Blooming Marvellous and collected stories

by Josephine Myles

What do a graffiti artist, a nerdy virgin, a lunar cop, a handsome devil, a sexy boater, a disgraced aristocrat and a misbehaving valet all have in common? Bestselling gay romance author Josephine Myles, of course! In this collection of nine short stories you’ll find all these characters coming together (quite literally sometimes).

The collection mingles contemporary erotica with a hint of a happy future with historical, paranormal and futuristic kinky romance. There are even a couple of stories that are sweet romance. One thing you can be sure of, though: the blokes in these stories will always get their man!

Buckle up for Jo’s British sense of humour and fun, and don’t be surprised if there’s sex in the potting shed, because with Jo, anything can happen.

NB: all these stories have been previously published in anthologies or on the author's website.

Genres: M M Romance, Anthologies, Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance, Short Stories, Fantasy

141 pages, ebook

First published July 2, 2013

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

[Josephine Myles]

I've put together this anthology to collect nine of my favourites of the short stories I've written over the last few years. While you'll find the humorous contemporary erotic romances you might expect from my longer works, I've always enjoyed experimenting with different subgenres in shorter works, and this collection reflects that.

You'll find a science fiction story included here, which was my very first published m/m story. There's also a bit of D/s historical kink, demons, and some magic realism. No werewolves, vampires or cowboys, but who knows if my muse will head in that direction one day?

Some of the stories are a little bit kinky, but I've also included a couple that leave the bedroom door firmly closed. Just occasionally that's felt like the right thing to do. I hope my muse doesn't make a habit of it, though!

Previous publishing credits:

Blooming Marvellous - Tea and Crumpet anthology
Demon du Jour - author's website
River Rat - Sexy Sailors: Gay Erotic Stories anthology
Three Wishes - author's website
The Devil Went Down to Swindon - Mine anthology
Passive Resistance - Like That Spark: Erotic Stories of New Relationships anthology
The Frog Prince - The Handsome Prince anthology
Tea for Two - author's website
Dragon Dance - Lashings of Sauce anthology

[The Novel Approach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josephine Myles’ characters always come to life in full blooming color on the page, sometimes cheeky, ever endearing, and always clever and sexy; if you love short stories, and most especially if you’re a Josephine Myles fan, I highly recommend giving this book a read.

You can read the rest of this review at The Novel Approach

[Ro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for Hearts On Fire Reviews

All of the stories in this anthology are fairly short and span the gamut from historical to futuristic. It’s a nice mix and all have the signature writing style and very British voice of Ms. Myles. These stories have been published before and so a couple of them I had already read.

Blooming Marvellous – rated 3.5. A graffiti artist meets a businessman while they complete community service together doing landscaping. Told in first person by Ky (the artist), it’s how they get to know each other and can they be friends despite the very big differences they have? It’s very sweet and I loved the twist in planting.

Demon Du Jour – rated 4. A lonely shy guy who is extremely clueless about how much his dick should be appreciated calls up a succubus and gets a big surprise instead. This isn’t a relationship thing but it’s funny. And I hope Gavin does take up yoga.

River Rat – rated 3. Probably my least favorite of the anthology, I just didn’t connect with Ryan or Kev but it’s a sexy one.

Three Wishes – rated 4. Absolutely loved it and I so want to see Tyler and his bright pink hair. Chocolates brought by Tyler to Eddie, his friend, are supposed to grant wishes. What Eddie doesn’t realize is it already was granted. He just needs to see it. So sweet.

The Devil Went Down to Swindon – rated 4. Finding the devil on a crossroads where you are waiting to get a ride to band practice should throw you for a loop, no? Nope, for Darren it’s a little unnerving but he can handle it – the devil will help him get to be a star! There’s just one little problem… This was funny and I loved Nick.

Passive Resistance - rated 4. First of all, let’s mention that I want a Circlet! This is a futuristic story of Sarkan and Gerryn. Gerryn has it bad for Sarkan, who treats him pretty coldly and Gerryn has about had it. The twist that happens when they find (and use) the Circlets – loved it. (and just as an aside – the creators of the Circlets made them for good and they were used for bad. Things never change).

The Frog Prince – rated 4. Jasper has made mistakes in his life and it’s made him try even harder to do good things. And he seems to be a good person, which is why Simon has such a crush on him. A little bit sad at times but its worth it.

Tea for Two – rated 3. A good historical with a very sweet (and enthusiastic!) sub, Oscar, and the stolen moments he has with his Master, Richard. Awesome twist included.

Dragon Dance – rated 4. Another of my favorites, because it’s sweet and friends to lovers without a ton of angst. Just two people trying to get the courage to put themselves out there in face of possible rejection. Lovely.

Of the lot, I enjoyed most of them and I loved a couple. This is a great anthology of quick stories, especially to read one or two between longer stories.

[LiveYourLife BuyTheBook · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars - Blooming Marvellous, indeed!!

