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Perfect Angel #1
That Famous Happy End
Nothing is sweeter than following a story and its characters through all the ups and downs, the trials, the pains, and seeing them finally reach that moment, that day, that place they worked so hard to gain. Be it by way of murder, magic, misunderstanding, mischief, or mayhem, we like to see them suffer. We want the struggle, the grief, the fight. We want to see them angry, confused, hurt, battered, and on the verge of giving up.
But most of all we want to see all that toil and strife worth something. We want to see the characters we love finally reach that famous happy end.
This anthology includes the following short stories:
Quality Assurance by Sasha L. Miller
Perfect Angel by Rachelle Cochran
The Prince, the Thief, and the Shadow Emperor by M.J. Willow
Pas Comme Ca by Sophie Hung
More Than A Hero by May Ridge
The Simple Method by Remington Ward
The Games by Ashley Shaw
Looking for More by Megan Derr
Word count: 169,000
But most of all we want to see all that toil and strife worth something. We want to see the characters we love finally reach that famous happy end.
This anthology includes the following short stories:
Quality Assurance by Sasha L. Miller
Perfect Angel by Rachelle Cochran
The Prince, the Thief, and the Shadow Emperor by M.J. Willow
Pas Comme Ca by Sophie Hung
More Than A Hero by May Ridge
The Simple Method by Remington Ward
The Games by Ashley Shaw
Looking for More by Megan Derr
Word count: 169,000
676 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2011
5 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 22, 2011
All in all a great anthology. This is a good book to read if you're in the mood for all different genres -- from magic and fantasy to paranormal to contemporary, from sweet, light and funny to fantasies with fairy tale elements and one that is even a bit darker in tone.
Quality Assurance by Sasha L. Miller (3.5 stars) - A cute story about an office romance between a vampire and a human. The best part of this story was the vampire, Quinn; so different from most self-assured and often exceedingly arrogant vampires in fiction, Quinn is shy and self-depreciating, trying to make his way on his own away from his obnoxious and prying family.
Perfect Angel by Rachelle Cochran (4 stars) - Another cute story, this time about a Royal Scribe angel in love with and recently banished from the kingdom for his relationship with the Crown Prince, after said prince denies their relationship. Brokenhearted and betrayed, he is sent by the king to work for a demon -- a blatant insult in it's own right from an angel and also personal, since Kalyana has bitter memories of demons from his past. Yet Viscount Avanindra Dasmaya is different than any demon Kalyana has ever met.
The Prince, the Thief, and the Shadow Emperor by M.J. Willow (5 stars) - My favorite story in the collection, about a newly mastered battle mage on his way home to see his family, being accosted and bested by what seems at first to be an ordinary highwayman in the middle of a dark and unnatural forest. But, the highwayman has powers that don't make any sense and he also looks suspiciously like the Crown Prince.
Pas Comme Ca by Sophie Hung (4.75 stars) - Very good story about two neighbors in London who slowly fall in love over a year. One is an artist taking a year abroad before going home to France, and the other is studying Macroeconomics and trying to deal with the loss of his entire family and the dreams he had of being a concert pianist.
More Than A Hero by May Ridge (3 stars) - Two rival superheroes, one on top of his game and the other trying to edge his way into a territory and make a name for himself. Pretty good story, but I didn't really like Comet very much and the ending didn't feel very resolved.
The Simple Method by Remington Ward (3.75 stars) - A genius undergraduate scientist has a crush on an english major jock who he also went to high school with. After a freak explosion from one of his experiments, they're forced to room with one another. A really sweet story and I loved Coney and his naive nature.
The Games by Ashley Shaw (4 stars) - A darker tale of magic and politics. Two friends and lovers are traveling the world and decide to visit a famous magical city to hopefully learn more about the magic they possess. Only when they get there they are arrested for their use of magic and ordered by the Queen to participate in "The Games" a barbaric and gladiator-like battle between two mages for the enjoyment of the nobles.
Looking for More by Megan Derr (4.25 stars) - Milo has been in love with his next-door neighbor for a long time. Lewis is confident, sexy, successful, and charismatic, all things that Milo thinks he isn't. Yet, in a way they are friends -- although it only seems to be when Lewis needs something from his "geek" neighbor, and this time the favor almost breaks Milo's heart: Lewis needs help trying to seduce his crush, a geek who works in the IT department at his firm.
