians), authors invite introspection from readers about the nature of good and evil and the balance of power.

 Vampires are predators and humans their prey. When pairing a vampire and human in a romance the power imbalance that writes must address is one of prey and predator. With angels the power imbalance is fundamentally different. Angels inspire awe but their otherness isn’t necessarily predatory so much as inhuman and powerful. An angel-human relationship isn’t about resolving the prey-predator dynamic but rather about protector and powerless. Angels are a like Knight-protectors (though without the horse and armor) and they are often portrayed as protectors of humanity (think guardian angel, the arch angel protector of women and children, etc.). How does this affect how we approach books starring these mysterious not-human beings?

These were the thoughts swirling in my head as I picked up the ARC of Angels of Darkness. I had read books and short stories by Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook, and Nalini Singh; Sharon Shinn was a new-to-me writer.

Angel’s Wolf by Nalini Singh

The anthology opens with Nalini Singh’s story, Angel’s Wolf set the world of Raphael and Elena where all-powerful angels rule the world, create vampires to serve them, and humans live their brief lives much like we do. The angel Nimra serves Raphael and oversees New Orleans and its environs. Noel, a vampire recently healed from vicious attack that left him as little more than pulped flesh, is sent by Raphael to work for her. In Singh’s world angels are cold, uncanny beings of power beyond the comprehension of most humans.

Nimra is the most interesting angel I’ve encountered in Singh’s world. She has a horrific power that can take the violence and badness inside of a person and morph it into that individual’s own suffering and anguish. The meaner you are, the more Nimra can hurt you, which means the most powerful angels—all of whom commit acts of violence, have the most to fear from her. But Nimra herself isn’t mean-spirited or vengeful. Underneath her powerful crust she has a deep compassion which is seen through her love of her pet cats and her affection for her elderly human steward, Fen.

Throughout the story Nimra and Noel are on opposite trajectories. Nimra is slowly revealed to the reader as kinder and more compassionate than her merciless reputation and Noel is revealed as more powerful and capable than his broken victim status. They arrive at an equilibrium where Nimra remains the feared ruler of this territory and Noel rises to become her fear-inducing enforcer.

Alphas: Origins by Ilona Andrews

Ilona Andrews’ story, Alphas: Origins is set in the world of the Alphas. This was my first foray into this world that feels post-apocalyptic though it’s not. This is an alien story. Or more accurately, we are all subspecies created by aliens and left to battle until only one remains. At least I think that’s what going on. Most of the story is set in a parallel dimension that has portals into our dimension. I read this Alphas slowly and closely because the world is very complex and I kept trying sort out if I’d missed something. A lot of the time I did not understand what was going on. I was at least as clue-less as the heroine and this confusion created an empathy with her character. (Since finishing the story I’ve wondered if this was a deliberate construct by Ms. Andrews.)

So here’s what I think I know about the story: there is a battle between two factions of mixed subspecies. The “good” side—the one with our hero and heroine—are fighting to get to another dimension in their world while the other faction is trying to kill them. Some beings have more power than others, and fighting, pain, and death are commonplace.

I wouldn’t really call this story a romance. The “hero”, Lucas, is a shifter who turns into a fur covered monster that needs to drink Karina’s blood. Karina is a human who has some genetic link to the original subspecies making her blood food to fuel the hero

I find Ms. Andrews’ world building intriguing, but this such a complex world to introduce in a short story and I became focused on trying to piece together the world-building which distracted me from the character development. The romance, such as it is between Lucas and Katrina isn’t very romantic. They come together out of mutual need—he for her blood, she for her life—and an emotional bond begins to develop. But it the bond stems from the Katrina’s lack of other options—did I mention the leader of Lucas’ faction is holding Katrina’s daughter hostage? I would like to read more about this Alpha world, but as a stand-alone story this one was a tough read.

I should add that when I first saw this anthology was coming and that it was about angels, I hoped that Ms. Andrews was going to write a story about Thanatos, the angel in the Kate Daniels series. I was a disappointed when I found out this wasn’t a story about him and this may have contributed to my dissatisfaction with this story—I wanted one thing and got another.

Nocturne by Sharon Shinn

Sharon Shinn’s story, Nocturne, is set in the world of the Samaria series. This is a story of redemption, forgiveness and hope. Moriah has been running from events in her past and the angel Corban is mired in depression and refuses to face his future after an accident blinded him.

Moriah is abrasive and canny, hardened by a tough life and hiding from events in her past. It’s her skeptical attitude and lack of awe for angels that are what Corban needs to shake off the mantel of depression and hopelessness that cling to him two years after his accident. In each other they each find their paths to redemption and the hope for a happy future.

This story is told in the first person and it took me a while to begin to appreciate Moriah; during the first half of Nocturne I had to force myself to keep reading. Shinn peaked my curiosity about the monster (Corban) in the forbidden house, but that was the only thing that kept me reading. I wonder if readers of the Samaria series will feel differently. Would knowing this world have made the story more compelling to me from the start? I’m glad I finished it, but I don’t know if I’ll seek out the other Samaria books.

Ascension by Meljean Brook

Meljean Brook’s story, Ascension, is set in her Guardian world. Marc is a Guardian trying to identify and remove a demon who is spreading malice and discontent in his territory. Radha a fellow Guardian and Marc’s former lover, has arrived under the pretense of taking a vacation and offers to help Marc in his search.

As they investigate several murders and follow the trail of clues they rehash their past. More than 100 years ago, while in Guardian training, Marc took a vow of celibacy, but he couldn’t resist his powerful attraction to Radha and he broke that vow. She heard him beg God for forgiveness for sleeping with an unclean woman and took offense (Imagine getting out of bed after a hot and steamy night and finding your partner praying for fornicating with your slutty self. Ugh.).

I think Ms. Brook is a particularly fine short story writer. She deftly delivers subtle character development and emotional arc while weaving the investigative elements that reveal, layer by layer, information about the town and its inhabitants. The evil in this story was sown by a demon, but it was enacted by humans. I found the happy ending to the romance was more poignant after learning the identity of the murderer. The years lost between Marc and Radha as they each battled their inner demons were reflected in the choices of the murder. All of them made choices that led to unhappiness. Marc and Radha got a chance at redemption (and love) all these years later. Who knows, maybe the murder will receive the same, in time.

Each story in this anthology complicated my ideas about angels and reinforced my belief that good and evil are on a continuum with no clear lines demarking where you are on that continuum. As philosophical ideas I found each story offered something compelling; as entertainment I found the stories uneven and on that basis I give the collection a B-.

Cheers,

Jaclyn

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Related posts:

1. REVIEW: Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh
2. REVIEW: Jovah’s Angel by Sharon Shinn
3. REVIEW: Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh

Three to Tango is a collection of four novellas all featuring m/f/m ménages and the tag-line on the cover says “sex is best when it’s one-on-one … plus one”; this is a little misleading because while two of these stories are about ménage relationships, two are more love triangles where the third person causes angst and discord.

I picked this volume up because I’ve read and enjoyed Emma Holly’s books–this winter I went on an Emma Holly read-a-thon after a conversation with Dear Author’s Janet; I’ve also read Lauren Dane’s Inside Out, which I loved. I had never read anything by Megan Hart, though I’ve been meaning to, and Bethany Kane is a new-to-me author; I love reading collections of short stories, they are great during my short commute to work or for a quick read on an evening when I don’t have the energy to read for hours.

I was sitting in the airport, waiting to board a connecting flight on the way home from a short business trip and reading an advanced reading copy of Three to Tango when I emailed Jane to comment that this read a lot like a draft. Particularly Lauren Dane’s and Emma Holly’s stories struck me as less polished than other of their work that I’ve read.

Three to Tango suffers from two main problems:

1. Unpolished writing.
2. Absurd scenarios.

dirty/bad/wrong by Lauren Dane

This is the story of Ava, who returns to her hometown upon her mother’s death and comes face to face with men from her past, Luca and Angelo. Ava has mommy issues (her mother was a selfish alcoholic who slept with married men). Angelo has being gay issues. Luca’s issue is that Ava and Angelo have issues that keep them all from being together.

Of the four, this story has the most flow problems. Sometimes I was confused about the activity going on, and that distracted from the emotional arc of the story. Other times the writing felt unpolished. The story itself is has great emotional potential, but the writing kept dragging me out of it. Here are two examples (the story is full of other examples):

She hesitated as past and present swam in her vision, disorienting her with a wave of memory so very strong and sweet. Her first days there when Maryellen had ever so gently tapped her shoulder each time she found her looking at the floor.

The first sentence is overwritten. The second is confusing. In the context of the story flow we understand that in the second sentence Ava is remembering how Maryellen helped Ava during a difficult time in her life by showing her kindness and caring.

Here’s another example:

The downy trail of hair leading from his navel inside the waistband of his jeans led to places she’d never forget.

I understand this sentence. And in my opinion it’s overwritten. In the sentence before this one we learn that Luca is in jeans, so delete “inside the waistband of his jeans”. The trail of hair shouldn’t have “led” in the same sentence that it’s “leading”. How about this:

”The downy trail of hair led to places she’d never forget.”

The writing in dirty/bad/wrong feels rushed and it was examples like these that made me comment to Jane about draft-like quality of this book. I don’t recall the same feeling of rushed writing in Inside Out, which as I recall was an emotional, tight book with characters that I loved.

In the end, I found the story less than compelling because the overwritten, rushed writing kept grabbing my attention away from the emotional drama of the three characters. F.

Just for One Night by Megan Hart

This story is the bright spot in the anthology. In Just for One Night Kerry and Jeremy have been dating for a long time and live together, they’re happy and comfortable together, except that Kerry still fantasizes about her high school best friend Brian. Jeremy encourages her to sleep with Brian because the thought of his girlfriend having sex with another man turns him on.

What follows is a satisfying emotional journey where Brian and Kerry have their one-night stand, then realize they want more. While Brian and Kerry each sort out what they really want, Jeremy gets hot imagining them together in bed. Of the characters, Jeremy is the least interesting and I found his actions were thoughtless and short-sighted. This story engaged me, the writing was tight. B

Flipping for Chelsea by Emma Holly

What I like best about Emma Holly’s books is that she creates memorable characters that she treats with respect and care. But I absolutely did not buy into this story because I don’t for a minute believe Liam’s acceptance of being part of a ménage with his BROTHER and the love-of-his-life.

Shay (Seamus) isn’t Liam’s blood brother; however, they were raised together and both called the same people Mom and Dad, and ‘brother’ is how they think of each other throughout the story.

I understand why Liam loves Chelsea. I understand why Shay loves Chelsea. I understand why Chelsea loves Liam. I understand why Chelsea emotionally loves Shay, but I do not understand why Chelsea needs Shay in a sexual relationship. And I absolutely do not believe that Liam would agree to include Shay in the romantic and sexual relationship that might develop between him and Chelsea.

In the end this story didn’t work for me because it felt contrived, and I didn’t believe the characters actions. What really killed this story was when Liam made a revelation about a past relationship/encounter. I  absolutely did not believe it fit with the character I’d come to know throughout the story—this particular moment crashed the entire thing and reduced it in my mind to a gratuitous set up solely for the reader’s titillation rather than a true emotional journey of the characters. F.

On the Job by Bethany Kane

This story is tightly woven story with polished writing. In fact, if not for the ménage I’d probably have rated it a B, even with Walker’s crazy dominating wacko-ness. However, the occurrence of the ménage was such an absurd set up for a spanking (you messed with another dude? I’m going to punish you…even though I told you to do it) that it ruined all credibility of Walker’s character.

Walker and Madeline were in love until Walker joined the Secret Service in an effort to pull himself out of poverty and make something of his life. He comes back into Madeline’s life as her bodyguard, hired by her friend Tony to keep her safe. Tony has pissed off the Russian Mafia and thinks Madeline might be killed because he’s convinced everyone (except Madeline, who considers Tony a good friend and occasional fuck-buddy) that he’s Madeline’s finance.

Are you still with me?

Madeline and Walker come back together and have hot sexual encounters with Walker dominating Madeline and getting all possessive and telling her she’s his. Fast forward and they’re all on Tony’s yacht when Walker decides to spank Madeline for touching another man, then does an about face and tells Madeline to give Tony a blow job because he’s going to prison.

WTF?! Seriously. W. T. F.

Thankfully this was the last story. I am done with Three to Tango and just want to erase this book from my brain. F.

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Related posts:

1. REVIEW: Naughty and Nice by Jaci Burton, Megan Hart, Lauren Dane, and Shannon Stacey
2. REVIEW: All U Can Eat by Emma Holly
3. REVIEW: Prince of Ice by Emma Holly

Dear Ms. Gregg.

“Mistletoe at Midnight” is the first story in Carina’s m/m anthology. Owen McKenzie is a newly-transplanted vet. He’s moved from Boston to Vermont after a bad break-up, ready to embrace the small town life. He spends Christmas at an inn with his parents and brother…and, he soon discovers, his first love Caleb Black (which took me waaaay back to Elizabeth Lowell’s Only… series–one of the heroes has the same name), and his most recent ex-boyfriend Keith Turner (there at his mother’s four-month old invitation). Caleb and Owen were high school sweethearts — and you do a great job describing the utter misery of a high school crush:

Every afternoon, right after lunch, I passed him on my way to Mr. Clarke's Honors Calculus class. A single glance from Caleb Black was all it took to undo me. Head above the crowd, I'd move as unobtrusively as possible staring straight ahead and praying my dick wouldn't get any harder. I'd hike my backpack high and resolve to pass that slouching leaner unaffected before the fifth-period bell rang. Which was futile, of course, because as Caleb slouched indolently against the lockers with his left knee raised and his bootlace untied-’those shining eyes watching me-’my blood absolutely boiled. Sometimes he'd stare and bite the side of his thumb, his white teeth worrying the tough skin there, and I'd just die at the flash of his berry-red tongue.

He'd catch me looking, and from across that crowded hallway the entire world disappeared. The smell of warm sneakers and last night's disinfectant faded, and everything-’the voices in the hallway, the metallic squeak of locker doors opening and closing, the cheesy posters and the endless chatter, the dazzling sunlight reflecting off waxed tile-’everything on the planet paled in comparison to his green eyes. My stomach would flutter until it flipped to the floor because inside that prolonged second, I couldn't have felt more bumbling, or unsure, or tall-’or turned on.

I enjoyed this story. A lot. I love Gregg’s voice. The story is more nuanced and layered than you’d expect for a short novella. Owen realizes how at fault he’s been in the breakup of his previous relationships, because of his history with Caleb and his family. The story is (obviously) told in first person from Owen’s perspective, which shuts us off a lot from Caleb’s feelings, but he manages to get his point across and everything comes together for a sexy happy ending.

