Someplace in This World by various authors

TITLE: Someplace in This World
AUTHORS: Lee Benoit, Kiernan Kelly, Syd McGinley, J.L. Merrow, G.R. Richards, J. Rocci, P.D. Singer, G.S. Wiley, Eden Winters
PUBLISHER: Torquere
LENGTH: Anthology (roughly 65k)
GENRE: Gay erotic romance
COST: $6.99

A collection of gay erotic romance stories, all centered around the theme of home…

The theme of this anthology of gay romances centers around the idea of home, defining it in ways unique to each story. Some of them work much better than others, but then again, isn’t that usually the way with anthologies?

The collection begins with “Absence of Color” by Kiernan Kelly. Michael has been grieving the loss of his partner for three years. His brother isn’t happy with how he hasn’t moved and demands that he come out and live with him and his family for a while. There, he meets a nice guy in a mall, that actually leads to a date. But Michael hasn’t dealt with the loss of his partner well at all, and the date changes in ways he’s not sure he likes. I was wary after finishing this first story. The material is very dark, and the mood depressing. It deals with abusive relationships and grief and guilt in a very heavy-handed way, and I wasn’t sure if this meant the entire anthology was going to be like this. As a starter, it almost stopped me in my tracks, because I would expect anthologies to be edited to have a definite building flow, rather than starting on such in your face drama. Perhaps it would have been better if I’d liked the story more than I did, but it was too doom and gloom for most of it. Then, during the date, both guys end up spilling lots of deep, heavy secrets to each other. On a first date. Compared to how realistically it seemed the rest of the story was being told, this seemed really far-fetched. Too far-fetched for me, actually.

Next comes “The Prodigal” by Eden Winters, the story of prostitute Mark and his journey home again. As you can tell from the subject matter, this was another grim tale, but contrary to the first, this one felt a lot more genuine, with very realistic reactions and nothing sexually inappropriate for the situation just because of who the publisher is. One of my top three in the anthology.

I had higher hopes going onto “The Magic of Moving Houses” by G.R. Richards. It’s the story of two neighboring families whose houses start disappearing in the middle of the night, leaving them to figure out what happened to them. Though I liked the general idea behind this, the execution fell flat. POV is looser in this than in any of the other stories, and the sex scene at the end is over the top. I just couldn’t buy it in the end.

Some of that was redeemed in “Comeback,” by G.S. Wiley, the story of an A-list Hollywood actor trying to get back in the game after rehab. I loved the set-up and the characters in this, as well as the vivid descriptions, but all that potential was sold short by and ending that was too rushed and simplified for the complexity of the voice and characterizations I’d already been sold. It didn’t improve with much with “Return to the Mountain” by P.D. Singer, either. I realized right away this was part of a series I hadn’t read, and spent most of the first half just trying to keep straight all the characters. Definitely a miss if one hasn’t already read the others. It’s one redeeming grace was the character of Seth, a young man I would’ve loved to have known better.

My absolute favorite story of the anthology was J. Rocci’s “Oilsmouth.” This is a steampunk offering about a mercenary named Edge, who will do anything to protect his boyfriend Kit. That’s all I’m telling about the plot, because more will spoil it. The action is swift and crisp, the characterizations gritty and compelling, and the realistic ending wonderful.

It would have been hard to top anything after this, to be honest, and none of the last three stories did. “Light the Fire” by J.L. Merrow is a surprisingly fluffy contemporary about two guys who meet at a gym. One’s in mourning and keeps refusing the other, who frankly, got very annoying very early on. Then came Lee Benoit’s “Pack Horse.” I normally love Benoit, but I found this very difficult to slog through. The setting felt muddy for too long, and I struggled to place it until some very specific references showed up. The two leads were all right, their banter almost fun in parts, but the declarations at the end came out of left field. I did enjoy the final story, Syd McGinley’s “Home Is the Hunter,” the tale of two high school sweethearts who are reunited when one comes home from Afghanistan, but its charm was very ephemeral and fleeting. When I’d finished, I had difficulty even remembering the names of the two male leads.

Overall, it’s certainly not a bad anthology, though only two were truly excellent for me. Be prepared for a lot of downer topics, though. If you’re not in the mood for them, they probably won’t work for you.

Readability	7/10 – Varies from story to story, though mostly easy
Romance	6/10 – Like most anthologies, hit or miss
Characterization	6/10 – Some were great, others not so much
Entertainment value	6/10 – Slightly better than average, but there were enough clunkers to pull this down
World building	6/10 – A couple really excellent ones pull this up better than average
TOTAL:	31/50

Cougars and Cubs by assorted authors

TITLE: Cougars and Cubs
AUTHORS: Ashley Ladd, KS Augustin, Mia Watts, Catherine Chernow, Elizabeth Coldwell, Imari Jade
PUBLISHER: Total-e-bound
LENGTH: Anthology (roughly 105k)
GENRE: Contemporary erotic romance
COST: ₤6.49

A collection of six erotic novellas, each about a romance between an older woman and a younger man…

My biggest hope when I buy anthologies is to discover new talent, but that doesn’t happen all that often. It definitely didn’t happen with this one.

The anthology starts off with “Scene of the Crime” by Ashley Ladd. Forty-four year-old Robyn returns to the college she graduated from as a history professor, but that also means returning to the town where she’d first had her heart broken by a man who lied to her about being married. Now divorced, he wants to rekindle things with her, but she wants nothing to do with him. Running out on a date with him that she got ambushed on, she goes to a local bar, gets drunk, and takes home the hot young guy she played pool with. The next morning, she’s appalled to discover he’s the spitting image of her ex. He should be. He’s his son. While the writing itself in this story isn’t bad – there’s even some chemistry between the two leads – I was so put off by the idea that this professional woman would get involved with the son of a man who hurt not only her but his wife and child, I could never really accept the too-swift love that came between them. The situation was just too complex, and people were too badly hurt, for this to succeed. It needed more time and depth to be even remotely believable, not to mention give me the reader a chance to empathize with her for her predicament.

Following the weak lead-in is KS Augustin’s “Singapore Sizzle.” Sophie is an ex-socialite who’s been divorced for two years, eager to get a little fun back in her life. She accepts an invitation to a masquerade ball, and there, she meets a gorgeous man who takes her up to the penthouse suite almost immediately. She has problems with the age difference, however, and flees the next morning. He, on the other hand, isn’t so easily put off. While this one has a better flow than the first, with a slightly more sympathetic heroine, the hero lacks much depth to give this anything more than a fling feel. Of the six stories, it has the most realistic ending, though, so points there for that.

