The Packing List: A Later in Life Romance Anthology

by Karen Booth, J. Calamy, Kate Canterbury

THE PACKING LIST is a romance anthology featuring TWELVE original, never-before-seen stories from bestselling authors. One hundred percent of net proceeds will be donated to sexual and reproductive health care organizations. THE PACKING LIST is only available for a limited time so grab your copy before it's gone for good!

This exclusive collection brings you sizzling, later-in-life love stories where seasoned characters tumble into red-hot temptation, unexpected passion, and daring new beginnings that redefine desire. Every tale tempts you into wanting more and these happily ever afters smolder right off the page.

Authors
Karen Booth
J. Calamy
Kate Canterbary
Michelle Donn
Sarah T. Dubb
L.B. Dunbar
Jess K. Hardy
Mia Hopkins
Cindy Kehagiaras
Angelina M. Lopez
Melanie Moreland
Maria Vale

100% of net proceeds from THE PACKING LIST will be donated to sexual and reproductive health care organizations. This anthology is not being conducted on behalf of these organizations nor do these organizations endorse this anthology or collective effort. They have, however, graciously agreed to accept the funds.

Genres: Anthologies, Romance, Short Stories

684 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 30, 2025

About the author

Karen Booth is a Midwestern girl transplanted in the South, raised on 80s music and repeated readings of Forever by Judy Blume. She writes steamy contemporary romance and women's fiction. When she isn't creating fictional hunky men and the women who test them, she's listening to music with her kids, honing her Southern cooking skills or sweet-talking her astoundingly supportive husband into whipping up a batch of cocktails.

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mixed bag, as it always is with an anthology, but there are enough favorite authors with a story in here that I gave it a whirl.

[Cindy Kehagiaras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Booth, L.B. Dunbar, Jess K. Hardy, Cindy Kehagiaras … need I go on?

The QUEENS of OVER 40 Romance have come together to SLAY any nay-sayers that hot romance in middle age doesn’t exist!

Every story is very different but scratches the itch deliciously!

[T Rojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine Lines by Kate Canterbary -3 ⭐️
It was kinda weird and way too short for what it was trying to accomplish

Double Booked by Jess K Hardy - 5 ⭐️
Super hot and super sweet!

[Emmalita · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are twelve short stories in The Packing List and most of them range from ok to fantastic. The anthology is filled with romances between people over 40 and the proceeds go to reproductive health groups. Access to good reproductive healthcare is a sign of a healthy society and we are losing it. I’m so happy to see some of my favorite authors involved with this. I was impressed with the variety of romances – historical, queer, second chance, sci fi, and contemporary.

Rather than review every story, I’m going to focus on the ones that were standouts to me.

“Auntie” by Mia Hopkins. This was such a joy to read. Hopkins packs so much into “Auntie” while also giving us a feeling of openness and possibility. Jo has come to visit her sister and nieces for the weekend, leaving behind her worries about money and the continuing viability of her business. While there, her sister introduces her to Hiroki who is an artist hired to create a mosaic. The two strike sparks and leave the story with a sense of possibility for a future relationship.

“The Sun in Her Eyes” by Angelina M. Lopez. I think this is both Lopez first historical romance and sapphic romance. It is not her first “yes, Mexican Americans live in Kansas” story. MaryAnn Callahan, neé Gonzalez has agreed to marry a farmer who isn’t looking for more children, just a wife to keep his home. When MaryAnn arrives at her new home, she’s resigned to her future, hopeful that it will be more secure than the future she was facing. And then she meets her husband’s sister, Roslynn. Cue pining and soft glances. Yes, they get a happy ending.

“Community Property” by Sarah T. Dubb. Dubb is a new favorite, so I was very happy to get a short story from her. Tessa and Jack divorced 20 years ago, but they have retained co-ownership of a cabin in New Mexico. Rather than communicate about who will be at the cabin when, they divide usage by the calendar. They overlap when Jack tries to get ahead of a big storm and takes a chance that Tessa won’t be there. The exes are snowed in together and have time to revisit the circumstances of their divorce. Other than the fact that I am well over 40 years old, I love later in life romances like “Community Property” because they give us a chance to think about the way our priorities change with experience.

“No Going Back” by J. Calamy. There was a lot of good in this queer scifi romance, it’s one of the few stories that I think would have worked better in a longer format. There was a lot going on and a lot worth exploring. It was definitely worth reading.

This anthology is available for a limited time, so go get it now.

[Gabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

A couple of these short stories were really good, but I didn't like most of them very much. It takes a lot to write a really good short story. Too many of them felt like abridged regular length stories, or they just ended extremely abruptly.

- "The Rules of Flipping" by Karen Booth - 4 stars - very nice, I liked the couples dynamic.
- "No Going Back" by J Calamy - 3.75 stars - sometimes I didn't like the writing and it took me out of the story; I don't like hidden identity stories. Overall a lovely story, but too much attempted world building for such a short story.
- "Fine Lines" by Kate Canterbury - 3 stars - this relationship dynamic wasn't for me. I do love Canterbury's writing though.
- "Just Solemates" by Michelle Donn - 3 stars - a perfectly fine Cinderella retelling
- "Community Property" by Sarah T Dubb - 4 stars - well written; worked well at fleshing out the characters and giving a fairly believable second chance romance.
- "Confidence Booster" by L B Dunbar - 3 stars - fine, but it didn't really develop anything all that much.
- "Double Booked" by Jess K Hardy - 4 stars - this was really good! Sexy, sweet, and definitely more believable than some of the other stories. Hardy was the reason why I picked this book up.
- "Auntie" by Mia Hopkins - 4 stars - it was good, but felt like the start of a longer story.
- "The Winds of Tinos" by Cindy Kehagiaras - 2.5 star - what even was this? Not a short story, it literally ends and says the story continues in a book.
- "The Sun in Her Eyes" by Angelina M Lopez - 5 stars - an excellent short story! I loved it and it was so well written. A historical, sapphic romance. Easily my fave of the collection.
- "The Cottage" by Melanie Moreland - 3.5 stars - fun but ended super abruptly. Felt like there was supposed to be more to it.
- "Wistful" by Maria Vale - 3.5 stars - an interesting concept that I didn't feel worked for this length of story.

[Darcy DecantingBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this anthology (all but two of the stories, 10 out of 12 is amazing) with stories by some of my absolute favorite authors. As a GenXer, reading romance where the characters are in their 40s and 50s is my sweetspot, and it's so hard to find them. The characters in these stories are all so vibrant, interesting, and ready (for the most part) to jump into some fun. They're quick, spicy, memorable, and fun. Enjoy!

Favorite: Double Booked has to be the winner, mostly because it has a Madigan brother in it and if you haven't read Come As You Are by Jess K. Hardy, go get it RIGHT NOW!

But honestly they were almost all perfection and require minimal commitment. The best part? Proceeds are being donated to reproductive healthcare organizations.

[Chera · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something for everyone in this anthology, including historical, MM, FM, sci-fi, and contemporary romances, all centered around older MCs who are traveling for some reason. Each story starts with a packing list of what each character has brought on their trip, which is a cute addition.

This was a great way to read some short stories from authors I already love (Jess K. Hardy proves a Madigan man will always get it, Kate Canterbary confirms I have a thing for men who say darling) and new to me authors (I must read all of LB Dunbar's backlist now) all while supporting a great cause!

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, the only novella I read in this book was from Kate Canterbary. I enjoyed it a lot. It was a fun taste of the characters, Bath and Jay. I do wish it had been a full length novel so that I could experience them getting to know each other and I would have liked more time with them in general.

[RK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a mixed bag for me--but it's an anthology, so that's kind of the point, right?

This book had everything--contemporary, historical, sci-fi, paranormal, M/M and sapphic.

I don't know if it was intentional, but there were at least three stories about accidental double-bookings at vacation/get-away homes and quite honestly, those were some of my favorite ones.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sad to say that most of the stories weren't really that great (even Jess Hardy's and I usually love her work). I was so looking forward to this and it wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. I've rounded up my 2.5 stars bc I'm feeling nice today

[Xerxia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Angelika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've only read Fine Lines by Kate Canterbary (~54 pages), which was enjoyable but way too short.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Canterbary is an autobuy author for me, with Melanie Moreland a close second. I devoured both of their stories and am looking forward to discovering the rest of the authors soon!

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of short stories by authors I love (LB Dunbar, Kate Canterbary, Jess Hardy) and an introduction to so many others. Loved almost all the stories included.