Every now and then things felt a little…off, like the story shrugged a bit to get comfortable with itself, so it wasn’t all sparkles and happiness, but overall, I really liked it.

Grade: B

Dear Ms. Fox.

“Nine Lights Over Edinburgh” is one of those stories that’s going to stick with me for a long long time. At Dear Author, we’ve commented before about your incredible ability to evoke a landscape, a feeling of place, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt IN a place before the way I did with your descriptions of Edinburgh just before Christmas. Your ability to show the glittery tourist topside, the gritty dark underside, and the normal everyday people-live-here side of Edinburgh was amazing (not that I’ve ever been there, so I really can’t actually tell). And the characters were so much a part of that description, so much a part of the city, which was so much a part of them, that it was impossible to separate them.

James McBride is an undercover cop, working on bringing down a human trafficker. But he’s also dealing with the mostly congenial breakup of his marriage with attendant child custody issues and is struggling to find his way forward as someone who…is not straight (he refuses to label it at all). He’s also an UNrecovered alcoholic. The story is really almost entirely his, told in deep third person point of view. He’s pulled off his case by his supervisor because of the mistakes the drinking leads him to (he’s too trashed to recognize someone he’s arrested three times before and his cover’s blown). But he continues working on the case anyway.

He’s also working on a security detail with the Israeli embassy and eventually meets Toby Leitner, a Mossad agent. I say eventually, because it takes a while into the story before the heroes meet. It’s love at first sight, although McBride doesn’t recognize it:

McBride stopped listening. The Mossad agent-’Leitner, McBride said to himself, his mind trying out the delicate, exotic name-’had begun to smile. It was very faint, but undeniable. McBride's pulse geared up another notch. A strange heat sprang up in him, beginning in his gut, an inch or so under his navel, spreading to his solar plexus and a point behind his breastbone. His throat. Oh God, a sweet spot just up and back from his balls, halfway to his-

The security detail goes to shit, however, and then the trafficking case does too, because the suspect kidnaps McBride’s daughter. Toby and James work together to get her back. The story takes place in the space of a few days and so much happens in that time. James has to come to terms with himself, his past, his sexuality, his family, his job, his colleagues, his love for Toby, his alcoholism. Toby has to come to terms with coming back to life after the death of his longterm partner. And it all happens during a double suspense plot, which is slightly more realistic than your previous plots (although your characters still seem to have superhuman abilities after being sick or shot).

I adored this story. Nothing is superfluous. All the characters — and there are a lot of them for a short-ish story — are well-drawn and believable. And the city…the city just shines. Brilliant, transcendent, skillful writing, and a great love story. Thank you.

Grade: A

Dear Ms. Maxfield.

I really really loved your ePistols at Dawn last year. “I Heard Him Exclaim,” however…just never really worked for me. I don’t know if that’s because I couldn’t just read it in one shot because I was too busy, but I had to force myself to finish it.

Chandler has just inherited his niece after a car accident that killed his brother and sister-in-law. He’s taking her to his parents’ for Christmas and to leave her there. His car breaks down and he’s rescued by Steve, who is going to Las Vegas for Christmas because he doesn’t feel he can play Santa properly, like he does every year, because he’s lost so much weight after a heart attack scare the previous January. Steve eventually invites Chandler and Poppy (the niece) to Christmas with him and his family, abandoning the Vegas plan.

My problem with the story was its plotlessness. Or, maybe, its suspenselessness. Steve and Chandler meet, they have the hots for each other, they save each other (metaphorically), they have sex, they fall in love, they live happily ever after. Which is great, but there’s no tension for a good story. There’s an attempt at tension (will they or won’t they…have sex, recognize their feelings, admit their feelings, commit to each other) and an attempt at barriers (age, responsibilities, grief), but nothing really gels. The only true question is whether Chandler will give up the plot-moppet/Poppy, but his decision is dealt with in such an off-hand way when he finally makes it, it seems to confirm that it wasn’t the point.

Don’t get me wrong, I liked the characters and the sex was hot. But maybe in comparison with Fox’s story, I just didn’t CARE enough.

Grade: C

Dear Mr. Lanyon.

“Icecapades” suffered from I Wish It Were Longer-itis. I loved the characters and the set-up. I wanted just a touch more angst and more…well, just more. Noel Snow is an ex-jewel thief, living clean and legitimately on a 200 acre horse farm. He is also an author, with a series…about a jewel thief and his bumbling FBI nemesis. The original of the nemesis is Robert Cuffe (and can we be more obvious about the names? I mean, really?), his own nemesis, with whom he had sex with once on Y2K, just before he was forced to quit stealing. He never meant to make his fictional character quite so bumbling and regrets how this has hurt the real-life Robert. He has called and left messages for Robert on every New Years Eve night for ten years, voicing his regret and apologies. And suddenly Robert is on his doorstep, claiming he’s committing heists again.

Robert and Noel are visited…not by three ghosts, but by three people: a Christmas tree delivery man, a llama farmer, and a psychic whose greenhouse generator is down. (And yes, someone makes the Scrooge joke in the story.) And while helping Noel’s neighbors, they find their way back to each other. It’s a very cute story. As I said, I love the characters. And the set-up is wonderful. While Ms. Fox’s and Ms. Gregg’s story were about the right length, though, this one, as the shortest in the book, could have been way longer, especially since the characters were so appealing.

Grade: B

Overall, I really liked the anthology. I might even return to Ms. Maxfield’s story when I’m not so distracted. But “Nine Lights” made the whole anthology worth reading, and the other two are very enjoyable too. Carina has a hit here.

Best regards,

-Joan/Sarah F.

P.S. And for comparison, jmc’s review of the same anthology. I love how we have almost opposite reactions.

Book Link | Kindle | nook | BN | Sony| Carina Press

Related posts:

1. My First Sale by the Debut Carina Press Authors
2. My First Sale by Carina Press Debut Authors, Part 2
3. Angela James and her journey to Harlequin with Carina Press

I actually remember the various blog posts that inspired this anthology. Which was better: the zombie or the unicorn? It was a hilarious debate that suited the blog format. What I wasn’t sure about was how well this idea would translate to book form. I thought a lot of it depended on the inside joke of having been there for the off-the-cuff blog debate, and that’s never something you can count on in a book. While I think the editorial comments from Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier did help to recreate that joking atmosphere, a book is not a blog and in many ways, this anthology teetered on being gimmicky and cheesy.

All that said, I do like reading anthologies because it lets me sample various writers’ work in one shot. True, a short story is not like a novel and I’ve seen many excellent novelists write terrible short stories and vice versa, but I’ve picked up many a book by an author I was introduced to via short story. So I was interested to see which authors chose which creature and their respective takes on them.

Please pardon the length of this review. I tried to keep my comments concise but there are 12 stories to cover. I admit freely this is probably one of the main reasons why anthologies and collections tend to be rarely reviewed on DA.

The anthology opens with “The Highest Justice” by Garth Nix, in which Princess Jess is on a mission. With the help of the family friend (a unicorn), her recently murdered mother has been reanimated. It’s not pretty, but her mother does have one last wish: to see her murderer one last time.

It would be remiss of me not to mention that I personally think unicorns are twee and in a contest between a unicorn and a zombie, I will always choose the zombie. And while I thought the actual unicorn of this story is not twee in any way, I felt the story itself was. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. I expected more from the anthology’s opening story, and even more from Garth Nix. When it comes to anthologies, I expect the leading story to set the tone for the entire collection and “The Highest Justice” left me ambivalent and unethused about the stories to follow.

As it was, I thought this story was a standard fairy tale-esque piece with very little new to offer. I predicted every single thing that happened and that’s never a good sign. C-

The first zombie story of the anthology is “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Alaya Dawn Johnson, in which the main character, Grayson, has a tiny problem. You see, he was infected by a brain-devouring prion. On the bright side, he was given a cure that stopped the prions from multiplying, thus keeping his brain in tact. Unfortunately, it was only a partial cure so while the prions don’t reproduce, they make him want to eat people. Oh well, science isn’t perfect.

Because of his homicidal/cannibalistic tendencies, Grayson is transient. You can’t stay too long in one place because otherwise people will notice the bodies piling up. The problem is that he’s developed a crush on his classmate, Jack. And he likes Jack a lot, so much so that Grayson’s willing not to eat him. Unfortunately, Jack’s dad used to be a government agent and I think we can all see where this is leading.

After the blandness of the Nix story, I really liked the pop culture-laden narrative of this story. I was also glad to see two queer teens in a YA story. This shouldn’t be remarkable enough that it warrants a separate mention but sad to say, we’re still at that point where queer characters being YA protagonists is noteworthy. But if more stories like this are written, hopefully one day it won’t be. As for the story itself, I really enjoyed the first two-thirds but the last third or so started to unravel for me. B-

In “Purity Test” by Naomi Novik, a drunken woman asleep on a park bench finds herself awakened and recruited by a unicorn to save many baby unicorns from an evil wizard.

Humorous stories are tough. Because humor is such a personal thing that varies sharply from one person to the next, it can be hit or miss. I’m afraid to say it was miss for me here. I admit I prefer humor that’s dryer and less in your face. For me, this story reeked of trying too hard to be funny and subversive. It might as well as have had neon signs announcing this fact. And in my opinion, if you have to announce that you’re subversive, you’re not. And as I’ve said before, I prefer there to be more subtlety and less anvils in my fiction.

That said, I can definitely see this story working for other people. It was just a major disconnect for me. D

Unless I’m mistaken, I believe “Bourgainvillea” by Carrie Ryan is set in the same world as The Forest of Hands and Teeth. While I was lukewarm to Forest of Hands and Teeth, I found myself very engaged with this story.

Iza lives on the island of Curacao, which managed to survive the zombie apocalypse and its aftermath thanks to the efforts of her controlling father. Much like her dead mother, Iza dreams of the world before but those dreams and her reality come to a head when a young man swims to shore. One of the reasons why Curacao has remained unscathed is because no outsiders are allowed on the island, both to ward against zombie infection and to control the population. When Iza meets this young man, does she do what’s needed or does she let him go?

I think this story stands well on its own, not requiring much prior knowledge of the books. I still wonder about the difference between the fast zombies and the slow zombies because the explanation for why a person becomes one versus the other wasn’t very clear to me. I can only assume it was covered in The Dead-Tossed Waves, which I never read. B

In “A Thousand Flowers” by Margo Lanagan, a young man is accused of raping a princess when the real culprit might be something more magical. This is the point in the anthology where I seriously started to wonder why I was having such a bad run with the unicorn stories. I do prefer zombies over unicorns but at this point, I was starting to feel like my reactions to unicorn stories could not be chalked up to that at all.

I’ve made it clear in the past that I’m not a big fan of rape in fiction, mostly due to how it’s been used and reduced to plot points. And while it was intrinsic to the story here, I was made very uneasy by the fact that the narrative depended on the idea of a man being falsely accused of rape and punished for it while the woman kept silent about the details of what actually happened. I do realize that it would be unlikely for anyone to believe the princess’s story had she told the truth, but I admit I have a difficult time separating this story from our reality, in which the fear of a man being falsely accused rape is often used against rape victims.

I also want to point out that the transitions between POV characters were confusing. “A Thousand Flowers” is written in first person POV but the narrative is told through the eyes of three different narrators and when the first switch occurred, I had to reread a few times to understand what happened. Maybe I was just being slow on that particularly day but if I had a problem, I think it safe to assume I will not be the only one. I don’t mind these sorts of narrative techniques, but I do wish the transition had been clearer. D

In Maureen Johnson’s “The Children of the Revolution”, a teenager finds herself in charge of some very strange children while trying to earn enough money to get out of England after a disastrous attempt to spend time working on a farming co-opt with her boyfriend. I really enjoyed this story. I liked the commentary about celebrities — the children they adopt, the various belief systems they follow. And I must say, that final scene is a killer. B-

Next, we have “The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn” by Diana Peterfreund. Okay, I admit I skipped your killer unicorn books because I just could not get past the premise. (See: my giving the side eye at most anything involving unicorns.) But by this point in the anthology, I was hoping for something, anything, to pick me up on the unicorn front. And to my surprise, your story did.

Set in the same world as your killer unicorn series, “The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn” is about Wen, who was born with the ability to sense and, therefore, kill unicorns. Unfortunately, this also means that unicorns can sense her and will try to preemptively kill her. Last summer, her cousins were killed by a unicorn that had been targeting her. Wen is just trying to forget last summer ever happened but when the carnival comes to town, complete with its own killer unicorn, she finds herself saddled with a baby unicorn to take care of.

I liked this premise a lot. Wen’s family is very religious. They think unicorns are demons and her abilities are some sort of witchcraft. So it’s believable that she would run away from her abilities, even when unicorn hunters had previously tried to recruit her. If the books had had this premise, I probably wouldn’t have hesitated to pick them up because the idea of someone with the abilities of a unicorn hunter who instead chooses to raise one? That’s a variation of one of my favorite tropes.

My only complaint is that the relationship with Yves is not entirely satisfactory. I don’t know if I missed something. I get the sense there was a previous short story about Wen because I was under the impression the books featured a different heroine. If there was a previous short story, I don’t think it hampered my understanding since any necessary details were nicely worked into the story but I think it might have hurt the story arc involving Wen and Yves. As a result, I thought the ending came out of nowhere and made me give not like Yves very much because, what about his girlfriend? B

In Scott Westerfeld’s “Inoculata”, a group of teenagers and children drill in case of emergency under the watchful eyes of several adults while in the relative safety of a fence. I just did not know what to make of this story. While I again appreciated the casual treatment of queer characters, I felt like the narrative was incomplete and the emotional impact hollow. It just didn’t work for me at all. C-

With a title like “Princess Prettypants”, I had no idea what to expect from Meg Cabot. It could have been my worst fears about unicorns come true. Instead, I got a really great read.

It’s Liz’s seventeenth birthday but unfortunately, she shares it with the most popular girl at school. As a result, her birthday parties are small and sparsely attended since people opt for the larger shindig thrown by her classmate. To make matters worse, she recently broke up with her boyfriend after catching him in bed with another girl, her best friend has a crush on the school jerk, and she may possibly be developing feelings for the boy next door. Also, her family is tragically uncool and they only cement this fact by daring to give her a unicorn for her birthday.

But what stood in the barn in front of Liz, glowing softly with a kind of inner luminiscence that seemed to have nothing to do with the electrical light from the bulbs hanging from the rafters some thirty feet overheard, was not a horse.

Or rather, it had a horse’s body — a huge one, nineteen hands high at least — sleek, with a gorgeous white flowing mane and tail, soft blue muzzle, and purple fetlocks.

