7&7 - Anthology of Virtue and Vice

by Tricia Kristufek (Editor), Andrea Speed, Brandon Witt

Humankind possesses a dual nature, the ability to rise to the brightest heights—or sink to the darkest and most perverse depths.

What inspires some to reach the pinnacles of virtue while others cannot resist the temptations of vice? Is it something innate, or a result of destiny and circumstance?

Delve into the minds and spirits of saints and sinners alike with a collection of stories that explore the call toward good or evil—and the consequences of answering it. For while rewards certainly await the righteous, there are also pleasures to be found in the darkness. Venture off the expected path with some of the most innovative voices in LGBT speculative fiction as they present their unique takes on the classic vices and virtues.

Stories  

The Dark of the Sun by Amy Rae Durreson

The Bank Job by Andrea Speed

Prudence for Fools by Sean Michael

The Gate by J.S. Cook

Heirs to Grace and Infinity by Carole Cummings

The Rendering by John Inman

Beyond the Temperance Effect by Serena Yates

Covetous by Pearl Love

Hope by Rick R. Reed

Horseboy by J Tullos Hennig

Train to Sevmash by Jamie Fessenden

Red Light Special by Rhys Ford

Traitor by Clare London

Couches of Fabric and Snow by Brandon Witt 

Genres: Anthologies, M M Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, LGBT, Contemporary, Romance

360 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2016

About the author

Tricia Kristufek has an avid reading complex. Her writing is generally fantasy, but she has delved into the world of romance lately. When not writing or editing, she can be found with her nose in a book, passing on her love of books to her daughter, or playing with stray animals. Find out more at http://triciakristufek.com.

Author of "Accidentally Gift Wrapped" in the "Christmas Lites" Anthology, and "Accidentally Smitten" in the "Christmas Lites II" Anthology.

Editor of "The Willing" and "The Reluctant" by C.S. Splitter; Numerous works by Barb G.Tarn; "Sorrow's Child - The Taint" by Georgina Anne Taylor; "The Mission" by Bill Talcott; "Secrets of a Universe - The Mindkey Project" by H. Brian Rawson; "Path of Needles" by Hannah Kollef; "Under the Bed Across the World" by Rose Candis.

Proofreader of "Christmas Lites" Anthology.

Reviews

[Meep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free Anthology from DSPpub. to showcase their authors.
Overall rating is calculated from average score - maths!
I tend to be underwhelmed by anthols, too often the stories feel incomplete, but here were authors I like and ones I've not tried.
****Note these stories are from different genres, there's fantasy, sci-fi and horror among them, not all are romances and not all have happiness - some not even a glimmer.****
One or two stood out as good, some would be better as full stories, and some just aren't my cuppa!
WARNING - though not stated two of the stories are of HORROR genre.

The Darkness of the Sun - Amy Rae Durreson 3.5*
Faith
Immediate feel of the characters and setting. A priest rediscovering his faith without too strong a religious empathise. It's interesting and there's some good feels in the story, I found it predictable but sweet. Somehow the end wasn't fully satisfying though, I wanted that bit more story, it was nice and finished in a good place but I wanted to delve a little deeper into the party.

The Bank Job - Andrea Speed 2*
Greed
I liked the idea of this more than the execution. It's action based from a super-villain pov. Think many will like it, but for me it lacked a connection. The focus seemed to switch at the end meaning, for me, the jokes fell flat.

Prudence for Fools - Sean Michael 2.5*
Prudence
There was a lot of world building packed in for a story of this length and it didn't always flow well. I think it would have worked better as a full story with more time to get to know the world, characters and layout, as it stands, for me it first dragged then leapt ahead.

The Gate - J.S.Cook 1*
Anger
I get the prompt/theme for this was anger but seriously, what was their problem? The narrating character needed to pop some Valium. This story didn't make any sense to me, it's all over the place. Halfway through there's sudden mention of Hitler, before that no indication of the time period. Then the ending gives the impression that this is part of a longer story or series, it's not a twist so much as switching to a whole other story.

Heirs to Grace and Infinity - Carole Cummings 3*
Justice
Very action led, found the immediate introduction of Bureau, Theurgists, Orthodoxers, Reformers... daunting, perhaps it helps if you've read more of the genre. Interesting though, I liked it enough to want to know more about the characters, wondered if it was part of something bigger and would be happy to read more of the verse.

The Rendering - John Inman no rating
Greed
Hmm. It's a HORROR fic. Not nice, but not meant to be. Poor Otis.
Not sure what message it gives, Otis seemed vulnerable but then judged and punished. I didn't like it at conclusion, but it's well written.

Beyond the Temperance Effect - Serena Yates 2*
Temperance
Sci-fi. This seemed too wordy for me, it took me awhile to separate the different characters out and figure which of them main character was. The idea was interesting and made me think Vulcans, but then when the set-up was done and I was ready for the main event the story finished. I literally flipped the page back and fore thinking my kindle had burped. But no, it was over. Potentially interesting but where's the rest?

Covetous - Pearl Love no rating
Envy
HORROR fic. Horrible by intent. Not rating as not my genre of choice, if warned I'd never have read it. Left me wanting some fluff ;)

Hope - Rick R. Reed DNF
Hope
A mix of the very real and cute ghosty.
He couldn't manage to visit his dying mother - personal issue - not a character I can relate to.

Horseboy - J Tullos Hennig 2*
I'm not sure on this one, it's mainly the story of a pack of horses, we don't learn too much outside of them. There's a lot of 'Mayhaps, Nary..' and expressions 'la, eh interjected into the narration. Felt I was missing knowledge of the place and time. And SPOILERHe is a she. But it reads as being a disguise for protection, so not sure if it's intended to mean more than that As with many short stories, it ended just as I was settling to get to know them.

Train to Sevmash - Jamie Fessenden 5*
Charity
A sense of foreboding lurking through the sweetness, just a hint of hope to cling to. Nicely played.

Red Light Special - Rhys Ford 5*
Lust
This had me giggling. Ford weaves in her sneaky references - Star Wars, Highlander... A snarky half-elf and a succubus icon on the loose. Just so much fun. Enjoyed it.

Traitor - Clare London 3*
Fortitude
Spies. Interesting tangles, emotional. Would have liked some more tension personally, it seemed to build then become all gushy declarations.

Couches of Fabric and Snow - Brandon Witt 3*
Sloth
The pov of someone who I think, suffers depression; coasting through life, not knowing how to live. Sad tone to finish with.

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This anthology is by DSP Publications, so these stories aren't romance focused.

As with most anthologies, this one is a mixed bag. Some were good, others were not, but I didn't find any of them to be great. Overall rating on this one is 2.5 stars, with one DNF.

* = New to me author

3/2/19 - Added final reviews for Horseboy, Traitor and Couches of Fabric and Snow
2/18/19 - Added review for Red Light Special
2/2/19 - Added reviews for Hope and Train to Sevmash
1/27/19 - Added reviews for The Rendering, Beyond the Temperance Effect and Covetous
1/23/19 - Added review for Heir to Grace and Infinity
1/21/19 - Added reviews for Prudence for Fools and The Gate
1/13/19 - Added reviews for The Dark of the Sun and The Bank Job

The Dark of the Sun by Amy Rae Durreson

3.5 stars

A priest in some remote village is mourning his dead husband when a group arrives wanting to hike up the mountain to see an eclipse from the temple. This conveyed a lot in a short amount of time. This is the second short story I've read by Durreson, the other being The Court of Lightning, which I also really liked. She seems to have a knack for short stories and uses every word and scene to its full effect. It is still a bit rushed at the ending though.

The Bank Job by Andrea Speed

3 stars

A super-villian is overly-impressed with himself and pays the price. Since this was short, he didn't have enough time to be overly-impressed with himself for it to start annoying me like this trait did in Speed's Infected series. There was some humor sprinkled in throughout, but I'm baffled why any super-villian would have that many minions on one job with him. Seems inefficient.

Plus, the gay couple felt tacked on and token-y, which left a bad taste in the mouth.

Prudence for Fools by Sean Michael*

1.5 stars

This was poorly executed. There's next to no world-building. If I hadn't glanced over the little blurb that precedes the story, I'd have had no idea what was going on at the start of it. There are a couple of brief descriptions on Brawn's people and Del's people, and that's about it. I guess "mountain folk" is supposed to be enough to cover everything else. Wu, the apprentice who brings little to the story, makes a comment upon meeting Brawn's people about "all the stories I heard were true" or something along those lines and being told they were. Great. And those stories are? How can you tell by just a single look and zero interaction? And for Del being such an old dude, he sounded more like a petulant teenager while griping about his lot in life.

