Lashings of Sauce

by Josephine Myles (Contributor & Editor), Alex Beecroft (Editor), Clare London (Contributor & Editor)

We Brits love our sauce, whether it's what we lash on our food, read on our seaside postcards, or write in our stories. Come and enjoy a buffet of tasty LGBTQ treats!

From marriages to reunions, via practical jokes and football matches, to weresloths and possibly the oddest Tarts and Vicars party in the world, join us as we celebrate the UK Meet in the best way we know: telling the story.

As a follow-up to the critically acclaimed British Flash and Tea and Crumpet anthologies, our talented writers bring you sixteen stories about gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and genderqueer characters enjoying what Britain and mainland Europe have to offer, with their wonderfully diverse range of cultures and landscapes and some incredibly colourful and quirky people.

This anthology is a souvenir of the 2012 UK Meet, an occasion for GLBTQ supporters to get together in a relaxed setting to celebrate and chat about the fiction community they love. Funds from the sale of this anthology will go towards future UK Meets, to which all are welcome. Please visit the website for details, or contact UK MAT through the publisher.

stories included:
Post Mortem by Jordan Castillo Price
Dressing Down by Clare London
Et Tu, Fishies by J.L. Merrow
Zones by Elyan Smith
Sollicito by Charlie Cochrane
A Few Days Away by Elin Gregory
Vidi Velo Vici by Robbie Whyte
Shelter from Storms by Sandra Lindsey
Faulty Genes by Rebecca Cohen
Lost in London by Tam Ames
My Husband by Zahra Owens
Waiting for a Spark by Lillian Francis
Social Whirl by Emily Moreton
School for Doms by Anne Brooke
Dragon Dance by Josephine Myles
Reclaiming Territory by Becky Black

Genres: Anthologies, M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Short Stories, British Literature

231 pages, ebook

First published July 16, 2012

About the author

English through and through, Josephine Myles is addicted to tea and busy cultivating a reputation for eccentricity. She writes gay erotica and romance, but finds the erotica keeps cuddling up to the romance, and the romance keeps corrupting the erotica. She blames her rebellious muse but he never listens to her anyway, no matter how much she threatens him with a big stick. She's beginning to suspect he enjoys it.

***

Note to readers: I don't read reviews of my stories on here anymore, as I think they're geared for other readers, not the writers (plus I'm chicken and would rather stick my fingers in my ears going "la-la-la"). If you'd like to let me know what you thought about any of my stories, please PM me or send me an email. I'd be very happy to hear from you :)

Reviews

[Ilhem · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

Lashing of Sauce is an anthology where "you'll find stories both saucy and sweet, along whith many poignant and thought-provoking contributions."

All stories put together make an average 3 stars rating but 4 of them are outstanding :

Et Tu, Fishies? by J.L. Merrow
Great 1st POV voice, sweet and funny story with a hint of absurdist humour.

Zones by Elyan Smith
Strengthened me in my belief that Elyan Smith is very talented and can paint the most wonderful portraits. His touch is delicate and strong at the same time, his writing very evocative so that he reaches a powerful result without ever overdoing it.

Social Whirl by Emily Moreton
Charmed me by reminding me Four Weddings and a Funeral : a spark with humour, tenderness and... well, charm.

Dragon Dance by Josephine Myles
I enjoyed the Year of the Dragon atmosphere surrounding this coming out story.

[Mandy*reads obsessively*]

I will rate/review as I go, but I had to start today with a very special story.
My dear friend Lucy sent me this quote from the book and I knew I had to move it up my TBR pile and read this particular story ASAP.

Sollicito by Charlie Cochrane:
“It’s not as simple for us. You need to carry both recessive genes and the correct markers on other chromosomes to become a were-sloth. See, I told you my problems are worse than yours, and when you stop laughing you might understand.”

I might be outing myself as slightly obsessed with sloths, but that's ok, I think they are cuteness squared, so there!
*sob* it's sooo short, I want to know more, how did he think mom didn't know? What's in store for him and Graeme?
This is so cute, the MCs 'voice' is really funny, and really Linaeus Two-toed sloths are so adorable, no matter what they normally eat. ;)
Oh please, please dear Ms Cochrane, make this a longer story? pretty please?