But jutting from the center of its forehead was a twisting, sparkling, three-foot-long lavender horn.

What her aunt Jody had sent Liz for her birthday was, in fact, a unicorn.

“You,” Liz could not help blurting out, “are shitting me.”

“Elizabeth!” her mother cried in horror. “Watch your language!”

“But that,” Liz said, raising a finger to point at the monstrosity that even now was lowering her noble head to tear at some of the grass poking from Munchkin’s old haystack,” is a unicorn.”

“Of course it’s a unicorn.” Her father walked over to the animal and gave her a hearty smack on her gleaming white flank. The unicorn tossed her head, her silky mane flying, and let out a musical whinny. Liz got a whiff of her breath, which smelled like honeysuckle. “Your aunt’s always sent you the nicest gifts. Remember that Christmas she sent you that hand-stitched pink fairy costume with the tutu and the detachable wings made out of real swan feathers?”

“Jesus Christ, Dad,” Liz said, flabbergasted. “I was five years old.”

I don’t if my positive response to this story is because Liz reflects my own personal views of unicorns or if because the story fulfills a certain criteria I use to judge many stories: If you’re going to do something, go all out or go home. If one thing can’t be said about this story, it’s that it didn’t hold anything back.

And as a result of this story, I think I need to read more of Meg Cabot’s work. B+

“Cold Hands” by Cassandra Clare is set in a town where, due to a curse, the dead don’t stay in their graves and reanimate as zombies. And because the zombies seek out their loved ones, everyone in the town is trapped there and has been for centuries. They can’t leave because zombies will follow them. And if people from their new homes find out — because lumbering zombies are difficult to overlook — they get driven away.

Adele is a common girl who is in love with, and dating, the Duke’s nephew, James. It’s a common perception among the townspeople that she will eventually marry him, just as he will become Duke of the town once he turns 18. Unfortunately, James is tragically killed in a car accident which, as you can probably guess, was no accident at all.

This was a pleasant story and I did enjoy the experience reading it but as I now write this review, I find myself unable to pick any points that stuck out for me. I haven’t read either The Mortal Instruments or The Infernal Devices series so I don’t know how this story compares to those books. I would expect Clare’s fans to like this story though. C+

“The Third Virgin” by Kathleen Duey is a sad story about a unicorn who has grown addicted to the sensation of weighing a person’s life — to heal or to kill — and its quest to die. After all the stories in which unicorns played principle supporting characters, it was nice to have a story from the unicorn’s point of view that explored the burden (and dangers) of having such the traditional healing gift. C+

“Prom Night” by Libba Bray is a bittersweet story about the world after the apocalypse and what happens when all’s that left are the teenagers. It tells us about the connections between people and asks the question of what remains in a person’s heart after they reanimate. Do they still love? Is any piece of them left? All this set against the backdrop of what would have been prom night if the zombie apocalypse hadn’t happened.

I thought the bittersweet ending was very characteristic of Bray. It’s not to everyone’s tastes but she’s very good at it. I thought it was the perfect way to end the anthology. B-

As with many anthologies, Zombies versus Unicorns did end up being a mixed bag but I enjoyed reading all the various takes on unicorns and zombies, even after the shaky start for Team Unicorn.

My regards,
Jia

P.S. – Go Team Zombie!

Book Link | Kindle | Amazon | nook | BN | Borders
| Sony| BooksonBoard

Related posts:

1. REVIEW: My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon edited by P.N. Elrod
2. Zombies the New Black?
3. REVIEW: White Cat by Holly Black

The theme of this anthology is gay male threesomes, so I’m not sure where the title comes from. I opened the volume because it has stories by some of my favorite Dreamspinner authors (Merrow, Cullinan, Black) and because I love m/m romances AND threesome stories. Some of the stories have a HEA for all three partners together, but making that work in a short story is sometimes difficult. And some of them are just pure erotica, where three hot guys get together and have hot sex. There are worse ways to spend an evening (worse ways than reading it, I mean. Although I guess doing it would be fun too…).

“The Thank You Note” by Jamie Freeman
Army (WTF with that name?!) and Roddy are long-term lovers and they decide to celebrate their 7th anniversary by bringing in a third. The story is told in three “Acts” from each of the men’s perspectives, and starts from Army’s POV, remembering with Roddy the evening before with Aidan and how Army and Roddy met at a performance of Aida. Roddy takes over and remembers how they hooked up with Aidan through Craigslist and remembers the night, and then Aidan takes over and reveals how they get back together. This is a well-crafted story. The understated tension arises from Roddy’s hard limit on the encounter of no emotional entanglement. The characters are distinguishable and fun, the relationship themes are strong and draw the personalities together in a way that you know they’re going to make it. Grade: B+

“Not Just a Piece of Meat” by Zahra Owens
While I enjoyed the unusual professions of these men — Shawn owns a butchers shop, his partner Peter is a cook who makes take-home dinners (kinda like Whole Foods’ buffet, I think), and Karl is a butcher and their employee — the story itself is uninspired. The men are distinguishable only in that Shawn is the alpha, Peter the bottom, and Karl somewhere in the middle, literally and figuratively. They don’t have any personality quirks and there is no tension in the plot. They get together, have fun, have (I think?) double penetration of Peter (as in, two penises, one anus), although Karl doesn’t seem to realize this, have some more fun, and all move in together, done. Blah. Grade: C-

“Getting a Filling” by J.L. Merrow
Ivo goes to the dentist to get a filling, taking his boyfriend Colin with him for moral support. Ted, the dentist, is adorable and when they meet a few weeks later at a bar, they get together and “help” Ivo over his phobia by having a hot scene in the dentist chair (Ted lives above his practice and they get sidetracked on their way to his bedroom). Hygiene aside, this is a laugh-out loud funny story. Or at least I laughed out loud, probably because I have a sophomoric sense of humor.

He leaned over Ivo, the heat of his body a tangible thing. “Open wide, please.”

Oh, I’d love to open wide for you, Ted, Ivo thought. Green eyes widened, and in the corner Colin made a sort of spluttering sound. Ivo felt a sudden chill. “Did I say that aloud?”

“Oh, yes.”

And, because I can’t resist:

“Now, you’re going to feel my fingers in your mouth,” Ted began in a soothing voice.

“Yes, I always think it’s best to start with fingers,” Colin put in unhelpfully. “Especially when the guy’s nervous.”

Ivo’s jaw twitched with tension as latex-clad fingers invaded his mouth. “Try not to bite me, Ivo, if you can,” Ted murmured.

“He’s usually so good about that,” Colin mused.

This was a fun, quick read, very different from Merrow’s more weighty shorts in the Sindustry volumes. Grade: B

“1+1+1 IS 3″ by Evan Gilbert
College boys Tavian, Deangelo, and Ike all meet in a bookstore in Chicago and try to get together, but are thwarted by being college students with no place private to go. I appreciate the racial diversity (Deangelo’s black, Tavian’s…not white?), but the head-hopping and having Deangelo call their penises their “friends” was a little off-putting. A cute story, weightless, but intriguing enough that I’d like to read about their growing relationship. Grade: C

“Beautiful Friend” by Dar Mavison
Emerson organizes a three-way with his innocent, inexperienced occasional lover Gabriel and his long-time business partner, lover, and best friend Tex. The characters are beautifully drawn and the sex is smoking hot. But what this story is really about is about bucking societal expectations. Because he’s small, slight, and ethereally beautiful, Gabriel has always assumed he should bottom and that big, muscle-bound Tex and Emerson could only top. They teach him differently and do it brilliantly well. Grade: B+

“Neighbors by Day, Naughty by Night” by Devon Rhodes
Jason has just moved in with Kevin and they are very much in love. But one day, he wakes up and their friend and neighbor, Marty, is in their bed too. Jason’s pretty pissed until Kevin explains that Marty sleepwalks…right into Kevin’s bed. Kevin and Jason use this as an opportunity both to strengthen their relationship with each other and to invite Marty into their lives. The story is told in alternating perspectives. The characters are strong and interesting and the emotional tension is light but real. Grade: B

“Skunk, Bryan, Spoon (and a Badger)” by Aundrea Singer
A science fiction story that could just as easily not be science fiction. Bryan is the navigator and second pilot for Skunk, who pilots spaceships, but Skunk and Spoon have a rivalry that almost gets them all killed when the mock dogfight they’re engaged in almost turns real. Spoon’s co-pilot insists that Bryan control Skunk, which he attempts to do with sex, until Spoon shows up, reveals that he and Skunk were former lovers, and joins in. Then Bryan controls both of them with the threat of walking away and not letting either of them fuck him. Bryan is very tentative and unsure of himself until he’s caught between these two macho men and he takes charge, which is very cool to see. A cute story with very Top Gun feel to it. Grade: B

“Homecoming” by Emily Moreton
Ben comes home one evening to find Raul in bed with their third partner, Matt, who has been away for four months working as a psychologist with the FBI on a serial killer case. We learn nothing about the case and very little about the genesis of their relationship. What is important to this story is centering Matt back into their threesome, pulling him away from the horror he’s been working with for so long. It’s a good story, with great characters, although, again, the double penetration scene is a little…unbelievable, but maybe that’s just my own prejudice. I really don’t think it’s that easy. I love how they’re all so fucked out at the end of it that all they want to do is sleep. Grade: B

“Unwrapped: The Birthday Gift” by Josephine Myles
Dave wants a third for his 25th birthday, despite the fact that he’s worried history will repeat itself because he got together with Mark during a threesome with his (Dave’s) ex-girlfriend. But Mark finds Pedro for him anyway, an American visitor who is 56 (!) but still very hot. Dave freaks out a bit, but then they have amazing sex and Dave freaks out less and less and learns something:

And so I watched them kiss, watched Pedro touching Mark, and against all my prior expectations, I really enjoyed it, generous feelings warming me inside, along with a pride in Mark. A joy that he was attractive to other men, and that he was still mine. A joy that I could share out the sweet goodness of this man, but that it wouldn't diminish our relationship.

Maybe it was that I was getting a little weary of all the sex in the anthology, but the sex is bracketed by Dave’s freakouts, rather than part of it. There could have been more tension by giving the sex more emotional weight during the sex. The dialogue was also a little stilted, but the story was still fun. Grade: B-

“Bacon Bits” by G.S. Wiley
The story is told from the first person perspective of (as far as I can tell) an unnamed bicycle messenger, who lives with Patrick, a romantic, buttoned-down executive. Alex, the narrator’s best friend and former fuck-buddy comes to visit, and at first relieves the narrator by getting along with Patrick much better than the narrator had thought he would, but then embarrasses the narrator by flirting with Patrick instead. They flirt their way into bed and have hot sex, which only affirms the strength of their bonds. This story is short, compared with most of the others (although I have a hard time telling on my iPhone), but sweet. Grade: B-

“Snowbound” by Jana Denrado
Set in 1931 in an alternate universe with demons, the three characters are all demon-hunters caught in a snowstorm in Pittsburgh. We get into Temple’s head and family background a bit (his father was abusive, his grandfather more so). Fighting and sexual partners Caleb and Agni are a good unit and Temple insinuates himself to everyone’s satisfaction for the duration of the storm, during which they also do some demon-fighting. The time period is well-set and the world-building is good for the length of the story. Grade: B-

“Breaking the Habit” by Heidi Champa
Three roommates try to find something to distract themselves from their mutual pact to stop smoking and end up having sex. A very short story, but the smoking is overstated, the dialogue stilted, and the sex kinda blah. And the ending sucked. Yuck. Grade: C-

“Perform for Me” by Lori Toland
This story was a little disjointed in that it was trying to keep a secret and yet reveal it at the same time. Corey’s kink is voyeurism and he particularly enjoys watching a Dom and his sub perform at a local club. He goes week after week to watch them, then comes home to fuck the brains out of his partner, Justin. One week, though, after Justin gives him permission, Corey is invited into the show and enjoys himself immensely…until he freaks out in the parking lot afterwards. I won’t give away the obvious plot twist, but it was an interesting story about partners working with each other to satisfy all parts of themselves, even if they can’t satisfy them with each other. Grade: B-

“An American in Seville” by Lenore Black
Tony is in Seville, Spain, with his Ugly American boss and colleague. They don’t see any of the town until their last night of the trip, when they go to watch Flamenco dancing because they were given free tickets by clients. Tony, who has been numb since his wife left him more than a year before, is fascinated by the main male dancer, who is obviously in a relationship with one of the guitar players. Tony sees Alejandro and Javier outside the building when he escapes for air and they invite him into their bed. While playing with them, he realizes that yes, he actually IS bisexual and that he can’t go back to his life of quiet desperation in Ohio. There’s one line that stuck with me:

He can't imagine why he ever thought Javier plain when his face has the stern sweetness of a
Renaissance angel, his eyes warm as caramel and flecked with gold, an intangible luster to him that Tony thinks might simply be the fact that he is loved so much.

I love that. The essence of love is making someone else beautiful. This is a bittersweet and yet optimistic story, told, strangely enough, in the present tense. Grade: B

“Down the Middle” by Heidi Cullinan
This story is so different from all the rest and drew me in the most. Parker and Robbie have been together for seven years but they are drifting apart, fighting more, having sex less, and can’t seem to do anything about it, even though they both still love each other. Parker sees David at a party and begins to dominate him sexually, until Robbie catches them. Parker and Robbie end up at home, about to admit the end, when David shows up and Robbie invites him in, almost as an insult to Parker. But through their experience with David, they begin to find their way back to each other. Cullinan’s writing is emotional and evocative and oh so hot. Definitely saved the best for last. Grade: A-

To be honest, after a while, the sex all kind of blended together. It’s the emotions I’m reading for, of course, and those were strongest in the stories by Cullinan, Black, Freeman, and Mavison. None of the stories were awful and, while none stood out as brilliant, Cullinan’s came pretty close, and the overall quality of the anthology was very good. As I said, there are many worse ways to spend an evening than to peruse this anthology.

Overall grade: B

Best regards,
-Joan/Sarah F.