There were good bones here, and in the hands of the right author this could've been a great story, which just makes it that much more tragic that was so mundane and slapped together.

The Gate by J.S. Cook*

1 star

Speaking of slapped together, was this edited at all? I thought this was a contemporary at the start. But then they mentioned war preparations, and then Hitler. Okay, so it's WWII. Oh, and then we're in Newfoundland. Okay then, sure, why not. Except...

Look, I don't know how buildings are designed in Newfoundland, or what their waste management system is like there, now or in the 1940s. But here in my neck of the US of A, generally, restaurants have doors at the rear or near the kitchen that go pretty much directly to the trash bin, which WM picks up on a scheduled basis. But for some reason Jack's cafe doesn't do that, so when his neighbor next door puts up an iron gate that cuts off access to the alley, it causes this big huge deal with the trash and I had trouble picturing what the issue was. Why are his trash bins so poorly located to cause this dilemma? Could the trash even be picked up with that gate there?

Then there's the cast-iron gate - during WWII, when iron and steel were in pretty high demand to build ships and planes and such for the war effort. Since there's mention of gas restrictions, I assume there must also be similar restrictions on iron. So where did this gate come from? Then Jack says he's going to go to the city about the gate - but apparently never does. Wouldn't Jack need a permit to put up something like that that cuts off access to common-use throughways? Maybe it's his mafia contacts cutting through the red tape for him, who knows.

Then there's the thankfully brief sex scene, which starts in the cafe after hours but suddenly there's bedsheets? Huh? Where did the sheets come from? They were just sitting at the table in the cafe literally two sentences ago. Don't even get me started on the ending. I know these aren't romance, so I don't expect these stories to fall in with the expectations of that genre, but they still need to make sense. That came out of nowhere and felt more like the author just didn't know how to end the story.

This story was one big logic fail.

Heirs to Grace and Infinity by Carole Cummings*

3 stars

The basic premise of this one is that magic is real, but can be controlled/suppressed by implants and is outlawed, and the Bureau is out to get all magical people. A bunch of people don't like that, including our good guy/magical protag. Think X-Men but with magic instead of super powers. This felt like being plopped into the middle of a story. Literally. The two chapters provided felt like middle chapters to a longer book. Yet despite that, and the use of third person/present tense which always feels awkward, it was an interesting read and did a fairly decent job in world-building.

The Rendering by John Inman

DNF

I swore I would never again read another book by John Inman after The Boys on the Mountain, and four paragraphs into this short story I was reminded why. It was repetitive, not to mention borderline offensive (um, sorry, but car seat belts stretch, a lot), and then I started getting flashbacks to that other story and I couldn't continue. Maybe it's a good story, but I'm not inclined to find out.

Beyond the Temperance Effect by Serena Yates*

2 stars

This is an interesting set up to what could be a much longer story. A group of humans set out for a new star system (not solar system; only our star system is called a solar system because our star is called Sol) to find a new world to inhabit. Humans of the future have found ways to control their emotions, making war and violence obsolete (I think?) but as they near their new home world, people start getting all aggressive again. We find out why, and the story just ends there. It's a little nonsensical, but that's probably because it's too short to really do much world-building.

Covetous by Pearl Love*

0 stars

What the fiddlesticks was this? So this dude is jealous of pretty much everyone around him for every reason under the sun. I couldn't stand him and started skimming pretty quickly. The blurb got me wondering if he was going to pay for his jealous ways by becoming vampire kibble, especially after he meets some insanely gorgeous guy and his three twinks at a bar - modern day Dracula, right? Alas, no. In order to save everyone else the boredom and ridiculousness of this very short story: he goes home with the devil and his three twinks, and literally gets pounded to death and taken to hell for permanent torture. The end. Oh, and there's something with his eyeballs and mouth being sown shut. I don't do eye horror, guys! NOPE! So that was stupid. Glad I skimmed most of it. Probably should have just skipped it entirely. Where's my brain bleach?!

Hope by Rick R. Reed*

3 stars

I thought this was going to be more paranormal than it ended up, given it starts with a haunting, but it's not like that at all. Other than the ghost, this is a normal everyday contemporary about a guy whose mom dies and he moves back to his childhood home to figure out his life after he gets some yet more bad news. He meets the hunky next door neighbor and flirtation happens. However, this takes place in the last 90s, and after living a life of drugs and unsafe sex, the bad news he gets is that he has HIV. The cocktail that they use now was still in the early days here, so Tom isn't aware of this option when he burns all his bridges and decides to make the least of what's left of his life. He's seen multiple friends succumb to HIV/AIDS and now he'll be another statistic.

I liked that this gave us Tom's despair and hopelessness and didn't do what so many M/M romance writers do and miraculously give their characters an all-clear when those characters haven't been taking care of themselves and having unsafe sex. It's a catch-22. Most readers I know, including myself, feel that AIDS and gay men are just too closely connected to be anything other than cliché if seen too often in books, but it is still a reality for a lot of people. So what do you do? I guess you can give the formerly-irresponsible character an understanding and hunky next door neighbor who is willing to take precautions and see where the relationship goes. And an overly concerned ghost.

This was a strange mix of elements, but somehow ended up being a decent story, especially compared to others in this anthology.

Train to Sevmash by Jamie Fessenden*

2.5 stars

Set during the Cold War, a US spy goes into Russia for a mission that requires him to kill some Soviet for some reason. The details are sketchy at best, but there's eventually enough to piece together what he was supposed to be doing. But of course, his target is absolutely gorgeous and kind and has a really nice smile. What's a spy to do? I liked the characters, but since the details of the mission aren't really explicit, I can't say if I'm upset by the ending or not. The spy was supposed to kill a Russian who works on a submarine that is targeting US ships, so that the spy can steal the Russian's identity and get on the sub to do something or other. That part isn't clear at all. The spy of course can't go through with it because he falls for the Russian in the course of a night. So lots of unprofessional professional going on here. There are also random Russian words thrown in that I guess we're supposed to figure out the meaning of given context, and some I could, others I couldn't but that didn't hamper the story much.

Red Light Special by Rhys Ford

3 stars

This was a lot more cohesive than the short story Dim Sum Asylum from the Charmed and Dangerous anthology, which was a slapdash mess of a "story," but this still has a lot of similar elements, namely fae/elves and sex statues. What is it with this author and sex statues? Or fae, for that matter? If that's your jam, you'll love this. I mostly liked Seymour, and there was just enough snark that I was able to enjoy the story despite itself. Still, I'm glad I've never bothered with any of Ford's longer stories. I get the impression they'd be a chore for me to get through.

Traitor by Clare London

3.5 stars

A former MI-5 operative gets called in to question a member of a radical neo-Nazi terrorist cell - who is not only a former MI-5 operative himself and also the other dude's former lover. This could have been really angsty and overly dramatic, but London's deft writing prevents it from going there. It was a bit on the predictable side, but considering I've come to expect so little of this anthology, it was nice to find a well-written piece that flowed and had a beginning, middle, and end.

Couches of Fabric and Snow by Brandon Witt

3 stars

The theme for this story was sloth, but I thought the MC was clearly suffering from untreated depression that's worsened when he goes on a school trip with his class and runs across his ex. They have a confrontation, he spies on his ex having sex with one of the trainers, then goes out in the woods to fall asleep in the middle of a blizzard. The story ends there, but it's pretty clearly implicated that he's going to die there. I felt a little uncomfortable that his depression was at times being treated as a personality defect, but it was plain that the MC was pretty darn lazy even before the breakup with his ex; the depression just made all of that worse. Kind of a bummer of a story to end an anthology on, but it wasn't the last one I read.

Horseboy by J Tullos Hennig

3.5

This comes between "Hope" and "Train to Sevmash," but I saved it for last hoping to end the anthology on a high note. I love Hennig's The Wode series which is a fantasy retelling of the Robin Hood legend. This story could easily be fit into that universe, since there's a Templar Knight, unnamed, and Sabiq, the titular horseboy. They both have secrets to keep and though they're on opposite sides of the Crusades conflict, they form a sort of truce after Sabiq saves the Templar's life. This felt like an intro to a longer story, one that I very much hope the author might write someday.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wide-range of stories from delightful to heinous (with some hateful horror that should be so labeled)

Definitely needed a dark/horror tag.

