Guns & Romances

by Nerine Dorman (Editor), Carrie Clevenger (Editor), Sara Taylor Woods

Greater dangers than mere alligators lurk in the swamps near the town of Bad Moon; a tough-as-nails bartender finds herself wondering whether she’ll make it past midnight on New Year’s Eve; and a vampire and hunter share a last dance with a gun named Felina. Guns & Romances collects eleven tales of lust, love and violence that cross genres and plunge you into a world of gunfights and action, where the shadows have teeth and love can mean forever – if you survive.

Genres: Fiction

229 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 22, 2015

About the author

Nerine Dorman is a South African author and editor of science fiction and fantasy currently living in Cape Town, with short fiction published in numerous anthologies. She is a contributor to the Locus Award-winning Afro-Centered Futurism in Our Speculative Fiction edited by Eugen Bacon (Bloomsbury, 2024). Her novel Sing down the Stars won Gold for the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature in 2019 and The Percy Fitzpatrick Award for Children's and Youth Literature in 2021. Her YA fantasy novella, Dragon Forged, was a finalist in the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature in 2017, and she is the curator of the South African Horrorfest Bloody Parchment event and short story competition. Her short story “On the Other Side of the Sea” (Omenana, 2017) was shortlisted for a 2018 Nommo award. Her novella The Firebird won a Nommo for “Best Novella” in 2019. In addition, she is a founding member of the SFF authors’ co-operative Skolion.

Reviews

[A.B. Neilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know what this all was about. Guns and Romances? Some kind of Bonny and Clyde stories? This very well compiled collection of short stories has surprised me in many ways. It has made me cry, surprise, feel completely baffled by some strange things I didn't know where they were coming from. Vampyres, werewolfs, demons, reptiles and aliens from the dead space are mixed with people who just try to survive in very hard conditions. Some of the stories are hot, really hot. And there is an overall quality that made me want to read more of many of the authors.
I wanted some fun and surprises, that I got, and unexpectedly, I got some heartful moments as well. Beautiful, interesting and funny.

[Anti-social Butterfly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conflict of Interest Statement: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Guns and Romances is a collection of short stories loosely based on the concept of action and romance. As stated in the Foreword, the authors were given these broad themes and told to go for it. Unsurprisingly, the stories are wildly different from one another. Some stories are funny; some are dramatic; some are hot; some are dark; and all are well written. As a reader, you will probably find a story in here that will speak to you.

Because there are so many, I won’t provide a synopsis for all of them, but I did want to highlight a few standouts for me.

Homicide by Alyssa Breck is a tale about two cops, an intense moment, and the fallout. This one had a nice balance between romance and action as well as a subtle commentary on gender roles in combat-related occupations.

Gods, Guns, and Serpent Tongues by Mav Skye is set in an apocalyptic future where humanity is divided into one of two factions claimed by Egyptian gods or those that are unclaimed, called Unbelievers. The story is about a pregnant unbeliever and a man of Horus and their adventures in the desert. This one had a very rich and interesting world that left me wanting more.

Not Just Another Daddy’s Girl by Elizabeth Myrddin, well I can’t really give a synopsis on this one without spoiling it. Just know that it has layers upon layers in story, and nothing can be taken at face value. It was a fun and interesting tale that was generally delightful.

Caged by David Jon Fuller is the tale of a young werewolf who gets intercepted on his way to a hot date. This one is particularly action packed and very well written.

Overall, this was a delightful read. I strongly suggest this book for anyone looking for bite-sized stories that pack a punch.

[Nerine Dorman]

I can't review this title because... well, duh, I'm one of the editors. But seriously, there's a little bit of something for everyone in this gunpowder laced cocktail of sex and action.

[Lindsay Allyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Into the Wilderness - 5 Stars
Sara Taylor Woods

Woods is a genius with words - especially the sexytimes words. The desperation, urgency, and carnal instincts are spot on. Her ability to create a believable relationship within the setting and in the middle of a war zone is amazing. Wonderfully done!

Harris County Corpse-Killers - 2 stars
Michael Collins

I did not care for this at all. Someone who likes zombie shit might like this story. For me it was more than just the subject matter - the "romance" was awkward and felt like an afterthought rather than an actual part of the plot. Action sequence dialogue is hard to make sound believable and not like a joke, but the author did not pull it off in my opinion. This story was full of gruesome descriptions of zombie attacks and gory zombie shootings.

Gloria, A Love Story - 1 star
Ackley Lewis

I, uh, what? I mean - WHAT? It didn't make sense. And the "characters" were more like caricatures.

Did not finish.

Homicide - 5 stars
Alyssa Breck

Finally another story I can get behind! I really liked this one - the build up at the beginning, the easy partnership, the intensity of the shooting, the skittery and quick blur of the aftermath, and then some sexytimes! Definitely enjoyed Breck's style, pacing, and voice.

Good story!

Gods, Guns, and Serpent Tongues - 1 star
Mav Skye

Colossal white mole rats that shoot laser beams from their eyes? Nanobot technology controlling dreams? And the Nazis hired the Tea Party. I'm done.

Did not finish.

Heavy Things - 4 stars
K Murphy Wilbanks

Not my cup of tea, as I don't particularly care for vampires, but this was very well written. Darcy's not the brightest light bulb on the Christmas tree, but I was definitely invested in this story. The relationship was rocky and I hoped that she would leave him at the end, but oh well.

Definitely one of the better stories so far.

Felina - 5 stars
Sonya Clark

Wow. Again, I don't like vampire stuff but this one was GOOD. I mean the tension between the two and the relationship they had built? It was perfect. The ending? Tragically perfect. The writing was solid and beautiful.

Everything about this was spot on.

Not Just Another Daddy's Girl - 4.5 stars
Elizabeth Myrddin

Interesting premise. Very well written. I don't know how to say more without giving everything away, but this was a cool set up and I really enjoyed the story.

Bad Moon Rising - 3.5 stars
Amy Lee Burgess

The first half of this was so good. The writing is excellent and I really loved the relationship between Jane and Tim. I loved the tension build up of going into Bad Moon. The locals who were strange and dark. Everything you'd want from a small, hidden, Louisiana bayou town.

But the second half was a little disappointing to me. I don't want to spoil anything but Jane's character and her thoughts became inconsistent in the second half. And the ending didn't feel quite right to me.

Caged - 5 stars
David Jon Fuller

This. Was. Awesome! I haven't read too many things with shapeshifters but I really loved this. Fuller's description of Horst was great. I absolutely loved how Horst likened his heartbeat to the rhythm of drums in different heavy metal/rock songs. It was such a cool characterization. I loved the budding romance between him and Rene.

The fight, the chase, the ending - all so great!

Syncopation - 2.5 stars
Marc Nash

So, I'm not sure I get the point of this? The writing was good. The guy was crazy, that's for sure. But...why was he trying to do this? And the ending felt incomplete.

The Dance - 4 stars
Matt R. Jones

So, it was interesting. More vampires and A LOT of action. While it might not have been my thing, it was very well written. Jones does an excellent job describing different events, including lots of supernatural injuries.

Loved the interaction between the characters. Raven is just bat shit crazy. I loved the friendship between Wade and Rudy.

Well done!

Overall Anthology Score: 3.5 stars