One of the stronger stories in the collection is “Melting Melinda” by Mia Watts. Mel has been best friends with Karen for a very long time, but recently, she’s become attracted to Karen’s grown son, Ethan. The trio are practically family, but what Mel doesn’t know is that Ethan has been in love with her for years. He lets her know on the vacation they all take together, but she doesn’t want her moment of insanity to ruin the best relationships in her life and runs scared. This is the romance I bought the most of the group. The relationships between the three, as well as the two secondary characters Larry and Lyla, sparkle with authenticity. I never doubted Ethan’s feelings for her for a moment, and I really liked how the fallout was handled.

Unfortunately, liking that one wasn’t nearly enough to save me from the next. “Lucky in Love” by Catherine Chernow is about fifty-year-old Maddie Summers and the hot thirty-five year-old Jake Conroy who moves in next door. She discovers they work for the same company, and though she tries to keep things professional, he’s too attracted to her not to put the moves on. This one never got off the ground for me. The authorial voice is simplistic and borderline pedantic, with short, simple sentences and stop-and-go pacing. Maddie’s inner conflict is overwrought, and the transition from strangers to more too unbelievable for me to ever accept. Definitely my least favorite of the bunch.

“Something Within Him” by Elizabeth Coldwell is the 1^st person telling of editor Kate who agrees to see someone as a potential intern as a favor for a friend. He’s cute and smart, and hiring him is a no-brainer even though the last intern she hired was a fiasco. He makes his attraction to her obvious early on, but she manages to hold him off until a trip to Amsterdam to cover a new hotel throws them together. Of all the stories in the collection, this is the one with the most sophisticated prose, with some very nice descriptions and intelligent phrasing to help counter the fantasy of the entire situation. The ending is too saccharine in relation to the realistic tone set by the rest of the story, but the author’s voice was such a pleasant change of pace and the heroine so refreshing that I was forgiving of it.

The anthology ends with Imari Jade’s “Something to Be Thankful For.” Julianne is the manager for rock star Cameron, but when he tells her he loves her and wants more, she excuses the sex that follows as a drunken mistake. He disappears after that, and she tracks him down in hopes of repairing their relationship. While I rather Julianne in this, Cameron remains an enigma. We’re told a lot about him – that he likes women and alcohol too much, and overindulges with both – but little of it meshes with what I actually see on the page. I never felt like I got to know him, and without being able to see him as an individual, I can’t invest in the romance.

Unless you’re a fan of more than a few of these authors, I’d suggest passing. Pick up the authors you like individually, or, if you don’t want have one, try Coldwell’s or Watts’. They’re the only two in this that didn’t really feel like a waste of my time.

Readability	6/10 – Relatively clean, but a couple bordered on hard for me to finish due to the voice
Romance	5/10 – Little depth in most, with resolutions too easy
Characterization	4/10 – For the most part, very flat
Entertainment value	4/10 – Unmemorable and surprisingly not very hot
World building	5/10 – Only one seems to make any real effort here
TOTAL:	24/50

Hearts Afire: September by Philippa Grey-Gerou and Michael Barnette

TITLE: Hearts Afire: September
AUTHORS: Philippa Grey-Gerou and Michael Barnette
PUBLISHER: Liquid Silver Books
LENGTH: Anthology (roughly 49k)
GENRE: Gay erotic romance
COST: $5.50

A pair of erotic novellas, each about a gay romance with a fireman involved…

I didn’t buy all the books in this series that Liquid Silver did a couple years ago, but based on the ones I did, I’d say that’s a good thing.

This two-author collection begins with Philippa Grey-Gerou’s “High Heat.” Chef Roman Geary finds himself in trouble when his home and restaurant go up in flames, leaving him without facilities to prepare his upcoming catering jobs. At the suggestion of his house manager, he rents out the catering kitchen at the local firehouse, the same group that put out the fire on his restaurant. One of the firemen, Jacob, shows an interest in him, and through the time they spend getting to know each other, the two develop a relationship. Roman’s left wondering, however, whether or not he can be involved with someone who could die at any time.

On the surface, there’s not much that’s really wrong with this novella. It’s clean, it’s evenly paced, and there’s a lot of detail to make the background seem real. But by halfway through, I wasn’t connecting with anybody in the story, and that never really changed. None of the characters felt like they leapt off the page. In fact, the most vivid portrayal in the whole thing is Roman’s cooking. There, the story goes into incredible detail with his various responsibilities and cooking sequences, so much so that I always forgot it was about a fireman romance. When Jacob’s job would get mentioned again, I was often jolted back, because it seemed so inconsequential and unnecessary compared to the loving attention paid to what Roman was doing. If the same care had been given to either of the men, I might have responded more positively to the story as a whole, but that imbalance ends up being the story's biggest downfall.

I started reading the second story, “Five-Alarm Lover” by Michael Barnette, with reservations, too. This is a futuristic sci-story set on a distant mining moon. Del Preston and his partner work at putting out a horrendous fire in one of the mines, during which they’re both convinced they see a man made of fire racing through the flames. They save two of the suits who were down in the shafts, one of which turns out to be a telempath. Del is drawn to Aaron, and vice versa, but the difference in their stations seems a stumbling block to acting on their desires. That is, until the heat between them gets too hot to ignore.

I hadn’t bothered re-reading the blurbs before starting this anthology. I just knew it was two erotic m/m firemen stories. Thus, I wasn’t prepared for the lack of information at the start of this one letting me know where and when this was going on. In fact, much of the world-building that prevails throughout this novella is sketchy at best, provoking more questions than answers. This didn’t bother me as much as it could have in the first third of the story. In spite of the holes in my knowledge, I was mildly intrigued by the two men and their dilemma. But then they finally come together. And in that single night, in a single act of sex, when Aaron gets into Del’s head and vice versa, they decide they love each other, and all my interest in them disappeared. It became too much insta-love, with feelings that felt entirely manufactured rather than organic to the men or their situations. Not my cup of tea at all. Add in the fact that it suffers from more editorial issues than the first (using affect for effect, subjective pronouns used instead of objective, etc.), and it never regained my interest.

I’d like to think my luck with the books I chose from this series was just bad. Unfortunately, I’m not willing to try any of the others to find out.