Dragon Dance - The Year of the Dragon is approaching and Gan and Archie’s mums are preparing a dragon for the festival. Gan and Archie are best mates and have known each other since they were toddlers. Archie has come to the realization that he is gay and also in love with his best friend. He fears coming out not knowing what his family, the people of the small village where they live in or Gan will think. Gan has a girlfriend and Archie is afraid of what it would mean to their friendship if Gan knew how he felt.

While preparing for the dragon dance, Archie becomes fascinated with the dragon lore and begins to think of himself as a dragon companion. He imagines his dragon as his good luck charm and even hears whispers from his dragon. Archie and Gan also practice martial arts together and members of the class are the ones performing in the dragon dance. Because Archie is tall he is chosen to carry the dragon head. Gan is carrying the pearl that the dragon chases. During the course of martial arts practices and dragon dance practices, something changes for both of them.

The story leads us through this lovely coming of age romance with beautiful analogies of the relationship between Gan and Archie to the dragon dance they are performing. I thought that Archie’s dragon gave the story a magical quality. The supporting characters and their storylines were fun and I could easily see this story in a longer format. This is a delightful story and I loved the ending. ~ 5 stars

Read Deb's full review at Live Your Life, Buy The Book

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love all of josephine myles characters. they always have the perfect blend of vulnerability and strength. some of these stories i already have in the original collections, but i like having them all in one collection, and it was fun to rediscover them

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice collection of stories by Josephine Myles. A few of them were great, but most were just likeable. Quite pleasant, overall.

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.23 star average -- love this author!!!
Blooming Marvellous: 3.75 stars
Demon Du Jour: 4.5 stars
River Rat: 4.0 stars
Three Wishes: 3.75 stars
The Devil Went Down to Swindon: 4.5 stars
Passive Resistance: 3.75 stars
The Frog Prince: 4.0 stars
Tea For Two: 5 stars (and I'd give it more if I could -- my very favorite in the collection!)
Dragon Dance: 5 stars

[Sammy Goode · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blooming Marvellous is an eclectic collection of short stories by author Josephine Myles. While some could be considered in the paranormal realm: Demon du Jour, The Devil Went Down To Swindon, Passive Resistance (more of a futuristic science fiction), there were also modern day romances: Frog Prince, Blooming Marvelous, River Rat, and Three Wishes, along with one Coming of Age or First Love: Dragon Dance and a historical romance as well in Tea For Two. Here was a collection that really did offer a little something for everything. In fact there was even a slight bent toward a light BDSM theme in both Tea For Two and a mere hint in River Rat.

However what spoke out in all these stories was the delightful voice of the narrator. From the rich colloquialisms and varied settings that Britain has to offer I felt fully immersed in the culture of the UK both present and past. Two stories, in particular, stood out for me both the title one, Blooming Marvellous and one of the longer stories, Frog Prince. Before I get to those I'd like to briefly mention the highlights in the other stories for each was a complete tale and a worthy entry in the anthology.

The paranormal stories Demon du Jour, The Devil Went Down To Swinton and the sci-fi entry Passive Resistance all dealt with similar themes of a lead character who was struggling with their own self worth. Whether it be humorously as in "Demon" where the poor bloke had yet to lose his virginity and was told his rather substantial "equipment" was scary to behold or in the more serious stories like "The Devil" and Passive Resistance that dealt with young men who just wanted to be important to someone and feel less like a hopeless nobody, these stories were a compassionate view of the underdog who finally wins the day. Each was a glimpse into the heart of a person who just wanted to be loved and valued and, in turn, tugged just a bit at your heart.

While totally different in their styles, the two more kinky and erotic stories, Tea For Two and River Rat both dealt with secret longings and desires. In these stories, the main characters had sexual proclivities that was deemed outside the more staid societal norms of the day and, if discovered, would have been frowned upon or worse. There was a furtive and desperate feel to these two stories that made them slightly more intense and drew you in immediately into the idea that here loving another could have a dangerous element to it.

Lastly in Three Wishes and Dragon Dance we have two vastly different stories with a similar theme of finally discovering love right on your doorstep. In Three Wishes it's the case of letting go of a past failed love to see the friend who has loved you all along. While in Dragon Dance it was the sweet coming of age and first love along with coming out for the first time in a small community where support and love were the key.

My favorites though had to be Frog Prince and Blooming Marvelous. There was something about these characters that made me ache for a more in-depth view, a longer story. Frog Prince, the story of a lonely bookseller, Simon, who is dragged along by his best friend to help the conservation movement capture and relocate frogs during their mating season was both poignantly sweet and funny. Simon is crushing over the head conservationist, Jasper Fitzroy whom he thinks is straight only to find out that Jasper is gay and hiding a dark secret that has left him both wounded and reluctant to fall in love again. This story was, I think, the sweetest dance in the anthology. Their slow blooming romance was written so compassionately and lovingly--I really enjoyed this story and would definitely want to read more about these two men.

