Heart2Heart: A Contemporary Charity Anthology (Collection), Volume 7

Mount Hope #0.5 (Among Friends)

by Annabeth Albert, Avril Ashton, Jocelynn Drake

Once upon a time SIX YEARS AGO, the Heart2Heart app made its first batch of incredibly unlikely (but oh-so-perfect) love matches. So a fresh, new group of your favorite authors wondered… what happens when the world’s most perceptive dating software gets an upgrade, just in time for Valentine’s Day?

Will the porcelain teacup collector, the shy rugby player, and the bank robber with a heart of gold find their perfect matches? Only fate (and C.U.P.I.D) know.

As always, all proceeds from this anthology will benefit LGBTQ+ charities to ensure that love in all its incarnations will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year!

Stories included in this collection are:
Among Friends, by Annabeth Albert
A New Thrill, by Avril Ashton
Brie Mine, by Charlie Novak
When CUPID Strikes, by Cora Rose
Mixed Signals, by E.M. Lindsey
August’s Thief, by Fearne Hill
Skating After You, by Hayden Hall
Wings of Love, Jackie North
Love in Bloom, by Jocelynn Drake
The Shape of the Heart’s Desire, K.C. Wells
Meat Cute, by Kelly Fox
Mixed Motives, by Leslie McAdam

Genres: Anthologies, M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Short Stories, Novella

686 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2024

About the author

Frequent tweeter, professional grammar nerd, and obsessive reader, Annabeth Albert is also a Pacific Northwest romance writer in a variety of subgenres.

Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers.

Reviews

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars overall from the eight stories I read. I had three DNFs and one where I didn't even bother because I've never enjoyed that author before.

What bothers me across both versions of Volume 7 is the inconsistency in how the app works. If everyone was working from the same prompt for the same app, how was the interpretation of how the app worked so different? There was no cohesion to tie the stories together and it frustrated me. Surely you all agree how the app functions, otherwise it may as well just be an individual novella from each author and not an anthology....

****************

Among Friends - Annabeth Albert (3.5)
Cute best friends to lovers, reunited after fifteen years apart. It was a nice story but it's hard to form an opinion when you aren't really getting to know the characters in a short story. The story also has a time jump of one year from the end of their first date so you don't get to see any relationship development either. 

A New Thrill - Avril Ashton (DNF)
Got to the second page of chapter 2 and I feel like half the word count so far has been the names Pax and Jameson! Nothing is happening except their names being repeated - this is a clear example of why 3rd person POV isn't my preference.

Brie Mine - Charlie Novak (4)
Loved this! So English 😂 Also reminded me I really need to bump the Heather Bay series up my TBR now that it's completed!

When CUPID Strikes - Cora Rose (3.5) 
Cute and fast paced. We don't really get to know the characters all that much, but it definitely gave me a warm hug feeling seeing their relationship develop. 

Mixed Signals - EM Lindsey (Not Read)
I've read a couple of books from this author previously which I really haven't enjoyed, so much so that I put them on my pretty short 'do not read' list, so I'm skipping this one. 

August's Thief - Fearne Hill (DNF)
Ermmm..... This totally changed what the Cupid algorithm was, which threw me off. But then it mentioned toes and sucking almost straight away and that's just a big NOPE for me 😬 I have the opposite of a foot fetish so I was instantly grossed out beyond recovery, sorry!!

Skating After You - Hayden Hall (4)
Very cutesy! I loved how awkward these guys were, and their shared nerdiness was adorable. I loved the naming of the Lion too! 

Wings of Love - Jackie North (DNF)
Not for me. 

Love in Bloom - Jocelyn Drake (4)
Really liked this one, the build up was good and you get to know the characters pretty well considering it's a short story. 

The Shape of the Heart's Desire - KC Wells (2.5)
I really liked the pottery class date, it's actually something I want to add to my endless list of hobbies! But I got really icked out by the fact they used to be teacher and pupil. I honestly don't know why because I've read loads of books where they get involved when they're in a current teacher/student relationship, but for some reason this one just made me really uncomfortable!!

Meat Cute - Kelly Fox (4)
I think this was my favourite in both versions of H2H volume 7! I loved both characters and they felt like real people. I also loved the use of sign language, which I haven't seen in many books! I use BSL and Makaton with my son, so it was so nice to see it.

Mixed Motives - Leslie McAdam (3)
I liked the ex's dad aspect, but it didn't really grab my attention at all. 

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read all the stories. Reviews below for the ones I did.

Average rating: 3.54, rounding up because Heart2Heart authors have collectively raised 175K for LGBQT charities worldwide, which is incredible!!

Among Friends by Annabeth Albert
~4~

Feel-good story about two childhood friends who reconnect some 15 years later (the MCs are secondary characters in the first Mount Hope book); fat cat and tiny dog who rule the roost; HEA.

When CUPID Strikes by Cora Rose
~3~

Meet-cute between femme librarian and "straight" lawyer who are mistakenly (or maybe not?) matched up for Valentine's Day; rather abrupt ending/HFN.

August's Thief by Fearne Hill
~4.25~

Gorgeous, poignant story about a wealthy man with a disfigured face and the shoplifter he bails out of jail (who's so much more than a thief); not sure what to make of the cognizant AI character (in all other stories Cupid was just an algorithm); tentative HEA.

Wings of Love by Jackie North
~2.5~

Sweet, if a little boring, story about a cowboy and a clock repairman; the chemistry was sorely lacking; HFN.

The Shape of the Heart's Desire by K.C. Wells
~3.5~

Fairly steamy story featuring a former teacher and his one-time student; age gap; naked pottery; HFN.

Brie Mine by Charlie Novak
~4~

Adorable novella about two small business owners (of a cheese shop and record store, respectively) who fancy each other from afar then connect via Cupid; instant love all the way, but I didn't mind; HEA.

Meat Cute by Kelly Fox
~3.5~

Rugby player with a stutter and chef with a cochlear implant - I liked the Deaf representation here; too much sex for a novella imo but also very tender and gay-positive, even if the entire rugby team being queer and supportive was OTT; HEA.