Book Link | Kindle | Amazon | Dreamspinner |

Related posts:

1. REVIEW: Tangle Girls (anthology edited by Nicole Kimberling)
2. REVIEW: Tangle XY (Anthology edited by Nicole Kimberling)
3. REVIEW: My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon edited by P.N. Elrod

I reviewed a short story of yours in my review of Sindusty I from Dreamspinner Press. It was one of my two favorites of the anthology. I had this to say about it: “I adored this sweet little story. Patrick is a video game designer, working the final kinks out of a game weeks before release. He's not perfectly sculpted and toned-’he's a dork and kind of soft around the edges. His friends buy him a prostitute for his birthday, just so he'll get laid. But Jack keeps coming back, "the gift that keeps on giving." The connection between the characters, the fun they have and the affection between them makes this a gem of a story. Grade: A-”

But I didn’t realize I’d already read a story of yours when I dove into the short (70 pages) “Rules Were Meant to be Broken” from Dreamspinner. I chose it because it’s labeled a BDSM romance and while I think that’s a gross mislabeling (one-time use of handcuffs does NOT make a BDSM romance), I certainly don’t hold that against you because the story was just wonderfully fresh. Aaron has lusted after his best friend for 15 years and has an elaborate set of rules he follows so that Dale doesn’t find out:

“In fact, he'd devised a "Big List of Rules For Hiding That You're In Love With Your Best Friend" just for this purpose. Rule #4 was: seeing the guy really shouldn't make your heart beat faster, so just pretend it doesn't.”

Rule #9 said: you're not supposed to be jealous of the girls who sleep with your best friend. It was always the hardest rule to follow.

It was hard for me to warm up to Dale. He’s a no-good layabout with no job, no ambition, and indiscriminate taste in women…and apparently in men, too, as Aaron finds out later. It’s that indiscriminate taste that is the cause of him calling Aaron at 3am one morning so Aaron can help him out of the handcuffs one of his bar pickups left him in attached to the bed before she stole his wallet. And Aaron’s reaction to being that close to Dale while he’s freeing him makes Dale realize how much Aaron wants him and Dale acts on that realization. However, by the end of the book I loved Dale and I adored Aaron the whole way through. I loved the quirky secondary characters and the obvious deep friendship between the men, even before the grow biblically closer. But most of all, I loved your voice. The “in love with my best friend for year and YEARS” storyline is trite and can be awful, but you pwned it so beautifully, with such a freshness, I loved the story. Grade: Another A-

Then I moved to “Ganymede,” a short story in the I Do Too anthology by MLR Press (review of the whole anthology forthcoming). This story is incredibly different from the other two of yours I’ve read. If asked, I would have said they had different authors. But again, your voice shines through, even though it’s so different in the other two stories. An American vinter goes to Italy to drop in unannounced on a legendary but retired Italian wine-maker who is experimenting with non-technological ways of making wine, in order to become the Italian’s student — acolyte, even. The story is told in present tense, which threw me, but the language is evocative and exciting, and the characters are brilliantly detailed snapshots of two deeply imagined, beautifully written men. I think the relationship happens a little too quickly, but the lushness of your language and the richly layered characterization and motivation mostly make up for that. I also loved that these men were both (?) older. Certainly the Italian was over 60 probably. The story is just…different, but in such a good way that it makes me excited about your future stories as long as you keep writing. Grade: B+

The question becomes at this point: you’re brilliant with short stories, but what are your longer stories like? Can you sustain that brilliance? All’s Fair in Love and Advertising allowed me to figure this out. Quick answer: Oh, hellz YES!

The book is about 150 pages and Max is a character I should have hated. He’s an advertising genius, a complete workaholic, but not in the grim alpha-hero way. He’s neurotic and melodramatic and completely over-the-top. One of those people who’s impossible to work with but absolutely brilliant. He’s not over his wife leaving him two years previously (and breaking their partnership) and he hides his hurt by “turning gay.” Which should be insulting and obnoxious and awful, but just isn’t, somehow, because it’s just…Max.

He’s competing for an account for Avionics, a flight technology company that needs to up its visibility and therefore its stock value in order to avoid a take-over bid by Omnion, the Evil Corporate Empire. Of course, Max meets Joe, the founder and owner of Avionics and falls for him, hard. But in a completely neurotic, manic, Max-like way.

Again, voice is what carried this story. It was told in deep third person perspective from Max’s perspective. I haven’t laughed out loud at a book so much in a long long time. I was giggling through most of it. Max was maddening and adorable at the same time. In trying to find a quote, I just want to cut and paste the whole thing. But try this. Joe just told Max that he liked his work, and Max, who is a typical New Yorker who can’t get beyond the fact that Joe is from Montana, challenged him to name his favorite:

"You know, I liked the gum thing. That was catchy. And the beer stuff. Everyone likes that. But I think my favorites are the commercials you did for that financial services company, the serious ones with the black-and-white footage and the literary quotes. Gotta admire someone who can work e.e. cummings into a commercial about asset protection."

Max blinked. That campaign dated from at least ten years ago. It wasn't one he was generally remembered for, but it happened to be his own personal favorite. He lifted his chin stubbornly. Just because Bennett appreciated his work didn't make him any less of a yokel; it just made him a yokel with good taste. Any moment now, Max knew, the charm would rub off, and Bennett would show his true, narrow-minded colors.

Max did his best to hurry along the process. "I read your company is headquartered in Montana."

"We have a small office here in New York. But, yeah, most of the operation is back in Wilcox," Bennett said. "A small town, but we like it. Great views of the mountains. And we're one of the biggest employers in the state. So that has its perks."

"Is that what drew you there? Tax breaks?" Max lifted an eyebrow inquiringly. "Or was it the handy proximity to the local militias?"

Bennett laughed again, but it didn't have quite the same humor as before. "Naw, no playing at war out in the woods for me. Wilcox is where I grew up. After I retired from the Air Force-’" His voice got tighter. "Medical retirement. My jet got shot down in Bosnia. It just made sense to come home. Be near family while I was laid up. I ended up staying put."

"Oh," Max said weakly. "I didn't realize-’"

Bennett shrugged. "Hey, all in the past now, right?"

Happily, the sommelier chose that moment to descend upon them. Bennett turned his attention back to the wine list, and Max fidgeted in his seat. There was an uncomfortable feeling in his chest, something he wasn't used to, something that left him off-kilter. Possibly it was a sense of shame. That would explain why he didn't recognize it right off the bat.

And that makes Max sound like an asshole — and he IS — but I loved him all the way through and I loved that Joe liked his abrasiveness. And Joe was delicious — I could totally see how he fell for Max and it was obvious what he was feeling and why, even though we never get into his head. And again, the secondary characters were wonderful. For such a short story and the large cast of characters, the characterization was pitch perfect. And I totally did NOT see the twist at the end of the story, which was refreshing. Altogether, I adored this book, devoured it, and will come back to it again and again. Grade: A

And finally, there’s the unfortunately-covered “SPAM! It’s what’s for Christmas”. Ben is a washed-up, unemployed baseball pro with a bum knee. His boyfriend just threw him out and he’s desperate to get him back. Desperate enough to answer an ad for nude male models. Where he meets the delicious photographer, Gavin. Hijinks ensue, but Ben really wants his boyfriend back…he thinks. We don’t see much of Gavin, to be honest, even though what we do see *is* delicious. This is Ben’s book and Ben is…adorable. Trying to make it work, trying to readjust his life after his dreams are destroyed, trying to figure out what he really wants. Again, the tone of the story, Ben’s voice and his characterization, make it something I just couldn’t stop reading. Grade: B+

You’ve got free fiction on your website (bittersweet) and on your Livejournal (a fairy tale retelling with beautiful writing that stretches my disbelief a little bit too much on the plot, but still gets a B grade because the characters are so good). (Oh. Also: a short story in a Ravenous Romance anthology that I refuse to buy or even request. Not even for you. Sorry.)

And sadly, that’s it. You need to write more. And longer. And OMG, if you keep it up, I think K.A. Mitchell’s got a rival in the m/m world (although the beautiful thing is, of course, you’re not rivals. If you both just keep writing, then the world will be a better place and we can all be friends with sunshine and rainbows and iPadsunicorns!).

Best regards,
-Joan/Sarah F.

Related posts:

1. Blacks & Books
2. REVIEW: Without a Sound by Carla Cassidy
3. REVIEW: Sindustry I

First off, I have a bone to pick with marketing. This anthology (featuring stories by Laurell K. Hamilton, Yasmine Galenorn, Marjorie M. Liu, and Sharon Shinn) is clearly marked on the spine as Urban Fantasy. And yet? Only one out of the four stories has an actual urban fantasy setting. All of the others are traditional fantasies. I mean like trolls, ogres, elves, and magician-type fantasies. MISLEADING.

The tagline on the cover reveals the common thread of all the stories: “All-new tales of magic revealed-’and matrimony refused-’from four of today’s most provocative authors”. Okay, so all the stories feature heroines who are trying to get out of unwanted betrothals. And yet this whole “four of today’s most provocative authors” thing? What do they mean by that? Are they implying these stories are super smexy and feature kink? Because they don’t. In fact, these stories would pretty much be comfortable on the shelf with inspirational romances. Barely any smooching to be found. So what’s so provocative about that? Honestly, out of these 4 authors, only Laurell K. Hamilton probably fits the provocative label, and only then if you mean “writes crazily complicated orgies in her other books”.

1. Can He Bake a Cherry Pie by Laurell K Hamilton

Anyway, on to the actual story critiques. Laurell K. Hamilton leads off the anthology with “Can He Bake a Cherry Pie?”

You guys.

This story is c-c-crazy. At it’s core, it is a pretty basic fairy tale featuring a heroine who wants to escape an unwanted betrothal. In order to do so, she announces that she is going to rescue Prince True -’ a sort of male Sleeping Beauty figure in their kingdom. True was captured by a sorceress 50-odd years ago after being a douche.

Seriously.

Actually, he basically announced that men were waaay more important than women and that women’s work was useless in comparison. That’s it? Why aren’t 75% of the men prisoners in her lair, then? So anyway, the sorceress, in a fit of girl power, challenged him, won, and has kept him prisoner in her lair, forever beautiful and ageless. According to legend only a girl well versed in the womanly arts can free him. All righty then.

So our guileless (and virtually brainless) heroine makes her way to the cave of the sorceress, fully anticipating her own death. But dying in the act of rescue is so much better than marrying an oaf. So whatevs. Heroine makes her way to the rope and board bridge stretching over the chasm leading the cave and is greeted by a rabid troll. She basically squeaks and closes her eyes waiting for the death blow, and BECAUSE SHE IS TOTALLY WEAK AND DOES NOT FIGHT BACK OR EVEN MAKE EYE CONTACT, she passes the first test.

The second test finds her facing an Ogre just inside the mouth of the cave. Said ogre threatens to chop her up into pieces and eat her and heroine agains squeaks in distress and closes her eyes. Because ew. Then the ogre NOTICES HER SHOES. Which are impractical party shoes. Because the heroine left in a hurry, yo. And she likes sparkly things? So the beauty and impracticality of her shoes lets her pass the second test.

The third test is the most bunk-ass sphinx you would ever hope to meet. This sphinx doesn’t even ask questions in the form of obscure riddles. WTF? This sphinx is interested in fabric dying techniques, dessert recipes, and gardening. The heroine’s housekeeping skills enable her to pass. Good thing, too, as she would have been eaten alive.

Ultimately, at the end of this gantlet, the sorceress is met, challenges are posed, and the asstacular Prince True is found. After a bit more craziness, involving -’ you guessed it -’ baking cherry pies, the heroine lives happily ever after.

I just. I mean. What is the message in this story? I know what the message is supposed to be. I.E. Womanly skills (aka cooking, gardening, and housekeeping) are important and have meaning -’ but that is really not what the story shows. The heroine is supremely stupid and wins the day by being cowardly, impractical, and good at trivia. GIRL POWER!

As an added bonus, this story is a mere 35 pages. I think the true miracle here is that I kept reading the anthology after I finished this story. I give this a D-.

2.   The Shadow of Mist by Yasmine Galenorn

Next up is Yasmine Galenorn’s “The Shadow of Mist”. First off, kudos for being the lone urban fantasy story in this “urban fantasy anthology”. This novella is set in her “Otherworld” universe, and I have to be honest, I haven’t read any of the other books in the series. To be perfectly frank, plot-wise, this wasn’t a great introduction to it.

Siobhan, the heroine, is a selkie who has been on the run from her fiance for over 100 years. The last few decades, she’s relaxed her guard somewhat, and has found happiness and love in the Pacific Northwest with her boyfriend Mitch. The story opens with her long lost fiance Terry calling her on the phone to helpfully inform her that he knows where she is and is coming for her. Why? Because he will not be denied, yo! This is the equivalent of villain monologueing -’ he has no earthly reason to warn her of his arrival, and without his helpful information she would have been a sitting duck for his kidnapping attempt. Of course, that would have completely eliminated the plot as well.

IMO, this is a lazy plot device that serves no other purpose than to allow the heroine to call in ye olde cast of characters from many previous novels to assist her in her fight against the villain. To her credit, I must say that Galenorn does a great job with said characters. The problem is, I was more intrigued with them than I was with the heroine of the story, who was totally weak and wimpy in comparison. In fact, the heroine spends the entire story having events happen to her, rather than trying to become the master of her fate.

She refuses police assistance because she’s pretty sure her family will still force her to marry Terry. Even though she’s pregnant with Mitch’s baby and knows Terry will totally force her to miscarry if he catches her on her own. Oookay. She is repeatedly almost dragged off with Terry and his henchmen, and is repeatedly rescued by characters from previous books. And then? In the big showdown? (Which is totally not big at all and really sort of anticlimactic.) Siobhan saves the day by complete and total accident. It’s honestly the equivalent of someone tossing something out a high rise window and killing a wanted criminal who just happens to be walking by below.

Deus ex sucksalot.

For all my complaints, I will say that Galenorn succeeded in making me interested in her world and the characters that occupy it. I will most likely be picking up the first book in her Otherworld series, and hoping the plotting goes better in a full length novel. My grade for this story is a C-.

3.   The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie M. Liu

The third story in this anthology is Marjorie M. Liu’s “The Tangleroot Palace“. This was an ethereal, dreamy story with a strong fairy tale feel to it. It was also my favorite of the bunch. Sally, our intrepid heroine, is a princess who is being forced to wed a Warlord from a neighboring kingdom. Their mothers were childhood friends, and though they ended up in different countries, it was their dream that their children would meet and marry someday. But Sally ain’t havin’ it. Even though her father’s kingdom is being tormented on all sides by mercenaries and squabbling lords, Sally wants the right to choose her own destiny. This leads her to the stories titular location -’ the Tangleroot Forest.

A place of magic and legend, the forest draws people in, but rarely lets them out. On her journey to the forest, Sally meets a traveling circus trio whose members are more than meets the eye.

As I mentioned, this was my favorite of all the stories, and although the identity of the hero was easily guessed -’ heck, I wouldn’t even call it a guess, it was blatantly obvious -’ that wasn’t the true point of the story. The secret at the heart of Tanglewood is the true mystery to be solved here. My grade is a A-.