Quality Assurance by Sasha L. Miller (3.5 stars) - A cute story about an office romance between a vampire and a human. The best part of this story was the vampire, Quinn; so different from most self-assured and often exceedingly arrogant vampires in fiction, Quinn is shy and self-depreciating, trying to make his way on his own away from his obnoxious and prying family.
Perfect Angel by Rachelle Cochran (4 stars) - Another cute story, this time about a Royal Scribe angel in love with and recently banished from the kingdom for his relationship with the Crown Prince, after said prince denies their relationship. Brokenhearted and betrayed, he is sent by the king to work for a demon -- a blatant insult in it's own right from an angel and also personal, since Kalyana has bitter memories of demons from his past. Yet Viscount Avanindra Dasmaya is different than any demon Kalyana has ever met.
The Prince, the Thief, and the Shadow Emperor by M.J. Willow (5 stars) - My favorite story in the collection, about a newly mastered battle mage on his way home to see his family, being accosted and bested by what seems at first to be an ordinary highwayman in the middle of a dark and unnatural forest. But, the highwayman has powers that don't make any sense and he also looks suspiciously like the Crown Prince.
Pas Comme Ca by Sophie Hung (4.75 stars) - Very good story about two neighbors in London who slowly fall in love over a year. One is an artist taking a year abroad before going home to France, and the other is studying Macroeconomics and trying to deal with the loss of his entire family and the dreams he had of being a concert pianist.
More Than A Hero by May Ridge (3 stars) - Two rival superheroes, one on top of his game and the other trying to edge his way into a territory and make a name for himself. Pretty good story, but I didn't really like Comet very much and the ending didn't feel very resolved.
The Simple Method by Remington Ward (3.75 stars) - A genius undergraduate scientist has a crush on an english major jock who he also went to high school with. After a freak explosion from one of his experiments, they're forced to room with one another. A really sweet story and I loved Coney and his naive nature.
The Games by Ashley Shaw (4 stars) - A darker tale of magic and politics. Two friends and lovers are traveling the world and decide to visit a famous magical city to hopefully learn more about the magic they possess. Only when they get there they are arrested for their use of magic and ordered by the Queen to participate in "The Games" a barbaric and gladiator-like battle between two mages for the enjoyment of the nobles.
Looking for More by Megan Derr (4.25 stars) - Milo has been in love with his next-door neighbor for a long time. Lewis is confident, sexy, successful, and charismatic, all things that Milo thinks he isn't. Yet, in a way they are friends -- although it only seems to be when Lewis needs something from his "geek" neighbor, and this time the favor almost breaks Milo's heart: Lewis needs help trying to seduce his crush, a geek who works in the IT department at his firm.
August 24, 2012
I was very conflicted about how to rate this so I decided to just get the average and put that as a final rating. So the individual ratings:
Sasha L. Miller- Quality Assurance:
3 STARS
It was cute but sort of boring and very forgettable
Rachelle Cochran- Perfect Angel:
4.5 STARS
I have a huge thing for angels (I blame Nalini Singh) and demons/devils (Definitely blaming Megan Derr). This story was totally adorable, and the MC was a huge, adorable, clueless fool.
M.J. Willow- The Prince, The Thief and the Shadow Emperor:
4.5 STARS
I enjoyed this one very much! Features a mage, a highway robber and a preetty dodgy forest. . .
Sophie Huang- Pas Comme Ca:
3.75 STARS
A nicely written, engaging story featuring a very stereotypical French and his neighbour.
May Ridge- More Than a Hero:
3 STARS
This was pretty cute and funny at times, but the MC was such a fucking ARGH. He was just really annoying at times. And I'm not really that into superheroes and such, so that was a definite mark down for me too.
Remington Ward- The Simple Method:
5 STARS
Holy fuck this was so so adorable featuring a very embarrassingly and hilarious socially inept nerd who unknowingly tries so hard to maintain that "nerdy" stereotype. Throw in a jock who really isn't a jock (apart from the whole sport thing), a crush that goes way back to highschool and the explosion that started it all. . . Totally adorable. This is where I think this book really peaked up for me.