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for Hearts On Fire Reviews

In a word, this book is adorable. I enjoy anthologies because I get to “meet” some authors new to me and the stories are usually short-ish, so I can read one or two between other longer books. So it takes me a while to finish an anthology. This one, once I started it, I read them all. Liked nearly all of them as well, which usually doesn’t happen in an anthology. I had some clear favorites, though I considered them all well written and interesting. Some are funny, some are sweet and some are poignant.

Post Mortem by Jordan Castillo Price (rated 3) is a story where I loved the writing but I thought the main character, Arthur, was a bit of a prat, something he admits but made me like him a little less than I should have, I think. I thought “the American’s” solution to making Arthur notice him was clever and far-fetched.

Dressing Down by Clare London was lovely and I’d rate it a 5. Gaz is a quiet soul, reserved and shy, and in love with Joey. When the two go to a Tarts and Vicars party at their friend ‘s house it is the surprise of the season, costume wise. They are so wonderful together, even short as this story is. Is there a longer story with these guys? The whole group? Because I would love to read it. And I want to see a picture of Gaz in his costume, yum.

Et tu Fishes by J.L. Merrow (rated 3.5) is a friends to lovers to friends story, where a panicked moment after a shag results in unrequited love. On both sides? Marty loves Bill but when they finally hooked up he freaked out and ran. Now Bill believes Marty didn’t like it and is happy they remained friends. Told in first person by Marty, who is funny and sarcastic. He would be more heartened by the fact Bill asked him to house sit, but since he’s a bit of a clean freak people always ask him to house sit. As he does, he meets the neighbor and the story takes a spin into paranormal.

Zones by Elyan Smith (rated 4) is more serious and a little bit sad. Lisa is transgender and she’s acutely self conscious and is trying to be done with hiding herself away. In Katie she has someone who faces life fearlessly and she’s trying to do the same. Makes you want to hug Lisa and be there for her. The story shows the fear and the courage it takes to be who you are supposed to be.

Sollicito by Charlie Cochrane (rated 4) is were-sloth. WERE-SLOTH!! Told in first person by said sloth, I wanted more more more of this. A full length story and give us all the details, hairy knuckles and swinging from the lamppost and all.

Vidi Velo Vicci by Robbie Whyte (rated 3). A random sighting of a bicycle messenger as Evan sits in traffic begins a lustful sort of mental stalking.

Shelter From Storms by Sandra Lindsey (rated 2.5). This was my least favorite of the anthology, probably because it felt too much like cheating by Daniel, both on Louis and on his wife. It made me uncomfortable and I didn’t like Daniel, when he describes himself as selfish I agreed. He didn’t keep his promise to Louis and I felt it was awfully unfair to his wife.

Faulty Genes by Rebecca Cohen (rated 3) is a lesbian tale that is quite sad and hopeful at the same time. Ella makes a promise to Cassie that I hope she keeps.

My Husband by Zahra Owens (rated 4) is cute and sweet, a transgender story that shows it can be difficult to adjust to a life change for both partners but that with time, love and patience life can become even better.

Waiting for a Spark by Lillian Francis (rated 3.5) encompasses what should you do when faced with prejudice, this time not straight against gay but ethnicity? Jerome does make some mistakes but he’s realizing how silence can be interpreted as agreement. I found it very interesting that his friend, Naveen, is spouting such bigotry against immigrants when Naveen’s grandparents themselves were immigrants.

School for Doms by Anne Brooke (rated 4) is worth reading just for the humor. Very nervous Dom’s are taught by an experienced sub on how to “be a Dom”. When one of them wants to be more than that, what’s a good sub to do? This one seemed like more a HFN, since I am assuming Christopher (the sub) is going to continue with his training of Doms, which includes sex with them.

Dragon Dance by Josephine Myles (rated 4) is a gentle friends to lovers story that made me smile. It seemed fitting and appropriate that they find their way to their future through Chinese New Year, a celebration of their past.

[Marlobo ♥ epilogues · Rating 3 out of 5]

Post Mortem by Jordan Castillo Price - 3 stars
Dressing Down by Clare London - 3 stars
Et Tu, Fishies? by JL Merrow - 4 stars
Zones by Elyan Smith - 4 stars
Sollicito by Charlie Cochrane - 4 stars
A Few Days Away by Elin Gregory - 3,5 stars
Vidi Velo Vici by Robbie Whyte - 3 stars
Shelter From Storms by Sandra Lindsey - 1.5 stars
Faulty Genes by Rebecca Cohen - 2 stars
Lost in London by Tam Ames - 3,5 stars
My Husband by Zahra Owens - 4, 5 stars
Waiting for a Spark by Lillian Francis - 2,5 stars
Social Whirl by Emily Moreton - 3 stars
School for Doms by Anne Brooke - 1,5 stars
Dragon Dance by Josephine Myles - 3 stars
Reclaiming Territory by Becky Black - 2 stars