Nicely innovative ideas, writing from decent to excellent, but a couple of *extraordinarily* depraved stories coming out of the blue. Brief comments and links to reviews on each individual story below, but I am starting with a "I've got my panties in a twist" rant.

Rant
There are two rather, well, horrifying, horror stories in this anthology, even though the publisher's site doesn't mention that genre in their description (they list Fantasy, Historical, Paranormal and Science Fiction as the genres). The two stories are pretty extreme to me- one of them gave me nightmares, and the other includes what I conside torture porn. While the second torture horror story didn't bother me personally, I imagine many of the Goodreads readers with whom I've discussed LGBT-friendly fiction may find it very unreasonably violent for a story not labeled as horror. Overall, by far the most galling thing to me was not the content but the lack of labels and consistency across the anthology.

The book's description does warn the exploration of virtue and vice could "sink to the darkest and most perverse depths." But they go on to say the stories "explore the call to good and evil - and the consequences of answering it." So one could reasonably expect there to be no or little horror in this collection (not listed as a genre), and any "consequences" explored should roughly fit whatever "evil" is described. Ironically, most of the time the consequences for "evil" in this anthology seem to be very understated (both in the vice and virtue stories), but on the other hand for two vices they go way beyond any semblance of a "consequence" into all out vicious and extreme torture.

I'm all for pushing boundaries, and for authors writing what they want to write, and readers reading what they want to read. I do think publishers of this type of material have an obligation to give the reader some idea of what they might find. For me, if they had a horror (or even dark) tag mixed in with the others, I think I would have been prepared that the direction and outcome of a story or two could be radically different than the others - and I would have decided to skip one halfway through or at least be prepared for its heinous and shaming ending and be able move on quickly. I certainly expect a bit more sensitivity - at least in how they present their materials, if not necessarily in what they publish - from an LGBT friendly publisher.

Ok, end rant.

----------------------------------------
Individual Story Summaries/Reviews
I read this anthology of 14 LGBT-friendly stories on 7 virtues and 7 vices. The work is available for free on the publisher's site.

The Darkness of the Sun by Amy Rae Durreson
Virtue: Faith. Genre: Fantasy
4 stars
Bereaved, unbelieving priest confronted with questions of faith. Set with an interesting array of characters in an interesting, slightly supernatural, pre-modern fantasy setting.
review

The Bank Job by Andrea Speed
Vice: Greed. Genre: Superhero
3.5 stars
Drats! Foiled Again! Attitudinal supervillain and minions encounter a couple of gay caped crusaders
review

Prudence for Fools by Sean Michael
Virtue: Prudence. Genre: Fantasy
3.75 stars
Magical seer with disturbing vision exiled to his husband's remote homeland
review

The Gate by J. S. Cook
Vice: Anger Genre: Noir Fiction
2.75 stars (higher if you like Noir Fiction)
A gay man sees a seedier, dark side of the wartime effort
review

Heirs to Grace and Infinity by C. Cummings
Virtue: Justice Genre: Urban Fantasy
5 stars
Fugitive sorcerer matches wits with the Bureau's top agent
review

The Rendering by J. Inman
Vice: Gluttony Genre: Hateful Horror
Can we go to negative 10?

It was pretty clear from the start what was set-up to happen, but I thought surely they wouldn't go to the obvious place, as most of the other stories in the anthology had a surprise twist in the end. Also, despite the clear signs from the story, I couldn't imagine going to such a hateful, fat shaming, horrific place, taking an extremely sympathetic character (except for one over-the-top vice) to such an horrific end (and, of course, based on the genre headings, I was not expecting horror). In some ways, I think this piece had possibly the best writing, which may have ended up making it so incredibly much worse for me because of the empathy I had for the character. (His vice was over-the-top and a bit repulsive, but overall the issues he faced and his hopes for overcoming them were all too incredibly real for me. Without a horror tag, I couldn't imagine that the story would have such a tortuous, beyond depraved outcome for this vice.). I thought a twist in the ending was especially likely given how lightly most of the other vices were dealt with in this anthology, which makes this lack of a warning extra-galling for me.
detailed review

Beyond the Temperance Effect by Serna Yates
Virtue: Temperance Genre: Science Fiction
3.5 stars
How much temperance will you need for fifty years in space and beyond?
review

Covetous by Pearl Love
Vice: Envy Genre: Horror (or torture porn)
3 stars
Pissed off ex-lover asked what he would give to get his desires
review

Hope by Rick Reed
Virtue: Hope. Genre: Contemporary LGBT
5 stars (Way too personal to rate objectively)
Looking for hope in crises around a mother's death and one's personal life
review


Horseboy by J. Tullos Henry
Vice: Pride.  Genre: Historic LGBT
4.5 stars
A Horseboy of the Lebanon, a Templar Knight, and intimate desert secrets
review

Train to Sevmash by Jamie Fessenden
Virtue: Charity. Genre: Contemporary LGBT
4.5 stars
Would James Bond off a Bond vixen? (LGBT agent version)
review

Red Light Special by Rhys Ford
Vice: Lust.  Genre: Urban Fae Fantasy
4.5 stars
Fae and elves and a succubus, oh my! (In Detroit)
review

Traitor by Clare London
Virtue: Fortitude. Genre: Spy/Cloak and Dagger LGBT
4.5 stars
Twice betrayed - interrogating one's ex-comrade and ex-lover agent
review

Couches of Fabric and Snow by Brandon Whitt
Vice: Sloth. Genre: I have no idea (horrific interpretation possible)
No rating (Other reviewers liked it)
Too lazy to work, to relate, to love, to really live...
review

[Rosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uneven at best. I've been reading this for a month, reading stories in between books. I loved "The Horseboy" set in the same universe as The Wode, and more or less liked "The Dark of the Sun", despite not liking the plot much, all that religious thing isn't for me; "Traitor", "Train to Sevmash" and "Red Light Special" but they were too short to have a feeling for the characters and plot. The others... well, for me were boring or had plots that made little sense. And I havent read "Covetous" following Linda advice, and I'm glad I didn't after reading her review of that one, and "Couches of Fabric and Snow", I started but DNF it, and that, being me, is saying a lot.

[Kazza]

Long-arse review on the blog which covers each story. They're in order of where/when they appear in the anthology so you can look for a particular story if you like. Each story is rated individually.

Fourteen stories from fourteen authors. I found some new authors to read out of this anthology and if you go to DSP Publications it costs nothing to download.

Full review - with every attempt to make sure it's spoiler free -

ETA 23/05/2016 And such a shame, there is an author in here I will never read again.

[Achim]

DNF at 55%
I tried to avoid moving it into DNF and it might be not the nicest move for those stories I haven't read yet but I struggled with this anthology for a too long time now and after even those authors I usually enjoy failed I don't believe I'm able to continue.

[llv · Rating 3 out of 5]

7&7 by Various Authors
Rating: 3 stars
Overall, I’m glad I didn’t pay for this. Despite some good stories the book left me feeling depressed.

The Dark of the Sun by Amy Rae Durreson: 4 stars. Very touching ending
The Bank Job by Andrea Speed: 3 stars. I’m being generous. Story was meh.
Prudence for Fools by Sean Michael: 4.5 stars One of my favorite Sean Michael’s stories.
The Gate by J.S. Cook: 2 stars Hated the ending.
Heirs to Grace and Infinity by Carole Cummings: 4 stars Good story. Wish it was longer.
The Rendering by John Inman: 3.5 stars Well written but extremely disturbing to read.
Beyond the Temperance Effect by Serena Yates: 3 stars Felt incomplete.
Covetous by Pearl Love: 2 stars Not for me.
Hope by Rick R. Reed: 3 stars Even though it ended happily enough, the story still depressed me.
Horseboy by J Tullos Henning: 3 stars One of the better vice stories. Ended rather abruptly.
Train to Sevmash by James Fessenden: 3 stars Another depressing ending.
Red Light Special by Rhys Ford: 4.5 stars The best of the vice stories. I would definitely read more set in this world.
Traitor by Claire London: 4 stars Good story. Perfect length.
Couches of Fabric and Snow by Brandon Witt: 2 stars Another depressing ending.