4.   The Wrong Bridegroom by Sharon Shinn

Lastly, was the most lengthy of the stories, “The Wrong Bridegroom” by Sharon Shinn. I really wanted to love this story from the get-go. I love 90% of Sharon Shinn’s books, and while I ultimately ended up really liking this story, I found that I had to power through a big chunk of it to get to that point.

Told from the 1st person POV of the heroine, Princess Olivia, the story starts out with a royal challenge to find the person worthy of receiving her hand in marriage. Although there has long been an understanding between her and the oh so perfectly stuffy Sir Harwin Brenley, Olivia would rather die than marry that hugemongous boor. Because she is spoiled and stubborn and young and foolish and petty. And young. Young. YOUNG. So the King, a ruthless and selfish man, has arranged a series of challenges to find the Princess a husband.

I guess it is to Shinn’s credit that she writes the heroine so well. She perfectly encapsulates the spoiled attitude of a 21 year old princess with a horrible, neglectful father, a surprisingly wise stepmother she refuses to listen to, and a lifetime of getting her own way. And because she so perfectly captures her character, I spent 75% of the story wanting to kill Olivia. Or at least bitchslap her.

After a tie occurs between two competitors for her hand, Olivia makes the tie-breaking decision and immediately sets out on a trip with her new betrothed to visit his family. As they journey along at a snail’s pace, in a not-very-princess-like horse and cart, they add unexpected members to their party along the way and start to see people, places, and things that the sheltered Olivia has never experienced before. Not much time passes before Olivia begins questioning what makes a good husband, a good ruler, and a happy life.

Although this heroine was grating and immature (which I think may have been exacerbated by the 1st person narration), when it got good, it got reeeeal good. In fact, it made me miss my stop in the morning, necessitating a 5 block hike to work. For that reason, I have to give this story a solid B+.

So overall, though this anthology was seriously mislabeled, the bulk of the book was entertaining. The Liu story and the Shinn story comprise over 2/3ds of the length, thanks to the super short Hamilton tale. If you are a fan of romantic fantasy with a fairy tale feel, you’ll enjoy this. Weighing the letter grade in terms of story length, I would give this a B-.

LOVE,

NONNIE

This book can be purchased at Amazon or in ebook format from Sony or other etailers.

Related posts:

1. REVIEW: Lick of Frost by Laurell K Hamilton
2. REVIEW: Mistral’s Kiss by Laurell K Hamilton
3. Laurell K Hamilton Promises to Kill Merry Gentry Series Too

I only opened this volume when Dreamspinner sent it to us because Madeleine Urban had a co-written story in it. I adore her longer co-written stories with Abigail Roux, and the volume started off with “Reluctant,” so I thought I’d have a great little story and then skim through the rest. Instead, “Reluctant” was truly awful and the rest of the stories saved me from chucking the volume off my computer.

At 332 pages, this is a seriously hefty volume (electronic, of course). And with only 12 stories, that’s between 25-30 pages a story, much longer than the usual short stories crammed into an anthology. This gives enough time to actually flesh out the characters, plots, and themes. Or time for the story to move from blah to boring and awful.

The theme for the volume is sex industry workers: both low- and high-end prostitutes and strippers, mainly. What was fascinating to me more than anything was how each story used the sex industry angle-’as a meet-cute, as conflict, as a moral failing, as a perfectly legitimate profession, with or without comment. I’m strangely fascinated by this particular profession and by how the HEA is achieved or dealt with in light of the prostitution. I also love to see whether the prostitution itself is the conflict or just part of the story with conflict elsewhere. This volume certainly gave me enough to work with.

"Reluctant" by Rhianne Aile & Madeleine Urban
Gregory is recently divorced because he thinks he’s gay. His doctor (!) gives him the card of the high-end prostitute he employs and Gregory makes an appointment. He gets his first blowjob and a refund, then makes a "real" date with Rico, who has fallen in love with him. Considering this is the first story in a volume about sex workers, its complete lack of any exploration of the actual sex work and the effect it has on both worker and consumer is a glaring and incomprehensible error. Rico falls for Gregory. Why? No clue. Gregory falls for Rico because he’s hot and gives good head, apparently. No discussion at all of whether Rico will give up his very well-paying job, no discussion of anything besides a naughty meet-cute and some sex. Fail all around because even the sex was boring. Grade: D

"Stripped Bare" by S. Blaise
Luca is intrigued by the voice of the man calling to book him for a stripping gig for his sister’s hen party. Told in the first person, Luca chases a curiously reluctant Ethan until Ethan gives in a meets him, revealing his physical disabilities. I loved Luca’s relentlessness and his optimism as he works on bringing Ethan out of his shell. The conflict was of the "I can’t believe a gorgeous stripper like you would like someone like me" variety, but although there was nothing earth-shattering, it was a fun little read. Grade: B-

"Boomerang" by Rachelle Cochran
Chance works at the club Boomerang, moonlighting occasionally as a rent boy. He waits on a table with his old high school crush. They meet again and, after overcoming his uncertainty about Evan’s sexuality, Chance dives into a relationship with him. A nice, gentle, sexy story, in which Chance’s rent boy status is pretty much a non-issue. Grade: B-

"Fun and Games" by Lenore Black
I adored this sweet little story. Patrick is a video game designer, working the final kinks out of a game weeks before release. He’s not perfectly sculpted and toned-’he’s a dork and kind of soft around the edges. His friends buy him a prostitute for his birthday, just so he’ll get laid. But Jack keeps coming back, "the gift that keeps on giving." The connection between the characters, the fun they have and the affection between them makes this a gem of a story. Grade: A-

"How Could I Not" by Jamie Freeman
A complicated little story. Ben is set up on a job with Josh, a rich older man who wants Ben to fuck him while they watch a video montage of a guy who looks startling like Ben. Josh becomes a once-a-week client for Ben and they slowly build a real relationship. This sounds a little creepy, but the writing and the characterization is strong enough to make me believe in the romance. But then we drop a whole grade for "No condoms, just pull out." Give me a fucking break. Grade: B-

"The Frost Affair" by Sasha Skye
This one’s a little different, in that the sex worker is not a rent boy, but the kept lover of a senator. The senator is trying to spice things up a little in their love lives, to make sure Grayson isn’t bored with his older lover-’which means the sex is pretty hot and frequent. I enjoyed this story, although I spent the whole thing hoping that the Senator wasn’t one of those who was against gay rights but banging his boy on the side. But I did notice an entire lack of lube and some ATM action (Google it, but beware, NSFW), which just kinda grossed me out. Grade: B-

"The Stripper and the Hairdresser" by Bethany Brown
Can we have some conflict, please? Something to overcome? Something to make the characters grow? Something to draw the characters together. I mean, I know that most real-life romances are just "two people meet, are attracted, fall in love, and have a HEA/HFN." But romance stories need a plot with a dark moment, to have any impact whatsoever. This story is indeed "The Stripper and the Hairdresser" and that’s pretty much is. OMG boring. Grade: D+

"A Muse" by Zahra Owens
Ack! Second person narration: "You are very direct and the guy who recommended you to me had told me that." I don’t know why people do this. It might work for the author to write hir masturbatory fantasy in 2nd person, but it rarely works for the reader. First person can edge into bombastic and egotistical, but when you add second person too, it all gets a little too much for me. And seriously, "androgynous, but manly"?! You can’t have it both ways-’you really can’t. And please, do some research: "suddenly grateful for high-end digital cameras with state-of-the-art screens that don’t require me to peer through tiny viewfinders and miss ninety percent of the action": uh, no-’high end digital cameras require you to look through the tiny viewfinder. Trust me. It’s the cheap ones that use the screen. All that aside-this is an interesting story about a fine art photographer luring a rent boy into being his muse which I would have liked very much if it weren’t in second person. Grade: C

"Fin de Siècle" by S. Reesa Herberth
The only historical story in the anthology, this is an amazingly well-written glimpse into the turn-of-the-century encounters between an artist and a prostitute in Paris. Gabriel becomes Jean’s muse and they tentatively establish a relationship. The atmosphere and feeling of the story are brilliantly done, melancholy yet optimistic. And I actually like that although Jean and Gabriel find their way to each other by the end of the story, there is no talk yet of Gabriel giving up prostitution. Very well done. Grade: A-

"Chat Line" by Clare London
The conceit in this story was unoriginal, carried on too long, and almost embarrassing. Jerry calls a sex line, thinking it’s a line for a company that provides domestic help. The miscommunication goes on for pages longer than its funny, moving far into boring. The phone sex is pretty hot, but the "I want to meet you after one paid-for conversation" was a little unbelievable. Grade: C

"As Beauty Does" by JL Merrow
A professor-student story that doesn’t squick me! Very English set, Nathan, a rent boy, has a regular blow-job customer every Thursday night. He discovers the guy is his English professor in one of his new classes, which makes things a little uncomfortable on Stephen’s regular nights. After Nathan is bashed and ends up in hospital with a broken jaw, he and Stephen begin to establish a relationship. Great story, fabulous characterization. I especially love the use of the characters’ own language choices and words to indicate who they are and how they feel: you can tell that Stephen is very definitely a staid English professor, Nathan a working class student, just from the way they talk. Grade: B+

"The Four Seasons" by Diana Copland
This story is so unrealistically suspend-all-disbelief, it’s just yummy, because wouldn’t it be great if the world were perfect like that? Law student Michael endearingly hits on a beautiful man in a hotel bar, but is gently turned down because Christian is a very high-end prostitute who tells him to call when he’s made partner. 5 years later, Michael sees Christian on a corner, selling blowjobs for $50 a pop. He takes Christian in, finds out how and why he sunk so low, tells him he’s worth something, a la Pretty Woman ("The bad stuff’s easier to believe" moment), and they make beautiful love. Michael, of course, wakes up alone. 3 years after that-.well, you’ll have to read the story, but everyone ends up rich and happy and fighting for gay civil rights. It’s deliciously over-the-top but the affection and relationship between Michael and Christian is very well done. Grade: B

Overall, I enjoyed the anthology. Some stories definitely stuck with me ("Fun and Games," "Fin de Siecle," and "As Beauty Does" especially and none were truly horrific-’they were just boring, more than anything else. But I have a strange fascination with rent boy/male prostitute stories, so my fetish is well-fed and happy.

Overall Grade: B-

Best regards,
-Joan/Sarah F.

This book can be purchased at Amazon or in ebook format from Fictionwise and other etailers.

Related posts:

1. REVIEW: Tangle XY (Anthology edited by Nicole Kimberling)
2. REVIEW: My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon edited by P.N. Elrod
3. REVIEW: Love and Lore by Gia Dawn, Sela Carsen and Carolan Ivey

Two of the many things I enjoyed about your erotic novella collection, Pleasure and Purpose, are the setting and the heroines’ background. All three novellas take place in a fantasy setting which resembles mid nineteenth century Europe in terms of its technological development. As far as I can tell, this world does not seem to contain magic, but underlying all the stories is a fascinating mythology that plays an important role in the characters’ lives.

It is the prevailing religious belief that each time a soul finds perfect solace, even if only for a moment, an arrow appears in the god Sinder’s quiver. According to legend — and many people’s faith — when the quiver is full, Sinder, his wife and his son, The Holy Family, will reunite, bringing peace and harmony to mankind.

To that end, the Order of Solace was created. The women who enter the order, called handmaidens, make it their task to bring solace to the patrons who engage their services. Sometimes doing that involves sex, but there is more to it than that. To give an idea of the handmaidens’ outlook, here are the five principles which comprise the tenets of the Order of Solace’s philosophy:

1. There is no greater pleasure than providing absolute solace.
2. True patience is its own reward.
3. A flower is made more beautiful by its thorns.
4. Selfish is the heart that thinks first of itself.
5. Women we begin and women we shall end.

If that sounds sexist, it sounded that way to me too, but the stories derive a lot of impact and depth from the heroines’ religious commitment to these principles, and the heroines themselves are far from wilting flowers.

“Stillness,” the first novella, begins when a handmaiden named Stillness Faine arrives at the home of Edward Delaw. Stillness has traveled far to bring Edward solace. What she does not know is that Edward doesn’t expect to be able to attain perfect solace. He has signed a contract with the order partly because his house is in chaos and he knows a handmaiden will make it a more peaceful place.

Peacefulness is something Edward craves in his soul. When they were young, Edward and his friend Cillian, the Prince of Firth, had sexual escapades with prostitutes. But one of these went terribly awry, and Cillian was sent to an asylum. Cillian returned half-mad, and it is now Edward’s job to watch him. Their friendship is a thing of the past. Cillian is intelligent enough to discern that Edward has rejected his own sexual need to dominate, and he taunts Edward with that need.

Edward and Stillness’ first sexual encounter is a bit rough, something Stillness enjoys very much, but Edward has trouble with. Gradually, though, he comes to see that pain play can bring Stillness not only pleasure but solace, and as he comes to care for her, he begins to accept his own sexual needs.

I enjoyed “Stillness” tremendously. Beneath her outer calm and submissiveness, Stillness is a wonderful heroine, clever, astute, yet also vulnerable. Although she was focused on bringing Edward solace and putting him first, she still had needs of her own, which gave her character dimension.

Edward, meanwhile, started out a bit less likable, but he grew on me more and more as the novella progressed. Despite being tormented by the past, and despite the fact that Stillness was there to serve his well-being, he quickly focused on satisfying her needs. Cillian, though not always as appealing, was intriguing, as was Edward’s friend Alaric.

Since I am not that knowledgeable about BDSM, I can’t say whether its depiction in this story was accurate, but I can say that I found this novella very hot. The sex was quite erotic to me, despite the fact that I am not usually a huge fan of pain play and am not always into male domination. If I had to guess at why, I think it was because I was rooting for Stillness so much that whatever gave her pleasure was sexy to me, and because Edward was so obviously concerned for her needs more than for his own.

Another thing I loved was the language, which was suitable to the historical feel of the fantasy setting. Here’s an example:

She returned her attention to the house. Spring green ivy climbed redbrick walls, and the gabled roof spoke of cozy, tucked-away garret rooms. Smoke from the chimney wisped its gray tail against the background of blue sky.

If I have a couple of minor criticisms it’s that I wanted to understand Edward’s reasons for engaging Stillness’ services a little better, and that the ending was a bit rushed. On the whole, though, this is an excellent story. A-/A for “Stillness.”

“Honesty,” the second novella in the collection, is about Prince Cillian. Having seen Edward attain solace, Cillian craves it for himself. He contacts the Order of Solace to request a handmaiden. Honesty, the handmaiden who is sent to him, arrives late due to a train accident, as well as hungry and fatigued.

Cillian, who is sullen and petulant most of the time, is in a worse mood than usual because of her late arrival, and his temper doesn’t improve much when Honesty is brought to his “playroom,” the place where he flogs willing women for sexual pleasure, and faints of hunger and exhaustion. After nursing her until she awakens, Cillian expects her to begin catering to his needs, and is chagrined when Honesty requests something to eat instead.

