Hunting Under Covers

by Aimee Brissay, Kaje Harper, Kathleen Hayes

In this collection of stories, you’ll find original fiction, short and long, about men falling in college guys meeting for the first time, established couples working through a crisis, a time-traveling Scots Highlander, a hockey player trying to keep his sheriff and cowboy lovers happy, aliens, computer programmers, demons, bacon, and more. The stories range from 5,000 to 64,000 words, contributed by group authors to cover a wide range of items and themes suggested by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group Scavenger Hunt challenge game and donated as a gift for its organizer.We’ve listed the items that counted for Scavenger Hunt points at the front of the book. While you’re reading, you can keep your eye out for them if you want to play along. Even the cover is a nod to the “hand-drawn cover with ten items” game points. Happy Hunting (Under Covers).Publisher’s author royalties from this book will be contributed to ALSO Out Youth, a Sarasota LGBT youth organization. This book is intended for adult audiences. It contains sexually explicit scenes between two or more men, violence, and language that may be considered offensive by some readers.

Genres: Anthologies, M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, M M M, Mystery, LGBT

510 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2014

About the author

Born in Romania, land of the Iele and Vlad the Impaler, AIMEE BRISSAY has spent all her life surrounded by books. She has ridden side by side with d’Artagnan and The Three Musketeers to retrieve the Queen’s diamonds, set sail on the Erasmus in search of the Japans, fell in love with Rhett Butler and roamed the Wild West along Old Shatterhand. She has walked on the footsteps of the Olympian Gods and searched for Zalmoxis’ sanctuary in the Carpathians. In her mind, she’s never been the damsel in distress but rather the knight in shiny armor fighting for a cause.

With a background like this, turning to writing was no surprise.

Aimee discovered erotica early on in life and has never looked back. Now she can write anywhere, even in a crowded room or a busy subway station, but she loves solitude.

When she’s not at her evil day job, she can be found writing or playing with one of her five cats or the newly acquired dog. She welcomes messages from readers and promises to answer all of them as soon as possible.

Reviews

[Mandy*reads obsessively* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay! Kaje Harper has a m/m/m story in this free antho!
I'm doing a happy dance right now!
It's totally up next! :)
Changes Coming Down By Kaje Harper
I swear, Kaje can write.
I love, love, LOVE my ménage stories and this one is FREE, AWESOME and LONG ( I don't think Kaje is physically capable of a short story! LOL, THANK GOODNESS)
We have Will ( rugged, laid back cowboy) Scott ( younger sexy NHL player and I think the glue in this mmm sandwich) and Casey ( the ex marine, sheriff and sort of gruff and grumpy sweetie)
This story covers a lot and I mean a lot of subjects. Some of them heavier than others, coming out or not coming out, the repercussion and the benefits. Loving not just one other person but two, difficult jobs, different jobs and life dreams and making some tough decisions.
I really was able to sink in to this relationship, each man was unique and individual, there was mystery and intrigue, family drama and sad back stories, crime and passion and some really hot sex.
I really really hope she continues this story at some point because even with about 65000 words, I was NOT ready to let them go.
Thank you Kaje for another wonderful story.

[Heller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll check the other stories in the anthology later but I wanted to have a look at the Harper. Loved it.


Changes Coming Down by Kaje Harper 4 Stars

Menage. Wow. This was a fantastic read. A cop, a cowboy, and a hockey player. Did I mention this was free? One of the better menage stories I've read in quite a while.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know, it's not every day a wonderful group of people put together an anthology dedicated to you. This effort is so appreciated and I loved every word. I've so enjoyed working on these challenges and seeing so many of you enjoy them. Thanks to all of you for thinking of me and making the challenges as fun and exciting as they are. :)

[MostlyDelores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free collection

Living Out the Fantasy, Aimee Brissay. Very short, pretty good.

Thank God for Games Saga, Sayla Mist. The familiar and annoying trope of two people who assume and don't communicate, but not bad.

Changes Coming Down, Kaje Harper. Good, of course. M/M/M. Mucho angst crammed into 60,000 words.