Ashley Shaw- The Games:
3 STARS or a bit less
In this short story, the two MCs are already pretty-long-time lovers, so the main focus is the plot and action. Which aren't really all that fantastic either. The whole "games" concept reminded me way too much of Hunger Games, even though, really, the only thing similar is the killing part. I don't think it was that wise to call it "The Games" seeing as Hunger Games has become so viral. . . There wasn't really anything in that story that I particularly liked. Probably the weakest story in the book in my opinion.
Megan Derr- Looking for More:
It seems that that the "geek" stories really are the strongest point of this book, because I ADORED this story.
5 STARS
It was definitely cute, enjoyable and utterly engaging. Nothing special or original, just pure, lovely entertainment. A definite lovely finish to the book.
------
So overall, I enjoyed this book quite a lot. I definitely don't regret buying the ebook, but I won't say that if I could turn back time that I would jump up and down in excitement to read it.
My advice is, if you've read the reviews (not just mine, because I don't write proper ones, I just write opinions and likes/dislikes) and you're still quite interested in reading, that you should go out and buy it. But if you're so and so about it, I definitely wouldn't say that it's a must read.
Anyway I would still recommend it to all those who love Happy Endings (as the title suggests), and would want a pretty light, fun read.
END RATING: 3.96 blah (4-STARS lol)
Sasha L. Miller- Quality Assurance:
3 STARS
It was cute but sort of boring and very forgettable
Rachelle Cochran- Perfect Angel:
4.5 STARS
I have a huge thing for angels (I blame Nalini Singh) and demons/devils (Definitely blaming Megan Derr). This story was totally adorable, and the MC was a huge, adorable, clueless fool.
M.J. Willow- The Prince, The Thief and the Shadow Emperor:
4.5 STARS
I enjoyed this one very much! Features a mage, a highway robber and a preetty dodgy forest. . .
Sophie Huang- Pas Comme Ca:
3.75 STARS
A nicely written, engaging story featuring a very stereotypical French and his neighbour.
May Ridge- More Than a Hero:
3 STARS
This was pretty cute and funny at times, but the MC was such a fucking ARGH. He was just really annoying at times. And I'm not really that into superheroes and such, so that was a definite mark down for me too.
Remington Ward- The Simple Method:
5 STARS
Holy fuck this was so so adorable featuring a very embarrassingly and hilarious socially inept nerd who unknowingly tries so hard to maintain that "nerdy" stereotype. Throw in a jock who really isn't a jock (apart from the whole sport thing), a crush that goes way back to highschool and the explosion that started it all. . . Totally adorable. This is where I think this book really peaked up for me.
Ashley Shaw- The Games:
3 STARS or a bit less
In this short story, the two MCs are already pretty-long-time lovers, so the main focus is the plot and action. Which aren't really all that fantastic either. The whole "games" concept reminded me way too much of Hunger Games, even though, really, the only thing similar is the killing part. I don't think it was that wise to call it "The Games" seeing as Hunger Games has become so viral. . . There wasn't really anything in that story that I particularly liked. Probably the weakest story in the book in my opinion.
Megan Derr- Looking for More:
It seems that that the "geek" stories really are the strongest point of this book, because I ADORED this story.
5 STARS
It was definitely cute, enjoyable and utterly engaging. Nothing special or original, just pure, lovely entertainment. A definite lovely finish to the book.
------
So overall, I enjoyed this book quite a lot. I definitely don't regret buying the ebook, but I won't say that if I could turn back time that I would jump up and down in excitement to read it.
My advice is, if you've read the reviews (not just mine, because I don't write proper ones, I just write opinions and likes/dislikes) and you're still quite interested in reading, that you should go out and buy it. But if you're so and so about it, I definitely wouldn't say that it's a must read.
Anyway I would still recommend it to all those who love Happy Endings (as the title suggests), and would want a pretty light, fun read.
END RATING: 3.96 blah (4-STARS lol)
August 9, 2016
February 2012: Anthology with 8 stories, some better but all good!