Honesty isn’t at all what Cillian expected. Instead of a submissive and gentle handmaiden who anticipates his every need, he gets a woman who isn’t impressed by his title and bluntly shares her opinions of him.

The truth is that Honesty is burned out, having spent a long time attending a dying woman. She feels she is not cut out to serve the order anymore, and hopes to fail in her assignment and be sent home. It’s not until she realizes how badly Cillian needs solace that she begins to want to at least try to help him attain it.

Honesty’s emotional depletion isn’t the only obstacle she and Cillian face. There is also the fact that Honesty isn’t drawn to pain play. In addition, Cillian still has issues to resolve with Edward, and a nobleman plotting against him.

I liked “Honesty” very much. Cillian and Honesty started out a bit less sympathetic than Edward and Stillness, but as they began to fulfill each other’s emotional needs, I grew to like them more and more. Edward and Stillness played a significant role in this story, and it was great to see them again, and through other characters’ eyes.

Although not as erotic as “Stillness,” and a bit less romantic to me, “Honesty” was a very engaging story. In some ways, Edward and Cillian’s relationship with one another was as integral to this story as Cillian’s relationship with Honesty. There was also a nice twist in the way Cillian found his solace. B+/A- for “Honesty.”

“Determinata” is the most unconventional of the three novellas. It is the story of Alaric, Edward and Cillian’s friend, who has been unlucky in love. Alaric’s fiancée, the Lady Larissa, has recently broken off with him, leaving Alaric so devastated that he became addicted to a drug called oblivion.

The story begins when its heroine, a handmaiden named Derterminata, or Mina for short, is given the assignment. The request for Mina’s services is unusual, because it was made not by Alaric himself but by Edward and Cillian. Even though one of Mina’s sisters-in-service expresses doubts about this, Mina herself is eager to travel to Firth and begin her work with Alaric.

Mina has a dominant personality and she is intrigued by Alaric’s profile and his need to submit. She is confident that she can bring him solace. As she leaves the order, a former lover of hers waits with her for the carriage that will bring her to the train station. Mina allows it because she understands that this means something to the man, but to her, their relationship is in the past, and she is unsentimental about such things.

I liked this contrast between Alaric and Mina; whereas Alaric had been devastated by the loss of love, Mina had never truly felt it. When they meet, Alaric is not interested in Mina or her services, and he tells her that he will never love her. Mina replies that she is not there for love, but rather, to give him solace. She makes it clear that that is all she is interested in.

But as Mina helps Alaric through drug withdrawal and gives him assignments that help him get stronger, things begin to change. Mina’s dominance and Alaric’s submission match up so well that they understand each other in ways that are new to both of them.

This was a lovely story. Alaric, with his need to please, was very much out of the usual mold of heroes, and I found him likable and sympathetic. Mina was more compelling, and an unusually strong-minded heroine. I really loved her. Edward and Cillian played a role in this story but the focus remained firmly on Alaric and Mina.

Though a couple of questions remained unanswered, and the story felt a bit too short, the ending was both surprising and touching. I loved how unusual Alaric and Mina’s relationship was, too, so “Determinata” gets an A- from me.

Overall, I think that Pleasure and Purpose may be my favorite of your books thus far, though I have not read your entire backlist. In comparison with your novels for Harlequin Spice, the novellas in Pleasure and Purpose don’t have quite the same degree of depth or emotionalism, but since they are shorter works, that is only to be expected. Also, in my opinion the heroines here are more sympathetic and the novellas are more uplifting, which, combined with the fascinating worldbuilding, made for terrific reading.

Readers may also be interested to know that whereas in the Spice novels the focus is more strongly on the heroines’ emotional journeys, here the heroes’ arcs get at least as much attention as the heroines’. In that sense, these stories may be more traditional, but the setting and the way faith plays a role in the characters’ choices also make these stories feel very fresh.

Perhaps because they are shorter works, the novellas are tight and fast-paced, something else I really liked. Finally, can I say how much I appreciated the happy endings? Although they are labeled as erotic novellas, to me these stories read as romantic too.

In conclusion, all I can say is that I enjoyed Pleasure and Purpose enormously. It is definitely going on my list of favorite books of 2009. My overall grade for the entire collection is an A-.

Sincerely,

Janine

This book can be purchased at Amazon or in ebook format from Sony or other etailers.

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1. REVIEW: Dirty by Megan Hart
2. REVIEW: Broken by Megan Hart
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This anthology is subtitled “Forensic Mysteries from Today’s BEST WRITERS.” I’d heard of some of your names but forgive me if I say that mysteries, though I enjoy them, aren’t my first reading choice so there are some of you I’d never heard of before. What can I say except – I have now. And the stories live up nicely to the claim of having been written by the best writers.

I applaud Dana Stabenow not only for her contribution but also for her editing of the collection. Marty Greenberg and John Helfers rounded up the writers and got the project published.

The stories are located across America, from the heat of Florida to the bone chilling cold of Alaska. The people solving the crimes are from varied backgrounds and hold different titles. The ways the crimes are solved utilize everything from spy satellites, knowledge of sports, tax implications of a home sale, CPR, OCD, dental records, the victim’s job, and, of course, some post mortems. All are solved by the clues left behind and the intelligence of those determined to see justice done.

If you like CSI style shows, if you enjoy reading about forensics, if seeing how good, old fashioned detective work can dovetail with the latest in technology fascinates you, then give this collection a try. But don’t peek at the endings because that’ll ruin half the fun. A-

~Jayne

This book can be purchased in trade paperback from Amazon. Found in Kindle edition only.

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You might have seen the news in Publishers Marketplace that Meljean Brook sold an anthology story to Cindy Hwang at Berkley this past weekend. What you didn’t read is who else is in that anthology.

Are you ready? Do you want to make guesses? Shall I torture you with the knowledge until you send death threats?

Nah. I’m willing to spill else why would I write the post? Summer 2009 will feature an anthology collection featuring

• Charlaine Harris
• Ilona Andrews
• Meljean Brook
• Nalini Singh

!!!!!

I know! That was my response as well. It might be the most perfect anthology collection ever. My question to you would be what would be an anthology collection you would like to see offered?

Related posts:

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3. More Reviews of Demon Angel, January’s BookClub Selection

I’m not usually a fan of Blaze books nor of anthologies. Often elements of a story I love such as characterization and believability are sacrificed for the hot sex that the imprint is known for and anthologies in general sometimes irk me due to the short word count that demands I believe that two people who just met are in love forevah after 80-100 pages. When you offered us a copy of your latest book, I debated with myself if I really felt I could read it and do a decent review. In the end, I took the plunge. While I’ve not been turned into a babbling proselyte, I was rewarded with a fun, fast, and yes hot, story of five couples enjoying themselves immensely.

My usual sticking point with short stories, novellas and anthologies is trying to believe that two people who just met have now fallen hopelessly in love. Love at first sight will only carry so many stories for me. After that, it’s up to the author to wisely use her word count to convey an entire story arc in a manner that doesn’t strain credulity. Since you were also including several scenes of hotness, you were even more constrained. I think you were smart to have four of the couples already know each other. This way the initial meeting is dispensed with, the attraction is already there, the conflict is already in place and you can head straight to the reconciliation and still include the hot sex. The one couple who are new to each other end their story with an agreement to begin dating and the hope that this will lead to more which worked just fine for me.

Four of the five conflicts here are well thought out. One just seemed to be the heroine thinking the hero is too sweet for her and that she’s too bitchy for him. That one seemed a little silly to me. Yet on the other hand, this was the story which might have the scene at which some readers will balk. Admittedly I don’t read many Blaze novels so I’m not sure if threesomes are beginning to be routinely included in them but it’s the first such scene I recall in a series print book. The story with the FBI hero basically kidnapping a star witness is one I didn’t dwell on the details too much either. The premise that she thought he used her during his undercover investigation was fine but I was a bit iffy about the number of agents suddenly racing around the city tracking the hit man. If she’s so important to the case, why let her be in this wedding anyway?

The millionaire and the stripper story conflict was fine. He’s from a wealthy background and she’s definitely not, he’s a high profile businessman and she takes her clothes off to pay for college, he’s a teensy bit of a snot and she calls him on it. No problems for me with this one. The two stories that worked best for me were the childhood sweethearts who parted on bad terms and the overworked housewife who longs for a night away from the demands of her young children. I could see how two teenagers let passion overwhelm them right at a time when college was looming, families could interfere and intervene and people move on and loose touch with each other. And what mother, no matter how loving and devoted to her offspring, couldn’t do with a night away from sippy cups, diapers and bedtime stories and in bed with a man who wants to cherish the woman she still is?

But what about the hot scenes? Well, there’s the sex with a stranger in a car, slightly voyeuristic sex in an elevator with a piano bar pick up, sex on the run, reunion sex, and the threesome. All followed by even more hotness lasting through the night. By morning, for these couples, everything below the waist is kaput as Madeline Kahn famously sang in “Blazing Saddles.” Yet, despite the scenes being hot, and they were, none of them squicked me out as so many erotica offerings do these days. I didn’t once scrunch my face up and say “eeuuuw.” Maybe the book would be judged too tame by those who want blatant buttseck, twincest, BDSM and other delights, yet you do allow for the imagination to fill in the blanks if that is what is desired. B for “One Wild Wedding Night.”

~Jayne

This book can be purchased in mass market or ebook format.

Related posts:

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2. REVIEW: Virgin’s Wedding Night by Sara Craven
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While many readers dislike anthologies because the good stories are often outnumbered by the bad, I’m not one of them. I love anthologies. They let me sample many different authors at once — old favorites and new-to-mes. And sometimes all it takes is one perfect story to make an anthology worthwhile.

The follow-up to My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon presents nine authors covering the spectrum from paranormal romance to straight urban fantasy. The variety is the anthology’s strength. I think there’s something for everyone who likes these genres. On the other hand, some of these stories aren’t as accessible to new readers as they could be and the quality varies widely.

“Stalked” by Kelley Armstrong
I’m a huge fan of yours and the werewolves are my favorite characters from the Otherworld series, so I was greatly pleased to read this story. Set two years after the birth of their twins, Elena and Clay are enjoying their honeymoon, which amused me because they’re technically not married. (It’s more of a symbolic gesture than anything else.) It’s meant to be relaxing and enjoyable but as usual, they have the bad luck to pick up a stalker who’s interested in challenging Clay and claiming Elena for himself.

The writing here is top notch and I thought it did an excellent job combining the romance of an established relationship, action, and the werewolf politics we’ve come to expect from the Otherworld series. What didn’t work for me as well was that a large portion of the emotional tension depends on lack of communication. While it fits both Clay and Elena and the circumstances presented in the story, I can’t help but wonder why they aren’t past this hurdle yet. I also question whether this story works for someone not familiar with the Otherworld series, because certain plot aspects depend upon events that took place in Broken. It’s a good introduction to the world, but I’m not convinced it’s the best. B+

“Heorot” by Jim Butcher
Your long-running Harry Dresden series has been around for several years, but I think a lot of people were introduced to Chicago’s only wizard through the recent Sci-Fi channel television series, myself included. In this story, Harry agrees to help find a missing bride, who vanished soon after the wedding but before the honeymoon. No one believes the poor groom when he says she was kidnapped; most just assume that she got cold feet and ran off, but Harry’s investigation proves otherwise.

Any story in which Harry is with his dog, Mouse, is a good one, and the presence of Gard and a grendelkin provide some worthwhile entertainment. But while this was a solid, straight urban fantasy effort, I also believe the length hampers how good I know a Harry Dresden story can be. I kept turning pages, but nothing left much of a lasting impression. B-

“Roman Holiday, or SPQ ARRRRRRR!” by Rachel Caine
I haven’t read the Weather Warden series or the Morganville Vampire young adult novels, so this is my first introduction to your work. This is unfortunate, because this read more like a piece of Pirates of the Caribbean fanfiction than an original story.

My initial impression isn’t helped by the fact that this is a follow-up to your contribution to My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon. Since I haven’t read that anthology, I have no frame of reference for newlyweds Cecilia and Liam. I’m not invested in these characters, so I don’t much care when Liam’s crew mutinies because they don’t like the modern world, and I don’t care when another pirate shows up and kidnaps Cecilia because he thinks she’s a witch who lifted Liam’s curse. It read like one ridiculous event after another. I felt like I’d walked in midway through a movie and never caught up. I love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, but I’ve already seen them and I have no desire to read a watered-down version in literary form. D

“Her Mother’s Daughter” by P.N. Elrod
This is my first introduction to your vampire detective, Jack Fleming. I thought he provided an interesting contrast to Harry Dresden: a vampire detective from Depression Era Chicago versus a wizard from present-day Chicago. Even the plot presents a nice contrast: here, it’s the groom who goes missing and the bride who hires Fleming to find him.

I really enjoyed the setting of this story, and I loved the gangster feel provided by the bride’s family, as well as her refusal to become another hapless damsel in distress. That’s why I regret to say I didn’t enjoy this enjoy as much as I’d hoped I would or think I should have. However, it might work better for readers more familiar with your Vampire Files series. C

“Newlydeads: A Tale of Black London” by Caitlin Kittredge
Since your debut novel, Night Life, doesn’t come out for a few months, I believe this will be most readers’ first introduction to your writing. So I admit I was a little disappointed when I realized this story takes place in a different setting with a different cast of characters from your forthcoming werewolf urban fantasy.

To cheer up his partner-of-sorts, Jack Winter takes Pete Caldecott on a holiday and tricks the hotel management into giving them the honeymoon suite. Unfortunately, it’s a holiday that proves anything but restful when hotel guests start disappearing into the lurking fog.

What frustrated me most was that this story relies so much on previous events that took place elsewhere (I believe there is a book in the works about these two?), I again felt like I was missing half the plot when it came to Pete’s issues. I think it’s possible for a story to be connected to other pieces of work, whether they are previous stories or novels, but they also need to stand on their own so new readers can jump in at anytime. Since much of Pete’s lack of emotional well-being depended on events not covered by this story, I was a bit let down by the climax. That said, I did catch some glimpses of brilliance in the writing, so I think this might be one of those cases where future works from you will be astounding. It just might take a few novels and short stories to get there. C

“Where the Heart Lives” by Marjorie M. Liu
I really enjoy your Dirk & Steele series, so I looked forward to this story about the foundation of our favorite paranormal-powered detective agency. Lucy comes from a family of stone cutters who have no use for her, or women in general, as shown by her mother who ran off with a gypsy the year before. So when the opportunity arises, Lucy’s father sends her to take care of a house belonging to a woman named Miss Lindsay. There, Lucy meets Miss Lindsay, a woman with unusual powers, her brother Henry, and Barnabas, the young man who lives with them.