A Capricorn Tale, M.E. Sanford. Sci-fi, mpreg, humans and aliens. Kind of strange-but-not-bad.

Pierced, J. Vaughn. Not good. A cliched hero/victim hurt/comfort story marred by some extremely poor word choices. Our MC refers to a female police officer as a "dyke cop" and a "butch cop"--he's dealing with the police btw because his boyfriend was beaten and raped--and people are mad at the attackers for doing "something so asinine".

Demons, Time Travel and Bacon, various authors - didn't read it.

There are Worse Things, Katies Crewman. At least two stories mashed together here, maybe more, but pretty well done. College roommates, D/s, time travel, Serious bad stuff -- or not?!

Home, Kathleen Hayes. More time travel! And highlanders! A combination as classic as bacon and eggs.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok. So I am a little bit biased as I was part of this project. That being said, there is true talent and excellent entertainment under these covers! Kaje Harper's story "Changes Coming Down" was truly wonderful and my favourite of them all. I would love to read more of her men and their ranch.

That being said, I also loved Paul's care for Kyle in J Vaughn's "Pierced", the paranormal twist in Katies Crewman's friends to lovers story, "There are Worse Things", the Scottish Highlander's awe in Kathleen Hayes' "Home", Rich's final choice in Shayla Mist's "Thank God for Games Saga", the sexy interlude in Aimee Brissay's "Living Out the Fantasy", the creativeness in ME Sanford's "A Capricorn Tale", and last but not least, the craziness of "Demons, Time Travel, and Bacon, Oh My!".

Highly recommend for some m/m loving and laughter as well as some feels!

[Danielle Gypsy Soul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall 3.5 stars but I'm rounding up because it was free and the thoughtful reasons it was written.


Living Out the Fantasy by Aimee Brissay - ★★★

Not a lot to this story. It's VERY short and has no real time to get to know the characters. It's mostly a sex scene about Anthony who is in Vegas without his boyfriend. He has a sexual encounter with a man he is almost positive is his partner.

Thank God For Games Saga by Shayla Mist ★★★

I liked both Eric and Rich but I really don't like the whole lack of communication trope which this short story was completely focused on. I just wanted to smack the two of them and tell them to talk to each other.

Changes coming Down by Kaje Harper ★★★★

I'm not always a big fan of M/M/M stories but I enjoyed this one and it was definitely the most "meaty" story in the book. I actually thought the relationship between the sheriff, the rancher and the hokey player really worked. Lots of character depth and relationship dynamics. The mystery part was a bit weak and seemed to be thrown in as a catalyst for the characters to come out. Still overall my favorite of the book.

A Capricorn Tale by M.E. Sanford ★★ + 1/2

I admit I'm just not a fan of Mpreg and this one was a bit bizarre. However, it was well written and although I found Capricorn and David a bit of an odd partnership I did like them together. The story confused me a bit and I'm still not quite clear on what disaster found the humans and how they ended up where they did.

Pierced by J. Vaughn ★★★

I liked this one but I would have liked to see Kyle work through the effects if his rape and attack more. Paul was hot and cold for me and his reactions/actions seemed a bit all over the place but I liked them together. This didn't really tread any new ground that I hadn't read before and college age characters aren't my favorite but it was well written and enjoyable enough to give 3 stars.

Demons, Time Travel and Bacon Oh My !! by a whole bunch of people ★

This one was very disjointed and you could tell it was written by a bunch of people. It didn't really make sense to me and was so OTT and ridiculous I just didn't enjoy it. Demons, space travel, ghosts and more - I think just about everything but the kitchen sink was thrown into this one.

There are Worse Things by Katies Crewman ★★

Okay I just finished this book and I couldn't remember what this story was about until I went back and looked. Obviously it was not memorable at all. It wasn't bad I just didn't remember it. A bit of time travel, world ending suspense and decent characters but it didn't really work for me.

Home by Kathleen Hayes ★★★★

I don't read historical or time travel books because they usually just aren't my thing but I actually really enjoyed this story. In fact I wish this one was longer. I liked Brian and Angus and I loved getting to see Angus deal with all the changes and technology of the future. Obviously there were missing elements like Angus being able to get a job with no I.D. but if you let that kind of stuff go it was a fun and enjoyable read.

[Ami]

This Review Only For Kaje Harper's "Changes Coming Down: 3 stars

When Mandy suggested this for my personal M/M/M challenge, I thought, heck, one of my favorite authors writing in one of my least favorite genres. At least it should balanced thing out, right?

Yep, and that was exactly what happened here.

What I Liked:

+ The fact that Casey, Scott, and Will were in established relationship. I felt their relationship was very mature. No internal drama. They complete each other with their different personalities. I was surprised that the younger Scott sometimes took a more level-headed action towards the older guys. It was really nice.

+ Nobody forced anybody else to come out of the closet. Yep, all three men started this book in the closet. It was their choice and they all had different reasons. Casey was the Sheriff, Will was the Cowboy, and Scott was a big-and-upcoming hockey player. All had stakes if they came out. But when changes came to them, nobody forcing anybody else to came out with them. Again, VERY mature relationship. I approve!

What I Felt MEH About:

+ Unfortunately, I though the mystery was a bit underwhelming. It was sometimes overshadowed with other 'changes' in their life ... the election for Casey, or the death of the surrogate parents for Will. Plus whether they should come out or not. It just didn't have the punch I wanted in a mystery. I also didn't find the one who did it as surprising (or much of twist). Personally, for me, it became rather humdrum mystery.

+ The sex scenes... again, I blamed my brain for this. Sometimes I hated my brain for compartmentalizing. If I read those porn/erotica fiction or even non-con/dub-con, I was fine with > 2 person. But labelled it romance, or if approach it as romance, it just didn't work. Sigh. MY ISSUE not yours.

In the end, this got 3-stars from me. Still a good one from Kaje but it fell to my 'okay' category. I guess because I had no doubt about the guys -- they were solid after all -- I expected more in the mystery (rather than the romance) but as I said above, the mystery was sadly lacking the punch.

Personal MMM Challenge March 2014: story #3

[Kaje Harper]

You can find an excerpt for my 65K words M/M/M not-so-short-story from this anthology "Changes Coming Down" on My Fiction Nook, and get a glimpse of how Will, Scott and Casey first found each other.

Free on Smashwords, ARe, and now free on Amazon as well - www.amazon.com/Hunting-Under-Covers-A...

[Mercedes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only read Changes Coming Down by Kaje Harper.

This is an excellent MMM story by Kaje. I am
Not saying this story is in bad company in this anthology but at 65k word count it should stand alone on its own. Not only because of the word count but also because of the quality of it.

A follow up would be great or another MMM story by Kaje would be welcomed.

[ttg]

New free anthology, including a new 64k m/m/m story by Kaje Harper. Can be grabbed for free from Smashwords.

[Lioness7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living Out the Fantasy by Aimee Brissay

This was a cute short story but entirely too short for my liking. I was just getting into it and it ended. So sad.

Thanks God for Games Saga by Shayla Mist

This was an okay story. I liked the two main characters. I thought they suffered from a lack of communication though. So many problems could have been solved by talking to each other and the recruiter for Games Saga.

Changes Coming Down by Kaje Harper

I really liked this story. I loved that it had some suspense and was a ménage. It got me that three people, a cop, a rancher, and a hockey player could get together. You wouldn’t think they would work out, but they do. The saddest part of the book was the beginning. I don’t want to say what happens, but it sets the stage for every other event.

A Capricorn Tale by ME Sanford

This was a cute story. I just so wished it was a little longer. I loved they way the world was built and the differences between the species of humanoids.

Pierced by J Vaughn

This was probably my favorite story in the entire book. I loved how Paul was willing to stand up for Kyle and risk his college life as he knew it. I also love that Kyle was able to make his own stand and not let someone get away with a crime.

Demons, Time Travel and Bacon, Oh My! by Various

I liked the concept of this where a bunch of people took turns writing the story. There were times I could tell that a different person was writing, but for the most part it flowed nicely.

There Are Worse Things by Katies Crewman

This story was interesting. I thought it was starting like an ordinary story and thought I could basically guess the plot. I was so wrong. I never dreamed that Nick from the future would come back to the past to warn of a disaster that would begin at the party. I really loved the twist.

Home by Kathleen Hayes

This story was pretty good. The only thing that bothered me was that Angus took traveling into the future so easily. I would think someone entering a different time period would be a lot more amazed at everything. The story was cute though.

Overall, I had fun reading the entire book. The stories were well written and entertaining. I still have a hard time with really short stories. That is probably the biggest drawback for me in reading this. I just have a lot harder time getting into the stories when I know they will be ending quickly. This doesn’t mean that the writing was bad. It wasn’t. Everyone did great. Thanks for all the hard work and for letting it be downloaded for free.

[AussieMum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only got this compilation for Changes coming down by Kaje Harper

Re-read May 2018
4.5 stars
Still love these three.

Original review
This was wonderful. MMM is my fave and I've never read about an already established throuple before. This was just so satisfying on every level. Compatibility. Communication. Heat. And a bit of mystery as well.

It was so so so good.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so pleasantly surprised by the quality of these stories. I knew we had some talented people around here but I just wasn't expecting to be so entertained. I really loved all of these stories but will confess that "Pierced" was my favorite. I'm a sucker for an abused boy. Not to mention Kaje's menage story. Oh Yum! Just and all around fun read.

[Julia ♥Duncan♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free collection of stories inspired by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group Scavenger Hunt Challenge!

Living Out the Fantasy, Aimee Brissay
Very short story about a man alone in Vegas and missing his boyfriend when he unexpectedly gets a fantasy fulfilled. It was nice but a bit too short for me to be really pulled in.

Thank God for Games Saga, Shayla Mist
Cute story about an established couple that runs into trouble when one of them gets offered his dream job out of town. I felt like the issues they ran into in this story were really realistic for lots of couples. Their problems could have been easily solved by better communication, but that didn't really bother me here since it was fairly short and I liked both characters.

Changes Coming Down, Kaje Harper
Really good menage story about a rancher, sheriff, and hockey player. This grabbed me right from the beginning and I was really invested in both the characters and the plot. I thought it dragged a tiny bit in the middle after the ranch ownership issue was resolved, but that might be due to my own personal tendency to get a bit bored during sex scenes. The story made me laugh and made me cry and I would totally read more about these characters.

A Capricorn Tale, M.E. Sanford
I liked this one a lot, although it is really hard to describe. There's sea/land creatures with scales and humans arriving via a big disaster and I'm not entirely sure how some of the events happened. But I was totally willing to roll with it because it was so interesting and different.

Pierced, J. Vaughn
I liked this one a lot too. The beginning was a bit sad and rage inducing, but everything was happy and wonderful by the end. Really liked Paul and Kyle and the college setting.

Demons, Time Travel and Bacon, Oh My!, Shelby, Marc, Raganna, Filipa, K., Astrid, Eepa, Danielle, Susan, Amanda, Pamela Su, Brandilyn, Teresa, Fehu, Jamie, Kaje, and Jay
This was super cute and funny! Managed to pack in just about everything you could ever want in a book and make sense while doing it!

There Are Worse Things, Katies Crewman
I liked the plot of this one, but I thought the sex scene in the middle derailed the story a bit.

Home, Kathleen Hayes
Another cute story. I always think time travel from the past to the present is pretty entertaining.

Poems by the Scavenger Hunt Teams
I am really impressed by these! Poetry is hard!

The Scavenger Hunt point list:

Items
✔1. Twin Bed - 2
✔2. Specific Body Piercing (not including ears) - 2
✔3. Musical Instrument - 1
✔4. Sounds - 3
✔5. Butt Plug - 1
✔6. Sports Equipment - 1
✔7. Jock Strap - 2
✔8. Flavored Lube - 2
✔9. Mail - 1
✔10. Breakfast of eggs and bacon - 1

Locations
✔1. Gym - 1
✔2. Set in Multiple Locations (Meaning countries/cities/states, etc.) - 2
✔3. Elevator - 2
✔4. Ranch - 1
✔5. Island - 3
✔6. Grocery Store - 1
✔7. Mansion - 2
✔8. Apartment/Condo/House - 1
✔9. Outer Space - 2
✔10. Casino - 3

Themes
✔1. MPreg - 3
✔2. Paranormal - 1
✔3. Time Travel - 4
4. New to You Author - 2
✔5. Non-Con/Dub-Con - 2
✔6. BDSM - 1
✔7. Cowboys - 1
✔8. Sports - 1
✔9. Cross Dressing - 2
✔10. Law Enforcement - 1

Objects on Covers
✔1. Animal - 1
✔2. Body of Water - 1
3. Bus - 2
✔4. Baby - 3
✔5. Cocktail - 2
✔6. Sunglasses - 1
✔7. Flower - 1
✔8. Decapitated Person - 1
✔9. Drawn Cover - 2
✔10. Car - 2

In the spoiler tag because it takes up a lot of space.

On the whole this anthology was really fun and creative. I was really impressed with the way all the scavenger hunt items were woven into the stories. As with most anthologies, there were some parts I liked more than others, but the whole thing was a very entertaining read.

[Kaetrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only read the Kaje Harper story at this point. It's a well done m/m/m menage story about a cowboy and sheriff and an ice hockey pro (sounds like the beginning of a joke right? "three guys walk into a bar..."?). I liked how the dynamic played out for all three of them and on the one hand, I liked that it was a substantial story. But I thought it kind of fizzled a bit toward the end, maybe it was a bit too long or it tried to do too much. I can't really complain. The anthology is free and I did enjoy the story. I count it as a win.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one's worth reading solely for the Kaje Harper story in the middle.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good and some not.
Random porn with plot.
Lots of guys having lots of fun--
I'm just so glad to be quickly done.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: Really enjoyed this anthology.
Living Out the Fantasy by Aimee Brissay: I really like this short, and wanted more! I thought this was a perfect little read. I thought it was a sweet surprise/fantasy for Anthony. 4 stars

Thank God for Games Saga by Shayla Mist: There was so much that was left unsaid in this story. I felt neither character really told the other how they felt. While at the end they seemed to be finally on the same page, I think there was some missed opportunities here that could have made them shine. 3 stars

Changes Coming Down by Kaje Harper: My first Kaje Harper book, so definitely going to be really more. I really loved this story, and am glad to hear there may be a full length novel out now! She totally drew me in, and I fell hard for these three men. They all complimented each other so well and just fit perfectly. They did not shy away from their vulnerable side when they were with each other and were not afraid to ask for things they needed in each other. Scott *sigh. 5 stars

A Capricorn Tale by M.E. Sanford: Whoa, since I went into this blind, I did not realize I would be reading this type of story. I guess I would describe it as science fiction. Not bad, definitely a good introduction to this sub-genre. Not my favorite, but not a bad story and well-written. 3 stars

Pierced by J. Vaughn: First story by J. Vaughn, and I was sucked right in. Probably the fastest read of this, as I just found Paul so sweet with Kyle and Kyle so strong. 5 stars

Demons, TimeTrave and Bacon, Oh My! By Various Authors: Not my cup of tea...I was not interested in the story in the least, but it was intriguing and if you are into ghosts and demons and spells or curses even this would be your jam. 2 stars

There Are Worse Things by Katies Crewman: This was a cute read. I was not overly invested in the characters and it was predictable, but overall good. 3 stars

Home by Kathleen Hayes: Interesting story and kept my attention the whole time. Loved the close relationship the brothers had as it added another depth to the story. 4 stars

Poems: These were a fun little surprise to the anthology!

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Reviews: 3 stars Averaged

Living Out the Fantasy by Aimee Brissay
3 stars
Eh. Very short.

Thank God For Games Saga by Shayla Mist
4 stars
It’s a cute, sweet, and enjoyable read.

Changes coming Down by Kaje Harper
4 stars
One of my favorites. I love Kaje Harper.

A Capricorn Tale by M.E. Sanford
3 stars
Mpeg. I’m still unsure about how it.

Pierced by J. Vaughn
4 stars
Probably one of my favorites.