[Serena Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

***This review does not include the story I contributed.***

As the blurb says, "Humankind possesses a dual nature, the ability to rise to the brightest heights—or sink to the darkest and most perverse depths." That is exactly what this anthology showcases in a collection of fourteen stories that go across genres, time periods, and heat levels. Each individual piece explores one of the seven virtues and the seven vices, and all I can say is that you should expect the unexpected.

The Dark of the Sun by Amy Rae Durreson
If you ask people to define faith, you’re probably going to get quite a few very different answers that will mostly depend on what, if any, religion the person belongs to. As a virtue, it can therefore take many different forms, and Amy Rae Durreson chose a made-up one for this short fantasy tale set in a world both very similar and very different from ours. There are pale northeners, most of whom are well educated and live in Aurea, dark southern people who lead simple lives, and the east is mountainous,. Slavery existed, at least in the past, and not everyone believes in a higher power any longer. For those who do believe, the sun is their god, and it is this faith that gets tested every time an eclipse occurs.

Tomal, the narrator of the story, is a priest in his fifties and lives in a simple village in the south, but he spent five years at a northern university when he was younger and speaks Aurean. He feels like a fraud because he lost his faith when his husband of thirty years died a year earlier. So when a group of Aureans appears in his village to observe the eclipse, accompanied by a high priest, Tomal fears the game is up and he will be fired. But what follows is not at all what he expects, and what happens as he leads the strangers up the mountain so they can see the eclipse from the shrine, is entirely unexpected and nothing short of miraculous.

I found myself pulled right into this world of faithful sun worshippers, skeptic astronomers, and, of course, Tomal with all his doubts, anger, and issues. While the setting feels historical, the issues the small group of people deals with are very “modern”, and their world is very engaging. The occasional allusions to Christian faith made me smile, and yet the story has a feel all of its own, thanks to great world building. If you’re looking for an interesting interpretation of faith, death, and resurrection in a somewhat different format than the one you may be used to, then you will probably like this inspiring short story.

The Bank Job by Andrea Speed
What a hilarious and utterly entertaining story. With tongue-in-cheek humor verging on sarcasm, Andrea Speed presents this story about superheroes – except it’s told from the villain’s point of view. It has everything I would hope for when superheroes are around, from a heinous crime motivated by greed to endangered hostages and a daring rescue, ‘The Bank Job’ has it all.

The Destroyer is evil, conceited, feels superior, and wants to complete “just one more job” before he leaves town for good. Greed at its best, for sure. His inner monologue as he thinks about the bank robbery in progress, his utter disdain for “the guys in capes”, and his complaints about how difficult it is to recruit quality minions to do the dirty work are hilarious. He is so convinced of his own genius that he ignores any and all warning signs – until it is much too late.

I really like stories about superheroes, but I have to say this satirical turn-the-tables tale was just as good. If you like your superheroes all serious and focused, this is not your story. But if you’re up for a bit of fun - okay, a LOT of fun - you’ll definitely enjoy this version of events!

Prudence for Fools by Sean Michael
In this world with vague links to Chinese culture and a historical feel, seers and the magic they can do is no longer respected by everyone. Del of the Red, an old seer who has served the City of Clouds for decades, is ridiculed and banished by a new king. He should be looking forward to living with his husband Brawn’s tribe, the Ugul. They make Del feel welcome like one of their own, but his further visions for the city won’t leave him alone. Del throws prudence to the wind and returns to a city where nobody wants to listen to him.

Del clearly takes his calling as seer seriously. Some of the visions are so clear and compelling that to resist them would mean madness for him. It must be difficult to deal with a force that is so strong, and I can see why Del ends up giving in. The second reason is that he wants to save as many people from certain death as he can, and many do end up listening to him. Del is very concerned about his husband, so he travels alone – not a good idea under the circumstances. Luckily, Brawn is a stubborn as Del!

This is a wonderful story about mature lovers who try to out-stubborn each other, but their love ensures they don’t do any real damage. if you enjoy historical settings, magic, and watching idiots get punished for their stupidity, then you will probably like this short story.

The Gate by J.S. Cook
Set in Newfoundland during World War Two, ‘The Gate’ is a dark story of anger, aggression, and two men fighting for no rational reason that I could see. Then again, the vice covered here is anger, and that is most often not rational, so I think that is a good fit.

Jack, the narrator of the story told in first person and present tense, owns a café in an Army town and does quite well for himself. He and his bartender have things well in hand, until a dry cleaning business opens up next door and all kinds of problems pop up. The nasty chemical smell is bad enough, but when the owner erects a gate closing off the alley (and Jack’s access to garbage disposal), things get out of hand.

While this is definitely a story that belongs in the “noir” category, and I was more than shocked by the ending, I can’t say there weren’t enough hints that should have made me realize what was going on long before the big reveal at the end. Very nicely done!

Heirs to Grace and Infinity by Carole Cummings
I have often wondered what would happen if magic were real in our world. Carole Cook explores this situation where theurgists (wonder-workers, magicians) are licensed, everyone is tested for magic ability, and the Orthodox Party is running the country. They have been illegally and relentlessly eliminating unlicensed magic users for a long time, using an organization called the Bureau. Even children are not safe from them, and the methods they use to suppress magic are utterly cruel.

In come two characters who tell the story in alternating sections. One man is only known as “the Sorcerer”, and his command of magic is pretty awesome. He has been secretly freeing prisoners, children and adults alike, and I loved the descriptions of his activities. The second main character is Jackson, a captain working for the Bureau, who is reputedly one of the most loyal men in their employ. He is tasked with finally capturing the Sorcerer, but as it turns out, he has his own agenda.

This is a fascinating story of loyalty and betrayal, higher-ups who are hungry for power losing sight of basic human rights, and the men who end up fighting for justice and a better world for everyone. If you’re looking for an entertaining mix of action/adventure, political thriller, with superhero-like characters fighting injustice, corruption, and an authoritarian regime, then you will probably like this short story.

The Rendering by John Inman
Gluttony is a sneaky vice. It makes the "sinner" feel good at first, but often has unforeseen, and in Otis's case, horrendous consequences. I felt for Otis, I really did. He likes his food, and he may overdo things but in the end he is very human and very lonely. There were lots of hints throughout that his story would not end well, but I still hoped for the best almost until the very end. But the moment it turned out that Otis's blind date was a candle maker - I knew what was going to happen. Horror in its purest form, but - like gluttony - in this story it sort of sneaks up on you.

Marvelously horrific!

Covetous by Pearl Love
Envy is not considered a vice for no reason – it is one of the most destructive forces around. And the main character of this story, marketing executive Jonathan, feels it in spades and on so many levels that I am not surprised it ruins his life. Maybe not in the way I expected, and I don’t wish what happens to him on anyone, but pay for his jealousy he does.

This is a well written, more than slightly horrific dark story with a paranormal touch. I can’t say that I liked it, not being into horror, but it is well worth reading. If you ever feel the “green monster” about to make an appearance, remember Jonathan!

Hope by Rick R. Reed
Hope may be a virtue, but it is also a pretty fundamental part of human life, almost a necessity. So much so that I don’t think many people realize it – until it is no longer there. This story, set in 1997, makes this painfully obvious when Todd has to deal with not one but two major blows to his life. The source of new hope is somewhat unexpected, at least parts of it, and I liked that little paranormal twist a lot.

Todd has been living it up in the big city – not really caring about the long-term, and enjoying as many men as he can. Then he gets hit with a double whammy – his mother dies of cancer before he can make it home, and his own health goes from “perfect” to “how many months do I have left to live”. He moves back to his small hometown and into the house his mother left him, and begins to fall apart. Not just does he have a ghostly woman appear in his hallway at night, his cute neighbor is clearly interested in him. But Todd can’t take things further with him no matter how much he wants to – or can he?

As stupid as Todd may have been in terms of the risks he took without even thinking about it, that is a very human condition. The way he dealt with his mother’s death was touching, and his slow recovery of his balance was a joy to watch. No, everything isn’t perfect at the end, but that isn’t what hope is all about. If you like stories about real men with real problems, yet with an added touch of the mysterious, then you will probably enjoy this short story.

Horseboy by J Tullos Henig
Pride is one of the vices, and gets a pretty well-known mention in the 1611 King James version of the bible. According to Proverbs, 16:18: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. And that is exactly what this fantasy story is about. It is set during the Crusades and features a Muslim trans* horseboy and the Templar knight he encounters when fleeing from the Infidels after they attack and burn his hometown while he is out grazing the horses. The Templar is only just alive, his companion was not so lucky.

Sabiq is used to hiding. His mother was beheaded for witchcraft, and the one thing she taught him as he grew up was to hide his abilities, and hide who he is. So he became a boy and uses his talent with horses to make a living unobtrusively. But all those efforts may be for nothing when he finds two of the enemies who destroyed his home in the desert – one Templar knight is already dead and the other is hanging on by a thread. Sabiq faces a tough choice: should he save the wounded man or should he save himself and let the man die? They are enemies, after all, and Sabiq has much to lose. It is by no means an easy decision.

Even though Sabiq has long ago learned not to be proud, the Templar has only now lost the man he clearly cares about. The level of his devotion has to remain a secret, and he suddenly faces total dependence on Sabiq. If you like stories with a moral as well as a touch of magic, then you will probably enjoy this short trip into a fantastical version of the past.

Train to Sevmash by Jamie Fessenden
Set in 1967, at the height of the Cold War, this is the story of Jax, an American agent tasked with taking out a Russian soldier so he can take his place and gain access to Sevmash, a military base. They meet on the train, but from the moment Jax lays eyes on Yuri things do not go as expected.

The gradual change was very well done, and the sparse but intense emotions fascinated me. "Charity" is a hint as to what happens - but the time period does not allow for a true happy ending. Still, I loved the way Jamie Fessenden pulled me into the situation and made a whole time period come alive.

Red Light Special by Rhys Ford
Lust may be classified as a vice, but based on this story, I think it should be up for parole! 'Red Light Special' is a very funny fantasy tale set in an alternate world where fae are in charge of keeping law and order. Or at least their definition of it. You have Fiach, who is only half fae and temporarily in charge of Detroit. His ninety-nine cents store made me laugh, and his assistant, a dryad, was hilarious. Fiach runs into all kinds of trouble with an escaped succubus, and eighteen-wheeler, and irreverent graffiti mentioning Oberon himself. Fiach is joined by a full elf named Oengus, the knight of Chicago come to retrieve the escaped lust demon.

If you like fae and want a good laugh, give this story a try. I loved the solution Rhys found for a happy ending as well!

Traitor by Clare London
Fortitude is a virtue I don’t often think about, but it is similar to determination and stubbornness, which I am very familiar with on a personal level. In ‘Traitor’, Clare London shows the positive aspects of “mental strength and courage that allows someone to face danger, pain, etc.” (as per Merriam-Webster). It’s set in a London of the near future, one where right-wing terrorists have become so dangerous, that there is an entire Department (yes, with a capital D) of MI5 devoted to eradicating them by any means necessary. and you can take that literally, and exactly the way it implies.

The story focuses on two men. Aiden is an agent who has been working for the Department for a while. He is fiercely loyal, a master interrogator, and well known for his dedication to braking anyone who enters his interrogation room. He is the narrator of the story, and his intense, coiled anger and determination to get the latest prisoner to talk firmly jumps off the page. The man he has been tasked to get information from this time is Cam – a former fellow agent (and more) who defected to the Neo Aryans. That makes it personal for Aiden, and he scared me with his passion for revenge – and I was not the one in the interrogation room!

The masterful description of what happens next, the psychology at work for both men, and the ultimate resolution are well worth reading. If you enjoy the duplicity of the spy business, if you are ready to have your morals questioned, and if you’re looking for a read that is the perfect illustration of fortitude in more than one way, then you will probably love this short story as much as I do.

Couches of Fabric and Snow by Brandon Witt
Sloth, as becomes obvious in this story, is a debilitating vice if someone succumbs to it as fully as Levitt, a young teacher. The story describes five days in his life, and at the beginning things didn’t seem so bad at all. Yes, he was a little lazy, he liked his home comforts, and didn’t feel very energetic about his job – or anything at all, really. But as the week progresses, and the full extent of his issues emerges, I began to worry. By midweek I wanted to shake him so he’d wake up to see what he was doing. And by the end of it I was ready to jump inside the book to pull him back from the disastrous, slow, and inevitable slide he seemed, by that time, unable or unwilling to stop.

Wow! With its completely harmless beginning and horrific end, this story is a perfect illustration why sloth is a very dangerous vice indeed. Well done, Brandon!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Reviewer Note: Due to the length of this review, it can not all be posted here. Please visit Rainbow Book Reviews (link is at the bottom) to read the entire review.**

As the blurb says, "Humankind possesses a dual nature, the ability to rise to the brightest heights—or sink to the darkest and most perverse depths." That is exactly what this anthology showcases in a collection of fourteen stories that go acros genres, time periods, and heat levels. Each individual piece explores one of the seven virtues and the seven vices, and all we can say is that you should expect the unexpected.

The Dark of the Sun by Amy Rae Durreson, reviewed by Serena Yates
If you ask people to define faith, you’re probably going to get quite a few very different answers that will mostly depend on what, if any, religion the person belongs to. As a virtue, it can therefore take many different forms, and Amy Rae Durreson chose a made-up one for this short fantasy tale set in a world both very similar and very different from ours. There are pale northeners, most of whom are well educated and live in Aurea, dark southern people who lead simple lives, and the east is mountainous,. Slavery existed, at least in the past, and not everyone believes in a higher power any longer. For those who do believe, the sun is their god, and it is this faith that gets tested every time an eclipse occurs.

Tomal, the narrator of the story, is a priest in his fifties and lives in a simple village in the south, but he spent five years at a northern university when he was younger and speaks Aurean. He feels like a fraud because he lost his faith when his husband of thirty years died a year earlier. So when a group of Aureans appears in his village to observe the eclipse, accompanied by a high priest, Tomal fears the game is up and he will be fired. But what follows is not at all what he expects, and what happens as he leads the strangers up the mountain so they can see the eclipse from the shrine, is entirely unexpected and nothing short of miraculous.

I found myself pulled right into this world of faithful sun worshippers, skeptic astronomers, and, of course, Tomal with all his doubts, anger, and issues. While the setting feels historical, the issues the small group of people deals with are very “modern”, and their world is very engaging. The occasional allusions to Christian faith made me smile, and yet the story has a feel all of its own, thanks to great world building. If you’re looking for an interesting interpretation of faith, death, and resurrection in a somewhat different format than the one you may be used to, then you will probably like this inspiring short story.

The Bank Job by Andrea Speed, reviewed by Christy Duke
What a treat to get a short story by one of my favorite authors revolving around the theme of Greed and involving superheroes! I was in a very happy place while reading. The Destroyer is one of Harbor City's most prevalent villains and it is up to Crimson Arrow and his boyfriend, Razor, to prevent the bank heist this nefarious villain is up to.

"The people in this town were either sheep, delusional wannabe heroes, or minions. The minions were his personal favorite, but only because you could never have too many."

I could totally see the Destroyer thinking this with a smug, supercilious smirk on his face. I loved how his minions were numbered, and the way he thought of them was priceless. It's all so very tongue-in-cheek, something this author writes particularly well. I literally had this picture in my head of the Destroyer throwing his head back and laughing with maniacal glee - exactly what every supervillain needs to do!

A fabulous ending with the tights brigade saving the day, and showing the Destroyer that he's really not as smart as he thinks he is. Wonderful job, Andrea, and thank you!

Prudence for Fools by Sean Michael, reviewed by Christy Duke
Magic. Fantasy. Mystery. Truly what more could I ask for in a short story, particularly one by Sean Michael? I was hooked right from the beginning, with the older Del, a seer, his husband, Brawn, and his apprentice, Wu. Del has been banished from the castle of King Horvan for seeing a tragedy that didn't come true. Good riddance to them all, in Del's opinion. If he could have, he would have cursed the king with boils on his balls.

I wanted to be a part of Brawn's tribe. Such happy people with no fear, no manipulation, no political machinations, and a huge love for family, ancestry, and tradition. No wonder the weight Del has been carrying around begins to ease once he is away from court and back in his adopted home. Unfortunately, when more and more visions begin to torment Del - visions of the castle being destroyed and falling into a hole in the ground - his unease returns.

A wonderful story about the foolishness of men who don't listen to the one who sees.

The Gate by J.S. Cook, reviewed by Serena Yates
Set in Newfoundland during World War Two, ‘The Gate’ is a dark story of anger, aggression, and two men fighting for no rational reason that I could see. Then again, the vice covered here is anger, and that is most often not rational, so I think that is a good fit.