This story reads almost like a fairy tale: a bride stolen by a forest-dwelling faerie witch, a man who pines for the woman he lost, and the very normal woman caught in the middle of it. Of all the stories in this anthology based on existing continuities, I think this is the one that stands alone the best and serves as the best introduction to the world of Dirk & Steele. B

“Cat Got Your Tongue” by Katie MacAlister
This is another first introduction for me and much like the other stories, I think it’s one that’s best enjoyed by existing fans. Fiona and Raphael St. John are on their honeymoon at Fyfe Castle, where they are beseeched by the ghost of Lily Summerton, the wife of one of its former owners, Sir Alec Summerton. She seeks revenge on her husband who betrayed her and supposedly caused her death.

I greatly enjoyed the humorous tone, which provides a great change of pace from an otherwise serious anthology. What made the story less enjoyable was that I predicted what would happen the instant Fiona and Raphael agree to help Lily’s ghost. It’s a good story, and one that I believe loyal fans will enjoy, but when there’s no surprise for me waiting at the end, I find it hard to be excited. C+

“Half of Being Married” by Lilith Saintcrow
I adoreyour Dante Valentine series, so I was happy to find a story of yours included here. And after reading several stories based on pre-existing worlds, I was even happier to learn this doesn’t take place in that setting either. Katrina and Mitchell Black are on their honeymoon but they both failed to reveal an important secret about themselves to the other: Kat is a vampire hunter and Mitch is a werewolf. And when they discover there’s a nest of vampires in the town where they’re staying, things get even more complicated.

I loved the relationship between Kat and Mitch. She very much believes in the mission of her holy order of vampire hunters, while Mitch is very much a product of his werewolf upbringing. I liked that they were both upset when they realized they didn’t know this crucial fact about the other, but that they were able to work through it and then work together, although reluctantly on Mitch’s part, to flush out the vampire nest. And anyone who enjoys the action of your Dante Valentine series will not be disappointed by the action presented here. This was simply a lot of fun, in a bite-sized package. B+

“A Wulf in Groom’s Clothing” by Ronda Thompson
It’s with a sense of bittersweet sadness that I write this. Many readers were saddened by your loss, and reading this final story set in the world of your Wild Wulfs of London series drove that point home. Laura is a city girl, through and through, but her new husband, Sam Wulf, loves the outdoors and she’ll do anything to make him happy, even if it means lying about her true feelings towards the outdoors. As for Sam, he comes from a family that bears a certain curse and hopes that Laura’s love will release him from it.

This is another story about a couple who’ve kept important secrets from one another, but here the bulk of the story focuses on them working through the issues that arise from not sharing those secrets. I liked how Laura wouldn’t accept Sam’s nightly jaunts without explanation and how she tried her best to overcome her dislike of the outdoors because she loved Sam. Normally I hate it when people keep secrets from one another in stories, because it often seems like the author does it to maintain an otherwise superficial conflict but it worked for me here. It’s the motivations of both Sam and Laura that made it believable — Sam doesn’t want to tell Laura he turns into a wolf because he’s afraid she’ll think he’s a monster, and Laura doesn’t want to tell Sam she hates the outdoors because she knows he loves it so much. I do think the ending is a little contrived and perhaps too convenient, but all in all I think it’s a great final send off for the Wulf family. B-

My regards,
Jia

This book can be purchased in mass market. No ebook format.

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The anthologies in this collection had one thing in common – they all had a paranormal or mythical backdrop. While most of these authors are associated with super erotic fare, I found the sensuality to be mixed as well as the quality. Emma Holly’s is the top dog, her writing is head and shoulders better than anyone else’s in the anthology. I would have preferred a collection of four short stories penned by Ms. Holly.

Dragon Dance by Angela Knight. Arial Dean arrives on the scene to negotiate a hostage situation with a newly transformed “Hyper” who is holding his wife and children hostage. Hypers are humans that are infected with some alleged demonic spirit. Arial takes down the Hyper but becomes infected in the process. The hostage negotiation with the Hyper doesn’t look good and so the team calls in Josiah aka Tracker. Tracker is a Hyper who serves as an FBI consultant when they need him to come in and kick some ass.

The worldbuilding is a bit of a mess. The reader jumps from learning the bare details about Hypers to the existence of some alien inhabitants. Then there is the ick inducing (for me) scenes that involve Arial’s lovemaking with the tiger spirit being of Tracker which turns Tracker on and Arial being fondled in return by the ghostly fingers of the spirit that inhabits Tracker. The complicated world building simply had no time to develop in this shortened space and it bordered too closely on the beastiality theme for my taste. I also wondered that since the gender of these animals/aliens that inhabit Arial and Tracker both turn out to be male whether she was having a four-some or whether the two alien inhabitants had a side relationship. Was that a detail conveniently ignored or simply overlooked? C-

Caught by the Tides by Diane Whiteside

This was a surprise for me because I found your previous work to be marked with purpley prose and overwrought metaphors. While there is still a heavy dependence on metaphors and repetitive descriptors (I counted more than five derivations of the term “rip open/rip apart” in this short story), there was an interesting mythology.

In a take off of Naomi Novik’s retelling of the Napoleon battles to include dragons, your story involves mages, both French and English, warring against each other on behalf of Napoleon and the crown respectively. Owen Bentham is a mage who is a courier of secrets for the King of England. He holds an important key to the war but is betrayed and left for dead on the coast of Cornwall.

Emma Sinclair finds Owen lying on the beach of her ancestral lands. She immediately recognizes that he is a mage and in need of her help. She brings him to safety where it is discovered that Emma can help Owen reach the king.

Emma is a widow who enjoyed a brief time with her husband but has been alone since his death. Owen’s male beauty catches her off guard and she is tempted by him.

There were times when the magic lacked consistency and while the idea of the land holding tremendous power that served as a source for the people was clever (but not all that unique) it wasn’t consistently played out causing me to backtrack and question the timing and use. The magic did not wide naturally through the story but was obviously manipulated to cause both conflict and then success for the characters. C

Queen of all She Surveys by Emma Holly

This is the best of the lot and shows precisely how an anthology based upon myth can be told in a short space with a plausible background. In fact, it’s a pity that Penguin doesn’t allow you to buy these books separately in eform as HarperCollins has done in the past. Holly’s work is a worthwhile read but maybe not worth $14.00 in trade form with three other stories.

Prince Memnon is traded by his father to Queen Tou in order to ransom 20 soldiers. Queen Tou is famous for her harem of men and Prince Memnon is just the latest of her acquisitions. Memnon’s father, King Ravna, the other ruler of the land has traded him. Memnon is willing to do his duty but despises his father and is prepared to despise Queen Tou.

Only upon arrival to the Queen’s territory he sees that the harem is a place of honor and that Queen Tou herself is an unrivaled beauty of great allure. Queen Tou explains that she is god touched after she had been cruelly abused. Since her youth and being blessed by the gods, she has gained long life, strength and a virtually unquenchable sexual appetite. Memnon also has a legendary sexual appetite and believes himself to be a match for Queen Tou.

While the story has only the slightest paranormal underpinnings (Memnon, Tou and Ravna all being god touched), it works within the theme set for the collection. Further, while the sensuality is high, the sex scenes are not overwrought nor do they read forced in anyway. By the end of this seven chapter story, I felt I had a good sense of the political situation, the slight paranormal aspects and the love story. B

In a Wolf’s Embrace by Lora Leigh

This story . . . I’m sorry but this story was just bad. It was poorly written; poorly plotted; poorly devised. The setup is completely unbelievable. Matthias Slaughter is a Wolf Breed assassin who, with the aid of a Breed squad, kills Dr. Benedikt Adolf Albrecht at the Dubbree Hotel. Albrecht was a part of the team of scientist that had developed the Breeds, inhuman creations designed to be the ultimate soldiers.

Slaughter completes his mission but notices that there is a witness –the hotel’s assistant manager, Grace Anderson. Instead of removing the witness as any good assassin would do, Slaughter kidnaps Grace and takes her away. Grace mews a bit about turning Slaughter into the authorities but all her pronouncements are laughable when we read in almost the next paragraph about her panties getting wet just by looking at Slaughter.

The plot has something to do with Matthias being hunted by the directorate of BIG BADs but most of the story are sex scenes between Grace and Matthias. There is even some weird riff in the middle of the story about how “innocent” Grace is which I find particularly odd given all the ways that Matthias finds to penetrate her. Is it better and more romantic when the heroine is innocent? Is the defiler of innocents the type of person that is heroic?

Grace liked to consider herself a well-rounded, experienced woman, but even for her, the way Matthias touched her made her feel almost innocent. She felt unable to deny him, unable to reassert her common sense and run like hell. . . .

His hand smoothed down her arm, lifted her wrist and brought her palm to his stubbled jaw. “Your hands were warm and so soft. As soft as innocence itself.”

…

“I’m not innocent,” she told him, but she meant the reminder for herself. Because he made her feel innocent. He made her feel nervous, excited, uncertain, but without the fears of virginity. He made her feel so much a woman that it was frightening.

“But you are innocent.” He laid his cheek against hers, his lips at her ear, as he pushed her robe over her shoulders.

Worse, though, beyond the set up (woman falls for man she sees kill someone else), the non stop sex, and the playing up of innocence defiled was the poor grammar. The sentences were almost incomprehensible at times and I wondered if I was reading someone’s first draft.

The Breed species hadn’t been lucky enough to be born. No, nature hadn’t, in all her insight and mercy, thrown a genetic kink in the works of an everyday human. Quite the contrary. In one of her rare fits of humor, she had decided instead to work with what man had created.
…
How nature must have chuckled over that one.

Matthias imagined over the years that he had heard a giggle or two from her as well.

Nature didn’t create them, but she decided to involve herself with what man created? And that made her laugh? And why is she giggling over the years?

The technical wizardry of another Breed enforcer was ensuring that the security cameras didn’t record Mathias’s entrance or later his exit. It was ensuring that the council itself was blamed for this death, as well as the generals before him.

This sentence I think was meant to say that the technical wizardry of was ensuring that the council was blamed for the death of Albrecht and the deaths of the others before him, but it took me reading the sentence aloud before I actually understood it. I finally gave up trying to understand each sentence (0_0) and just moved on. While the trademark Leigh sex scenes were hot, as usual, it wasn’t enough for me to appreciate this work. D.

Best regards,

Jane

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At the urging of Dionne Galace, a blogger whom I consider a friend, I purchased this book from LiquidSilver. It languished in my to be read pile because, like other readers, anthologies are often not my cup of tea. Because Dionne is a friend, though, I read it a few days ago and am reviewing it now. It’s hard to do reviews of books written by people you like or that you consider a friend, but the promise of the blog is that our reviews are as honest and as impartial as possible. With that caveat stated, we’re onto the reviews.

First up is Annie Dean’s Seven Days. Teresa has been training her whole adult life to become a bride of God. One week before she would take her holy vows, a handsome stranger appears to tempt her into sin. In a not very discreet manner, the stranger admits that she has done nothing wrong but Heaven and Hell engage in these battles for entertainment from time to time. Remember Job, is essentially his message. Teresa is determined to withstand his seductions though and be as successful as Job.

The story is told by days of temptation: Day One, the meet and greet; Day Two, awakening in the arms of future lover after an innocent sleep; etc. So each day brings Teresa closer to her decision but, of course, with more doubts than ever. Not only is the stranger handsome and seductive, but if she denies him, he goes back into the pit of hell.

Had the question of the story been whether it is more honorable and or strong to make a decision with knowledge of what your missing, i.e., Job enjoyed wealth, good fortune, and a good reputation before God and Lucifer engaged in a battle for his soul, the story would have been stronger; the setting more compelling. Instead, the story turned into Teresa being the seducer and giver of pleasure and somehow that was still abiding by precepts of her impending sisterhood which seemed common in the face of the unique possibilities of the religious overtones. In other words, the conflict was less about the religious struggle for Teresa’s heart and more about her saving this stranger from going to hell. C.

The Straw Man by Bonnie Dee.

This is my first story of yours. Your work has often been claimed as unconventional but transcendent. It could be a case of missed expectations, but I found this story to be ordinary and worse, lacking in plot. Marie is a woman who has a farm and in order to make the farm a going concern, allows visitors during the holiday season to supplement her income. She spends much of her time muttering to her scarecrow Sam who isn’t good for anything, not even keeping scarecrows out of the field. Marie engages in serious projection with Sam, accusing him of not responding to her insults, redrawing a sexier face on his tin visage, and wishing that he were a real man to take care of her sexual itch.

She wished at the right time because Straw Man comes to life for a night. Without any real thoughtfulness, Marie commences to have intercourse with the stranger throughout the night. The story was primarily a few sex scenes, unimaginative sex at that, strung together. Even the prelude of the story seemed contrived with Marie confronting the stranger at her door and thinking that he is some crazy yet her nipples harden and her crotch “clenched and released in a hard spasm that wet her underwear.”

There wasn’t any real plot to the story other than Straw Man serving as one who existed only to meet every need of Marie’s even before she voices it because Straw Man just knows what she wants. “Tonight has been just what I dreamed about. You’re exactly who I wanted.” He then ominously warns her that “Real men aren’t perfect.” But Marie doesn’t want a real man. She wants a dream man and that is what she gets. Essentially the Straw Man is her id. In a greater sense, Marie is essentially having intercourse with a giant fantasy vibrator. Self fulfillment taken to the nth degree. I’m pretty sure, though, that’s now how the story was meant to read. D.

Waking Kitty by Dionne Galace.This final contribution to the anthology was very disjointed. The opening scene includes showing that Jack, the hero, is kind of a slacker, man slut, drunk, and addicted to Vicodin. So we know this guy’s edgy. Different. Not ordinary hero material. Problem is that none of this is important for the plot. In fact, the Vicodin and sleeping around has no bearing on any part of the story. If anything, it serves as a point of irony because despite being characterized as an anti-hero, he acts like the standard romance hero.

He’s protective of Kitty, not willing to take advantage of her, and all around acts the good guy while inwardly protesting that being the good guy is really hard. Of course, he tends to treat Kitty as a child and I wasn’t sure whether the “stay here, Kitty” demands were an inside joke or whether it was to depict his mastery over her or whether Kitty was supposed to be treated like a dog or child.

Kitty’s best known characteristics are that she dresses like an anime character (or Sarah from Wienerlicious): short skirt, pink knee high boots, big rack encased in a filmy see through white shirt, and fishnet stockings and can’t remember anything before a month ago. There are strange goings on in the Chicagoland area such as ships appearing inside bars and pink ducks in the city parks. Kitty has a sneaking suspicion that she might be the cause of these strange occurrences but chooses to deny it.