[Nithu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very diverse collection of stories, but there wasn't one I didn't enjoy. I often find short stories frustrating, sometimes they feel too short, or too rushed, trying to cram in too much. These stories were just right.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 stars

Lashing: British slang for lots or large amounts. In celebration of 2012 Olympics, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and the 3rd Annual UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet, a lashing of authors from all over the Globe put forth an GLBTQ anthology of stories that highlight everything that makes Britain (and mainland Europe) a great place for GLBTQ people to love and live.

Here is a list of stories and authors in the order they appear:
• Post Mortem by Jordan Castillo Price
• Dressing Down by Clare London
• Et Tu, Fishies? by JL Merrow
• Zones by Elyan Smith
• Sollicito by Charlie Cochrane
• A Few Days Away by Elin Gregory
• Vidi Velo Vici by Robbie Whyte
• Shelter From Storms by Sandra Lindsey
• Faulty Genes by Rebecca Cohen
• Lost in London by Tam Ames
• My Husband by Zahra Owens
• Waiting for a Spark by Lillian Francis
• Social Whirl by Emily Moreton
• School for Doms by Anne Brooke
• Dragon Dance by Josephine Myles
• Reclaiming Territory by Becky Black

The stories contained within this anthology really run the gamut of GLBTQ sexuality as well as genre. Here you will find stories of wereshifters of London (no, not those, quite the contrary) to lesbians in love, love in transition, timeless love (or should that be love amuck the ages) and finally lost lovers reunited after a long separation. There is humor, ok, humour (sheesh) and brooding, and angst, all the emotions love pulls out of you and more. And oh what authors await you between the pages, it is almost sinful to have such a wealth of talent in one book.

Some of the stories don’t fall into the realm of books I normally read and review but I will say that I enjoyed them all. Thank you for my visit into f/f fiction as well as D/s. There are stories of transgender persons and one who cross dresses with panache. These stories manage to combine great characterizations, vivid descriptions from locations all over Britain and plots that make you guffaw and break down in tears. Here were some of my favorites among a list of outstanding stories:

Et Tu, Fishies? by J.L. Merrow – When Bill leaves his fish tank along with his flat in the hands of Marty for the week, Marty was prepared for many things. Cleaning, feeding the fish, masturbating in Bill’s bed, lots of things. Nothing, however, prepared him for Arthur, the weird upstairs neighbor. That would be Arthur Prefect. When Marty challenges him on his name, he says it used to be Herbert Wells. Right. And Arthur has lost his lover. That would be… nope not giving that one away. Yes, indeedy, we are off on a wonderful romp involving lashings of vodka, wine, walnuts, and cheesy balls. And time travel, snappy dialog and drunken sex. Loved it.

Sollicito by Charlie Cochrane – She did it, she went ahead and did it. Charlie Cochrane gives us weresloths of London. With shifters of all sorts bounding across the pages of book after book, there was nary a weresloth among them. Until now. Told from the point of view of an unnamed bloke who sprouts fur and long curved claws at the most inopportune moment, he bemoans the fact that his shifting, unlike the numerous wolf shape shifters, has no rhyme nor reason to it. One moment he is fine, the next he has fur and the urge to move slowly along a balustrade. Yes, insert spew event. The whole story is like that. While laughing out loud, I found a new phrase to use “divvy doo dah.” Love the sound of that. Had to look up Martin Johnson (not a clue), read the words “brolly dangling stage” several times as obscene images flittered across my mental landscape while remaining completely in the dark about the Junction 6 of the M40. Yes,I know. It’s a British thing! Love this story even as it boggled my very American mind.

Vidi Velo Vici by Robbie Whyte – Whyte uses a clever format for this story of lust, if not love discovered during a daily commute through traffic. Each day Evan sets out for the office in his car only to find himself trapped in horrific traffic. Each day finds him on the phone to his sarcastic assistant, Tia, to have her rearrange his schedule as he is going to be late into the office. Monday, 8:38 am and Evan’s car mirror is clipped by a cyclist weaving through the clogged cars. Evan’s rage is only abated by watching some outstanding glutes in tight spandex peddling away. Day after day, Even and the faceless cyclist appear on the same road and at the same time. You listen in on Evan’s inner dialog as he watches for that magnificent physique to appear in the mirror, Evan consults with his sat-nav with the voice of Vader, Evan talks to Tia whose droll comments on Evan’s current legal case involving a shih tzu, dog custody, and someone named Antonio who he keeps sleeping with. It’s funny, it’s real, and has a great ending.

