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ctsquirrel's review against another edition
3.0
3/5 overall, excellent variety of stories. Took me a few days to get through. Mostly contemporary with one historical. My favorite was probably the polyamorous one, which is surprising because I don't usually like those.
Pinups and Puppies by R L Merrill
3.5/5 Cute story. Tags - lesbian, pilots, San Francisco Bay Area, military (Air Force)
Tell Me More by Meg Bonney
3.5/5 Cute summer love second chance. Tags - Highschool/Young Adult, no sex, mechanics, actors
What if it All Goes Right? by Sophia Soames
3.5/5 One straight guy, his female friend he's in love with, and her bisexual boyfriend make things work. Tags: erotica, bi/pan, polyamory, menage (MFM), friends-to-lovers, London England
Criminal Intentions: In Bloom by Cole McCade (Part of the Criminal Intentions series.)
DNR because I've read enough of this series and wasn't in the mood. It's a standalone but I still passed. Tags: Young Adult, Trans, Baltimore (MD) I think
Sugar Crush by Susan Scott Bailey (Part of the Bliss Bakery series)
2/5 meh. Maybe I would have liked it more if I read the rest of the series, maybe not. There was a lot of miscommunication and I struggled to finish it. Tags - Gay, Writers, Philly (PA), Softball, Bakers
When Frankie Meets Johnny by Xio Axelrod
3/5 Pretty good. Tags - Blue Collar, Bi/Pan, GFY/BFY/OFY, No sex, Philly (PA)
The Gentleman Attraction by Connor Peterson
3/5 Tags - Historical, maybe Victorian (there are trains and gas lamps), Gay, Paranormal, Vampires, York (England), Artist and Interior Decorator ("I help those who have money but lack taste")
Just One Look by Mary Calmes
3ish/5 Probably the story everyone bought the anthology for, but I didn't really care for it. A bit too far-fetched for me. Blue Collar (basement flood repairman) silver fox from Pitsburgh attracts red hot, younger, blockbuster movie star in Vail, Colorado after he calms the actor during a panic attack. Tags - Age Diff (44-28=16yrs), blue collar, actors, panic disorder, Vail (CO), Pittsburgh (PA)
Pinups and Puppies by R L Merrill
3.5/5 Cute story. Tags - lesbian, pilots, San Francisco Bay Area, military (Air Force)
Tell Me More by Meg Bonney
3.5/5 Cute summer love second chance. Tags - Highschool/Young Adult, no sex, mechanics, actors
What if it All Goes Right? by Sophia Soames
3.5/5 One straight guy, his female friend he's in love with, and her bisexual boyfriend make things work. Tags: erotica, bi/pan, polyamory, menage (MFM), friends-to-lovers, London England
Criminal Intentions: In Bloom by Cole McCade (Part of the Criminal Intentions series.)
DNR because I've read enough of this series and wasn't in the mood. It's a standalone but I still passed. Tags: Young Adult, Trans, Baltimore (MD) I think
Sugar Crush by Susan Scott Bailey (Part of the Bliss Bakery series)
2/5 meh. Maybe I would have liked it more if I read the rest of the series, maybe not. There was a lot of miscommunication and I struggled to finish it. Tags - Gay, Writers, Philly (PA), Softball, Bakers
When Frankie Meets Johnny by Xio Axelrod
3/5 Pretty good. Tags - Blue Collar, Bi/Pan, GFY/BFY/OFY, No sex, Philly (PA)
The Gentleman Attraction by Connor Peterson
3/5 Tags - Historical, maybe Victorian (there are trains and gas lamps), Gay, Paranormal, Vampires, York (England), Artist and Interior Decorator ("I help those who have money but lack taste")
Just One Look by Mary Calmes
3ish/5 Probably the story everyone bought the anthology for, but I didn't really care for it. A bit too far-fetched for me. Blue Collar (basement flood repairman) silver fox from Pitsburgh attracts red hot, younger, blockbuster movie star in Vail, Colorado after he calms the actor during a panic attack. Tags - Age Diff (44-28=16yrs), blue collar, actors, panic disorder, Vail (CO), Pittsburgh (PA)
kcsunshine25's review against another edition
4.0
An anthology with a great message. Love is love and all love is perfect.
I read every book, some were great, some were not to my taste but overall the sum of the parts was a great mix of LGBTQ stories.
1. Pinups and Puppies by RL Merrill. An FF story with puppies Marianne is at a turning point in her life, newly retired from the Air Force when she meets the beautiful Dinah Shaw. I loved the music references in this story.
2. Tell Me More by Meg Bonney. YA MM with a Grease theme.
3. What If It All Goes Right by Sophia Soames. Set in the UK. Characters are Carl, Mila and Pup. This was the best in show for me. Top of the class. I love a MFM book. Definitely looking up more by this author.
4. Criminal Intentions in Bloom by Cole McCade. My reason for reading this anthology because I love everything Cole. He writes with conviction and from the heart. I love Malcolm and Seong Jae but this was about Seong Ja - his sister. It was sweet. If only everyone in the world was like Trai Phan.