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

✨ review is based off the stories that I've read ✨

Among Friends, by Annabeth Albert
rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
- Childhood besties reconnect after 15 years apart at the local ER, both with matching arm injuries. Tate taking it as a second chance to have his bestie in his life, strong arms Tennessee into letting him take care of him under the guise of making brownies. TNT were super cute, wished this had been longer because the story left me wanting more of them!

A New Thrill, by Avril Ashton
rating: ⭐⭐⭐
- Pax's ex-boyfriend wants to win him back six months after breaking up, when Pax learned that his ex just so happened to be one of the men who robbed the bank he worked for, and which is family has done for several generations... Meh, it was alright. I liked the chemistry between Jameson and Paxton, but Pax should have made him work harder for forgiveness given how traumatized he was by the whole thing

Brie Mine, by Charlie Novak
rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Benny, a local cheese shop owner, has a crush on the new guy in town who just so happens to own the record store across from him. The two unknowingly connect on a dating app and end up hitting it off. A few days later they bump into each other at a nearby local free library, introduce themselves and the rest is history. It's Charlie, so I knew this was going to be precious and it was!

When CUPID Strikes, by Cora Rose
rating: I'm not even gonna rate this
- Honestly, Cora's books are always OTT & silly, but this just didn't work for me. There just wasn't enough to Ara and Alistair's story to really grab me.

August’s Thief, by Fearne Hill
rating: ⭐⭐⭐
- August Angel gets paired by CUPID with Dawson, a serial shoplifter who does so to make sure his special needs twin brother wants for nothing. These two could not be more different, but they were cute. I will say I was was not at all prepared for the foot fetish though 🤣🤣

Skating After You, by Hayden Hall
rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Hockey player x figure skater is my bread & butter right now, and definitely made me like Phoenix & Jaxon's even more. These two met by chance on an escalator, where Phoenix happened to be going down the wrong way, and then later get paired up on a blind date by CUPID. This was just so cute & steamy!

Mixed Motives, by Leslie McAdam
rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
- it had me at ex-boyfriend’s dad, and that’s really all you need to know 🤣

[Mug]

i’ve only read one story, so i won’t rate. might read more stories at a later time.

skating after you by hayden hall-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
hockey player & figure skater/ice ballet…..have a meet cute on an escalator that leaves them wanting more. they get their wish when they show up for a blind date thru the CUPID app and see each other. they hit it off, their first date filled with naturally progressing chemistry that explodes at the end…..hayden hall knows how to write sex scenes like nobody’s business, lemme tell ya🥵

this being part of the H2H anthologies definitely makes me rate it higher than i normally would bc the other stories i read in the paranormal H2H anthology were not even close to quality….so this looks like heaven compared to those😂💀 like quite honestly, expectations were low af, i genuinely expected it to be trash, so when the blind date was smooth af with organic chemistry, no cringe to be seen, i was like alrighttttt color a bitch impressed !!

[SJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review just disappeared! 😠
Luckily, I had read only one story. I prefaced the review for the anthology with I often miss out on reading these anthologies because I learn of them too late and cannot find them to read. I have been waiting for this one and am reading it now.

* Among Friends-Annabeth Albert ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This was my last first kiss.” I like that phrase. I have heard it before and it fits perfectly with this romantic and sweet story of childhood friends meeting again as adults.
The MCs were both wonderful. There was very good heat.
* Brie Mine-Charlie Novak ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don’t think there was any angst in this charming story of two shopkeepers who fall in love. I even went back and looked, lol. Oh, to have that carefree a relationship! I enjoyed this nice story with some good heat.
I’ve read that cheese can be addictive and I enjoyed the scenes in the cheese shop very much! 😋
* When Cupid Strikes-Cora Rose ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+
It’s been awhile since I’ve read something all the way through with a smile and a bigger one at the ending. This super romantic and extremely hot opposites attract story was right up my alley! Loved the MCs.
* Mixed Signals-E.M. Lindsey ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Just lovely! Two people with disabilities find each other through two bad dates-with others. Different MCs who were written with care. Their chemistry and heat was very good.
* Fearne Hill-August’s Thief ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️😭😍
* Wings of Love-Jackie North ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
So gentle and romantic! The down and dirty part was cloaked in the implied and no details provided, but it worked, because this was a story of hearts and minds meeting and a rough edged cowboy who is captivated by a timid clockmaker.
Just a pretty story and some darn good descriptions of the art of kissing.
* Meat Cute-Kelly Fox ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Had good heat.
* Mixed Motives-Leslie McAdam ⭐️⭐️⭐️ A nice age gap, ‘I’m dating my ex’s father’ story. It could have been a lot steamier with passion vibes of the forbidden, but it wasn’t.

* I finished the anthology and if it wasn’t reviewed it was a DNF, there were a few, and one that I found the plot line objectionable.
I’m glad that I read this when it was first available and will keep my eye out for more.

[taylor :)]

These are the only ones I read. I may come back and edit this review if I read more.



Among Friends - Annabeth Albert

4 stars. Cutesy. Small sex scene.



A New Thrill - Avril Ashton

5 stars. I would’ve read a full length book of this. Super good story. Great sex.



Brie Mine - Charlie Novak

4 stars. Cutesy. Frotting sex scene.



When Cupid Strikes - Cora Rose

5 stars. I was worried that this would be too much Cora at first, but it was really good and very cute. The sex was great. Never have to worry about that when it comes to her.



Mixed Signals - E.M. Lindsey

No rating. I pretty much skimmed this one since I don’t really jive with this author, but the story seemed cute.

[Rin (indefinite hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided instead of forcing myself to read every short like I usually do, I read the authors I haven’t shelved. Some authors in here you couldn’t pay me to read again (Cora Rose, Jackie North, EM Lindsey, & Leslie McAdam) but some of the others can still put out some decent stuff.

Alas. Most of it is as still just mediocre. *sad trombone* But there were a few standouts.

As a few other reviews mentioned, the “theme” seems to be authors just sorta doing their own thing when it comes to the app? It’s really bizarre.

Among Freinds- Annabeth Albert
3⭐️ Cute but I don’t know why intimacy with this author is always so painfully awkward and not in an endearing way.