Jack, the narrator of the story told in first person and present tense, owns a café in an Army town and does quite well for himself. He and his bartender have things well in hand, until a dry cleaning business opens up next door and all kinds of problems pop up. The nasty chemical smell is bad enough, but when the owner erects a gate closing off the alley (and Jack’s access to garbage disposal), things get out of hand.

While this is definitely a story that belongs in the “noir” category, and I was more than shocked by the ending, I can’t say there weren’t enough hints that should have made me realize what was going on long before the big reveal at the end. Very nicely done!

Heirs to Grace and Infinity by Carole Cook, reviewed by Serena Yates
I have often wondered what would happen if magic were real in our world. Carole Cook explores this situation where theurgists (wonder-workers, magicians) are licensed, everyone is tested for magic ability, and the Orthodox Party is running the country. They have been illegally and relentlessly eliminating unlicensed magic users for a long time, using an organization called the Bureau. Even children are not safe from them, and the methods they use to suppress magic are utterly cruel.

In come two characters who tell the story in alternating sections. One man is only known as “the Sorcerer”, and his command of magic is pretty awesome. He has been secretly freeing prisoners, children and adults alike, and I loved the descriptions of his activities. The second main character is Jackson, a captain working for the Bureau, who is reputedly one of the most loyal men in their employ. He is tasked with finally capturing the Sorcerer, but as it turns out, he has his own agenda.

This is a fascinating story of loyalty and betrayal, higher-ups who are hungry for power losing sight of basic human rights, and the men who end up fighting for justice and a better world for everyone. If you’re looking for an entertaining mix of action/adventure, political thriller, with superhero-like characters fighting injustice, corruption, and an authoritarian regime, then you will probably like this short story.

The Rendering by John Inman, reviewed by Christy Duke
I couldn't help but have two images in my head, both from movies, when I began this story. The first was from the movie Seven and the man who ate himself to death, and the second was the film adaptation of Stephen King's Thinner where the man was cursed. Both are excellent examples of what John Inman chose to focus on. Gluttony.

"He had been on every diet imaginable and resoundingly failed them all. Weight Watchers, Atkins, Mediterranean, Flexitarian, Volumetrics, Jenny Craig (the bitch), vegetarian, the Abs Diet (like Otis had abs), Nutrisystem, and South Beach. The problem with every one of those diets was that none of them let you eat candy. ’Nuff said."

I liked Otis immediately. How could I not? When he described his attempted dates, with people he'd been very honest with about his weight, and they'd rejected him by running off... well, my heart went out to him. Unlike Otis, however, I didn't trust Lester right from the start, and all kinds of horrible things started running through my mind.

Unfortunately for me, I was right about Lester's intentions, but it was way too late for Otis then.

Beyond the Temperance Effect by Serena Yates, reviewed by Christy Duke
Merriam Webster defines temperance as:
1: moderation in action, thought, or feeling : restraint
2: a: habitual moderation in the indulgence of the appetites or passions
b: moderation in or abstinence from the use of alcoholic beverages

I dearly love science-fiction, but pretty much only when the author makes it believable and as scientifically accurate as it can be in a world of fiction. That is only one of the reasons I adore reading sci-fi by Serena Yates. This woman does her research, and she's not stingy in her world building. With that said, I was excited to read what her idea of the virtue of temperance would be.

I found the concept of zeta waves, something all humans have been trained to subconsciously activate in the case of extreme emotions, thoughts, and feelings, simply fascinating. The fact that this practice came about because of humanity’s widespread violence in the beginning of the 21st century, did not surprise me in the least. They named it the Temperance Effect and it probably saved mankind and Earth from destruction. Of course, if you remove strong emotions such as passion, joy, and anger, then what is left of our humanity?

I shuddered at the idea of spending forty-five years in cryosleep, although the concept of using two teams in order to make an over ten light-year from Earth trip seemed like the smartest way to ensure the successful arrival of the Explorer on Eridani 2. The whole purpose of the trip is to establish a new colony on the only human-habitable planet within the Eridani system. The six core members that make up Captain Jago's team are the first humans to explore a system outside their own, and I couldn't begin to imagine the excitement.

The problems, or discomforts, begin when their ship enters the Eridani system. It's a slow process, but by the time they're in orbit around Eridani 2, emotions, feelings, thoughts, and actions are beginning to look a whole lot like they did before the Temperance Effect. It's up to Captain Jago, Alex, the general in charge of military issues, and Pierce, the doctor, to figure this out. It wasn't without a little humor that I kept thinking of them as Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. *grins*

Wow. This was a fascinating story, and no I'm not going to give you any spoilers. Let's just say that even in the year 2143, political machinations can still reach into very deep space. I will say this to the author, though - please tell me you're writing more in this world? I really want to see what happens next.

Covetous by Pearl Love, reviewed by Christy Duke
Envy. A sin I'm sure practically every human being on this planet has experienced at least once, and some many, many times. Jonathan definitely has more than his share of envy, and all the negative feelings and actions that accompany it. He's middle management in a small advertising agency, and in some ways reminded me of the character Keanu Reeves played in 'Sweet November', albeit without the hot looks and body. Jonathan is about to get his comeuppance, however, and I'm not so sure he's going to end up enjoying what he seems to believe he wants.

Not to be repetitive, but what happened next reminded me very much of a movie with Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves, where what you see, i.e. gorgeous people, suddenly transform into visions from your worst nightmare, and then back again, leaving Jonathan to believe he was losing his mind. A beautiful, expensive penthouse, a man too gorgeous to be real, and three nubile twinks lead Jonathan down the path to his own devastation.

I enjoyed the ugly reality of what the author showed me. It was a bit of a slap-in-the-face reality check in terms of being jealous and hoarding your bitterness. It definitely doesn't pay to be envious, and for Jonathan—he lost everything.

Hope by Rick R. Reed, reviewed by Serena Yates
Hope may be a virtue, but it is also a pretty fundamental part of human life, almost a necessity. So much so that I don’t think many people realize it – until it is no longer there. This story, set in 1997, makes this painfully obvious when Todd has to deal with not one but two major blows to his life. The source of new hope is somewhat unexpected, at least parts of it, and I liked that little paranormal twist a lot.

Todd has been living it up in the big city – not really caring abut the long-term, and enjoying as many men as he can. Then he gets hit with a double whammy – his mother dies of cancer before he can make it home, and his own health goes from “perfect” to “how many months do I have left to live”. He moves back to his small hometown and into the house his mother left him, and begins to fall apart. Not just does he have a ghostly woman appear in his hallway at night, his cute neighbor is clearly interested in him. But Todd can’t take things further with him no matter how much he wants to – or can he?

As stupid as Todd may have been in terms of the risks he took without even thinking about it, that is a very human condition. he way he dealt with his mother’s death was touching, and his slow recovery of his balance was a joy to watch. No, everything isn’t perfect at the end, but that isn’t what hope is all about. If you like stories about real men with real problems, yet with an added touch of the mysterious, then you will probably enjoy this short story.

Horseboy by J Tullos Hennig, reviewed by Serena Yates
Pride is one of the vices, and gets a pretty well-known mention in the 1611 King James version of the bible. According to Proverbs, 16:18: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. And that is exactly what this fantasy story is about. It is set during the Crusades and features a Muslim trans* horseboy and the Templar knight he encounters when fleeing from the Infidels after they attack and burn his hometown while he is out grazing the horses. The Templar is only just alive, his companion was not so lucky.

Sabiq is used to hiding. His mother was beheaded for witchcraft, and the one thing she taught him as he grew up was to hide his abilities, and hide who he is. So he became a boy and uses his talent with horses to make a living unobtrusively. But all those efforts may be for nothing when he finds two of the enemies who destroyed his home in the desert – one Templar knight is already dead and the other is hanging on by a thread. Sabiq faces a tough choice: should he save the wounded man or should he save himself and let the man die? They are enemies, after all, and Sabiq has much to lose. It is by no means an easy decision.

Even though Sabiq has long ago learned not to be proud, the Templar has only now lost the man he clearly cares about. The level of his devotion has to remain a secret, and he suddenly faces total dependence on Sabiq. If you like stories with a moral as well as a touch of magic, then you will probably enjoy this short trip into a fantastical version of the past.

Red Light Special by Rhys Ford, reviewed by Christy Duke
Who better, in my opinion, to write about Lust than Rhys Ford? Because you have to remember that lust isn't always meant in a sexual manner. Lust for power, and for money, are two sins that many people suffer from, and if the story is going to involve murder and sex, then Ms. Ford is always a joy to read.