5. Sugar Crush by Susan Scott Shelley. I liked this one. Jack a horror writer and Gabriel a baker. I want all the cake!
6. When Frankie Meets Johnny by Xio Axelrod. Another author that I love. Frankie is a DJ on a small radio station. Johnny is the contractor brought in to revamp the studio. They skirt around each other, I loved the tension between them. Fab little story.
7. The Gentleman Attraction by Connor Peterson. Ooooh this one! Historical MM and dare I say it, paranormal. I don’t tend to like paranormal books but a short story was ok by me. I just had a tiny issue - the first stop from Kings Cross to York is Stevenage not Stevenson. Bite me!
8. Just One Look by Mary Calmes. If you are writing a short romance story, it sort of follows that there has to be an insta love. This is the one. Rick and Daniel. Two souls who look like they shouldn’t be a match but they were meant to be.
All in all it was a thumbs up from me. I discovered a new favourite.
I read every book, some were great, some were not to my taste but overall the sum of the parts was a great mix of LGBTQ stories.
1. Pinups and Puppies by RL Merrill. An FF story with puppies Marianne is at a turning point in her life, newly retired from the Air Force when she meets the beautiful Dinah Shaw. I loved the music references in this story.
2. Tell Me More by Meg Bonney. YA MM with a Grease theme.
3. What If It All Goes Right by Sophia Soames. Set in the UK. Characters are Carl, Mila and Pup. This was the best in show for me. Top of the class. I love a MFM book. Definitely looking up more by this author.
4. Criminal Intentions in Bloom by Cole McCade. My reason for reading this anthology because I love everything Cole. He writes with conviction and from the heart. I love Malcolm and Seong Jae but this was about Seong Ja - his sister. It was sweet. If only everyone in the world was like Trai Phan.
5. Sugar Crush by Susan Scott Shelley. I liked this one. Jack a horror writer and Gabriel a baker. I want all the cake!
6. When Frankie Meets Johnny by Xio Axelrod. Another author that I love. Frankie is a DJ on a small radio station. Johnny is the contractor brought in to revamp the studio. They skirt around each other, I loved the tension between them. Fab little story.
7. The Gentleman Attraction by Connor Peterson. Ooooh this one! Historical MM and dare I say it, paranormal. I don’t tend to like paranormal books but a short story was ok by me. I just had a tiny issue - the first stop from Kings Cross to York is Stevenage not Stevenson. Bite me!
8. Just One Look by Mary Calmes. If you are writing a short romance story, it sort of follows that there has to be an insta love. This is the one. Rick and Daniel. Two souls who look like they shouldn’t be a match but they were meant to be.
All in all it was a thumbs up from me. I discovered a new favourite.
lacyduckie's review against another edition
4.0
Five stars for Meg Bonney and Cole McCade. Four stars for Sophia Soames. Three stars for the rest of the book. 📚💕🏳️🌈
dmthrussell's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked it. It was well written. Sweet little love stories and erotic notions. While some of them hit spots of happiness, others just left me feeling very warm.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
susanscribs's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't read all of the stories but the ones I read were enjoyable but not particularly memorable. I liked Xio Axelrod's "When Frankie Meets Johnny," although it ended too abruptly for my liking. Nice forward by Roan Parrish too, wish she had contributed a story.
terriaminute's review against another edition
3.0
My rating is an average across eight very different stories. I'm glad to've read this because the good ones are exceptional. As with all anthologies, I'll never love every story. This one had four I bailed out of, mostly due to boredom. So:
One star each to the first three (someone likes them, I'm not mad they exist).
Four stars to Seong-Ja's story (by Cole McCade). It was a little slow, but I'm a huge Criminal Intentions fan, and Seong-Jae's sister is a great character. Also her boyfriend is AWESOME.
Four stars for 'Sugar Crush,' one of the better opposites attract stories I've read.
Five stars for the incredible When Frankie Meets Johnny. I went right out and found other work by Xio Axelrod. That good.
One star for the very very slow vampire historical.
And, five stars for the Mary Calmes story, though it could've used another edit pass. It's her brand of snarky and intense and fast and sweet.
Average, somewhere around 3.5 stars.
One star each to the first three (someone likes them, I'm not mad they exist).
Four stars to Seong-Ja's story (by Cole McCade). It was a little slow, but I'm a huge Criminal Intentions fan, and Seong-Jae's sister is a great character. Also her boyfriend is AWESOME.
Four stars for 'Sugar Crush,' one of the better opposites attract stories I've read.
Five stars for the incredible When Frankie Meets Johnny. I went right out and found other work by Xio Axelrod. That good.
One star for the very very slow vampire historical.
And, five stars for the Mary Calmes story, though it could've used another edit pass. It's her brand of snarky and intense and fast and sweet.
Average, somewhere around 3.5 stars.
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