Readability	7/10 – Information dumps slowed down the first, while editorial mistakes marred the second
Romance	5/10 – The insta-love of the second really ruined the characters for me
Characterization	5/10 – Characterizations feel flat in the first, and over the top in the second
Entertainment value	4/10 – Failure to engage in the first and the too-swift love in the second made this not really worth it
World building	7/10 – The first goes overboard with setting and the second not nearly enough
TOTAL:	28/50

Blood Lust by assorted authors

TITLE: Blood Lust
AUTHORS: J.P Bowie, Amber Green, & L. Picaro
PUBLISHER: MLR
LENGTH: Anthology (roughly 62k)
GENRE: Paranormal gay erotic romance
COST: $6.99

A collection of three erotic paranormal novellas, each about a gay romance with a vampire involved…

I bought this anthology in August 2009, but then buried it in my TBR pile because I’d decided J.P. Bowie’s voice was just not for me after reading other works by him. When scanning through my pile recently, I decided to give it another chance, since I fully understand readers and reading tastes can change over time and because I’ve seen other readers extol Bowie’s work in that time period. After reading this anthology, however, I probably should have shelved it permanently.

The anthology starts out with Amber Green’s “More Than Memories.” This is the story of a ghost named Dick who manages to survive by feeding on other people’s memories. He’s attached to a young nerdy man in a museum named Harry, tormenting him by feeding him memories of lewd acts that drive Harry closer and closer to experimenting with his sexuality. Of the three stories, this was the one I had the highest hopes for, as I’ve had the best luck with this author in the past. While it is definitely the most original – with the most creative interpretation of the anthology’s theme – and Green’s voice my favorite by far, Dick’s 1^st person perspective makes it incredibly confusing to follow. It’s difficult to tell what is the present – and when the present actually is – and what is Dick’s past, as well as what memories are Dick’s and which are ones he’s stolen to survive. There are glimmers of a smooth story, when the tale sticks long enough in a single scene to add some well needed coherency to its flow, but not nearly enough to compensate for often perplexing narration.

Next comes “Vampire Dreams” by J.P. Bowie. Edward is an author struggling through his latest assignment, a story about a vampire for a publication named Gayfantasia. Unhappy with what he’s done, he goes for a walk to help clear his head and perhaps find some focus. Instead, he runs into David, a gorgeous Scot who goes home with him. When Edward wakes up the next morning, he’s convinced he had the best erotic dreams ever, but even better, he’s figured out what’s needed to fix his story. But then he meets David again, and realizes none of it was a dream. Though I’ve confirmed his authorial voice doesn’t work for me – I find Bowie a tad too saccharine and idealized for my tastes – his story is by far the most accessible of the three. It’s complete with its romantic flow, and leaves the fewest number of questions unanswered about its particular world. There’s little original about it, however, so it’s a trade-off. When the other two stories in the anthology are this unsatisfying, it was probably a worthwhile one.

Finishing up the anthology is “Blood Lust” by L. Picaro. Set in a futuristic society, Noah is out with his friend Anne when she disappears on him. He’s convinced she’s been attacked or kidnapped by vampires, and becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her. His search leads him into the path of Russian vampire, Adrian Staritsky, who is in the middle of his own search. They decide to join forces, but other vampires within the city have different ideas for them. This was yet another story where the authorial voice did nothing for me. My primary problems with it rest with word choices, like comparing an anus’s response to a flower opening in the sun. Little thought is given to explaining the world in which this is set, either, though at the story’s end I wondered if its cliffhanger ending meant that it was a prequel to another work. If it is, it completely failed to interest or attract me as a reader, because it left me bewildered and very dissatisfied with its conclusion. Some readers would probably appreciate being warned that this story also has multiple erotic scenes that include both het and lesbian sex. Since some m/m readers would prefer to avoid those, it merits mentioning.

Probably the only thing reading this anthology did for me was confirm I’m not a fan of Bowie’s voice. I’m glad I gave him another chance, though.

Readability	7/10 – Mostly clean, but two of the stories suffer from inadequate exposition
Romance	6/10 – Only the second comes anywhere close to delivering
Characterization	6/10 – Problems with each of them leaves a lot of the characters a tad flat, though not always uninteresting
Entertainment value	3/10 – Really not my cup of tea
World building	6/10 – Attempts are made to make two of these unique, but lack of expositional detail and muddied execution means they are only tries, not achievements
TOTAL:	28/50

Last Gasp by assorted authors

TITLE: Last Gasp
AUTHORS: Charlie Cochrane, Erastes, Chris Smith, Jordan Taylor
PUBLISHER: Noble Romance
LENGTH: Anthology (roughly 82k)
GENRE: Historical gay romance
COST: $5.95

A collection of four historical novellas, each about a gay romance in an era on the cusp of change…

NOTE: In the matter of full disclosure, I was offered a copy of this book for the purpose of a review.

The common thread binding together the stories in this anthology is an intriguing one. All are written in a time and place that is about to undergo some monumental change, hence the appropriate title. It gives the authors a lot of leeway to be creative, though ultimately, some are more successful than others.

The anthology starts out with “Tributary” by Erastes (who also selected the stories for inclusion), the story of Englishman Guy Mason and his retreat to a reclusive hotel in the mountains of Italy. Guy is wandering, in life as well as in locations, flitting from one place to another in search of a nameless something he feels is missing, until he settles at the Hotel Vista, along with a number of other people trying to hide away from the world. There, he meets James, a scientist studying local crayfish who seems exactly the sort of person who might be interesting enough to get to know. His attraction to James’ secretary, Louis, however, is an even bigger draw, especially when he is forced to spend time alone with Louis after James falls ill. Like the rest of the stories in the anthology, its single greatest strength rests in its attention to detail, the careful construction of 1936 Europe and the people struggling to find a place in it. It’s also one of the most readable of the collection, paced well and flowing smoothly. That being said, I found myself distanced from it emotionally. Both Guy and Louis left me cold, Guy especially. For me, his insouciance, the lack of focus that personifies both the time period and how he’s drifting along, translated into a sense of stagnation that sucked away any kinesis he might have had as a character. It kept feeling like, “Well, if he doesn’t care about anything, why should I?” It kept me from investing in his relationships, as well as caring too much about their outcome, though from an outside perspective, it’s certainly a fair read.