Rather than reading edgy to me, I am just confused. The heroine is supposed to be omnipotent. What’s the point of having someone all powerful who doesn’t do anything but produce stone statutes and pink ducks?

I have no idea why Kitty would stay with Jack. There is a suggestion that he is real, as if the men in her past are not real which wasn’t the case. Kitty came off more petulant than strong willed and her month long escape more of a temper tantrum than a quest for a life change. Someone who wanted to get out of the life that she had and enjoy a new adventure. This new adventure included being sexually attracted to Jack but I couldn’t see them having more than a month of bed romping together before Kitty was bored again and moved on. The one sex scene I thought was tacked on and included so that this could be part of an erotic romance anthology.

I saw glimpses of the Bam wit that I know and love but it wasn’t enough to save this story for me. C-

Best regards,

Jane

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Ms Dawn, your story, “A Fairy Special Gift” starts us out with rowdy fairies, a lovelorn Celtic god, a banshee who needs a makeover and two special humans who can both see them all. Meara Magee hates the nasty little fairies who’ve pestered her since she was a child. I loved the image of her defending herself with flyswatters and putting out wasp traps. Jamison Murphy has come to terms with them and always carries his anti-fairy secret mix with him. But since the fairies brought them together, maybe Meara can finally admit that they have their uses. Her cat thinks otherwise.

Since your novella is the shortest of the three, you have to bring your leads together a bit faster than I usually like to see. That’s just my preference though. Things heat up quickly between them but you did build some time into the story for them to get to know each other. What brings my grade down is the almost Mary Sue quality to Meara. Everybody’s hot for her from the fairies who won’t leave her alone to Lugh, the seven foot god who pesters her constantly, to Banshee who can’t seem to figure out how to fix herself up without Meara’s help, to of course Jamison who has to constantly adjust his pants after he meets her. Then there’s a misunderstanding to almost end things. However I like the way the fairies come to their aid in the end and can just see the rainbow colored night light. Very nice image there. C

Ms Carsen, you’re next up with “Heart of the Sea.” After reading the first novella you sent me, I said I’d be interested in reading more of your work. This story works much better for me and I’m glad you sent it along. Merial Byrne had only dreamed of her handsome, rich boss Ronan Burbank until the day of his annual party at his family’s 100 year old Rhode Island mansion. That’s the day she tripped, fell backwards off the only damn cliff in the area and tumbled into the sea. It’s then that she discovered the ancient curse put on all the descendants of the woman with whom a selkie had fallen in love. Spurned by her, he cursed any Byrne who touched the sea into becoming a selkie for life.

Merial’s disappearance didn’t only ruin her day but started a downward slid for Ronan. Suspected of her murder, though cleared, his business and personal life were torn apart by the tabloids. It was then he discovered the financial misdoings which caused him to have to sell off his businesses piecemeal until now he’s hanging on with only a yacht building enterprise left. When the two meet again, Merial saves his life and is granted a 24 hour chance to reverse her curse. Can the two work out their differences, discover how to undo what was done and still have time to fall in love?

There’s lots of humor here from Meriel’s views on sushi to Ronan’s disbelief that a seal talked to him after saving his life. I was starting to write down some questions about how certain things were known by certain people (how’s that for a vague attempt to avoid a spoiler?) when you answered it a little later in the story. I was puzzled about why the villain didn’t make a move against Merial for seven years. And I assume that his intense interest in Merial is what caused Ronan to mess up his multiplication answer? I liked that the seals were ready to help Merial save her true love and the acknowledgment that Ronan and Merial were going to have some work on their hands to fit her back into society. After all, they can’t explain away her absence for that long by telling authorities she’s been a selkie for seven years! B

Ms Ivey you conclude the anthology with “Wildish Things” and indeed the story gets pretty strange at times. It took me awhile to wrap my mind around a goddess who’s actually the land of Ireland. Or part of Ireland. And a sexually insatiable goddess at that. The Hag wants a man and she senses that wildlife artist Beith Molloy can deliver one. Kellan O’Neill doesn’t realize he’s the chosen man. All he wants is a short, hot fling with the woman his brother was hired to guide to wildlife sites. A brief glance at the information faxed over about Beith and he’s off to the airport to pick her up and whisk her off on his Harley to the west of Ireland — and straight to the Hag.

Pretty soon they both sense a presence but Beith’s going to give the Hag a run for her money. And despite the year old extensive injuries she’s barely recovered from, they manage a night even the Hag would be proud of. But how can Beith believe in what she thought she’d found with Kellan when his lies are exposed and reality rears its ugly head?

I’m glad you had your characters raise some of the questions that I had about this story. When Kellan is amazed that Beith is willing to leave the airport with him without even asking for any id from him, I was nodding my head. I could understand that Beith wanted to conquer some demons by climbing on the Harley for what she thought was going to be a short ride. I was amazed at her stamina, given her severe injuries, for the night after she spent all day being jounced around on it. From your dedication, I can see that you do know what you’re talking about in regard to those injuries. I like that Beith and Kellan take time to sort out their feelings for each other and neither rushes things to a HEA. I also think I agree with Beith about spending any time under that dolman pictured on the cover. Even Hag spit has to wear down after a few millennium! I do have one question though. I never was quite sure if the Hag actually wanted Kellan or just the sexual energy the two produced. B

~Jayne

These stories can be bought as one print anthology or individual ebooks at Samhain

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My blogging partner, Jayne, was a fan of your early e-work, Yule Be Mine particularly. When I received Wild Wild West, I was curious what my reaction would be. I was both excited and nervous like any virgin reader is with a new to her author. Fortunately, Wild Wild West and I fit together well. If I were to be asked what I thought erotic romance was, I would hand the questioner your book because this is what I want in the subgenre. As in any well written book, the excerpts show how wonderful the story is better than I. The collection is a series of novellas featuring three male friends and three female friends and the control games couples play in the bedroom. While these might not be politically correct novellas, they are easy to read and hotter than a wildfire on an open plain.

A Man’s Word Is His Bondage. The collection opens with the story of Gabe Wilson and Willow Daniels. Willow is the poet in residence. Her term is done and she’s heading back east to take up the reins of the “real world”. She had hoped to find her writing voice and establish her career as a writer but she did one novel and it was bad. Willow is certain that writing is not her future. Gabe is reluctantly dragged to Lemon Espresso by his two best pals. He’s sure that by stepping into the nancy coffee shop, “rumors of his advanced mental deterioration could be flying like sand on the wind.”

Gabe, Chet and Reuben have deposited themselves in chairs at “The Lemon” to listen, ostensibly, to a poetry reading.

“Love–"love–"love–"for love, I die.”
“For love of my ears, I’d get a gun and help him,” Chet volunteered.
“For love of poetry, he deserves to die,” Gabe agreed.
Teaching English to junior high kids should have steeled him to any abuse of the mother tongue but his students wrote better stuff than this.

But then Willow arrives and “Gabe heard music.”

She'd seduced him with a poem. Made him hot. Made him want to answer her invitation and then let their bodies do the talking.
Ease down, Cowboy, he thought. It was just a poem. Words. No need to take them to heart as if she'd written them for him, a personal invitation.
…

Before he'd recovered himself, Willow walked over. "Are you going to read tonight?–?
"Yes,–? he said, before he could stop himself.
Which was how he came to be standing on the stage at the Lemon, looking straight into Willow Daniel's dark eyes, delivering the old and well-memorized lines, "She walks in beauty like the night– –?
This better get him into Willow's good graces, because it was going to destroy his reputation completely.

Gabe is convinced that Willow is the woman for him and he spends the next 24 hours convincing Willow that staying in Montana and pursuing her writing career with him by her side is exactly the right thing. It’s not hard to guess what the ending of this novella is.

Ready to Play. Jolie McIntyre is giving herself one summer of wildness before she buttons up and takes on the practice of law. After debating her options, she picks one Chet Andrews who has been kind of a thorn in her side since he first started frequenting The Lemon Espresso. The night of Willow’s poetry reading, Jolie offers the “get me through the wild summer days” offer to Chet and he’s savvy enough to pick up the invitation and run with it.

Jolie’s a confident woman. “If you expected me to blush and get all flustered, you haven't been paying attention. I don't embarrass easily.” Chet, however, is happy to challenge her, in every way.

“Why do you want me to spend the night with you if you win?”
Chet glanced at her, then plucked his hat off her head and resettled it on his. “Because if we're going to do this, I want to do it right.”
“And that involves me spending the night.”
He shook his head and heaved a mock sigh. "Already you're giving me a hard time. Instead of claiming some other prize, I'm very generously offering to give you a night in my bed, because I know perfectly well once is not going to be enough and we'll probably need a rematch in the morning, too. Are you grateful? No. Questions, complaints, demands. You're high maintenance.”

There’s a soft humor that permeates the story. This particular passage is something you rarely see, a man teasing a woman about her weight, but Chet does it because he knows how confident Jolie is with herself, her body and her sexuality.

Jolie laughed. "What about how it'll look if you get pulled over? Caught with a woman who has her pants unzipped.–?
"It'll look like I'm about to get lucky, but we can probably explain it away by saying you ate too much dinner and felt
uncomfortable.–?

Jolie is certain that while Chet is great as a lover he couldn’t possibly be patient enough to live out a life with her grueling associate hours. Chet has to prove to Jolie that his patience is endless.

Reuben’s Rules. Reuben is a stoic. He doesn’t talk much and he’s slow to act. The novella isn’t the beginning of his courtship. The courtship started when he began when he first started frequenting the Lemon Espresso which was owned by and run by Laura Jamieson. He drove back and forth from his ranch each day to get a cup of coffee and say good morning. He would go in the evenings and watch over her close her shop in the evening. The novella is when Reuben tries to close the deal. “Reuben was ready to settle down and he'd set his sights on Laura.”

Reuben’s strategy was to show Laura that she could not live without him, that he was absolutely the right man for her. His whole goal, then, is to make every possible fantasy she has come true, to cater to her every need so that permanency of their relationship became a mutual goal. “‘Remember which one of you is supposed to remain in control, and which one is supposed to lose it,’ he told the man in the mirror.”

The problem is that while Reuben wants Laura, Laura wants Reuben to love her and when he can’t respond to her emotionally, she leaves him.

It hurt. It would probably hurt for some time. But she'd made the right choice. Better a clean break now with good memories on both sides than dragging them both down into a nightmare of pain and recriminations and eventual bitterness.
Which didn't make it any easier.
"Sometimes doing the right thing sucks,–? she said out loud.

Reuben is then forced to work out in his own mind what is love and what is desire.

There is a wonderful sense of comfortableness about the sex in this collection. The couples discuss condoms, the wet spot, water waste, all in a humorous but matter of fact manner. It made the stories so much more realistic, accessible. There is a lot of sexy dialogue, as if just talking to each other made these couples excited. I couldn’t give individual grades because they were all well done. My complaint? The stories were too short and I would have liked a little better balance between the emotional romance and the physical romance in the last novella. I still see this as a keeper though. A-

Best regards

Jane

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When you sent me this book to review, you said that your plan was to eventually convince me of your writing genius. I thought to myself, this is one foolish chick because previous reviews have shown that my taste and your books don’t always run in synchronicity, but your devious plan is working because I liked Wild, Wicked and Wanton. While I had problems with each novella, overall this is a great beach read.

The reader, though, will want to sit under an umbrella because the heat generated from this book may cause a stroke. On the Miami beaches, they have beach boys that run around with tanning lotions and spritzers around their waist. A reader will want one of these guys with the spritzer and a tall glass of Long Island Ice tea else she’ll expire before the end.

Wild. Abby is the shy divorcee whose previous spouse had bedroom issues which he projected onto Abby. She’s getting her life back together, finishing vet school and wondering about her future when her two bosses call her in on her last day of internship. Abby is sure she is going to be reprimanded and is quite nervious. The two men are also nervous because Abby’s last day marks the beginning, they hope, of a fun time with someone they’ve lusted after for the entirety of her internship.

Vets Seth and Mike put forth their proposition and Abby is stunned, nervous, excited and fearful all at once. Abby spends time with both of them only to find out that she is in love with Seth and he with her.

I don’t know that I completely bought the happy ever after and I really wondered about the friendship of the two men after it was all said and done. If Seth really had feelings for Abby, would he really have shared her? B-

Wicked. While Blair was the instigator of the bet, she never thought that her best friends would make her sleep with the one man that she doesn’t want. Blair and Rand have been at loggerheads for years. Blair has always taken men that she knew she could control. Rand believes that Blair is the woman for him and has waited years for her to come to the realization that she can’t run away from him forever. One weekend he takes control and makes her realize that every experience she’s had in the past is nothing compared to what she can have with Rand.

I loved the setup with the heroine being the ballsy, in control of her own sexuality, type that we don’t often see in romances. The psychobabble about her being a sexual submissive got on my nerves. I had a problem buying into the idea that she was so sexually in tune with herself, recognized what turned her on but never actually experienced it. Her actions didn’t really meet the characterizations and therefore the story about her introduction into sexual submissiveness as the path to true love seemed hollow. C

Wanton is the story of _Callie. She’s a widow who misses her deceased husband but is ready to meet someone again. In the coffee store she owns, an attorney comes in every morning for some coffee and flirtation until one day Jack actually asks her out. She is leery of dating him. He lives on the golf course, is partner in one of the more powerful law firms, and he’s white. Jack convinces her to take a chance and they go out to a country club event together. During the event, they discover that their share a similar kink – voyuerism and exhibitionism. This leads to trouble with Jack’s law firm and he’ll have to decide whether he risks his career or his relationship.

While I had to suspend a bit of my disbelief that a prominent lawyer would engage in such acts in public (I kept thinking about the moral turpitude clause), this story had a very sweet romance. I really liked Jack and Callie and felt that their HEA within a short span was believable. B.

The thing that bothered me the most in the last two stories was the aalmost clinical discussions of the protagonists’ sexual predilections. I felt, at times, that they were at a meeting of sexual addicts anonymous. Hello, I am Brenda Chenowith, and I am a nymphomaniac. I am Callie Jameson, and I am a voyuer. I think it would have been more seemless to write it in layman’s terms such as “I get turned on by watching other people” or something more simplistic. It’s more relatable.

Some of the best parts were the interaction between the three friends, Abby, Blair and Callie. Their fun banter and caring showed how important it is to have friends and is one aspect I would like to see more of in romances. One point other point that is undeniable is these stories burn up the pages. I had to fan myself a few times to make it through. Overall, a B- for the anthology.

Best regards,

Jane

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