June 2014: reRead of the new published single stories:
Looking for More by Megan Derr 4*
Quality Assurance by Sasha L. Miller 3,5*
Perfect Angel by Rachelle Cochran 4*
More than a Hero by May Ridge 3*
The Prince, the Thief, and the Shadow Emperorby M.J. Willow 4,5*
June 2014: reRead of the new published single stories:
Looking for More by Megan Derr 4*
Quality Assurance by Sasha L. Miller 3,5*
Perfect Angel by Rachelle Cochran 4*
More than a Hero by May Ridge 3*
The Prince, the Thief, and the Shadow Emperorby M.J. Willow 4,5*
December 17, 2011
Like with all anthologies, I enjoyed some stories more than others, but except for one, I liked them all.
May 9, 2017
Quality Assurance - Sasha L. Miller: ★★★★
Nice story with a refreshing lack of overreacting about the supernatural
Perfect Angel - Rachelle Cochran: ★★★
I enjoyed the story, but the main character's indecisiveness near the end soured it for me. (Also, what is up with angel/demon stories and obnoxious names?)
The Prince, the Thief, and the Shadow Emperor - M.J. Willow: ★★★
I will admit that I liked the interactions with Soloyev more than Vasiliy, probably because I'm a sucker for self-assured characters
Pas Comme Ca - Sophie Hung: ★★★
I liked the story, but their relationship seemed unhealthy a couple times
More Than A Hero - May Ridge: ★★
Eh, I just didn't connect well with the characters
The Simple Method - Remington Ward: ★★★★★
Cute story featuring the nerd/jock trope with a nice dash of angst thrown in
The Games - Ashley Shaw: ★
I found the plot, and the characters and their motivations to be weak and childish
Looking for More - Megan Derr: ★★★★★
Previously read as a stand-alone
Nice story with a refreshing lack of overreacting about the supernatural
Perfect Angel - Rachelle Cochran: ★★★
I enjoyed the story, but the main character's indecisiveness near the end soured it for me. (Also, what is up with angel/demon stories and obnoxious names?)
The Prince, the Thief, and the Shadow Emperor - M.J. Willow: ★★★
I will admit that I liked the interactions with Soloyev more than Vasiliy, probably because I'm a sucker for self-assured characters
Pas Comme Ca - Sophie Hung: ★★★
I liked the story, but their relationship seemed unhealthy a couple times
More Than A Hero - May Ridge: ★★
Eh, I just didn't connect well with the characters
The Simple Method - Remington Ward: ★★★★★
Cute story featuring the nerd/jock trope with a nice dash of angst thrown in
The Games - Ashley Shaw: ★
I found the plot, and the characters and their motivations to be weak and childish
Looking for More - Megan Derr: ★★★★★
Previously read as a stand-alone
March 6, 2020
Nice little stories.
June 8, 2014
Read:
Perfect Angel: Cute story with likeable characters and several awww-worthy moments. 4/5
The Prince, the Thief, and the Shadow Emperor: Nice and engaging, but it didn't wow me. The ending was also quite abrupt and not very satisfying. 3/5
Pas Comme Ca: This one started off amazing(the French? *fans myself*), but then it began to dragg. And just when things were looking up, it faltered again and cut off abruptly (although with more resolution than the previous story). 3/5
The Simple Method: I can't stop smiling because of this one, despite the confusing characterization at the beginning - I'd thought Joey was supposed to be one of those typical jocks, until it was stated that it's actually a really nice guy. But the ending was super cute. 4/5
Did not finish:
Quality Assurance: As with many stories that I don't finish, I couldn't muster up enough interest to finish it.
The Games: The whole reasoning seemed arbitrary, and I couldn't quite understand the characters' motivations nor picture things clearly in my mind.
Did not read:
More Than A Hero
Looking for More
Perfect Angel: Cute story with likeable characters and several awww-worthy moments. 4/5
The Prince, the Thief, and the Shadow Emperor: Nice and engaging, but it didn't wow me. The ending was also quite abrupt and not very satisfying. 3/5
Pas Comme Ca: This one started off amazing(the French? *fans myself*), but then it began to dragg. And just when things were looking up, it faltered again and cut off abruptly (although with more resolution than the previous story). 3/5
The Simple Method: I can't stop smiling because of this one, despite the confusing characterization at the beginning - I'd thought Joey was supposed to be one of those typical jocks, until it was stated that it's actually a really nice guy. But the ending was super cute. 4/5
Did not finish:
Quality Assurance: As with many stories that I don't finish, I couldn't muster up enough interest to finish it.