A New Thrill- Avril Ashton-
3⭐️ I’ve never read this author and I’m giving them 3 stars for writing something I’ve never read before. That being said, something made me feel uncomfortable in the relationship. I dunno.

Brie Mine- Charlie Novak- 2⭐️
Meh. It was ok. Really over this author’s love of internal dialogue.

August’s Thief- Fearne Hill
4–ish ⭐️ I almost DNF’d near the beginning because the writing was not for me. But I stuck it out and I’m glad I did. This was quirky and different and the author went in a totally different direction with the app thing (seriously so weird). But I ended up enjoying their story.

Skating After You- Hayden Hall
3.5 ⭐️ This was actually pretty cute considering my first and only read of this author years ago was not good. Other than some writing issues, it was a solid short.

Love in Bloom- Jocelynn Drake- 2⭐️
Too many inconvenient moment interruptions which I hate. First kiss totally ruined by it being during meeting the ex and trying to make him jealous. How cliche. Drake is a better writer than that. You know a short is drab when it can’t hold my attention. Didn’t really feel anything for them at all.

The Shape of Heart’s Desire- KC Wells
4⭐️ This was actually pretty cute

Meat Cute- Kelly Fox- 4⭐️ One of the cutest fucking shorts ever. I want morrrrre.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've said it before but anthologies such as this one are hard to review, because I will inevitably only read a few of the stories. I wish there was a way to rate each story individually for the sake of accuracy (and page count totals!), but alas, I shall simply update this review with each story I read.

When CUPID Strikes by Cora Rose

4 stars

This is a cute story about a quirky librarian and an uptight lawyer who are accidentally matched via a dating app. They start a friendship that quickly grows into something more. This story is sweet and made me laugh. I'd love to read a longer version of this.


Mixed Motives by Leslie McAdam

3 stars

This was fine. Henry wants revenge on his cheating ex by seducing ex's father. Sounds way more scandalous than it actually is. Henry is adorable, but I didn't really get a good feel for his love interest, Keane.

August's Thief by Fearne Hill

4.5 stars

This was lovely. A man whose face was disfigured in an accident is longing for someone who will accept him as he is, someone that he can protect and spoil. He finds that in a wonderfully vivacious young man whose carefree spirit belies a generous and loving soul. In this one, the CUPID app becomes its own character, and its conversations with the main character are amusing and insightful. This is my first read from this author, and I’ll definitely be checking out her other works.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing I absolutely love about anthologies like this is finding diamonds and discovering new authors to follow.

I love the theme that runs through each of the stories. They start with a dating app and from that base each author comes up with a vastly different story.

Mixed Motives - Leslie McAdam
I picked up the book because I love Leslie McAdam’s writing. Her story, Mixed Motives, did not disappoint. Henry wants revenge on his cheating boyfriend Kerrigan. He decides to enact his revenge by seducing Kerrigan’s dad, Keane. Keane isn’t playing that kind of game and makes it clear to Henry that it’s not happening. Bring on the Cupid app and a match made in heaven. Loved it.

Among Friends - Annabeth Albert
A new to me author. I loved this story too. Tennessee and Tate were childhood friends until Ten disappeared and Tate had no way of finding him. A Cupid app fail is a Tate and Ten win! Throw in a dog and a cat and I am so happy with this story. Broken arms have been a recurring theme in the Cundy household I totally sympathise. Luckily both men have a working arm.

A New Thrill - Avril Ashton
Paxton and Jameson meet when the bank where Pax works is held up by robbers. Pax is traumatised but Jameson is there to hold him and love him. It all goes a bit Pete Tong (that’s Cockney rhyming slang for wrong) and they break up. Jameson is determined to win back the love of his life even if that means infiltrating the dating app to muscle in on Pax’s dates. I really wanted to know more about Jameson and his family.

Brie Mine - Charlie Novak
Stop the bus! Nothing, I repeat, nothing, appeals to me more than cheese, fish and chips, Whitby and MM romance. I was totally invested in Sage and Benedict’s relationship. I have climbed the steps to Whitby Abbey. I’ve eaten fish and chips there - watch out, the seagulls are monsters. I loved this story.

When Cupid Strikes - Cora Rose
The data app got it wrong, or did it? Ara goes on his date but the man he meets isn’t only out of his league, he’s in another universe. He’s rich, he’s cultured, he’s not gay. Alasdair is a gentleman and although he realises the Cupid app made a mistake, he still takes Ara to the restaurant he booked. They just click. Opposites attract and actually they rub along together very well. Loved this one too.

[Jane aka Coughy019 (Safety info included)]

I'm not going to do a full review on this because I just read the Cora Rose short story in here. I enjoyed that story. 🙂

[Nile Princess · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Among Friends - Annabeth Albert - 3.75. Best friends re-connected. Cute. Wholesome. A bit sappy."

*A New Thrill - Avril Ashton - 2 stars - One of my favorite authors, and I was very interested to see if she would include a criminal element, but the premise of this story made no sense. So Jameson's family is the epitome of high society and wealth, but he's just out robbing banks for a thrill? Umm ok, anti-Batman. What did they do with the money? I couldn't take any of it seriously.

*Brie Mine - Charlie Novak - Loved! 4.5

*When Cupid Strikes - Cora Rose - Loved! 4.5 - A bit simplistic, but the anticipation is delicious, and I loved both Alastair and Ara. One of my faves.

*Mixed Signals - E.M. Lindsey - 4 stars. Really liked. Nix (autistic) and Mads (on permanent crutches after an accident). Super cute.

*August's Thief - Fearne Hill - 5 stars! Absolutely loved! I'm so happy to have found this author. August (Gussie) and Dawson made me laugh out loud, they made me smile; they made me teary. I loved every single thing about this story.

*Skating after you - Hayden Hall - 2.75ish. Started off great, but then dragged. I'm not a fan of 10pg sex scenes. Snooze.

*Wings of Love - Jackie North - 1 star - Overly detailed, extremely slow, and boring. Sorry.

*Love in Bloom - Jocelyn Drake - 1 star - Boring. Skim, skim, skim.

*The Shape of the Heart's Desire - K.C. Wells - 1 star - I have loved a lot of her work, but some of her stuff is also hit and miss. Boring and cliched AND the teacher/student aspect was cringe. I was surprised because I have read sooooo many professor/student stories. Maybe it's because he was his teacher in high school as opposed to college? I don't know! Either way, I couldn't get past it. Skimmed.

*Meat Cute - Kelly Fox - 4.5. Loved! A rugby player with a stutter and a 'heard of hearing', tattooed chef with a nipple fetish. Thoroughly enjoyed. Rhys and Sev were a joy.

*Mixed Motives - Leslie McAdam - DNF - Cringe. Sorry. Henry was histrionic and annoying, and Keane doing mental gymnastics to convince himself it was ok to be with his son's ex was just embarrassing for both of us. I might have had more patience if I hadn't already endured one age difference story that went horribly wrong. I LOVE May/September romances. So...sorry, but no.

[isthisakink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey. It’s me, ya boy.

And buddies do I have my unwanted opinions with a side of “what even is sleep”.

Like, I know folx donated or discounted their services, but that shouldn’t have diminished the quality of the services provided. Namely editing. And proofreading. It was not great.

Then there’s the fact that it felt like some of the stories didn’t actually read the prompt they were supposed to be based off of. Like, to the point where I completely forgot I was reading a story with Heart2Heart involved several times. I happen to like anthologies with a common denominator, because I love to see where authors inject their own style into them. I love to see how they’ll do the same thing but keep their own energy. That’s half the fun for me in one go.

But I digress.

Here are the notes I left myself at the end of each story, for your reading displeasure. Do with them what you will, but don’t forget to buy the anthology and support three amazing charities at the same time.


Among Friends: It had cute moments, but it was hella awkward. At times poor Tennessee felt like a badly programmed robot. Idk. Maybe it was just too short to catch the vibe, but man did his speech just not sound quite natural at times.

A New Thrill: I wish this was a full book and not a short story. I loved it, but I want more from it. I want more backstory on Paxton. I want more backstory on Jameson and his family. I want more of their relationship. It was too short so I’m gonna whine about it, apparently. I’ll definitely be adding this author to my TBR so I can discover more to love.

Brie Mine: Absolutely adorable. A perfect short story that felt complete and full of enough detail to give it the good stuff.

When Cupid Strikes: That was…an experience? The vibe was off? The energy didn’t flow? I don’t know. The spice was good, though.

Mixed Signals: Well that was fucking precious.

August’s Thief: Aside from the CUPID thing, which was fucking weird, idc what anyone says, the story and the characters were precious.

Skating After You: This author is just not for me, and that’s about all I can come up with.

Wings of Love: That was…idk what that was. It was something, though.

Love in Bloom: Well fuck. I loved that. All of that.

The Shape of the Heart’s Desire: It got weird a little here and there, but cuuuuuute. I’d love a full book for these two.

Meat Cute: Fuck that was goddamn precious and I LOVED IT PLS GIVE ME MORE OF THIS WORLD THANK.

Mixed Motives: Awww. A little bit more detail here and there, a couple more sentences, not even a lot, would’ve been nice to round it out. It was sweet, though, even if I felt lost because it clearly shines a spotlight on the fact that it’s a small blip in a bigger world. I couldn’t fully enjoy it because I was missing too much background information. It be like that sometimes, but it wasn’t bad. It made me smile and feel the fluff vibes.


So. Yeah. I’m off to read the PNR part of the anthology now. Again, don’t forget to support the charities and get your H2H fluff on.😚 Love you byeeeee♥️



~because someone is gonna say SOMETHING~

ORIGINAL AMAZON REVIEW:

It’s probably just me.

I mean it’s almost certainly just me, but I feel like I need to say something anyway, so here goes nothing.

It felt like not everyone was on the same page with the prompt. I don’t know how else to say it, so that’s what I came up with.

There were hits and there were misses, but overall I enjoyed it, and I definitely love the reward the anthology is for supporting three wonderful charities.

3.5/5. For my full review, you can find me on Goodreads. I’m the same everywhere, just louder and more sweary.😌💁‍♀️

[read_romance.withgloria Gloria Worlikar · Rating 5 out of 5]

* I have only reviewed a few stories from the Anthology which I received as an advanced copy from GRR *

• When CUPID Strikes by Cora Rose. 4 stars

This story is about Ara & Allaister who met through the CUPID dating app but there is a catch Allaister didn't know Ara was a guy and Ara was disappointed because Allaister was straight and he would be spending Valentine's alone but Allaister insisted on them having dinner together where they get to know each other in a friendly way and enjoy each others company. But do they meet again after that and realise they are a perfect match for each other, check out the story for more.
I enjoyed this story so much, Ara was such an amazing character and the way he was defined by the author was so beautifully written. There are many sweet and hot moments in this story, I kind of wanted more of Ara and Allaister because they were so wonderful. I highly recommend reading this story in the Anthology.

• August's Thief by Fearne Hill.  4.5 stars

This story was so heartwarming and beautifully written by the author, I loved it so much. This was my first time reading from this author and I already know I will be checking out other books from the author as well.

This story is about August Angel, who is rich and has everything a great guy should have but an accident leaves a mark on his face which is the reason no one has been interested in dating him. After talking to the CUPID he finally finds a match but he needs to go to the prison to meet him...

I enjoyed this story so much, August and Dawson were a perfect match with Mikey being a package deal with Dawson (don't want to spoil it, read the story) There are many swoony moments in this story which I adored and I recommend you to read this story.

• A New Thrill by Avril Ashton. 3.5 stars

This story is a second-chance romance with amazing characters and it is a wonderful read. I loved how desperate Jameson was to win Pax's trust back and all the things he did for that. Their chemistry was amazing and I enjoyed this story, I recommend checking it out.

• Brie Mine by Charlie Novak. 3.5 stars

Cute and swoony characters where one likes to read and owns a cheese shop and the other owns a record shop across the street. This story was a good and fluffy read and I enjoyed reading it.

• Wings Of Love by Jackie North.  3 stars

• The Shape of The Heart's Desire by K.C. Wells. 3.5 stars

This story is about a former teacher/student who met again for a blind date through the app. It was a sweet read for me, I enjoyed it and also loved the author's writing would be checking more books from her.