Shelter From Storms by Sandra Lindsey takes us back to the French Revolution as a wounded, frail Louis appears on the doorstep of Daniel Elcott in England. He has made his way through war torn France to his country manor with only a small dirty calling card to hand the butler. Once the men were lovers when younger, now Daniel is married with children. But Louis has no where else to go as he has lost it all. The men reconnect as Louis falls ill and Daniel attends to his needs. Their love sparks once more as Louis convalesces. Daniel finds that with Louis’ return so does the man he once was. Lovely, well told story that brings history to life and makes a gay relationship seem not only possible but realistic as well.

Lost In London by Tam Ames – Here we meet Kevin Larton, from Calgary in Canada. He’s in London to go to school but finding it difficult to navigate his way. He is finding his courses difficult, making new friends more so, and when it comes to reading maps and getting around town, he is at a complete loss. It doesn’t matter that he is here to get his PhD in Economics or was a city planner. Kevin just can’t read maps so he is always lost. A chance meeting with Benjamin White gives Kevin a change in direction. Everything starts to become possible, friends, degree and perhaps even a boyfriend. There is a hilarious drunken scene, wonderful characters, and I learned what a feedlot was. Ewww. Great story, though.

My Husband by Zahra Owen charts one person’s marriage through the tumultuous stages of their transitioning from female to male. There is never a missed step as Owens treats the subject with sensitivity and authenticity. Told from Sam’s POV, we meet his husband Sean and see their courtship and marriage through Sam’s memories. Owen gives us a glimpse of what it must feel like to be born in the wrong body and the journey one person makes to correct nature’s mistake. Poignant and lovely.

Dragon Dance by Josephine Myles is the penultimate story and one of my top two (I have no intension of telling you all the other, guess why don’t you). I love going to Chinatown here in DC and watching the Dragon Dance during the Chinese New Year so imagine my delight over a story wrapped around two friends and their families preparing the costumes and dragon for their neighborhood’s New Year celebration. Gan and Archie are two lifelong friends whose families are equally close in their small village Chinese community. As their mothers make the Dragon from crimson parachute material and fashion the pearl it will chase after, the boys discover their sexuality and the love that has always been present. Myles pulled me in completely from the vibrant portraits of the boys as they dance the Dragon Dance. As they practice, their movements are jerky and uncoordinated with respect to each other but as they communicate their love and desire it becomes sinuous, motions beckoning each other forward that mimic the depth their relationship has finally achieved. I could picture it unfolding so real did it all become. Sigh.

Reclaiming Territory by Becky Black is the last story of the anthology so it is fitting that it is the story of an old love lost and then later reclaimed. Jim and Andy are riding a motorcycle and sidecar to Whitby, a place full of memories for both men and their relationship, good and bad. As they wander through town, making various stops we learn their history and what is has taken for the men to get to this stage in their relationship where they are now. The story bounds between 2012, 1987 – the year they broke up, and 2009, the year they reconnected. Jim is so very human in his fears and faults as is Andy in his anger over Jim’s betrayal and cowardice. All it takes is a look at the date and remember what it meant to be gay during that time period. Yes, things have changed, yes, they have gotten easier in some parts of the globe but this story is a reminder of the fears of coming out and staying together as a gay committed couple that many had during the 80s. It is fitting that in celebrating our present, the past is never forgotten and Black does an outstanding job of bringing that to us in the forms of Jim and Andy riding into the future firmly hooked together by vehicle and by choice.

Go out and grab this anthology, read each story, find your own favorites. Mine might shuffle as I read it once more. Happy Jubilee, Queen, Great Olympics, Britain and have a wonderful time at the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet. I really wish I was there with you. Divvy doo dah!

Read more of my reviews at http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords... Happy Reading!
Cover art by Alex Beecroft. Smashing I say! lol

[Lillian Francis]

My contribution to this anthology is titled Waiting for a Spark.

Naturally since I'm in this I won't be rating it.

[Cryselle · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

With seventeen authors, ranging from my most auto-buy of auto-buys to completely new to me, I read this anthology with a happy smile on my face. Covering a wide range of LGBT and without the constraints of **heat! Give us more heat!**, the UK MAT authors have provided a stunning display of talent.


