Tales of love and lust in contemporary gay culture, Best Gay Romance 2014 is a Valentine to readers and a wonderful reminder of how love can begin — at the grocery store, the gym, the library, or even on the world wide web. Real romances with relatable characters, each of the stories in this collection represents a facet of the oh-so-human heart
I really enjoy anthologies. I know that a lot of people don’t but I think they give me a taste of an author that I may not have read otherwise. Sometimes this is a good thing, and sometimes not. 🙂
This anthology is a little different than most, I think, in that the stories are extremely short and therefore don’t give us the same kind of satisfaction that we may get, even from a novella. I felt in some of the stories that I liked that I just wanted to know more about the characters so that I could get a better grasp of where they were when the story was taking place. Others I didn’t feel were romance stories at all, while still others I was pretty happy I didn’t know more cuz I kind of wanted them over. Then there were the few that I so enjoyed that left me with a sigh and a smile on my face. Those are the ones I want to give you a little tidbit of…
Strange Propositions by Eric Gober: The first story that was in the book told of us a guy who wanted nothing more to be who he was and to have his boyfriend come out and enjoy the chance to be together in public in Hollywood. Unfortunately that didn’t happen but luckily he met someone who would enjoy it. While I was sad for the guy who felt he needed to stay in the closet I was so happy with the way the story played out that I didn’t let it get me down.
Dandelions by Tony Calvert: A man in his mid-thirties moves home to help his mother after his father dies. He’s never met the man of his dreams as he dreams of a love like his parents had. His mother basically sets him up with the man who runs the local nursery and the two hit it off. The story was sweet and fun; it made me smile and laugh and it got a big “awww” moment at the end. Great job for such a short story.
Save the Last Dance for Me by David Puterbaugh: A couple on a transatlantic cruise. One man is a fabulous dancer and all the ladies can’t wait to dance with him, but not his partner. He doesn’t want to make waves but in the end learns that making waves makes his partner happy – in their own gentle way. So good.
There were others that I enjoyed as well and put a smile on my face but those were the top 3. I think if you just want a book that you can pick up and just read a couple of stories before bed this one is perfect for you.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5
See various authors here.
Great review!! Those were pretty much my favorite stories too when I read it, though I enjoyed pretty much all of them (except I did skip over The Invincible Theatre, which was just not for me). Another favorite was Shep: A Dog, which was so cute and had an interesting twist.
BookChic – I really liked Shep: A Dog as well – very cute.
I wasn't a fan of The Invincible Theatre either but I read it. I think the one I had the most problem with was True in My Fashion where the man lied about the poetry for years. This one didn't work for me for many reasons. 🙁
Yeah, that was probably one of my least favorite ones, but I still kinda liked it.
This may seem weird, but I actually wrote the story "Falling". What did you think of that one? And please be honest- I do not mind if you hated it, and will not go all "bad-author" on you, lol.
Oh Lordy I'm so sorry! I thought I'd answered your comment. Please accept my apologies.
I actually really liked Falling. I thought it was very sweet and I ended it with a smile on my face.
Sorry it took me so long to get back to you- thanks so much for the kind words about Falling! 🙂 Glad to hear you liked it (but it also would've been fine if you didn't like it, lol).