The Games: The whole reasoning seemed arbitrary, and I couldn't quite understand the characters' motivations nor picture things clearly in my mind.
Did not read:
More Than A Hero
Looking for More
Currently reading
November 17, 2013So far this is what I've read:
Quality Assurance: 3 Stars [I just felt like the book was starting when it ended. I wanted to know more about Quinn's side of the story, it just felt too one sided and you don't really learn much more since the story ends but it would be a cute beginning to a longer book]
Perfect Angel: 4.5 Stars [Loved it, the author did a good job giving the most out of a short story, definitely has re-read status]
The Prince, the Thief, and the Shadow Emperor: 4 Stars [I really liked how romance wasn't the main focus of the story but an endearing plus! It read as a nice, short fairy tale]
Looking for More: 3 Stars [This one surprised me because I usually love Megan Derr's works and the story was good but I think It wasn't my favorite because I'm not really a fan of you-were-drab-but-now-you're-fab-and-now-I-love-you stories (I don't know if there is an actual term - ugly duckling stories?)]
Quality Assurance: 3 Stars [I just felt like the book was starting when it ended. I wanted to know more about Quinn's side of the story, it just felt too one sided and you don't really learn much more since the story ends but it would be a cute beginning to a longer book]
Perfect Angel: 4.5 Stars [Loved it, the author did a good job giving the most out of a short story, definitely has re-read status]
The Prince, the Thief, and the Shadow Emperor: 4 Stars [I really liked how romance wasn't the main focus of the story but an endearing plus! It read as a nice, short fairy tale]
Looking for More: 3 Stars [This one surprised me because I usually love Megan Derr's works and the story was good but I think It wasn't my favorite because I'm not really a fan of you-were-drab-but-now-you're-fab-and-now-I-love-you stories (I don't know if there is an actual term - ugly duckling stories?)]
July 26, 2016
As with any anthology, I liked some more than others. I admit, Pas Comme Ca was not a favorite. One character was just too immersed in pain while the other was not there for him. When Simon is finished with his show, I thought WHAT? Coward!
That being said - Perfect Angel was amazing, especially for the length and I lived Looking for More and MOre than a Superhero very much!
That being said - Perfect Angel was amazing, especially for the length and I lived Looking for More and MOre than a Superhero very much!
July 19, 2017
Quality Assurance by Sasha L. Miller - 3*
Perfect Angel by Rachelle Cochran - 3,5*
Pas Comme Ca by Sophie Hung - couldn't finish bacause of the writing style.
Looking for More by Megan Derr - a pleasant read as always, but one-eighty on the feelings was a little less believable than in her other stories, so 3.5*
Perfect Angel by Rachelle Cochran - 3,5*
Pas Comme Ca by Sophie Hung - couldn't finish bacause of the writing style.
Looking for More by Megan Derr - a pleasant read as always, but one-eighty on the feelings was a little less believable than in her other stories, so 3.5*
December 29, 2012
3.5 stars
There were quite a few that I really enjoyed and will probably go back and re-read. I won't mention which one those are unless someone asks me. There were others I thought were just okay.
There were quite a few that I really enjoyed and will probably go back and re-read. I won't mention which one those are unless someone asks me. There were others I thought were just okay.
anthology
August 19, 2011Currently reading: The Prince, the Thief & the Shadow Emperor (fantasy) by M. J. Willow
The Games (fantasy) by Ashley Shaw: 3 stars.
The Games (fantasy) by Ashley Shaw: 3 stars.
Currently reading
June 15, 2014Perfect Angel - 4 stars
August 21, 2014
meh. Story by MJ Willow was awesome. rest was skimm-able and not memorable.
May 1, 2017
Cute book and I really liked all the happy endings. It also introduced some authors I didn't really know yet, so I'm off to find more books to throw into my to-read list~
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews