Candy Hearts Volume 3: An LGBTQIA2S+ Charity Anthology

by A.D. Ellis, B.A. Tortuga, Becca Seymour

What’s sweeter than a low angst queer romance at Valentine’s Day? How about twenty-one of them in one anthology to help support a good cause?

Each novella in Candy Hearts, volume 3, is overflowing with red-hot romance and all the good feels. This volume is full of “meet-uglies” and bad first impressions. What’s more satisfying than a happily ever after that started on the wrong foot?

The Candy Hearts LGBTQIA2S+ anthology will be available for a limited time, and all proceeds will benefit the Rainbow Railroad, which helps LGBTQIA2S+ people get to safety worldwide.


Tent Poles & Tackle Boxes by A.D. Ellis
Explosion of the Heart by BA Tortuga
Always This by Becca Seymour
Mugs & Kisses by Beck Grey
Magic Fate Ball by Bix Barrow
tea & vodka by BL Jones
Love Thy Neighbor by D. K. Sutton
Hiding Fate by D.C. Emerson
Alexander and the Meet-Cute Potion by David Gray
Beau’s Stormy Romance by E.J. Stoll
Grounded by E.M. Denning
The Baker and the Kraken by Ellie Ash
Unsportsmanlike Conduct by Essie Sloane
Angel Kisses by Evie McGlynn
Fortune Candy by Madalyn George
The Weekend Boyfriend by Merry Farmer
What the Heart Wants by Minerva Howe
Checked Baggage by Riley Long
All I Want Is You by Rye Cox
My Demon Boyfriend by Stella Rainbow
Ruff Day by Susan Scott Shelley and Chantal Mer
The Tattoo Parlor by Vinni George

(from candyheartsanthology .com)

Kindle Edition

Expected publication January 30, 2026

About the author

Escape into addictive, sexy, emotional queer M/M romance.
A.D. Ellis is an Indiana girl, born and raised. She spends much of her time in central Indiana as an instructional coach/teacher in the inner city of Indianapolis, being a mom to two amazing teens, and wondering how she and her husband of over two decades haven't driven each other insane yet. A lot of her time is also devoted to phone call avoidance and her hatred of cooking.
She loves chocolate, hot tea, sweet wine with friends, pizza, and naps along with reading and writing romance. These loves don’t leave much time for housework. Who would pick cleaning the house over a nap or a good book? She uses any extra time to increase her fluency in sarcasm.
A.D. uses she/they pronouns.
Sign up at http://www.subscribepage.com/ADEllisN... for a FREE male/male romance book.

A.D. Ellis does not use generative AI to create books or covers.

Reviews

[Kendra Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to all of the authors who took their time and effort to make this anthology a success.

Tent Poles and Tackle Boxes by A.D. Ellis
Story: 3⭐️
Heat: 🌶 🌶
This is a second chances, old BFF's romance that starts off with a misunderstanding that snowballs. Joseph and Travis are both laid back guys that come together to continue a family tradition. I could sort of see the old BFF but I wasn't sold on the romance. I didn't feel any chemistry and the sexy times were meh.

Explosion of the Heart by BA Tortuga
Story: 3⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶
Here we have husbands that have been separate for a year, that are supposed to be divorcing but neither want a divorce. Both guys are a little hotheaded and allowed an accident to dictate their actions into something they didn't want. I loved that the story starts with a bang but it fizzled out fast. The ending is really abrupt and left me hanging. The sexy times were meh.

Always This by Becca Seymour
Story: 3⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶
Single dad meets the groundskeeper of his son's new school. It is a really sweet, low drama romance. I didn't feel like the MCs had much chemistry. The sexy times are meh and no condom or safe sex talk. Also with all the Australian words and phrases used, I had to frequently stop reading to look things up because I couldn't figure out what the author was saying. This dragged the story down for me.

Mugs and Kisses by Beck Grey
Story: 5⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Jake and Matt meet at a coffee shop and fireworks happen. Jake mistakes Matt for someone else and lays into him. Matt just goes with the flow and lets it go. When Jake finds out his mistake he tracks down Matt to apologize. These two get into texting each other and dating and a match is made. Lots of fun, laughs and chemistry.

Magic Fate Ball by Bix Barrow
Story: 5⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶
This is a really sweet, emotional romance between an alpha wolf shifter and a magical human. It shows that being perfect doesn't have anything to do with body parts. The MCs had good chemistry and made me root for them.

Tea and Vodka by BL Jones
I don't read FF so I can't give an opinion.

Alexander and the Meet-Cute Potion by David Gray
Story: 5⭐️
Heat: 🌶
Alexander wants true love. He's tired of guys just wanting hook-ups. He goes to Emerik, who's a witch for a potion that will weed out the guys not looking for true love. Emerik and his fellow witches over due the potion and now Alexander is beating guys off. Some good LOL moments. Good chemistry between the MCs. Sadly the sexy times were just meh.

Hiding Fate by D.C. Emerson
Story: 5⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Jae is recently broke up with his possessive BF and has realized that said BF has alienated him from his friends, so Jae and his BFF Hollis sign up for a bar crawl. They're hoping to get drunk, have fun, and re-connect. Along the way Jae meets Koda a nonbinary, alpha Kodiak bear. Jae and Koda hit it off and sparks are flying. Fated mates that can't keep their hands off each other. Looking forward to reading Hollis's story.

Love Thy Neighbor by D.K. Sutton
Story: 5⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶
Lannie moves in next door to Jace when Jace is a senior in HS. He goes to introduce himself and gets a cold, wet surprise. Lannie is invited to the family game nights and is soon part of Jace's family. The chemistry between these two is sweet and felt. I loved the Dad Jokes that Lannie and Jace's dad told back and forth. This is a sweet found family romance.

Beau's Stormy Romance by E.J. Stoll
Story: 4⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶
This is a romance that gets off on the wrong foot. Beau is having a bad day and it only gets worse when he's tripped and drenched with coffee by a hottie who blames him. Well things do get worse when later that evening his blind date turns out to be the hottie who tripped him. The only saving grace is the good friend they have in common insists they have a do-over and things work out awesomely. LOL moments with sweet romance.

Grounded by E.M. Denning
Story: 4⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶
What's happens when an airline assigns a single seat to two different people? Well hijinks happen and one scuffle later both men are getting escorted off the plane. Then to make matters worse, the hotel only has one room available. They begrudgingly agree to share the room and it doesn't take long for them to find out they have a lot in common and a connection is made. Good chemistry and sweet sexy times.

The Baker and the Kraken by Ellie Ash
Story: 5⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶
Adam is a clumsy, accident prone baker that has given up on love. When he has to go sort out a bridezilla and gets a face full of cake he's not surprised. His fated mate Calder is smitten from the get-go. Calder doesn't let Adam's clumsiness or love aversion stop him from pursuing Adam. He's so patient and sweet with Adam and wins him over. LOL moments with ahhh moments mixed in.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct by Essie Sloane
Story: 5⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶
Jason hasn't been able to catch his favorite football team in person in a decade, so this one is really important to him. Having to sit surrounded by the opposing team's fans isn't going to stop him from having a good time. Having to sit next to the most obnoxious fan ever just might though. The only saving grace is that his team wins. A week later he meets Vic at a local bar and finds out that away from football Vic is a really great guy. They also have a lot in common. Mr. Obnoxious turns into Mr. Right.

Angel Kisses by Evie McGlynn
Story: 5⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶
Charlie is running from an obsessive ex and lands in NYC. He runs into (literally) a hot guy and is smitten by the care he gets from him. Hunter is on his way to a job interview when Charlie runs into him. He's not hurt but he's concerned about Charlie. After the job interview he comes to check on Charlie and finds Charlie needs more than just a sweet guy to take care of him. I did feel like the sexy times was too fast but since the character asked for it, okay.

Fortune Candy by Madalyn George
Story: 5⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶
Oliver owns the Lavender Sea B&B that Bryan has always wanted to stay at. When Bryan's sister is getting married in the town over he gets his wish. Finding out that Oliver needs him makes him realize where his life is and where it should be. These two have good chemistry and make this sweet romance a joy to read.

The Weekend Boyfriend by Merry Farmer
Story: 4⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶
Javier is trying to save his modeling agency by taking on a singing telegram for Valentine's Day. He has no idea that Desmond is 100% unreceptive to his efforts. Desmond is trying to unhook his ex-BF's claws and isn't having much luck. Desmond hopes to get the message across to said ex by taking Javier to a concert with him. The ex doesn't take it well and sabotages Desmond in a horrid way. Now he's sick and Javier is not about to leave him alone. They soon find things in common and a sweet romance starts. This would've been a 5* but the ending just stops abruptly without an adequate finish.

What the Heart Wants by Minerva Howe
Story: 4⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶
Mav plans a hot weekend with his FWB partner but said partner cancels at the last moment for a better offer. Mav can't get most of his money back so after being a royal AH to the front desk people he decides to stay the weekend. Graham is the manager called to mediate Mav's complaint. He's winding down an eighteen hours day and not in the mood. Having to take the abuse is just the cherry on the top. Mav does end up showing that he's a great guy and let his mood get out of control. It is a sweet romance that is too short for the way things end up IMO.

Checked Baggage by Riley Long
Story: 4⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Dallas just wants to listen to his book and get on the plane for home. Between a determined blond and hot guy it isn't working out all that well. Then getting home with the wrong luggage just makes it worse. Finding out that the hot guy and he have taken each other's luggage starts these two on a sweet path of romance. They have a lot in common and their chemistry is pretty good.

My Demon Boyfriend by Stella Rainbow
Story: 5⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
This is an established couple Theo the coffeeshop owner and Arrick the demon. Arrick has been hiding things from Theo and now Theo thinks Arrick is cheating on him. This story goes back and forth from present to past frequently to give the reader an insight to the couple's relationship. The part describing their first meeting was LOL funny. Theo and Arrick have good chemistry. Cute story.

Ruff Day by Susan Scott Shelley and Chantal Mar
Story: 4⭐️
Heat: 🌶
Jagger and Ian are both having a bad day. It gets worse when they meet over a charity baseball game and don't agree with the baseball calls. Jagger gets himself thrown out of the game and Ian gets a talking to from a friend. Later in the day they meet up at a bar and apologize. Afterwards they bond over Ian helping Jagger with a pink elephant and Jagger adopting a dog. I did feel like the relationship was a little too fast to be believable.

The Tattoo Parlor by Vinni George
Story: 5⭐️
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Misha fled Alaska and his family to avoid an arranged marriage. Ending up in Florida seems to settle nicely with him. Tucker is having a bad day and takes it out on Misha. When Misha gets upset and drops Tucker's order it only gets worse. These two definitely don't want anything to do with each other. It comes as a surprise to them both that they've been emailing each other about Tucker doing a tattoo for Misha. Fated mates and tattoos bring these two together and chemistry keeps them there. Fated shifter mates for the win.

[Zoë Miranda]

This volume is full of “meet-uglies” and bad first impressions.
What’s more satisfying than a happily ever after that started on the wrong foot?

Books are listed in the order in which they appear in the anthology, my reading order will be denoted beside the titles and will be highly subjective, greatly influenced by my familiarity with and love of the authors in question, followed by my interest in the offerings of those that are new to me (that is the method to my madness, I make no apologies).

Tent Poles & Tackle Boxes by A.D. Ellis - # candy hearts
Travis
Joey

Explosion of the Heart by BA Tortuga - # candy hearts
Dalton
Jack

(3) Always This by Becca Seymour - 5 candy hearts
1st person, present tense, dual PoV
Ant (39), office worker
Eli, school groundskeeper / furniture maker

Ooooh, I loved this one, which was an unexpected surprised since I typically don't gravitate towards single dad stories. I picked it to read third because it was highly recommended in the ARC group I'm a member of. This meet-ugly was actually kinda cute, I thought it was really clever and I adored the fact that this encounter was just the beginning for these two after Ant's son, Henry befriends Eli's nephew, Noah and they were able to further bond during subsequent play dates. The building tension and friendship felt very slow burn and not rushed at all, which is quite an accomplishment for a short story. I was cheering so hard when they finally came together. The supporting characters (kids and Eli's sister, Mel) were a great addition to the story, adding depth without overshadowing the main couple.


(2) Mugs & Kisses by Beck Grey - 4.5 candy hearts
1st person, present tense, dual PoV
Jake Butler (35), fundraiser for the Salem Art Foundation
Matt Ward, potter / owner of Pottering Around pottery studio

Beck is one of my favourite authors so naturally I read their contribution on the heels of Bix's. Knowing the theme of this year's anthology and the setup of the story from the synopsis I had to read the first chapter while peeking through my fingers and cringing. Oh my goodness, Jake really stepped in it and while his heart was in the right place it was hard to imagine him being able to recover from that first impression! Recover he did, with a pretty epic apology date and an even more epic Valentine's Day date. I loved the banter between these two (I hope you can appreciate some excellent puns!) and had a lot of fun reading their story.


(1) Magic Fate Ball by Bix Barrow - 4.5 candy hearts
1st person, past tense, dual PoV
Elton Johnson, human empath, book store manager / studying to be a therapist / content creator 'ejvibes' on Instagram
Rafferty, wolf shifter, pack alpha

I got my ARC copy from Bix (who wrote my favourite contribution to last year's anthology) so I thought it only fair to read her contribution first. It was no hardship though since I love her writing, especially her Wonderfall series. I'm not the biggest fan of fated mates, but enjoy how the concept is presented in Bix's world. When I do read fated mates I am a sucker for when a shifter scents their intended and goes all in trying to convince their (often human) intended that they are a great match.

Rafferty is such a goober in this way, trying waaaay to hard to win Elton over while trying not to overwhelm him while simultaneously doing faaaaaaar too much. It was immensely amusing to me and provided a great counterpoint to Elton's more somber personal journey and circumstances. Overall this story had a very hopeful tone - I love the way Bix blends any heaviness in her stories with sweet swoon-worthy moments and subtle humour. Fans of the author are in for a treat with a cameo from a character who's story is yet to be told. I'm a fan of this world, these characters and this story, it'll be hard to top.


tea & vodka by BL Jones - # candy hearts
Azrael, angel
Lilith, demon

Love Thy Neighbor by D. K. Sutton - # candy hearts
(22)
Lannie

(7) Hiding Fate by D.C. Emerson - 3.5 candy hearts
3rd person, past tense, dual PoV
Jae, omega mandarin duck
Koda (34), alpha Kodiak bear

Too much passive telling rather than active telling of the story. Maybe it's a word count issue but I'd rather read the dialogue of characters telling each other things than a paragraph stating they had a conversation about a topic. I can't immerse myself in a story that way.

Alexander and the Meet-Cute Potion by David Gray - # candy hearts
Alexander
Emerik

Beau’s Stormy Romance by E.J. Stoll - # candy hearts
Beau
Vincent

Grounded by E.M. Denning - # candy hearts
Troye

The Baker and the Kraken by Ellie Ash - # candy hearts
Adam (32)
Calder

(8) Unsportsmanlike Conduct by Essie Sloane - 4.5 candy hearts
1st person, past tense, single PoV (Vic)
Vic Summers, history teacher at King’s Bay High
Jason, 3rd grade teacher


(5) Angel Kisses by Evie McGlynn - 4 candy hearts
Charlie Gallagher, bookstore clerk and research assistant at Time to Read bookstore
Hunter McLaughlin

I'm an absolute sucker for a size difference and protective MC. I also just have to complete my first aid recertification so


Fortune Candy by Madalyn George - # candy hearts


(4) The Weekend Boyfriend by Merry Farmer - 4 candy hearts
3rd person, past tense, dual PoV
Javier Rivera, owner of Rivera Talent agency
Desmond White

Man, this was so disappointing. Merry Farmer (or MM Farmer, one of her other pen names) is something of a comfort read for me. If I'm in a book slump I know she's good for a solid sweet swoony read. Honestly, this was well on its way to being a 5 candy heart read for me, but I just can't get behind a HFN half-finished story.

This had an epic beginning with Javier unknowingly delivering a saccharine signing telegram to Des on behalf of his toxic ex-. God, it was so unbelievably cringey in the best way. Des picks him up after that fateful encounter, they hit it off, and he enlists Javier's help to act as his date at an upcoming event to demonstrate to his ex-, Matthew, that he's moved on - delicious! Des falls ill and Javier nurses him back to health. OMG *swoon*. They connect so well. Their chemistry is palpable but more than that they read see each other. Let's cook together, garden together, watch a movie together... Yes, yes, yes, (and yes!).

BUT we never get to see the evil ex- get his just desserts, we never see Javier really succeed with his fledgling modelling agency, etc.

I'm bummed. I will read the full-length novel when it comes out but I feel cheated by this inclusion in the anthology. I'm trying really hard to rate the work as is and not have my rating reflect my disappointment. Teasing another work is forgivable (I hate it but understand that authors want to tease their other works to increase engagement and readership) but this hits differently.


What the Heart Wants by Minerva Howe - # candy hearts
Maverick Grainger
Graham, omega

Checked Baggage by Riley Long - # candy hearts
Dallas, museum curator

All I Want Is You by Rye Cox - # candy hearts
Lance

My Demon Boyfriend by Stella Rainbow - # candy hearts
Arnick

Ruff Day by Susan Scott Shelley and Chantal Mer - # candy hearts
Jaggar Michaels
Ian Vale

(6) The Tattoo Parlor by Vinni George - # candy hearts
Misha Zimov, omega
Tucker Sharpe, alpha


I was given an ARC and voluntarily wrote an honest review.

[CatOnABlueBackground · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories all revolve around Valentine's Day, when their main characters get their HEAs. I received an ARC from A.D. Ellis, but of course could not possibly read everything in this anthology in the 2 weeks given. I liked eveything I read – there are lots of great authors in here. I'll update when I get through more of the stories, but for now.....

Tent Poles & Tackle boxes by A.D. Ellis
Joey & Travis come back to town after 10 years away (& apart) to run their famiys' campground/bait shop. They had been chidhood best friends, but hadn't spoken in years due to a falling out over the attraction Joey felt for Travis (that Traivs also felt for Joey but wasn't ready to admit yet). They find the attraction is still there, and work together to keep the campground/bait shop running. Sweet story with little drama.

Explosion of the Heart by B.A. Tortuga
This one involves an impending divorce between Jack & Dalton. Dalton, cowboy, breaks his neck. Jack, overwrought, demands he retire. Dalton DOES retire, but is mad at Jack for the ultimatum. The story begins a year later. They are still apart, ferrying the kids back and forth, and not yet divorced, but clearly there is still something there between then. Sitting down to actually talk does wonders for their situation – especially when the figure out a meddling sister had been part of what broke them up. Lots of kids in this one, and a nice make-up.

Always This – Becca Seymour
This one takes place in Australia (so it's hot in January). Ant and his son, Henry, move to town for a fresh start after Ant's ex, Owen moves away for work. Ant meets Eli, the school groundskeeper, on the first day of school and there's instant attraction. Henry becomes best friends with Eli's nephew on that first day, and then there are lots of play dates between the kids that keep Eli & Ant together. It's a low drama, cute romance between 2 guys who have a lot of chemistry.

Mugs & Kisses – Beck Grey
Cute romance that begins with mistaken identity. Jake mistakes Matt for a Matt that had been undermining his friend at work, and yells at him in the coffee shop. He tells his friend what he did, and she explains that he yelled at “Sweet Matt”, not “Asshole Matt”. Jake is able to apologize to Matt at a party later, all is forgiven, and they embark on a low drama romance.


Hiding Fate - D.C. Emerson
This one involves fated mates and shifters. What I read of it was cute, but I mostly skimmed it because shifters aren't something I enjoy.


Grounded – E.M. Denning
Troye and Matthew meet on a plane when they are assigned the same seat number. They end up both getting escorted off the plane due to an altercation. They aren't able to get another flight out until the next afternoon, so they look for hotel rooms. Troye is the only one able to book a room due to bad weather and overcrowding, so Matthew ends up in the same room with him. They figure out they're in the same business and decide to work together on a new computer game. Spanking is part of the spice.

The Baker & The Kraken – Ellie Ash
Adam (baker, witch) is extremely clumsy, which has always kept him from a real relationship, as he ends up being 'too much' for most people. Calder, a several hundred year old kraken shifter, meets Adam and realizes he's his mate. This is a cute fated mate romance.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct – Essie Sloane
Cute romance between 2 football fans who are cheering for opposite teams. Their first meeting, sitting next to each other in a football stadium, cherring for the opposite team, does NOT go well. They meet again weeks later in a bar, realize they got the wrong impression of each other, and the romance begins.

Checked Baggage - Riley Long
Ace and Dallas meet at the airport. Dallas has had a hard day and is not in the best of moods. He wants to be left alone, but a female passenger keeps trying to talk to him. He is even more annoyed when she and Ace are in the same row as him, and talk the entire time. To make his day crappier yet, he takes home the wrong suitcase and has to bring it back. Fortunately Ace was the one who has his suitcase and they meet at lost luggage where they can exchange bags. They discover they have a lot in common - one a museum curator, the other a history teacher - and their romance begins.

[Helen Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you only read one story in this anthology, make it David Gray’s delightful tale “Alexander and the Meet-Cute Potion”! Here are all of the stories listed in the order they appear in the book:

o AD Ellis: Tent Poles and Tackle Boxes: 4.5 stars. Childhood best friends rekindling their love. The snakes are hilarious, along with Ward the c-blocking demon cat, but I prefer more heat
o BA Tortuga: Explosion of the Heart: 2.75 stars. While the self-referential romance book comments were amusing, I don’t care for littles in my MM books
o Becca Seymour: Always This: 4 stars. Lovely writing, but I don’t care for children in my MM books
o Beck Grey: Mugs and Kisses: 5 stars. Sweet and sexy with lots of puns!
o Bix Barrow: Magic Fate Ball: 3 stars. Pacing was too fast
o BL Jones: Tea and Vodka: FF, DNR
o David Gray: Alexander and the Meet-Cute Potion: 5+ stars, my favorite story in this book! This is a delightful story full of the most romantic meet cutes ever assembled all in one place! As the day goes on the meetings get progressively more outrageous, until both MCs see what was right in front of their eyes the entire time. I was thoroughly charmed by this story and read it with a huge smile on my face the entire time. Highly recommended!
o DC Emerson: Hiding Fate: Omegaverse, DNR
o DK Sutton: Love Thy Neighbor: 5 stars. A long-time crush comes to beautiful fruition
o EJ Stoll: Beau’s Stormy Romance: 5 stars. Entertaining writing! Perfectly paced
o EM Denning: Grounded: 5 stars. An evocative slice of life following an overbooked flight
o Ellie Ash: The Baker and the Kraken: Fated mates, DNR
o Essie Sloan: Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Football, DNR
o Evie McGlynn: Angel Kisses:2.5 stars. Insta-love. Needs better proofreading
o Madalyn George: Fortune Candy: 1.5 stars. DNF. The writing was so-so, and there were numerous misspellings, including one of the MCs’ names and the name of the inn where they were staying
o Merry Farmer: The Weekend Boyfriend: 5 stars. This was a lovely story about two sweet men, one of whom was traumatized by his last relationship, and the healing power of finding someone who truly cares for you. I look forward to their book!
o Minerva Howe: What the Heart Wants: Omegaverse, DNR
o Riley Long: Checked Baggage: 5 stars. A luggage mixup leads to a HEA for two passengers. Beautifully paced
o Stella Rainbow: My Demon Boyfriend: PNR, DNR
o Susan Scott Shelley and Chantal Mer: Ruff Day: 5 stars. Would like to read their other books featuring these many lovely characters
o Vinni George: The Tattoo Parlor: Omegaverse, DNR

[Raven and Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a sucker for a really good anthology. This one did not disappoint! So many authors that I dearly love, all with stories in here. BA Tortuga, Becca Seymour, Beck Grey, Bix Barrow, DC Emerson, and Minerva Howe just to name a few. I would talk about them all, because I did read them, but there is no way. My review would be too long. So I will just talk about a few of them.

BA Tortuga: This is one of those that hits you right in the feels. An argument and misunderstanding stemming from fear almost costs these two their marriage and their family. Jack has to admit he was wrong and that he hurt Dalton deeply, but Dalton learns it wasn’t 100% his fault. Oh my god this one almost made me cry but it felt so good!!!!! Just like so many of this author’s characters. I love their stuff!

Becca Seymour: One soccer ball=not so glamorous meet cute for Eli and Ant. But these two have chemistry that can change the course of both their lives.

Beck Grey: So this is a case of right time and place but wrong person…or is it? Matt is shocked when the dude at the coffee shop lights into him and storms off, but what can you do? One case of mistaken identity and now these two find out how small a world it really is. Fate really did have a hand in this one because Jake and Matt are meant to be.

Bix Barrow: I love the universe this story is set in with the Wonders and magical people/creatures. Of all times to meet your mate, Elton was definitely not expecting it right before his surgery. Raggedy doesn’t care about any of that. He just has to convince Elton that those things won’t change his mind about him. They are mates. Simple as that. Such a good story!!! I also love the setup for the next book in the series.

Vinnie George: Misha and Tucker may meet over a misunderstanding but little do they know that fate had already brought them together. This one is sweet and spicy too as the sweet little baker and the gruff tattoo artist forge a connection.

So many good stories!!! Stella Rainbow, DK Sutton, DC Emerson, Ellie Ashe, Evie McGlynn…and on and on. You have to pick up a copy of this. This book is definitely worth it!

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not often I read an anthology like this from start to finish, I'm more of a dip in between books, but I received an ARC from the lovely Bix Barrow and well, it seemed rude not to read it all in one go. I'll admit I did not read all the stories, some just did not appeal, others were tropes/genres I do not like, but here are my favourites from those I did read.

Magic Fate Ball - Box Barrow - 5*
I love Bix’s Wonderfall series and all the crazy characters, so it was nice to get another story in that world. This was a fabulous short story with a lot of heart and a little steam.

The Baker and the Kraken - Ellie Ash - 5*
This was so different from Ellie’s Lost Arts series, but I adored it and I can’t wait for her new series later this year

The Tattoo Parlour - Vinni George - 3.5*
I’m not a fan of Omegaverse, but this was a sweet, steamy story with thankfully no mpreg.

My Demon Boyfriend - Stella Rainbow - 3*
A short story set in the Demon Debacle world. The jumping back and forth in time felt a bit jarring and didn’t always make sense - like big chunks of the story were missing, but still a fun, steamy story.

Mugs and Kisses - Beck Grey - 4*
Not world shattering, but sweet and I loved the strip tease.

Alexander and the Meet Cute Potion - David Grey - 5*
Utterly ridiculous and laugh out loud funny.

The Weekend Boyfriend - Merry Farmer - 5*
I loved this fake dating story and can’t wait to read the expanded version when it comes out.

Ruff Day - Susan Scott Shelley & Chantel Mer - 4.5*
Sweet story and great to catch up with some of the guys from the Love in Maplewood series.

Fortune Candy - Madalyn George - 5*
I loved this. From their grumpy meet-ugly to their happily ever after. It was perfect.

Always This - Becca Seymour - 5*
Sweet. Gentle. A whole book in a short story.

Overall I think this is a worthy anthology with something for everyone. A good mix of contemporary and paranormal and all for a really good cause. Overall book score 4*

[Carson hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in the process of finishing off these wonderful stories. Others have left reviews of what each story is about, so I will not go over that again, but I will say that this is the best gay anthology I have ever read. I am a long time reader of gay fiction and I have seen how it has changed over the years, and all for the better. These are men who end up in committed relationships, not one night stands. They are all pretty long, so I would not say that they are short stories, they are all novellas. My kindle said that this book has over 24 hours of great stories, so you are getting a great deal, plus proceeds go to charity.

These are some of the greatest names in the genre and these stories are great, with a lot more than just "hot action" I really enjoyed spending my spare time with these stories and these authors. Thank you for a great bunch of wonderful stories.

[K-Me · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are several stories here for everyone! Ranging from sweet romances to some red-hot page burning romances. I will start with my favorite which was the Baker and the Kraken. Adam was so adorably clumsy our Kraken Calder just had to love and cherish him. Mugs and Kisses by Beck Grey was coffee smoking hot! The chemistry here was everything. Grounded by E.M. Denning gave us some mile high action! I enjoyed the easy reading of each more compact romance. Characters to love without drawn out drama.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really excellent anthology of romance novellas! There’s about a 50-50 split between contemporary and paranormal genres. I was disappointed there is just one FF short story. Other than the lack of sapphic love, it’s a fantastic collection! Many established authors and quite a few newer ones. I enjoyed just about every story, which is pretty amazing in such a huge book!

[Lisa Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this anthology. It was great reading stories from some of my favorite authors, and there were quite a few who were new to me. The meet ugly theme was a refreshing change from the traditional meet cute. I really enjoyed this early Valentine's read.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.