Following that is “The White Empire” by Chris Smith. Missionary Edgar Vaughan escapes his life to travel to 1838 Hong Kong, where he works amongst opium addicts, though his motivations are never completely altruistic. He’s also very much a snob, never willing to consider dalliances with men of lesser station than him. While in Hong Kong, he decides it’s his specific mission to break the people from their opium addiction, only to learn that the British government has other plans for both the region and the opium. Through this, he meets Archie Runfold, a Lord who fascinates him from the start. From the very first words, I found myself sucked into this novella, far more than any of the rest in the anthology. The prologue starts out with Vaughan in a Chinese brothel, about to engage with an older boy, when another client catches his eye, one who interests him far more than the whore. It’s titillating, intriguing, and sets an almost breathless tone that holds throughout the entire story. Almost all of the characters in this, though superficially superior, are so morally ambiguous that it’s a delight to get lost in their world for the duration. It’s both dingy and decadent, and if the prose veers into the purple more often than not, I certainly didn’t mind since I enjoyed the ride so very, very much. It’s the longest and easily most complex of the anthology, providing more layers than the historical premise upon which most are based.

Coming after this is Charlie Cochrane’s “Sand.” Writer Charles Cusiter has been tasked by his benefactress to get her son out of England and away from all the women he keeps pursuing. They end up in Syria, playing archaeologists on a dig that entertains people as a fundraising effort. Charles meets the leader Andrew, Charles likes Andrew, and so on. By far the shortest and most romantic story of the bunch, I found myself very underwhelmed by it after having been engaged on so many levels by the previous story. It’s a good change of pace, but the story itself is so simplistic and short that it never really has a chance to work for me. Just as I was starting to get into the romance and characters, the humor shifted me out of it (I’m sure the line, “I’ll resist saying it’s ironic you should hate camels when you’re built like one.” is meant to be playful, but honestly, it stopped me dead in my tracks as being very unfunny and with thoughts like, Is she [the author] really calling him humpbacked?.), and then it was all over. They went from friends to sex to let’s have a future together in the space of six pages. It was way too fast for me, and highly unbelievable, even within the context of this particular setting.

Rounding out the anthology, and straying from the British heroes, is “The Ninth Language” by Jordan Taylor. Set in Canada of 1898, it tells the story of two unlikely comrades, Mitsrii, a member of the dying Hän, and Troy, a linguist who’s been sent to study the natives. Troy saved Mitsrii from execution, and Mitsrii returns the favor by saving his life when two other natives rob and leave him to save himself in the wilderness. They slowly build a friendship that leads to more. While the setting and characters were a welcome change, this was the story that slowed me down the most. I read the first three in one sitting apiece, but I kept putting this one down, time and time again, because it failed almost from the start to pull me into the story. Description is evocative, but Mitsrii never felt like an individual for the first half, instead an extension of the world surrounding him. I know this is intentional. That’s who he is. But I couldn’t connect emotionally with him, and until he started interacting with Troy, I couldn’t connect to the story, either. Because of this inability, I never understood why Mitsrii would fall for Troy. The converse was easy. But Troy couldn’t compensate enough for the other shortcomings the story had for me, and I finished this – eventually – relieved to finally be done with it.

Does this mean I wouldn’t recommend this anthology? Absolutely not. It’s consistently well-written, and there’s more than a measure of base entertainment to be taken from each. I also think that readers who are devoted to this particular genre will be more satisfied with it than I was. The greatest strength of the collection is the loving detail that is bestowed upon the settings. Historical lovers are likely to fall in love with the authors’ attention to detail, where that is not the first – nor really the second – aspect I look at. I tend to view settings in historicals as vehicles to allow the characters to flourish and shine, while it often feels in this, it’s the other way around. For the stories I didn’t fall in love with, it was usually because of a character. And just because I didn’t connect with a story, doesn’t mean other readers won’t.

Readability	8/10 – Mostly clean, heavily detailed, the first two stories were much easier for me to read than the latter two
Romance	7/10 – Not the strong point of any of the stories
Characterization	8/10 – Even when I might not like the characters, most of them are well-rounded and written
Entertainment value	7/10 – On a purely engaging level, the second story surpassed the other three by a large margin
World building	9/10 – Considering the genre and authors involved, it’s unsurprising that the eras and places were so richly developed
TOTAL:	39/50

Hearts Afire: June by Dee S. Knight & Colleen Love

TITLE: Hearts Afire: June
AUTHORS: Dee S. Knight & Colleen Love
PUBLISHER: Liquid Silver Books
LENGTH: Anthology (roughly 56k)
GENRE: Contemporary erotic romance
COST: $5.50

An anthology of two contemporary erotic romances about firemen…

This anthology is the perfect example of a story ruining an entire collection. Granted, there are only two stories in this one, but the second is so abysmal, it completely retracts any positive thoughts I might have had about the first, and those were not that many to start out with.

The first story in the anthology is “The Fireman and the Ice Queen” by Dee S. Knight. Fireman Harm Reynolds has been recently elected as the union liaison, at a time when the firemen are on the cusp of new contract negotiations. He’s warned ahead of time that the assistant mayor, Beth Edwards, is nicknamed the Ice Queen, but the woman he meets – while conservatively dressed – is far from cold and bitchy to him. In fact, he finds himself attracted to her, a first since his wife’s death eighteen months earlier. They quickly launch into an affair, all the while continuing negotiations, but almost immediately Harm starts having nightmares that convince him it’s too soon for another relationship, so he calls it off. There’s not a whole lot that’s original about this story’s set-up or delivery, but I found it a little difficult to immerse myself into it. Part of the problem lies in the editing. There seemed to be a greater preponderance of errors than I usually find in LSB books, particularly in regard to missing words. Lots of articles go missing - Maybe this will be time he can't get off with easy answers, just as one of many examples – and it gets frustrating after a while. It only exacerbates the feeling of the entire story feeling by the numbers, especially with the all too predictable ending. The romance of this is functional, at best.

However, in comparison to the second story, Colleen Love’s “Inferno,” it’s a masterpiece. First, it starts out with an eerie prologue about a nameless man hearing voices to tell him to start fires, which creates an entirely different mood than what is presented in the first chapter less than two pages later. Then, we meet Henri James – and I’m going to admit to being put off from the start by the name, because that’s a masculine French name first and foremost to me and not a nickname for Henrietta like the author says – who is about to do a dinner interview with a fireman named Cade Lane who saved a baby’s life. My struggles with the heroine continued (I mean, really, a reporter driving a Lexus?), and fell apart completely when any professional credibility she had gets thrown out the window because she is so overcome with immediate lust at the sight of him, she forgets his name (among other mistakes). Within moments, he’s kissing her knuckles and she’s whispering, “I don’t usually do things like this,” and I’m gagging. Because there is no attempt at characterization, there is no attempt at UST, and the prose itself leaves a lot to be desired. Sometimes, the author has paragraphs that run for more than a page, long, boring dry sentences pieced together without any sense of rhythm or pacing. Maybe it might not have been so bad if something actually happened, but no, it’s all sex for the first half/nearly two-thirds of the story. And it’s not even good sex. The significance of the prologue doesn’t come into play until that point, but it’s too little, too late.

