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veethorn's review
3.0
I received an ARC in return for a review, and as ever with anthologies, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The Lee Welch story, however, is worth the price of admission and more, and there are a couple of other gems in here that i liked very much.
karentje's review
4.0
This anthology volume is a great way to get to know new authors and brings together a very varied collection of short stories, some of which really stood out. Others... not so much.
Lee Welch's "A Spell for Master Vervain" was my favorite by far! It's a magical story of the love between a Master magician and one of his apprentices. After a long period of unrequited longing (off-page) Kit, the apprentice, in his desperation tries out a forbidden spell in order to conjure up an incubus lookalike of his Master. However, the spell doesn't work out quite the way he expected it to... I loved how Vervain and Kit finally get together. The story is short, but eventful, and very intense.
"Finding the Words" starts out promising enough, but the emotional intensity is not what it could be when the MC's get together. Things works out a bit too fast, and it felt too "simple" for lack of a better word.
"The Silent Treatment" is original, with the whole "don't speak" idea, but of course that also means the characters don't get to know each other very well on a level other than the physical. Reverend Jane doesn't feel like a religious person to me, let alone someone who's supposed to care for her "flock". I felt that aspect could have been handled better, why else make her a reverend?
"One Small Step" is a cute story, but not something that really stayed with me one way or the other.
"Shedding Doubt" has a bit of a shallow premise, with the focus on looks and their importance in helping you feel good about yourself. Heath turns out to be bisexual, but his "out for you" confession is done a bit clumsily and his claim that Grayson's weight is unimportant falls a bit flat by the timing of his interest in the other man.
"Academic Temptations" was a sweet story with two lovely main characters, though perhaps a bit too sweet for my taste. There's a true connection between Anetta and Savannah and I liked the humor and the dialogues in the story. The secondary characters were a lot of fun too, especially Anetta's sister.
"The Sidhe's Apprentice" is also magical romance, with interesting world-building, but there's a bit too much focus on the aspect of the magical studies, rather than the developing bond between Alistair and Cianan, making it so that once they give in to their feelings, the "I love you's" come too quickly.
"Press copy to begin" was not my cup of tea, at all. I hated it. There's no true love arc in this story, the supposed connection between the characters comes along very late in the game if ever. I didn't root for this couple in any way. They come together basically despising each other, through a spanking fueled by rage and contempt, and not as a part of a loving or respectful bdsm relationship.
Lee Welch's "A Spell for Master Vervain" was my favorite by far! It's a magical story of the love between a Master magician and one of his apprentices. After a long period of unrequited longing (off-page) Kit, the apprentice, in his desperation tries out a forbidden spell in order to conjure up an incubus lookalike of his Master. However, the spell doesn't work out quite the way he expected it to... I loved how Vervain and Kit finally get together. The story is short, but eventful, and very intense.
"Finding the Words" starts out promising enough, but the emotional intensity is not what it could be when the MC's get together. Things works out a bit too fast, and it felt too "simple" for lack of a better word.
"The Silent Treatment" is original, with the whole "don't speak" idea, but of course that also means the characters don't get to know each other very well on a level other than the physical. Reverend Jane doesn't feel like a religious person to me, let alone someone who's supposed to care for her "flock". I felt that aspect could have been handled better, why else make her a reverend?
"One Small Step" is a cute story, but not something that really stayed with me one way or the other.
"Shedding Doubt" has a bit of a shallow premise, with the focus on looks and their importance in helping you feel good about yourself. Heath turns out to be bisexual, but his "out for you" confession is done a bit clumsily and his claim that Grayson's weight is unimportant falls a bit flat by the timing of his interest in the other man.
"Academic Temptations" was a sweet story with two lovely main characters, though perhaps a bit too sweet for my taste. There's a true connection between Anetta and Savannah and I liked the humor and the dialogues in the story. The secondary characters were a lot of fun too, especially Anetta's sister.
"The Sidhe's Apprentice" is also magical romance, with interesting world-building, but there's a bit too much focus on the aspect of the magical studies, rather than the developing bond between Alistair and Cianan, making it so that once they give in to their feelings, the "I love you's" come too quickly.
"Press copy to begin" was not my cup of tea, at all. I hated it. There's no true love arc in this story, the supposed connection between the characters comes along very late in the game if ever. I didn't root for this couple in any way. They come together basically despising each other, through a spanking fueled by rage and contempt, and not as a part of a loving or respectful bdsm relationship.
amyaislin's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this anthology! It was a nice mix of m/m and f/f romance stories, some sweeter than others, some more erotic than others. There was some fantasy, some paranormal, some contemporary.
I liked some stories more than others, and I particularly enjoyed the ones by Lee Welch and Elizabeth Caldwell, but the entire anthology overall was a nice read from start to finish. I must've been in the mood for short stories because I really liked it!
I liked some stories more than others, and I particularly enjoyed the ones by Lee Welch and Elizabeth Caldwell, but the entire anthology overall was a nice read from start to finish. I must've been in the mood for short stories because I really liked it!
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