As I expected, this story started with a bang, with more references to fae creatures than I have seen in quite a while. It also included an insane desire for the ancient woman walking by Fiach's store, getting clipped by an 18-wheeler, and a run-in with another elf. Pretty typical stuff for this author. Oengus, or as Fiach enjoyed calling him, Gus Gus (which is an inside joke if you know the author), is the Knight of Chicago and has come to Detroit to track down the fae who stole Chicago's succubus from its vault. *grins*

“So what’s the plan, Gus Gus?”...“Or are we just going to sit here until I get the urge to hump your leg?”
“Preferably not my leg. My arm would be okay. That way I could shake you off. But yes, we’ll know he’s here once you start feeling something.”

Fantastically funny, very dry sarcastic wit, sexy, and slightly creepy in the best possible way!

Couches of Fabric and Snow by Brandon Witt, reviewed by Christy Duke
Sloth. An interesting vice, in my honest opinion, and one I can probably relate to. It can be represented in so many ways, and yet Brandon Witt has chosen to portray Levitt as a mediocre human being who doesn't believe in doing too much of anything. If he doesn't have to exert himself, then more power to him. Or, that's how Levitt feels. He doesn't like change and his entire attitude is very mediocre.

"He managed to walk that tenuous line between not carrying his weight with his teaching duties and being just accommodating enough to keep from having his fellow teachers turn on him. He’d made it where he was easy to overlook and ignore, which suited him perfectly. It hadn’t even been that hard."

Oh, wow. I didn't see this ending coming, although I probably should have, seeing as how I could relate to Levitt's feelings. A sad life, and a sadder subconscious decision for a thirty-seven-year-old man. This story hurt my heart but was beautiful.

NOTE: This book was first reviewed on Rainbow Book Reviews

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great anthology (and it's free from the publisher!). All in all, it's a pretty high-quality collection. There are several really awesome stories here that absolutely make it worth the price of no money. The stories in this collection span lots of genres--fantasy, historical, horror, paranormal, sci-fi, and maybe some others as well. This is not a romance anthology, though there are a few stories that feature love and a few stories that feature established couples. This is an anthology about queer folk having adventures, both good and bad. Several unhappy endings here, just FYI.

For me, there were three five-star, killer good stories: Amy Rae Durreson's "The Darkness of the Sun," "Heirs to Grace and Inifnity" by Carole Cummings, and "Horseboy" by J. Tullos Hennig. I got this anthology because of these three authors (who are among my most favourite), so it's not altogether surprising that I liked their stories best. Durreson's fantasy story is gentle and beautiful and full of emotion and gorgeous writing. Carole Cummings urban fantasy adventure was so awesome! I absolutely loved it and would love to read more about this world and these people. It was very cool. Hennig's story about a Templar and a horseboy in the desert was so lovely and beautifully written.

There are some other nice stories--Jamie Fessenden's, Brandon Witt's, and Clare London's. John Inman's horror story, "The Rendering," was very well done, but quite upsetting, so I can't really say I liked it. I'm not really into horror, and this story is quite horrific and very sad. A few stories didn't really appeal to me personally, but I didn't think there were any total duds in this collection, writing-wise. Nice anthology.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, I would like to say that I love the idea of this anthology. That was what inspired me to download it. I also enjoy the mix of genres since it allows something for everyone. Did I like all the stories, and do I think they all hit the mark? No. However, there are several I did particularly enjoy, and I think that will be the case for most people approaching this anthology, as it's likely not all genres will appeal to all readers. For me, two of the standouts were: The Bank Job by Andrea Speed and Train to Sevmash by Jamie Fessenden. I also thought The Rendering by John Inman was a great read. I've seen a lot of reviewers acting with horror towards this one, or dismissing it as fat-shaming - and of course, if that's their opinion, then that's what they should say - but I personally find that a little unfair. This is a horror story, and a gruesome, twisted one at that. Not every piece of fiction has to be politically correct or 'nice', and I think literature would soon become deadly dull if it was. There are times when fiction should just be read as fiction. Overall, I give this anthology 3*; although some stories I would award 4* to individually.

[Chris, the Dalek King · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple really good ones, a couple really bad ones, and the rest fall somewhere in between.

The ones I really liked:

The Dark of the Sun—Amy Rae Durreson
Heirs to Grace and Infinity—Carole Cummings
Prudence for Fools—Sean Michael
Red Light Special—Rhys Ford

There were a couple that were either didn't work for me at all, or felt half-finished. John Inman's one on gluttony just was all kinds of hell-no. J.S. Cook's story felt like it might have taken place in an already existing universe of stories so the ending was a bit confusing to me since it kinda went off the rails and then there was this cop dude referencing a bunch of other deaths that don't happen in the story...so, yeah.

Mostly the other ones just hit the 2.5-3 star range.

Since it is free you might wanna pick it up, if only for the the Rhys Ford one, because I just like her story stories.

[WhatAStrangeDuck]

Mixed bag - as anthologies by different authors are wont to be. Looking at the titles of individual stories more than a week after I read them, I can only remember that I loathed the John Inman story, mostly because it was horror but also because I just loathed it.

So, as I said - a very mixed bag that ranges in genres from historical, over horror, to sci-fi, fantasy and what have you. Some stories I liked very much, some I didn't but it's free, so who cares. Some pretty good authors delivered the goods, other authors I didn't much care for before just reinforced my previous impression of them.

Did I mention that it's free?

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of Virtue and Vice anthology has stories by authors Andrea Speed, Brandon Witt, Sean Michael, J Tullos Hennig, Carol Cummings, Rick R. Reed, John Inman, Rhys Ford, Clare London, Pearl Love, Jamie Fessenden, J. S. Cook, Amy Rae Durresson, Serena Yates. Each author has taken a Virtue or a Vice and written a short story around that theme. I love anthologies, they allow me to sample the works of authors that are both new and old to me. Maybe even find some new favorite authors along the way. I will say some of the Vice stories in this anthology really creeped me out. One in particular will forever stand out in my mind in my nightmare category.
Pearl Love her story is Covetous, and her Vice is Envy. This is a new to me author, and I will look for more from her. As much as this short story scared me I can recognize that means she told it very well!! to scare me that much. Jonathan has always wanted what others have, so what happens when he meets someone who can give him everything he has ever desired? What would you pay for your greatest wishes to come true? That old Chinese curse comes to mind for me. May you get what you wish for… Jonathan learns the hard way all that glitters is not always gold. The ending I am forever going to have nightmares about this ending. Shudders thinking on it now…. Okay now on to a fluffier story hahah thought I was gonna tell you more didn't you… these are too short for full reviews so your gonna get some teasers in this review.
One of my favorite authors is also in this anthology. Clare London. She has a modern day story called Traitor and her Virtue is Fortitude. Aiden and Cam were once lovers, now Cam is being interrogated by Aiden because he is a suspected terrorist. Is he really one? And can Aiden find out the truth about the man he still loves. This one has a great balance to. There is a true full short story here. Nothing feels rushed or out of place. I feel like these two have a new start and they are meant to be together. I loved this one. I love when true love wins the day, this story has that.
Another author I felt did an amazing story in this anthology is Serena Yates Her virtue is Temperance. The name of the story is Beyond the Temperance, I liked this one because it is really well done. I do not always love scifi but Ms. Yates really made me want more of Captain Jago and Pierce his quiet scientist doctor. There is a lot to this short story and I feel it could be flushed out to a full length story as well. Very well rounded and just the right amount of sizzle to it.
Over all there is not a story in the bunch that is not amazingly well written. I loved getting to know some new to me authors, and having my old favorites together. When you want an anthology that has a lot of different short stories to offer with MM flare, this is the one to pick up.


recommended read and five shooting stars

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4 stars

It seems almost unfair to rate a free anthology such as the 7 & 7 Anthology of Virtue and Vice. Released by DSP Publications for the main purpose of giving readers a taste of some of its wide appeal selections by various authors, there is everything in this collection from sci-fi to historical, with fantasy and even some horror thrown in for good measure and that phrase “thrown in” is where I want to begin. Some of these pieces made me shake my head in wonder as to why they were ever released. They lacked the polish that one might expect to find in such a compilation—after all, when offering a sampling of your work, you should be putting your best foot forward—or story, at least.