If you’re a fan of either one of these authors, go ahead and pick it up. If not…my suggestion is to skip it.

Readability	6/10 – The far weaker second story almost had me giving up
Romance	5/10 – The first was far more believable than the second
Characterization	4/10 – How many different ways can I say the first was stronger?
Entertainment value	3/10 – I barely finished this anthology at all
World building	6/10 – The first felt very authentic
TOTAL:	24/50

A Cotillion Country Christmas by assorted authors

TITLE: A Cotillion Country Christmas
AUTHORS: Carolynn Carey, Amy Corwin, Barbara Miller, Cynthia Moore
PUBLISHER: Cerridwen Press
LENGTH: Anthology (roughly 70k)
GENRE: Historical romance
COST: $7.99

A collection of four romance novellas within the holiday period, set in the Regency English countryside…

NOTE: This is a review originally written for The Electric Elephant.

I have to admit upfront, historicals are not my genre of choice. I’m not a history buff, and the periods that do intrigue me are very specific. The period of English history as specified in this anthology isn’t of any particular interest to me, but I was a fan of one of the authors and bought this specifically to read her work. It’s hard to admit, then, that the anthology as a whole, including the novella I was highly anticipating, is a rather disappointing presentation.

The anthology starts out with “A Christmas Surprise” by Cynthia Moore. When her father had a viscount indebted to him, Clara found herself married to the man she’d been in love with. Yet, two days after their wedding, Julian left for India, leaving her alone for nearly a year. When he returns just before Christmas, Clara finds herself wondering what kind of marriage she has entered into, and whether the coldness of their parting is going to typify the rest of her life. Of all the stories to start with, this was the worst possible choice to try and engage a reader. I almost put the whole thing down halfway through this story, even as much as I wanted to read a later novella. The author is all tell, no showing, explaining all the backstory in paragraph after excruciating paragraph. Her style does nothing to help flesh out the flat characterizations, and the plodding pace where nothing ever really happens is absolute drudgery to read.

Next comes “A Tradition of Love” by Carolynn Carey. Robert Maulton has married Thea, in an arrangement made when both were children. Robert is the sole head of his estate, and takes his role very seriously. That means he has little time for frivolity, especially Christmas. When Thea asks to go to the country for the holiday, he agrees, mostly because she’s never asked for anything in the three weeks they’ve been married. He fully intends to work, but his intentions are derailed once he’s swept up in her large, over-friendly family. This story, while not anything I’ll remember much past writing this review, still manages to be my second favorite of the bunch, partly because it improves on the style of the first one by not being nearly as tedious, and partly because of the really sparkling cast of characters. I found Robert to be a tad too dour, and Thea a bit predictable, but the supporting cast shines, bringing out the best of the two leads. This also has the benefit of having the best romantic arc of the four stories, smooth and relatively seamless from start to finish.

The third story in the collection is “Christmas Mishaps” by Amy Corwin. Caroline has spent the last two years being pitied by her family and society when her fiancé ran away with her younger sister on the day of her wedding. Determined to prove to everyone she has moved on, that she wants the good relationship she had with her sister back and she will support their union no matter what, she opts to go visit them on Christmas, ignoring the superstition that if a female is the first person to cross a threshold on the holiday, bad luck will follow. The man who does love her, Edward Masters, realizes what she is about to do and dashes off to pre-empt the confrontation. Of the four authors in the anthology, this is the only one I’d read before. I’ve read two of her other works, one of which was most definitely a keeper and bought in print as soon as it was available. I’ve always found her voice to be charming and her characters fun, and while there’s evidence of that here in this short novella, it suffers from a jerky rhythm of back and forth, of characters that never seem to have the same emotion from one moment to the next, that ended up leaving me feeling vaguely unsettled when I was done. I enjoyed the original set-up and the writing itself is the best of the book, but the awkward pace tempers whatever satisfaction I might have gained from it, leaving it a mediocre read rather than the sprightly tale I’d hoped for.

Rounding out the anthology is “Country House Christmas” by Barbara Miller. Richard Trent has returned from military service in Spain scarred and half-blind, but forced to face the fact that his younger brother has married the woman he was betrothed to, and to take his place as the upcoming head of the household. He doesn’t particularly want to be there, but the arrival of his sister-in-law’s younger sister, the precocious Diana, convinces him at least the holiday will be entertaining. While this story is better written than the first, it suffers from a lack of cohesion that does its vibrant characters no good. The romance is all over the place, and then gets resolved in a whirlwind fashion that seems rushed even for novella standards. It does present the best world-building and best characterizations of the entire anthology, but the hodgepodge way it feels like the story is cobbled together detracts from it too much to make it very memorable.

For a feel good Christmas anthology with a historical flair, it fails to make the grade as anything more than a passing fancy. I can’t say I would bother looking up any of these authors on their own, based on these offerings.

Readability	7/10 – The tedious first story slows down the entire collection
Romance	6/10 – Unfortunately, fairly mediocre across the scale
Characterization	7/10 – More attention paid to characters and setting than any believability in romance or pace
Entertainment value	6/10 – Disappointing even from the author I really enjoy
World building	8/10 – By far, the focus of all the stories is on setting at the detriment of other elements
TOTAL:	34/50

The Manthology Anthology by various authors

TITLE: The Manthology Anthology
AUTHORS: Adam Carpenter, Derek Clendening, Ginevra Ermine, Ken Ives, John Jockel, Dalyn A. Miller, Ron Radle, Parker Sheridan
PUBLISHER: Ravenous Romance
LENGTH: Anthology (roughly 44k)
GENRE: Gay erotic romance
COST: $4.99

A collection of eight gay erotic romances…

I have to admit, I bought this last February and let it languish on my TBR pile primarily because of who the publisher is. I’ve reviewed three other Ravenous books on my blog, of varying success though each problematic, but I’ve also seen reviews elsewhere, for books I haven’t bought, and my impressions of the publisher diminished. In fact, I haven’t bought a book from them since March, though I still have two more of their books on my TBR. While a few of the stories within this anthology didn’t rise above my expectations, several exceeded them, one so much so that I feel little guilty about judging this anthology based on other preconceptions. I can’t say I’m now excited about Ravenous offerings, but perhaps I won’t drag my feet about trying the other ones I own.

