Review: Best Gay Romance 2014 edited by Timothy J. Lambert and R. D. Cochrane

Posted February 27, 2014 by Tracy in Reviews | 5 Comments

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.

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Tagged: Anthology, Cleis Press, R. D. Cochrane, Review, Reviews, Timothy J. Lambert, Tracy's Reviews

What I Read Last Week

Posted February 24, 2014 by Tracy in Features | 0 Comments

Hidee ho neighbor!

Wassup? Did you all have a wonderful week last week and a great weekend? Last week was pretty good but then I was down for the count with headaches all weekend. It was beautiful here, too, so not getting out of the house sucked.

Nothing much happening around here so I’ll get right to what I read last week:

My first read was Before You Break by Christina Lee. This was a wonderful story about a guy who is dealing with guilt over a car accident that killed his best friend – when he was driving – and the woman is dealing with her own guilt over her brother’s suicide. Together they deal with their emotions and fall in love. It was oh, so good. I’ll post my review this week. 4.25 out of 5

Next up was Have You Any Rogues by Elizabeth Boyle. The novella is about Crispin and Henrietta who are members of rival families. They fall in love but then different events occur that keeps them apart for years. The story takes place while the pair are locked in a wine cellar and is told mostly in flashbacks but it’s like the characters are telling the story to each other. I really liked it but admit that I wanted more of the current time period but unfortunately there wasn’t much. I also thought Henrietta was way to impulsive over the years and was surprised that A) Crispin still wanted her after all of her rash decisions and B) she was even available after getting married so many times! 4 out of 5

Scent of a Mate by Milly Taiden was the story about a girl who is writing a book, per request, on the history of werewolf traditions…or maybe history. Anyway, she and her friends stake out a scenting ceremony but she gets a bit distracted when her mate, who is her best friends’ brother, decides to claim her that night. The book was cute although the heroine kept getting hurt which was annoying. This was definitely more erotic romance than straight paranormal with sex added – just fyi. 3.5 out of 5

The Bancroft Affairs: The Beginning by Liberty Valens. This short was free from Amazon and I’m really glad I didn’t spend money on it. The story is basically about Jillian who is blackmailed and forced to work as a call girl/prostitute. She is looking for a way out of her situation and trying to help her friends who are in the same sitch. I didn’t care for the story all that much (although there were parts that were ok), or the way the story was set up. It kind of felt like 2 stories in one which was amazing since it was so short and there was no conclusion. 2 out of 5

Stranger Delight by Tabitha Levin is a short erotic romance (also free on Amazon) about a woman who is at a party and is watching through a window as her friend has sex with her boyfriend. While watching a man comes up and has sex with her but she has no idea who it is – when she looks he’s gone. It was an ok story but was just too convoluted for me. 2 out of 5

Best Gay romance 2014 edited by R.D. Cochrane & Timothy J. Lambert was an anthology of short gay romance stories. I wouldn’t call this the BEST gay romance but there were definitely some good ones in there. I’ll post my review of this one later this week. 3.25 out of 5

Hard As You Can by Laura Kaye is book 2 in the Hard Ink series and it was really good! This is Shane and Crystal’s story. My review will post tomorrow to tell you my thoughts. 4 out of 5

My next read was a short novella called A Countess by Chance by Kate McKinley. This is mostly the reconciliation of a couple who had once been engaged but she had broken it off two years prior. There is a wager involved while they’re at a house party and erotic hijinks ensue. It was a cute story I just wanted more background. 3 out of 5

In the Service of the King by Laura Kaye is a novella dealing with King of the Vampires (I thought he was THE king but since the series is Vampire Warrior Kings I’m guessing he’s A king. :)). He needs to feed every so often from either his mate or a virgin (called Proffereds) in order to hold on to his immortality and his humanity. His mate died 300 years ago so he feeds from virgins. He hates the ritual until he meets Shayla, one of the Proffered, who ends up being his mate as well. It was a cute story that was sexy and not too deep at all. 3 out of 5

Come a Little Bit Closer by Bella Andre was last for the week – book 7 in The Sullivans series. This is Smith’s story and has him falling in love with the sister of one of his co-stars. I’ll post my review of this one later this week. 3.5 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
Fall For Me by Sydney Landon
Friends Without Benefits by Penny Reid

Happy Reading!