Finally, the title story Blooming Marvelous was the story of two vastly different men, one a young black man who was arrested for being a street graffiti artist and the other an older business man who, during a drunken moment, mistook a real police officer for a male stripper. Both are serving time doing community service--with each other. I loved the cocky yet fragile assurance of Ky, a man who had grown up under crippling poverty to develop the soul of an artist. He is the catalyst for James to finally step outside the safety of his comfy middle class existence and really live. You could not dream up two less likely lovers than these men. But the depth of spirit that was written into these characters, particularly Ky, was simply lovely.

I want to leave you with a quote from this story. While it might seem an odd quote to give you, for me it really speaks about this anthology--about the way in which each character chose to break free from the ties that bound them away from loving another person. In this little snippet, Ky is explaining why he paints tulips wherever he feels a "corner needs brightening up".

"It's about nature finding a way, breaking out through the tyranny of concrete and tarmac, innit?"

Blooming Marvellous And Collected Stories by Josephine Myles is about breaking free from whatever holds us and finding love. It is a wonderful collection and a five star read.

[Kaetrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why I read it: The author sent me a copy her latest anthology of short stories, for review. I think it takes special talent to write short (not a skill of mine really!) and sometimes, a story of only a few pages is just the ticket when I am pressed for time, having trouble deciding what to read next or I’m just feeling flighty.

Blooming Marvellous This delightful story is about graffiti artist, Ky, completing community service who meets up with newcomer, James, a clean cut professional type who had an embarrassing incident with a policeman while under the influence and thus finds himself planting flowers in the middle of a roundabout. On the surface the pair have little in common but looks can be deceiving. It has an appropriately hopeful ending for the story length and I liked it quite a bit. And Ky could totally be the guy on the cover.


Read the rest of the review here: http://www.kaetrinsmusings.com/2013/0...

[Lois - Who Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually struggle with anthologies because it is so difficult to write a really engaging short story. These were rather well done and covered many different genres. For such short stories there was pretty good character development and storyline and a few of them felt like they could easily be turned into full length novels.

My two favorites featured demons, Demon du Jour and The Devil Went Down to Swindon. Both of these stories had a little sweetness and a little humor. The second story even includes some of the kink that this author writes so well.

[Averin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these, like "Three Wishes" and ""Tea for Two" I've read and enjoyed before on the author's website. The title tale, "Blooming Marvellous," is classic Myles: two men with a twelve year difference in age from vastly separate economic strata are thrown together under unusual circumstances (community service) and sparks fly. There's a barge story, of course, "River Rat," several fantasy stories: "Demon du Jour" and "The Devil Went Down to Swindon," and a YA story, "Dragon Dance." And it's on sale right now on Smashwords for a $1 How can you resist?

Go to http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/... for the coupon code.

[Suze · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of 9 short stories from Jo Myles, full of here trademark humour and great dialogue. Average rating 3.6, upped to a 4*!
The stories are a wide range, from organic gardening through community service orders to calling up devils and a succubus to a YA coming out story. And I think cover a number of years.
I enjoyed them all, though I liked Blooming Marvellous best - even though it was one of the 5 I'd read before. And she gets kudos for setting a story in Swindon - having worked there for a short while and travelling there lots, it could do with a few fallen angels! I didn't mind rereading these as she is a favourite author.

[Melyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5.0
This anthology is my first exposure to Josephine Myles work. I found that I love her writing style and the voice she gives her characters. The stories are vivid and full even while being limited in length. A review for each of the nine stories can be found here:

http://liveyourlifebuythebook.wordpre...

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall 4.5 stars

Blooming Marvellous - 5 stars


Demon du Jour - 3.5 stars


River Rat - 4 stars


Three Wishes - 5 stars


The Devil Went Down to Swindon - 3.5 stars


Passive Resistance - 4 stars


The Frog Prince - 4 stars


Tea for Two - 5 stars


Dragon Dance - 5 stars

[Jeanne 'Divinae' · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories. Some of them I have read already on her 'free reads' on her homepage. Overall, they were pretty decent. Some better than others. But I still think it was worth buying. So, if you are looking for something that you can read a little bit here and there when you have a free moment, I'd recommend this.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. Nine short stories, all based in the UK, all doing something a little different - community service, canal boats, historic master and servant, futuristic cops, a chinese dragon, a demon, a devil, chocolates and frogs! Offerings range from something a little sweet, a puff of fluffy and a good few with a slice of hawt and naughty ! Very entertaining and worth a read.

[J. Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 *

Really enjoyed this collection of short stories by Jo Myles. All of them were funny, original, heartwarming, and erotic. My favorite was Blooming Marvelous--loved Ky, he's such a character and very hot! All were well-written of course, with plenty of Jo's humor thrown in.

A fun, fast read.

[Kiki Lynnwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful anthology. There was a wide variety of types and yet they all had the warmth and humor I always love to see. I loved every single story.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOL funny and so very British. I love it!

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this anthology. This book has a little bit of anything for everybody. Some are funny, they are all well written and very Josephine Myles! i love her style.

[Pamela Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable collection of short stories. Nothing particularly outstanding for me, but the stories were fun and a pleasant read.

[Rosa, really]

On sale for .99 cents over the weekend (8/23/14)!