A mini review of each story will make this post huge, so take it as given that I enjoyed each story, and the ones I mention here had something special, even considering the standard set by Jordan Castillo Price in the lead-off story, “Post Mortem”, where a humorless bureaucrat finds his sexy side under the attentions of a delivery man. I found this story to be one of the weaker offerings (weaker being relative in this collection) and worried a bit about what was to follow. A needless worry, because the very next piece, “Dressing Down” from Clare London, explores the allure of cross-dressing, something I haven’t read much of, and makes it both naughty and very appealing.

JL Merrow—how I love thee! Getting a couple of genres tucked in here, and some HEA’s in several directions, she made me laugh all the way through “Et Tu, Fishies?” Don’t talk to the weirdo upstairs, she says... Best thing Marty ever did. Charlie Cochrane also provided chuckles with a shifter story the likes of which I never did see, from an occasionally slow-moving and upside-down POV.

A few stories are *trans. One from Elyan Smith, a new to me author, is m to f, and both charming and painful. One small normal interaction with another person becomes important in a way most of us cannot begin to imagine. Zahra Owens takes a longer timeline for a complete transition from f to m, detailing a relationship that spans the POV character’s adult life. Difficult, but happy, and with some bittersweet moments that tell us humans have a ways to go yet.

BDSM is not one of my usual preferences, but Anne Brooke’s “School for Doms” was one hot number. Told from the POV of a sub teaching a class for newbie doms, it focused on the more psychological and sexy elements, and promised an HFN with some staying power. Rawr.

Not every story here has explicit sex in it, and the “sweet” ones would be forced and contrived if they had sex shoehorned in. The table of contents codes the stories for heat, but I found the stories with the emphasis on the love rather than the sex to be completely enjoyable, and missing nothing for closing the door in the reader’s face. Josephine Myles’ story “Dragon Dance” was one such, and given the youth of the MCs, I was glad for it. (They were still of age, but barely.) The two young men have to find a way to be together that meshes with their Chinese but living in England families.

The few ff stories here are of the fade to black variety. One, Emily Moreton’s “Social Whirl,” let us watch the slow disintegration of a relationship, counterpointed with the spark of interest from another woman whom the narrator keeps tripping over at the various functions she attends.

In the way of anthologies, the stories vary, but here they vary within a small, high range. Not all of the authors are UK based, but all are skilled storytellers, and all have offered something not easily found elsewhere. If I haven’t mentioned a story, it’s for room and not for enjoyment, because this collection was a pleasure from start to finish.

[Suze · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wide range of short stories, all delivering a nice quick read. The stories range from funny to poignant, contemporary to historical, include boys, girls, shifters, stories of reminising, being transgender, young and older lovers.
Unusually in a large grouping of stories there were none I didn't like, and the average rating came out as 3.6. A book I'll definitely dive into again when I need a quick story to fill 20 mins.

[Tam]

My contribution to this is called Lost in London. No, I'm not British. :-) But I'm so looking forward to attending the Meet in Brighton and seeing old friends and meeting new. My Great-Grandmother was born in Scotland, so I might merit honourary Brit status.

[Elisa Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

2012 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)

[Amy (Lost in a Good Book) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review was published on Lost in a Good Book

The most important thing I think any anthology needs is a strong opening story, one that will hook the reader and want them to keep going. I was curious about Post Mortem, the opening story, but it really doesn’t give you anything to grab your attention. It was unengaging and it was only my hope that there were other better stories did I keep reading. It was only by a slim chance did I actually keep going because so many times I was prepared to add this to my DNF (Did Not Finish) pile. My DNF pile is small but I was getting the same feeling from the first half of this anthology that I have had with books before. The fact I told myself that I may be missing out on other good stories kept me going, I was eventually rewarded but it was a long road.

The theme of this anthology is a little vague. The introduction states it is to show off how great the LGBTQIA community have it in Britain and in Europe. It was published in 2012 when Britain was on its high from the Olympics and the Queen had her Diamond Jubilee. None of these events are mentioned in the story but 2012 was also the 3rd annual meeting of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet and to celebrate this anthology was created. The idea is sweet enough, a chance to celebrate the good times of being part of the community in Britain at the time and this is reflected in the stories in as much as they are nice stories, things aren’t complicated, there’s no altercations or conflict that I could tell due to a character’s sexuality or gender.