[Kay Daniels (Kay Daniels Romance) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful anthology and for a wonderful cause. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Mixed Motives - Leslie McAdam's story contained within the contemporary volume. Henry and Keane's story takes place within McAdam's Southwinds Coffee world and it was delicious ;) It's age gap with a hint of forbidden. Henry is both sweet and sassy, while Keane offers up sophistication and sensibility. Their match on the CUPID app is perfect, even though Henry did date Keane's son. Oh, my...🫢 JK, bring on the dreamy daddy. The story is sweet and steamy and even better, just in time for Valentine's Day. I loved this story as it contained the perfect blend of humor, romance, and well written plot.

When CUPID Strikes - Cora Rose's story contained within the contemporary volume. It's a bi-awakening, insta-love romance that was full of spark and an adorable librarian who has the best wardrobe. Ara and Alistair were the perfect blend of mix-mashed happiness and subdued posh that blended together to make a sweet and sexy couple. This was a fun and well written story.

[True Loveislovereview · Rating 4 out of 5]

SKATING AFTER YOU BY HAYDEN HALL
MIXED MOTIVES BY LESLIE MCADAM

SKATING AFTER YOU

An Arctic Titans Novella

Phoenix is a mess, unorganized, and always running late. He has his hopes up on the new dating app.
Find a sweet guy who can hold up with him. The CUPID dating app will match and arrange a blind date.

After the escalator encounter Jaxon feels stupid that he didn’t ask for the guys' number. Now he’ll never see him again. Hopefully, he’ll find a nice guy with the CUPID app.

Guess what! They are matched!
An ice hockey player and a figure skater, a match made in heaven? Uhm… absolutely!
Cuteness and hotness all over the place.

——-

MIXED MOTIVES

Henry wants revenge, Kerrigan has to pay for his cheating. Seducing his dad will do!
As if!
At 'moment supreme' it all goes wrong, Keane (yes the dad) is a gorgeous man and very kind.
Henry just bluntly asked him to… yeah that, do him.

Okay, Henry didn’t just ask him, did he? Oh boy! Keane wants to get down on this sweet boy, but no he can’t. So many reasons why he can’t!

The attraction is real, but more is just unrealistic. An app for meeting someone is way more realistic.
They didn’t know both use the dating app CUPID.

Guess what! They are matched!
A sweet boy of twenty-two and, with an age gap of twenty years, the father of the ex. Impossible to match or not? Absolutely not!

Such a sweet little story! Two lovable guys finding their match for life!

[Monikat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great collection of stories. From charming to romantic, surprising to sexy AF. A fantastic read for any time. Here are my thoughts on each story....
1.Annabeth Albert - Among Friends
✨✨✨✨🪄✨✨✨✨✨
This was so sweet. Meeting your long lost bf in the ER waiting room and rekindling friendships and firing up new feelings. A pretty wholesome story
2. Avril Ashton - A New Thrill
✨✨✨🪄✨✨✨✨✨
For someone who's supposed to be groveling Jameson sure has a lot of attitude. There was a lot to unpack there and an obvious back story but here it all felt sort of abrupt. I'd rather have had the longer version of this book because I'm sure Paxton needed a lot more time to forgive than this short story.
3. Charlie Novak - Brie Mine
✨✨✨✨🪄✨✨✨✨✨
This was really cute and romantic. I'm a sucker for the anonymity trope and their meeting was actually really cute. Straight up Valentine's day romance.
4. Cora Rose - When Cupid Strikes
✨✨✨✨✨🪄✨✨✨✨✨
I just luuurved this little bi awakening. Because Ara was just that magical and perfect. Irresistible.
5. E. M Lindsey - Mixed Signals
✨✨✨✨✨🪄✨✨✨✨✨
Loved it! As always E.M Lindsey handles handicaps with such care. This was a beautiful little gem of a story.
6. Fearne Hill - August's Thief
ALL THE STARS
✨✨✨✨✨🪄✨✨✨✨✨
I was not expecting this and it's impact was massive. What a beautiful story, the writing and imagery was impeccable. I will definitely be looking at more of Fearne Hills books in the future!
A gorgeous hurt comfort, knight in shining armor love story. Dawson is like a freight train speeding through our hearts. I loved this story!!!
7. Hayde Hall -Skating After You
✨✨✨✨✨🪄✨✨✨✨✨
Smiling Happy, I really fell into this enchanting story. I loved everything about this cute, sexy AF story.
8. Jackie North - Wings of Love
✨✨✨🪄✨✨✨✨✨
This was very poetic, like a foreign movie, moving slowly yet blink and you missed it. Non descriptive falling in love and non descriptive making love yet a full blown love story.
9. Jocelynn Drake - Love in Bloom
✨✨✨✨✨🪄✨✨✨✨✨
Sweeeeeeet 😊 So damn sweet. I loved the romance, loved the date and loved the sexy after times.
10. K.C. Wells - The Shape of the Heart's Desire
✨✨✨✨🪄✨✨✨✨✨
This was such an unexpected and inventive storyline. Many nuances to touch on making it both interesting and beautiful. It just made me happy Paisley and Ethan found each other. A glow up and age gap.
11. Kelly Fox - Meet Cute
✨✨✨🪄✨✨✨✨✨
This was a bag full of kinkiness that kept on giving. Loved it. A bear of a jock and a bad boy chef. Nipples galore.
12. Leslie McAdam - Mixed Motives
✨✨✨🪄✨✨✨✨✨
A forbidden romance, a daddy/praise wet dream. Spicy and hot. Age gap, son's ex boyfriend.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brie Mine - Charlie Novak
Benny and his brother own the cheese shop directly across the road from the record shop Sage owns. After a week of talking via the app where their shared love of books and music means they really hit it off, they bump into each other at the local community street library. The instant connection and how comfortable they are with each other has them clicking together like jigsaw pieces and sends them on the path to a HEA. There’s no angst, vintage vinyl, vintage teacups, a bit of steam and lots of books in this very sweet read.