The anthology starts strong with “Adam” by Ron Radle, the story of a bookstore manager crushing on a young man who works in a DVD/record store in the same mall. Though this one does become erotic, the emphasis is on the gradual, almost whimsical development of their friendship/relationship. Both men are vividly drawn, and I ended the story with a smile on my face, eager to move on to the next offering.

That was “Arezzo Development” by Adam Carpenter. This is one of the shortest stories in the collection, the telling of a young American traveling to Arezzo on the train and the hot Italian he hooks up with on it. There’s no romance here. This is purely erotica, and while the setting is evocative and lovely, the characters and the rest of it fall flat. I do have to say, however, I adore the title. I smiled when I saw it, and I smiled again as I wrote this review. I think it’s delightfully clever.

Things didn’t improve with “Emergence” by Parker Sheridan. This starts with the premise that in 2012, instead of the world ending, all the lost civilizations re-emerged, including a desert empire called Al Tahar. British Neil Barton is traveling with his sister, the diplomat, to try and gain an audience with Al Tahar’s Sultan. Instead, they meet one of his generals, Asad, a man Neil suspects is the Sultan himself. While this story was more creative than some, I never engaged with it. First of all, it was way over the top. Asad is some Japanese/Native American mixture – which, granted, sounds sexy as hell – but he’s a caricature, not a fully fleshed man. All Neil does is lust after him, and his eventual seduction, with Neil in a submissive role, does nothing to make him more interesting. One of the big misses for me.

The worst story in the anthology for me, though, was what came next. “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy – and Girl” by Ginevra Ermine is a ménage about a couple who, after an unfortunate incident with another woman in their bed, decide they want a committed threesome and settle on the gorgeous Charles. I think it’s meant to be humorous. I hope it’s meant to be humorous. My first introduction to Charles has the narrator – the husband – asking him what it’s like to be gay. Charles then launches into how he discovered musical theater, and then Barbra Streisand, so of course he turned out gay. It all turns out to be one big joke, but it plays out for pages and pages, and it just wasn’t funny. What bothered me even more than the failing humor, though, was how Charles freely admits he’s gay…except for the wife. It’s a Straight For You story that never succeeded in convincing me he wouldn’t just ditch the girl at every opportunity once he had the chance. It's made even worse by continuity that's shoddy at best – the wife enters the hotel room, takes off her top, then a few pages later the husband slips his hand under her blouse (that she’s supposedly still wearing), and then a few pages after that when they’re laying down in bed, she’s got a tank top on. It’s like watching Sean Connery’s collar open and close in The Untouchables.

I wanted to be done with it by now, but then came “Second Chances” by Derek Clendening. Young man Peter gets an email from college buddy Dale asking to meet up after not seeing each other for years. Peter had a crush on Dale in college and fears attending. There’s nothing hugely original or outstanding about this one, though the characterization of the two guys is top notch, but I think coming after the increasingly disappointing stories previous, it shines.

But not as much as “South” by Dalyn A. Miller. This story – by a mile – was my favorite. It tells of Kenneth and Daniel as they travel south in Daniel’s A/C-less pick-up truck. The difference here is that Kenneth and Daniel have just broken up recently after a long relationship, and now Daniel is driving Kenneth back to his parents in Alabama, to turn around himself and return to Seattle alone. We learn what happened in their relationship – how they met, what came between them – through the course of the story, but this was so heartfelt, gut-wrenchingly real, that I was holding my breath for these two by the last page. I literally shouted at my screen when I read the last sentence. And then promptly went back and read the whole story again. This story all on its own made the cost of the anthology worth it.

Needless to say, it would be hard to follow that. “The Big Bang” by John Jockel is the romance between two astronomers who work together, a nerd and the gorgeous guy who loves nerds. It’s easy-going and mostly nice, and a good way to come down from the emotional high of “South,” but I’m not sure if I’d remember it very well if it came elsewhere in the anthology or stood on its own.

The final story is “Willie the Wad: A Sentimental Reminiscence” by Ken Ives. In this, a man gets his invitation to his 20-year high school reunion, and then reminisces on the jock he crushed on at the time. The emotions feel genuine for the ages of the two men in the flashback, and the sex is surprisingly hot. On an erotic level, this was my favorite one, and so ended the anthology on a very positive note.

But “South” is what made it worth it. By a mile. A long, hot mile with wet sandals. Which makes a lot more sense once you’ve read the story.

Readability	8/10 – Surprisingly strong, with only a couple stories really letting this down
Erotica/romance	6/10 – Most of these only work as one or the other, not as both
Characterization	7/10 – A couple stories drag this down unfortunately, with over the top, unbelievable characters
Entertainment value	7/10 – I was surprised by how few stories I just didn’t like
World building	7/10 – Again, a couple stories just really dragged this down
TOTAL:	35/50

Wicked Pleasures by assorted authors

TITLE: Wicked Pleasures
AUTHOR: Kris Cherita, Elizabeth Coldwell, Cynthia W. Gentry, Ralph Greco Jr., Alex Picchetti, Jean Roberta, Elle Rose, A. Silenus, Peter Tupper, Sage Vivant
PUBLISHER: Ravenous Romance
LENGTH: Anthology (roughly 48k)
GENRE: Erotica
COST: $4.99

A collection of twelve erotic short stories, all exploring the kinkier side of women’s sexuality…

There’s a sentence in the editor’s introduction to this anthology that I really, really like. Another way to look at it, in terms of sex and love, is that evil is nonconsensual, while wicked is consensual. It’s astute, and typifies all of the stories within this collection. While I can’t say that I necessarily liked them all, I find myself respecting the anthology for its efforts, because of that introduction. It presents a well-rounded, healthy view on sexuality, embracing a diversity of relationships.

The sexuality contained within the stories tends to rely heavily on BDSM and power relationships, with both female dominants and female submissives, f/f interactions, and ménages. It’s probably not for the faint of heart, though the cover and blurb should make that perfectly clear. These are also not romances, though more than one has a romantic relationship within it. This is purely for the erotic factor. Don’t expect anything more.

A large portion of the stories ran middle of the road for me, but four of them stood out. “Temporary Reversals” by A. Silenus is about a man who discovers his submissive side, only to fear he’s losing the woman who inspired it in him. Not only is it well-written and the characters are fully fleshed out, but it offers an almost melancholy desperation as he tries to hold on to the one thing he needs.