There are multiple trans stories, gay and lesbian romances, as well as a BDSM story. Content warning wise not every story involves sex but some do which are described in detail though not graphic or overly explicit. In a way they are the good examples of stories; the LGBTQ characters aren’t there as a plot point, nothing really centres around their sexuality, it is just a part of the overall story because it affects who they interact with and how. It isn’t an issue of contention or a problem which was refreshing.

Having said that, only half of these stories were actually interesting. Maybe even less. Many were half and half, some parts were interesting but within the same story I was bored to pieces. There were a few exceptions that only barely made the mark: Vidi Velo Vici was good, basic but had a good ending. The better ones were Dressing Down and Zones for the humour and the heart and for something like Zones it is a great story about discovery and acceptance which is subtle, but certainly there. Lost in London was another rare gem as was My Husband and Social Whirl. The rest I was not interested in, and to only have six out of sixteen stories grab my attention, it doesn’t say much about an anthology I was rally expecting more from.

The genres range from contemporary to the paranormal and magical. I found I couldn’t engage with the paranormal as much, I preferred those in modern settings. The genders and sexualities present was a great diversity and something I was impressed with. As I say, without a theme as such, the general acceptance of LGBTQ people in Britain was a great starting point because it normalised these occurrences and while it was a theme, it also showed how to make gender and sexuality naturally part of a story and not only there to be a plot point in itself.

Honestly the second half is better than the first, I am glad I persevered because I found the stories in the second half more enjoyable, certainly more diverse. Even for a LGBTQ anthology there are only so many times you can read about gay men before you start wanting to see something different. But even so, to only like six stories, there’s more issues than just that to contend with.

[Tailtiu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waiting for a Spark by Lillian Francis 3*
Reclaiming Territory by Becky Black 3*
My Husband by Zahra Owens 3,5*
Lost in London by Tam Ames 4*
A Few Days Away by Elin Gregory 4*
Sollicito by Charlie Cochrane 3*
Dragon Dance by Josephine Myles 2,5*
Dressing Down by Clare London 2,5*
Post Mortem by Jordan Castillo Price 3*
School for Doms by Anne Brooke 2,5*
Et Tu, Fishies? by JL Merrow 2*
Zones by Elyan Smith 2*
Vidi Velo Vici by Robbie Whyte 2*
Shelter From Storms by Sandra Lindsey 2,5*

Faulty Genes by Rebecca Cohen *no rating because F/F
Social Whirl by Emily Moreton *no rating because F/F

[Idamus · Rating 4 out of 5]

• Post Mortem by Jordan Castillo Price: 3.5 stars
• Dressing Down by Clare London: 3 stars
• Et Tu, Fishies? by JL Merrow: 3 stars
• Zones by Elyan Smith: Not my cup of tea
• Sollicito by Charlie Cochrane: Shifters, no thanks
• A Few Days Away by Elin Gregory: 3.5 stars
• Vidi Velo Vici by Robbie Whyte: 3.5 stars
• Shelter From Storms by Sandra Lindsey: 3 Stars
• Faulty Genes by Rebecca Cohen: Not my cup of tea
• Lost in London by Tam Ames: 4 stars
• My Husband by Zahra Owens: Not my cup of tea
• Waiting for a Spark by Lillian Francis 4 stars
• Social Whirl by Emily Moreton: Not my cup of tea
• School for Doms by Anne Brooke: Not my cup of tea
• Dragon Dance by Josephine Myles 4 stars
• Reclaiming Territory by Becky Black: 3.5 stars

Overall, some really good shorts :)
-and a few that wasn't what I like to read, but I'm sure they're someone elses taste ;)

[Stevie Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

A varied mix of stories in this one. Some were more to my taste than others, but all will be appreciated by the majority of interested readers. M/m stories predominate, but there are also two f/f stories and two about trans* characters. Well worth picking up.

[Maygirl7]

Mine. mine. mine. Mine! Well.... soon to be. Thanks to Chris for her contest and Josephine for offering it up for my gleeful gloating. Yay!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really my cup of tea but interesting none the less. I can honestly say that I read it through as I received it for free through Goodreads First Reads. The stories were diverse and entertaining.

[Megan Reddaway]

Just finished reading this at the Meet and it's great! Loved the diversity in both subject matter and style. Some really cracking stories here!

[Mara Ismine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cracking selection of stories -and great fun to read. Something for everyone.

[Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but uneven in quality.