The Shape Of The Heart’s Desire - K.C. Wells
Ethan and Paisley are matched for a blind date at a pottery class. Both aren’t overly optimistic about the matching algorithm but proceed with the date anyway. Turns out that the algorithm was correct and these two men soon find themselves on more dates where Ethan learns what Paisley is hiding beneath the Goth exterior. This is a lovely age gap romance with a dash of very minor angst for Paisley and a steamy pottery inspired moment for them both!

Among Friends - Annabeth Albert
Tate, an EMT, and lawyer Tennessee were childhood best friends but haven’t seen each other in 15 years until a chance meeting in the ER. Their separate accidents require an arm cast for each of them which leads to a reconnection beyond just friendship. This is a sweet fluffy low angst story with two very likeable main characters, a cat, a dog and a HEA. I’m looking forward to more Mount Hope stories.

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anthologies. I love reading authors I’m familiar with and finding new authors. I love being able to move an author higher up on my TBR after falling in love with one of their stories. Over all the Heart2Heart anthology (Volume 7-Contemporary) is enjoyable and sweet. There are a couple that stand out to me though from the first half of the book.

Brie Mine - Charlie Novak
Super adorable. One of my favorite authors did not dissapoint with Sage and Ben, music and books, and a lovley HEA.

August’s Thief - Fearne Hill
An interesting take with the dating app and program that was fun and cute. An enjoyable story about looking beneath the surface and finding out who people really are. The ending left me with that “awww” feeling and goosebumps. Near perfection!

[Resch Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Among Friends by Annabeth Albert

I was looking forward to this read from Annabeth Albert but it was dreadfully boring. If friends to lovers is your jam, you will probably love it but as we all know at this point I am more of an enemies to lovers type of lady. The romance was meh, the intimacy was awkward, and everything happened in the span of a week. The story just needed that wow factor to draw you in and it was desperately lacking.

When CUPID Strikes by Cora Rose

On the flip side, I adored this gay-for-you romance by Cora Rose. The romance happens over the course of several weeks and I couldn't get enough of the sunshine-grumpy trope. Cute, lighthearted librarian accidently gets paired with 'straight', rigid lawyer...the plot line had me grinning from the get go. The sex scenes are sizzling and the ending was endearing. 

[Natalie]

Jaxon & Phoenix
Rating: 3.5 ⭐

- Blind Date
- Valentine's Day
- Hockey Player/Ice Dancer
- Tattooed MC
- Ice Skating Date
- Part of Heart2Heart Anthology (7)
- Bendy Activities
- 55pg Novella

I've only read "Skating After You" by Hayden Hall from this anthology series. This story is about a college hockey player and ice dancer (ballet) who have a meet cute on a mall escalator that leaves them feeling like they missed an opportunity for something more and special. They both were recently talked into signing up for a blind date through the CUPID app and the date is on Valentine's Day. Imagine their surprise when the one that got away was actually their blind date. These two hit it off instantly and their date is really sweet with naturally progressing chemistry. That chemistry sets on fire at the end and these two get up to some fun using Jaxon's flexibility 🔥.

There's a few grammatical errors in this short story but they deter me from reading it or liking it overall.

Verse: No
HEA: HFN
POV: Dual
Breakup: No
Cheating: No
Ages: Not given but Phoenix is in college

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only read the ones by Cora Rose, Charlie Novak & Leslie McAdam and I loved them

[... · Rating 4 out of 5]

CURRENTLY READING; INDIVIDUAL STORY RATINGS BELOW AS I GO...

I read the paranormal volume first, and LOVED it - like so much, so came to this one with almost lower expectations? I was just on such a PNR high that it was almost a let down to realize nothing magical would be happening in these ones 🤣 ... but two stories in so far, and I was completely wrong. Love IS magic (omg that sounds cheesy) and the first two stories I read knocked it out of the park.

I'm going to review as I go (hopefully, if I remember) and instead of listing them in the order they appear, as I did with the PNR volume, I'll just list them in the order I read them.

Here we go!

--------------------------

👍 MIXED SIGNALS by E.M. Lindsey ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 HUGE STARS, but only because that's the maximum I'm allowed. 🤣🤣🤣 This author always does an amazing job representing differently abled characters, and this story is no exception. I was a litttttttle put off at first when I realized that Nix and Maddox weren't actually matched by the app , but I'm also a complete sucker for a savior scenario, and I swooned HARD when Mads stepped in to send Nix's original date running 😍😍😍. Would I have loved and devoured a full-length novel with these two? YES. But did the story feel complete enough to satisfy me, even with the shorter length? Also yes. 🥰 I rushed to this one first because of how much I've adored some of the author's other books, and this one did not disappoint. My only beef with it was that I loved it so much, I felt like the rest of the anthology might turn out to be a let down. But then I read...

👍 WHEN CUPID STRIKES by Cora Rose ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
OMG. *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟALL the stars! (Or, I guess just 5 again, but seriously, this story deserves ALL of them 🥰) *ੈ✩‧₊˚ Ara and Alastair's story was sooooooooooooooo much cuter than I was prepared for. I was already into it, but probably fell fully in love with their love story on horror movie night 🤣🤣🤣 This one just made me happy in all the best possible ways, which is basically the definition of what I want in a romance. I ADORED it!

👍 AUGUST'S THIEF by Fearne Hill ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
OMG.... another 5-MASSIVE-STARS story I wasn't expecting! 😍😍😍 I've hardly read anything from this author and honestly chose this story next only because of another reviewer's summary (I am and always will be a sucker for a savior story!)... and OMG, this one totally melted my heart and made me smile big time, all the way through. 🥰 This version of "CUPID" was a little off-putting tbh, but I didn't hate it, it just irritated my desire for consistency with the underlying anthology premise, BUT that's just a me-thing and was totally overshadowed by Dawson's irrepressible acceptance and love, and the way August drank it up and gave it back ten-fold. This story was another HUGE winner for me, and I'll definitely have to revisit the author's catalog and see if anything else they've written catches my eye.

👍 SKATING AFTER YOU by Hayden Hall ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3.5 STARS, ROUNDED UP. These boys were very, very sweet. This was a quick, feel-good HFN read... not a lot to the actual story, but the author made me care about both of them in a short span of time, and I enjoyed it!