“Just Friends” by Cynthia W. Gentry is a little more light-hearted. Jane used to have a long-distance relationship with Matt, broke up when she realized it wouldn’t work, then made up and became friends a year later. She’s in New York on business and meets up with him for dinner, one thing leads to another, and all of a sudden, one of the fantasies he’d encouraged in her starts coming true. For me, this one was all about the characters. I loved the relationship between the two, and then the third that gets introduced. The sex was hot, as well. I was only let down a little by the ending, though that seems to be a weakness amongst most of the anthology’s offerings.

“Fair Game” by Elizabeth Coldwell is a comeuppance story about an Englishman named Donovan who deliberately haunts bars on the weekends when hen parties are in full swing, to pick a different woman up each time. They’re all one-night stands, because he has no interest in getting tied down. But his latest conquest has a different plan in mind. The characters in this one sparkled, and the sex, though not the most erotic of the bunch, worked well. I liked this one as much as I did because of how well it succeeded as a short story, feeling complete without letting me down in any regard.

“The Invited” by Ralph Greco, Jr. is the story of a woman who is about to get married. On her last weekend fling, something agreed upon with her fiancé though they’re not sharing details, she invites five of her former lovers to a hotel – at staggered times, so there’s no overlap – for one last spanking session. Because that’s what gets her off. On the surface, it’s a highly charged sexual fantasy, but this one has more depth than that. Surprisingly, too, all of the men who actually show up all feel real and distinct. Really well done.

The rest of the stories don’t really inspire me to mention them specifically, but in reviewing the ones I did really enjoy, the one common thing holding them together is the characterization. They all shine. Short stories don’t have to skimp on that, you see. Even if you’re just writing erotica. These stories are proof.

Readability	7/10 – Mostly clean editing (though one story doesn’t know its thans from its thens and it’s very annoying)
Erotica	5/10 – Mostly humdrum, with only a few standing out
Characterization	7/10 – Some of them are surprisingly sharp, though there are typically weak ones
Entertainment value	6/10 – Most of these are fairly average, I’d only seek out four of these authors on their own
World building	7/10 – Most of the stories do well in bringing their erotic milieus to life
TOTAL:	32/50

Because of the Brave by Laura Baumbach, Z.A. Maxfield, & Josh Lanyon

TITLE: Because of the Brave
AUTHOR: Laura Baumbach, Z.A. Maxfield, Josh Lanyon
PUBLISHER: Aspen Mountain Press
LENGTH: Anthology (roughly 48k)
GENRE: Gay erotic romance
COST: $7.00

A trio of erotic stories about gay military men.

Purchase of the Because of the Brave through the Aspen Mountain Press website through September 11, 2009, will donate 15% toward the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a national organization dedicated to helping military personnel impacted by the “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue” policy signed into law in 1993. It’s a great charity, and the anthology more than worth it, but I’m going to go on the record and say I just wish the publisher paid more attention to their editing for works that will receive this kind of attention. To be frank, I don’t expect much from Aspen Mountain releases. Their editing is inconsistent at best, and I suspect that’s because the authors themselves vary in the strength of their technical abilities. But it’s frustrating to read something that’s clearly hoped to have strong sales and find it riddled with so many easy mistakes. Even Lanyon’s story suffers (how on earth does canon get mistaken for cannon in a military story?), and as much as I’d urge people to buy this, I do it with the caveat that it will probably really bother those readers who are sensitive to technical mistakes.

The anthology starts with out with Laura Baumbach’s “Designated Target.” Carson Crosby is spending Thanksgiving working at a local food bank. He is alone in the world after the death of his brother two months earlier. He spies a big, burly guy who is obviously military hanging around, and after a very brief conversation with him, flees when the way the man says his name just like his dead brother used to. The man helps out with an encounter with an abusive guy outside the church, and they stick together, getting to know each other and indulging their attraction. In reference to the editorial issues I mentioned, Baumbach’s story has it the worst (His imagination supplied a vivid reason for the respectable fabric bugle made me giggle hysterically because I’m fairly sure that g and l in bugle should be transposed), and thus, makes it harder than it should be to get through the novella. The story is saved by Baumbach’s passion and affecting characters. The chemistry between Carson and China (the military guy) leaps off the page, as does Carson’s grief. I found myself drawn to China, much like Carson is, and wish I could have had even more of him.

Next comes “Jumping Off Places” by Z.A. Maxfield. Peter Hsu has returned to the small town where he grew up to be there when his terminally ill mother dies. There, he meets Robin, the Jamaican CNA taking care of her at the hospice. Robin is out and proud of it, while Peter has hid his sexuality from everyone, including his mother. He’s been trying to live up to the hero image of his dead cop father, and finds himself failing at every turn. Dealing with the impending death of his mother is yet another failure in his eyes. This was the story in the anthology that got to me the most, and the one I found myself still thinking about long after it was over. There are a lot of different emotions going on in this. While there is definitely a romance going on between Peter and Robin, it is cloaked in layers and layers of issues, not the least of which is how these two very different men deal with the loss of a woman who means the world to both of them. The fact that Peter is in the military is miniscule in the face of this, as is the issue of their races (Peter is half-Chinese and has been dealing with that discrimination his entire life, while Robin is black). Neither of these really get explored, but I didn’t mind. I was too invested in all the other feelings that were going on. There’s the guilt, and the grief, and Peter’s inability to come out or let anybody in. I had thought I was affected by Carson’s grief in the first story, but that got eclipsed by how much I related and felt for Peter. He was the heart of this compassionate story.

Rounding out the anthology is “Until We Meet Once More” by Josh Lanyon. Army Ranger Captain Vic Black has a new assignment – to rescue a surviving SEAL in the middle of Afghanistan. He’s even more determined when he learns that it’s Sean Kennedy, the lover from the Naval Academy that he left behind. Lanyon’s story is drastically different from its predecessors, focused far more on the taut action of the moment, interspersed with emotionally taut flashbacks. It’s also considerably shorter, very concise in its presentation. While it’s the most technically proficient of the three, with elegant, crisp world-building that immerses the reader into the razor edge environment of the Middle East, it was also the story that engaged me the least emotionally. I was caught up in the action, but the flashbacks weren’t quite enough to create the fervency it felt necessary to appreciate the wallop of an ending. I’m not sure if making it longer would have helped, because then it would have been a different story rather than the whirlwind action story it was. It works well on that level. It just didn’t succeed as well as a romance for me.