Demons, Time Travel and Bacon Oh My !! by Various People
2 stars
Just bizarre and long.

There are Worse Things by Katies Crewman
3 stars
Okay. A decent read. Nothing grand.

Home by Kathleen Hayes
4 stars
I liked it. I like highlander/Scottish characters so that was a nice addition.

[Clarene · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this was a fun bunch of snippets. I really enjoyed some of them way more than others but could not say I hated any of them at all. There are some characters that I want to read more about so I was very sad that there was no more content for those. The thought process that went into constructing this anthology was so thoughtful and cute and I was totally thrilled with the points from a Scavenger Hunt perspective. The few authors in this anthology that I have not read I will look into adding to my TBR list. I will also tell you the poems at the end made me laugh out loud. This was a great collection.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I read this for the points, really not thinking I would like it. I really struggle with shorter books and short stories, but the authors really did a great job of providing quality stories while including very specific items. (Could there be more flavored lube in one place?) "Pierced" was my favorite but did he really need to have his prince albert ripped out? Ouch!!! And shockingly I loved "A Capricorn Tale" which is completely outside of my norm. Thanks for the points!

[Anna.E · Rating 4 out of 5]

A free collection of stories, put together for M/M Romance group's scavenger hunt, dedicated to the games leader (retired to motherhood now), Katie.
All the shorts were writen for the hunt rules and were fun to read. Although I must say one was quite strange, written by multiple people.
I read this book for gang bang 4th quarter challenge.

[Chris, the Dalek King · Rating 4 out of 5]

As this was a free anthology done just for the fun of it, I'm not going to nit-pick. But I will say that I absolutely loved Kaje Harper's story. Most of the stories were a lot of fun, even if some of them pushed the boundaries of believability, and it was kinda nice to never know what was coming up next. This was a pretty awesome thing to put together and I'm glad they did.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun anthology, especially since I’m reading it for this years scavenger hunt. Most stories hovered around the three star mark, some a little less, some a little more; but I’m giving the whole thing 4 stars because Changes Coming Down by Kaje Harper was easily a 5 star read and I might have passed it up if it weren’t for this anthology since MMM isn’t always for me.

[Alishea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, an anthology where I didn't find any that were just bad. I truly enjoyed them all. I just wish I knew which writer is the fellow Whovian in the demon story.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving this book 5 stars just for Kaje Harper's story. My new kink is gay hockey players.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was tempting to just read Kaje Harper's story since I love her writing but I read them all and found some great new authors to try!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know it's terrible but the only story I read was Kaje Harper's Changes Coming Down. It was a beautiful
m/m/m story. It amazes me how she was able to pack do much into a short story.

[Crispy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaje Harper's novella, Changes Coming Down, in this anthology is an absolute gem.

[Hrtnsoul28 · Rating 3 out of 5]

For starters, the idea for the book was a great idea. To write stories to fit with SH items sounds fun. In reality, short stories do not give you enough time to connect with a character or idea. Only a few made an impression on me.

Living Out the Fantasy by Aimee Brissay
Too short to really say I liked it or not. Way too short for me.


Thank God for Games Saga by Shayla Mist
This story was good. I love some angst to spice things up. At times it did get a bit aggravating. I did find I rolled my eyes at one point.


Changes Coming Down by Kaje Harper
Kaje Harper can really not write a bad story. I am not much for MMM. This one was really good to the point I wished it was longer. Being in the closet with more than two people seems to be too much to keep hidden.

A Capricorn Tale by M.E. Sanford
Too short to really get into the story and understand it.

Pierced by J. Vaughn
Loved this one. Even though it was short it packed a lot of emotions in the story.

Demons, Time Travel and Bacon Oh My !! - various authors
Did not enjoy this story at all. Did a bit of skimming to get through it.


There are Worse Things by Katies Crewman
Another okay story. It was over the top at times and did not come together as I hoped it would.


Home by Kathleen Hayes
This one was okay, nothing really connected me to the story. Too much watching Outlander, I was expecting more. Maybe just too short.

I really enjoyed the poetry at the end. It made me laugh out loud. My husband gave me a weird look but he is used to it.