👍 WINGS OF LOVE by Jackie North ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4 STARS. Slow, gentle, sweet, lovely. 🥰 Not to steal-slash-paraphrasel a line from Disney, but reading this felt like getting a long, warm hug. 🤣

👍 MEAT CUTE by Kelly Fox ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
4.5 STARS, ROUNDED UP. Squee! This was a gorgeous story, and Rhys and Sev were a fantastic pairing. This author hasn’t always worked for me, but this one? I loved it!

👍 LOVE IN BLOOM by Jocelynn Drake ⭐⭐⭐
3 STARS. This one was… fine? Some sweetness to it, some fat, and a feel-good HFN. I’m not sure if it’s part of another series by this author, because the secondary characters seemed like they might have been cameos…? 🤷‍♀️ If so, maybe I would have gotten more out of it if I was familiar with the series, but without that context and based solely on the meet-cute-then-sex which comprised the entire story, this was a nice little read, but nothing I’m excited about.

👍 BRIE MINE by Charlie Novak ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3.5 STARS, ROUNDED UP. This was actually very cute. I do love it when the MCs are pining from afar. But beyond that little thrill, there wasn’t a lot to grab onto here, emotionally speaking. I mean, I guess it was just… too easy? Not that I’m an angst lover, I’m anything but. But this was… sweet and without any real complications. I’m definitely not mad I read it, but I’ll also probably forget about it before I’m done with the anthology 🤣

👍 MIXED MOTIVES by Leslie McAdam ⭐⭐⭐
3 STARS. This was a new-to-me author and, honestly, if there had been synopses before each story (grr, NOT having this is always my pet peeve with anthologies) I probably would have skipped it, because I am definitely not a fan of the best-friend’s-father trope (well, in this case, the ex’s father). But I kept with it once I realized that that’s what it was anyway, and actually ended up mostly liking the story. The part that actually kept me from really sinking into it was the total absence of Keane having any actual feelings about fucking his son’s ex. Like, there was some lip-service to it on page, and he discussed it with a friend once, but there was NO emotional reaction shown to me as the reader, and I just… can’t imagine that? Like, maybe it’s because I have children of my own IRL, lol, but sleeping with someone who I knew one of them had slept with would… ok, be a hard no IRL obviously, but theoretically, IF it happened, I would definitely have some feelings about it 🤣 And without getting to see any of that on the page, or even have it referenced in a tell-not-show way, it just felt too unrealistic, even for fiction, and took me out of really being able to sink into the story or feel invested in their romance. So, another one that was a fun way to pass a little time, but did nothing to pull me toward checking out the rest of the author’s catalog 🤷‍♀️

👍 AMONG FRIENDS by Annabeth Albert ⭐⭐⭐
3 STARS. This one was another one that was… fine? A forgettable read that was still a nice diversion. When I first discovered this author several years ago, I was obsessed, but lately I’ve been skipping her new releases because they quite frankly started boring me to tears, completely missing whatever zing it was that had me squeeing over her earlier series. Anyway, this story was a second chances, best friends to lovers trope-fest, and it was sweet… and definitely still missing the zing. A pleasant bit of diversion and totally fine IMHO for a short story to pass a bit of time with, but nothing that makes me want more. 🤷‍♀️

👎 A NEW THRILL by Avril Ashton ---
DNF/No rating. I’ve avoided this author in the past because the blurbs don’t grab me and the reviews who rave about her generally praise things that sound like they aren’t my jam. I tried it here because I’m open to being wrong, but… nope. 🤣 The premise definitely have worked for me, and it was fun to find one story in here that veered toward a little moral ambiguity, but even though I made it through chapter 6 of 9, I finally had to admit that I just wasn’t having fun. The story execution and this author’s writing style just aren’t for me.

👎 THE SHAPE OF THE HEART'S DESIRE by K.C. Wells ---
DNF/No rating. I almost skipped this one entirely simply because of my past experience with this author, but got down to just this one story left and really wanted another short read, so I tried it. I should have trusted my gut, though. This author just doesn’t seem to be for me. The emotions here, or I guess the lack of them? Where so off-putting. I can definitely get into a “forbidden” romance when done well, but while this wasn’t presented that way since both of them were fully consenting adults by the time of the story, they were former teacher/student, and at a time when Paisley, the student, had been just 15. So, yeah, no. Not for me. The actual set up, date, etc were… ok? Boring and bland, but not off-putting. But what really took me out of it and finally had me DNFing completely were two things: 1 - Ethan’s total lack of ANY emotional angst or reaction to sleeping with a former student he’d mentored as a young teenager. I don’t need it to hold him back, but he literally had no feelings at all on this issue, and while I’m totally fine with an age gap not being an issue, I definitely feel like it’s different for someone who’s been… an adult in a significant position of power in their lives, while the person was a minor. Ugh, IDK. Maybe I just will never like this author’s work, or maybe it’s because IRL I have teenagers of my own, but the idea that Ethan could sleep with Paisley, even date Paisley, and literally never wrestle with some of that, was so unrealistic to me that it really took me out of the story. And that doesn’t even begin to address how little reason was given on page for Ethan to actually be into Paisley. But anyway, this story does NOT deserve this much of my review word count, so let me quickly get on to the second thing that had me rolling my eyes and DNF’ing - because yeah, I stuck with it that far (chapter 8 out of 9) - and that’s the whole corset/lingerie angst. Like….. IDK. Maybe I’m just too jaded from reading too much m/m romance where lingerie is a thing? And I mean, a more accepted, normal, fun, sexy thing. But the way it was made to be this huge angsty plot point for Paisley, will-he-or-won’t-he-accept-me, felt far too contrived and given more weight than the emotional characterization in this short could carry. Anyway, tl;dr I… really didn’t enjoy this one, and it’s only reaffirmed my previous feeling that this particular author is not one for me.