Readability	7/10 – I just can’t get past the weak editing to better appreciate these
Romance	7/10 – The romance is strongest in the first two stories
Characterization	7/10 – More uneven than I would have expected from these authors
Entertainment value	7/10 – Definitely recommendable
World building	7/10 – Lanyon’s is by far the strongest in this area
TOTAL:	35/50

Brits in Time by assorted authors

TITLE: Brits in Time
AUTHOR: Bronwyn Green, Aurora Rose Lynn, Cindy Spencer Pape, Brynn Paulin, Lisabet Sarai, Saskia Walker
PUBLISHER: Total-e-bound
LENGTH: Anthology (roughly 92k)
GENRE: Historical erotic romance
COST: £5.69

Six stories of erotic romance, all set in Great Britain’s rich history…

The one most consistent, strongest part of this anthology is all the world building that happens in each of the individual stories. There isn’t a one of them that falls short in that regard, which often help a story along when the narrative isn’t quite as strong.

The first story in the anthology is “To Conquer a Lady” by Aurora Rose Lynn. Edmund de Montfort has wanted Lady Isabelle for years, but without a title, he has no chance of getting her. So he went off to earn one and gain some land, but her father still refused him. This gives him no choice but to kidnap her instead, so he lays siege to her father’s castle without knowing the father has died. Isabelle fears the truth getting out and losing what little control she has. This one starts out a little rough, as I really don’t like either one of the two leads. Edmund is pushy without being engaging, Isabelle is bitchy and bitter, and I have no idea how I’m supposed to want to read about them. The situation does improve, but not very much, and I was a little worried I might end up muddling through this collection.

That got banished with the second story. “Mist and Stone” by Bronwyn Green is about Gareth, a knight for Arthur, and Willow, a priestess for the Lady of the Lake. They grew up together, and while harboring feelings for each other for quite a while, each is oblivious to the other’s true feelings. This one engages almost from the opening lines, with smart, sparkling characters, a sweet, wrenching romance, and a great finish. In fact, I liked this story so much, I was even willing to overlook the convenient plot device that forces these two to get intimate. Under other circumstances, the whole “sex must be had to save the kingdom/world/humanity” angle drives me crazy. Here, the writing was deft enough to make me forget my usual dislike.

I honestly thought that was likely to be my favorite story of the bunch. I was wrong. The third story, “In the Dark” by Brynn Paulin, takes that prize. Katherine Wolf has born with a mark on her face, one that would brand her as a witch and probably killed if the outside world discovered it. She stays hidden away in her family’s castle, and when they are all felled by the plague, she is the lone family survivor. The castle is given to Calen the Black, a fierce warrior banished from Court but determined to make the “haunted” castle hospitable. Katherine is drawn to him, and when she sneaks into him at night, he thinks her one of the local girls servicing his men…until she disappears before morning. The set-up is gothic, romantic, and utterly compelling. Katherine is a woman determined to survive, innocent to so many ways of the world because of her seclusion and yet yearning for the things in life so freely given to other women. Calen is honorable and just this side of dangerous, and his obsession with Katherine passionate and compelling. The combination created a wonderful romance that completely restores faith in this author. I’d read another novella by her a year and a half ago that I really didn’t like, so I’ll be honest and say I didn’t bother seriously considering any of her work afterward. But this was enough for me to convince me there’s some real storytelling ability there, and I’m likely to go back and take another look at her backlist, as well as give future work far more credence.

On that high note, I went on to the fourth story. “Shortest Night” by Lisabet Sarai started out interestingly enough, with players in Shakespeare’s company expressing interest in each other. Male players. I thought, “Oh! An anthology that isn’t restricted by sexuality! Yay!” I understand there are het readers out there that don’t want to read m/m, just like there’s a whole army of m/m readers that disdain het (because of so-called girl cooties), but I’m not one of them. Romance for me is about people not their sexual orientation. I was really excited about the possibility of a mixed orientation anthology, but alas, that’s not really what it turned out to be. Hugh, the leading man, sets out to seduce Ben, the new actor for the ingénue roles. They take a room after a successful performance, where the serving girl and the owner’s daughter Jenny, sneaks up to watch them through the keyhole. She’s got a bit of a crush on Ben, and sees Hugh as a lech, so sets out to get Ben for herself. She interferes with Hugh’s attempts to continue seeing Ben in various ways, but the story is too short for me to elaborate without a lot of spoiling. POV switched around so much in this that there is never any true indication of who I’m meant to root for. All I know is that I was left with a distinct distaste in my mouth. The m/m is portrayed as wrong and dirty, even if Jenny gets off on watching them, and the only way to find happiness is with a woman. By far, the story I disliked the most in this.

The fifth story is “Georgie and the Dragon” by Cindy Spencer Pape. In the Welsh town of Draigmor, they offer a virgin up for sacrifice to a legendary dragon in exchange for protecting them. Georgie is the eldest of four, and as recent orphans, she has to figure out how to keep them all together without resorting to marrying off her sister to a man old enough to be her grandfather. She volunteers for the sacrifice, convinced the dragon is a myth but wanting the money that comes with the responsibility. Lord Weir, a man she finds herself attracted to, agrees to help her family should she not return. This story falls into the two middle-of-the-road stories in this anthology for me. While I liked the characters, some of the details annoyed me, stuff about the mythology that made me roll my eyes, dialogue during sex that was purple and overwrought. It let down characters that deserved better, and ultimately spoiled the overall effect of the story.

The final story is “Brazen Behaviour” by Saskia Walker. In 1896, Eleanor Argyle is preparing to travel the world, and with a stop at her aunt and uncle’s in Scotland as an early stop, they send along their manager, Gregory Munroe, to escort her along the way. Eleanor had a teenaged crush on the man, an attraction she still feels, but doesn’t like his autocratic manner, and decides to try and lose him, something he refuses to let happen. While the heroine is strong and likeable, I didn’t care for Gregory, and never really invested in the romance. The prose is capable but never engaged me. I always felt like there was something missing, and never actually found it.

Readability	7/10 – Some of the dialogue is over the top, and there are scattered issues that hold me back, but overall, fairly consistent
Romance	6/10 – Two of the six stories really excel at the romance
Characterization	7/10 – As a whole, stronger than most anthologies
Entertainment value	6/10 – Two stories shine, two are very weak, and the other two are middle of the road
World building	8/10 – By far, the strongest and most consistent part of the anthology
TOTAL:	34/50