[Lady Macbeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review doesn't refer to the whole book

Skating After You by Hayden Hall - 5 stars
This novella is set on the Arctic Titans Of Northwood U universe.
Phoenix is Asher's roommate and teammate, and he's a very nice guy: Jaxon is also a student in Northwood U, he used to be a figure skater, but he lost the passion for that so now he's dedicated to ice ballett, less competitive but still very beautiful and fulfilling.
Phoenix and Jaxon have the sweetest meet cute on the escalator at the mall, when Phoenix takes the escalator the wrong way because he's late for a game. He stops when he sees Jaxon and starts talking to him but he needs to get to the game so they don't have the time to exchange more that a few words.
Two days later they're still thinking about each other and unexpectedly they are matched by Cupid app.
This story was very romantic and I loved it: Phoenix little by little ... every wall Jaxon built around him, he's surprisingly sweet, attentive, he says all the right words, he gave him the cutest gift and Jaxon is so enthralled by him that, after skating and dancing on the ice together, he decides to take a chance and they go back to Jaxon's room where they have the most tender, hot, intense sex. Their connection is almost magical.
The story ends with a HFN and I hope the author will let us know more about them in the next books of the series.
I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest review.

Mixed Signals by E.M. Lindsey - 5 stars
Story set in the The Beginning of Always world.
Phoenix, a lovely 27 years old autistic guy, is pushed by his brother Piper to sign up on the Cupid app to find a date.
He goes to said date and discovers that the guy is a jerk and a liar who's only interested in hooking up.
Next to Phoenix table there is Maddox, a vet student about to graduate who lost the use of a leg because of an accident. Maddox's date stood him up just in time for Madds to help Nix getting rid of his own bad date.
They spent the night together chatting and getting to know each other an when they arrive at Nix' place, they're already completely enthralled.
For the first time Nix feels safe with someone who's not his big brother: he and Madds have a lot in common and Maddox doesn't mind that Phoenix is on the spectrum.
I really loved that he felt a protective instinct towards Phoenix since the first time he laid eyes on him.
I hope we'll see both of them in the next book of the series, Sugar.

Mixed Motives by Leslie McAdam - 3 stars
This was a nice age gap story with a forbidden element, since Henry, 22 years old, starts a relationship with Keane, 42 years old, who's his ex boyfriend Kerrigan's father.
Keane is an accomplished businessman, while Henry is struggling a little in managing a B&B he suddenly inherited from his aunt.
Their relationship is well blanced and they are good together.
I just think everything is resolved too easily, especially with Kerrigan.
I loved Noah and August's (from Oblivious, IOU book 3) little appearance.

August's Thief by Fearne Hill - 4 stars
4 star
This was so cute and sweet!
August and Dawson are so perfect together and they love each other very much. August knows that he doesn't have to worry about his scarred face, his lack of experience or his solitary life, because Dawson loves him exactly how he is. And Dawson doesn't have to worry about his brother because August loves them both fiercely.
They found a family in each other and their happy ending is so sweet.
I would have loved to read more about them.
I received an ARC of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.

[Leigh Gaskill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to ARC review part 1 of the Anthology:

A New Thrill - Avril Ashton
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a second chance romance between Jameson and Paxton after a chance encounter during a robbery. After dating for some time Paxton discovers some unsavory details that upend his relationship and ends it. Fast forward 6 months to the start of the story and Jameson throwing a bunch of money around to try and get Paxton back. Bonus points for BIPOC characters, there is a lack of rep in the MM genre.

Brie Mine - Charlie Novak ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was really cute. Benny owns a cheese shop and has been simping over the new owner of the record shop (Sage) across the street but can’t work up the courage to talk to him. His brother makes him an account on H2H and convinces him to use it. Also, there’s heart shaped cheese. You’ve won me over.

When CUPID Strikes - Cora Rose
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really liked Ara and Alistair. The CUPID algorithm matches them together and they agree to a blind date, however Alistair is straight…and kinda grumpy. They end up making the most of the interaction and going to dinner anyways, and Alistair can’t stop thinking about Ara afterwards. I actually was sad when this story was over and didn’t want it to end, they are adorable together.

August’s Thief - Fearne Hill ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This story was very sweet. August has not had much luck with dating as most men are shallow and turned off by a burn he suffered as a child. He uses CUPID matching technology to find his perfect match, which leads him to a first date with Dawson…where he pays his bail and picks him up from jail. I loved everything about this one. Dawson and August are perfect for each other, and CUPID knew exactly what it was doing when it matched these two up.

Wings of Love - Jackie North
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Daxel and Eugene are set up on a ‘randomized’ date by the CUPID matchmaking system within the app (I think I have that right). Daxel goes in to the date thinking it’s not going to work out and Eugene’s situation (as he finds out) will require him to have quite a bit of patience. Of course CUPID strikes again and knew what, or who, these two men needed. This would have been a good story as a full length novel, and hopefully the author has plans for that.

The Shape of the Heart’s Desire - K.C. Wells
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a very sweet age gap story about Ethan and Paisley who go on a blind date that is outside both their comfort zones but end up finding exactly what each other is looking for. I liked this one a lot, it’s probably my second favorite of the ones I’ve reviewed so far.

Here are my top 3 from the ones I reviewed above:
1. August’s Thief
2. The Shape of the Heart’s Desire
3. When CUPID Strikes

I received an advanced copy from GRR in exchange for my honest review.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun collection of romance novellas set around Valentine's Day with CUPID, an app to find your perfect match, helping our couples get together and find love.

All of these worked for me. Give them a try!

[Airy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first was reluctant to read a lot of the storys because most of the authors were unknown to me. Lucky me I now found a view new authors to binge through! <3

[Siân PJsAndBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Some ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so averaged to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall and enjoyable anthology, though I wish they was more consistency about how the app worked, would have been preferable.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🌟 Overall I Enjoyed:
Among Friends
Meat Cute- This was my favorite
Brie Mine
Skating After You
Love in Bloom- This was a nice surprise to have it set in my hometown and had places I have been to many times. Plus this Cincy girl loved the great Skyline/Gold Star debate!

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not My Style

A collection of stories is always an unknown. Sometimes you enjoy every story, sometimes you don’t. This collection was more of the don’t version, at least for me. I recognized many of the authors and thought supporting this initiative was a worthy event, but in the end it was less than I expected. There were a couple of stories that were enjoyable, but the majority just did not spark any interest for me.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were really cute and nice and others a bit stiff or weird...so overall a solid "average"