I have broken this review down to three categories—those that worked and made for a great example of the impact a well written short story can have on a reader, those that fell short of the mark for one reason or another, and two that stood out for all the right and wrong reasons. The reality is that all writers are not born to write a solid short story—it, like its cousin the longer novel, is not easily accomplished and unless you have the knack, your story will come up feeling rushed or undone. That happened a few times in this anthology and despite the author being a good, solid, even gifted writer, the genre of short story is simply not something they have mastered yet.

Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.

[Idamus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This ranges from 'why the hell was this published?' to 5 stars, most were good but too short to feel complete, overall a recommended read, and free.

[Sammy Goode · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems almost unfair to rate a free anthology such as the 7 & 7 Anthology of Virtue and Vice. Released by DSP Publications for the main purpose of giving readers a taste of some of its wide appeal selections by various authors, there is everything in this collection from Sc-Fi to historical with fantasy and even some horror thrown in for good measure and that phrase “thrown in” is where I want to begin. Some of these pieces made me shake my head in wonder as to why they were ever released. They lacked the polish that one might expect to find in such a compilation—after all, when offering a sampling of your work, you should be putting your best foot forward—or story, at least.

I have broken this review down to three categories—those that worked and made for a great example of the impact a well written short story can have on a reader, those that fell short of the mark for one reason or another and two that stood out for all the right and wrong reasons. The reality is that all writers are not born to write a solid short story—it, like its cousin, the longer novel is not easily accomplished and unless you have the knack, your story will come up feeling rushed or undone. That happened a few times in this anthology and despite the author being a good, solid, even gifted writer; the genre of short story is simply not something they have mastered yet.

Take note that I have given you merely a sentence or two to describe the story by each author—this is because to do more would simply be to give you spoiler after spoiler and ruin the reading for you. Also I have not rated these stories individually—instead I have given a general rating for the groups. The reason for this goes back to my opening statement—rating what, in essence, is a free gift seems rather unfair to me. Given that, I will delineate what were the stronger, more complete offerings in this anthology from those that were not and give you the range of ratings I would apply for the group.

Group 1: (Ratings stem from 2.5 to 3.5 stars)

The Darkness of the Sun by Amy Rae Durreson
Virtue: Faith.
A grieving priest experiencing a crisis of faith since the death of his lover agrees to accompany a group of believers to the mountaintop to witness the eclipse. While there, everything his pain has led him too is shaken to the core as he comes face to faith with his god.

The Bank Job by Andrea Speed
Vice: Greed.
Superheroes clash over a bank job gone wrong where one cocky anti-hero thinks he and his minions have won the day only to be thwarted by a gay pair of somewhat silly super guys.

Prudence for Fools by Sean Michael
Virtue: Prudence.
An aging Seer tells the arrogant Prince of the kingdom what he does not want to hear—that there is destruction coming in the form of an earthquake. Banished along with his partner of many years they return to his lover’s tribe where he is treated with dignity and respect unlike at the palace. However, he cannot let go of the horrific vision of mass destruction and takes his life in his hands to return once more to warn the kingdom.

The Gate by J. S. Cook
Vice: Anger
Set in World War two era where to be gay meant imprisonment or more, two shop keepers are at odds with one another because of a gate erected by one which cramps the style of the café owner, Jack, on the opposite side. After a casual hookup, the story abruptly ends with a revelation about the new business owner that knocks Jack for a loop.

Covetous by Pearl Love
Vice: Envy
Jonathon watches as a colleague gets promoted over him. Not only that, the guy is a sleaze—sleeping with whomever can get him ahead including Jonathon, once upon a time. When Jonathon decides to go out and blow off some steam little does he know that his desire for revenge will land him in hell—literally!

Beyond the Temperance Effect by Serena Yates
Virtue: Temperance
A crew is launched into space with a 45-year cryosleep planned so that they can begin to colonize a new planet called Eradani 2. Onboard are several prisoners as well as crew that will take on the work of making the planet hospitable for future generations. There is no need for worry of violence from the prison crew due to the temperance effect—a means of controlling zeta waves that emotionally calm the person trained in using them. However the closer they get to the new planet the more agitated the crew becomes and the captain is stunned to find out the truth behind the temperance effect and what it means for his crew once they land.


Overall Review of Group 1: In each of the above stories there was a distinct sense that they were left unfinished. Often characters were shallow and not terribly easy to connect with either emotionally or intellectually. Some of these stories never quite jibed with their vice or virtue or discovering the connection was a real stretch, in particular, The Gate by J.S. Cook and Prudence by Sean Michael. For both these stories there was a brief moment when the characters exhibited their vice or virtue but it wasn’t sustained leading me to wonder why they chose to use either emotion for the main thrust of their stories.

In The Bank Job by Andrea Speed and The Darkness Of The Sun by Amy Rae Durreson the stories were more like sketches—small vignettes of what should have been longer works that never came into being. While interesting at times, these shorts failed to grab the attention immediately—something a short story must. Therefore any investment the reader had in the fate of the characters was minor at best. Plus the characters were limited—Johnnie one notes--and failed to develop beyond their limited scope.

Overall this group seemed to beg for more development and page time in order to give us a deeper glance into both the created world and its inhabitants.

Group 2: (Ratings stem from 4-5 stars)

Heirs to Grace and Infinity by Carole Cummings
Virtue: Justice
Set in a futuristic world, the government is rounding up anyone, including children who are working magic illegally. The Bureau is responsible for disposing of them without thought or care. One man known as “the Sorcerer” is busy setting thwarting the bureau and freeing those held captive. However, the government is closing in and the Sorcerer is suddenly trapped and his identity revealed.

Train to Sevmash by Jamie Fessenden
Virtue: Hope
One American spy is sent to kill and assume the identity of a Russian soldier in order to infiltrate the enemy camp. The only problem is he finds himself falling for the man he is to destroy—all in the course of one short train ride.

Horseboy by J. Tullos Hennig
Vice: Pride
A horseboy escapes his village at the height of war only to discover a wounded Templar knight—his enemy. Now he must decide if it is worth revealing who he really is in order to save the man’s life.

Hope by Rick R. Reed
Virtue: Hope
With his mother dead and buried and his own life in a shambles, Todd returns home to live what is left of what he feels is a hopeless life. Then he meets his neighbor and the lethargy and depression he had been drowning in slowly turns to something more—something he never thought possible ever again.

Traitor by Clare London
Virtue: Fortitude
Aiden Hanwell is MI5’s best interrogator, known for breaking even the toughest criminals. When he is asked to interview a mysterious spy he has no worries he is up to the task. However, little is he prepared for meeting fact to face with a former agent, friend and lover. Now the truth must out and Aiden will need to decide if he can truly break the man he once loved.

Red Light Special by Rhys Ford
Vice: Lust
Fae, elves and a succubus—all bound together with author Rhys Ford’s special brand of humor and snark make this a story that is fun and sexy.

Overall Review of Group 2: These stories had it all—in-depth characterization, a simple yet effective plot that felt complete, and emotional impact that left this reader wanting more. This is how a great short story should leave one—with a dual sense of satisfaction and yet yearning for just a little more. From the heart-wrenching love that could never be truly theirs in Train to Sevmash by Jamie Fessenden to the hard fought yet well earned happy ever after in both Rick Reed’s Hope and Claire London’s Traitor, these tales left us with a yearning for further time spent with stunning characters whose lives seemed so real. Adding some fun and uniqueness to this group, Rhys Ford takes us on a magically hilarious ride complete with a succubus who uses sex as his way to find victims to eat. Finally, there is Horseboy by J. Tullos Hennig, which may very well be the most poetic and lush story of them all. This sampling of writing by authors who are well established as outstanding in their field was really the best by far at achieving the task this anthology set out to do—give readers a taste of the level of excellence they can expect from DSP Publications authors.

The Final Group (unrateable for different reasons)

The Rendering by John Inman
Vice: Gluttony
Otis is overweight—a lover of all things bad for you and desperate to find love. In his many attempts to find someone to be with he has always been told he is just too fat to be loved. So, imagine his excitement when a man named Lester embraces all Otis has to offer—seems too good to be true? Well, maybe it is and maybe it isn’t.

I want to start by saying I love this author’s work, so imagine my surprise when I found myself cringing at this horror story that made the word cliché scream out of every page. First, the fat shaming—truly I felt this was really insensitive toward any man who might have body issues and low self-esteem. Then I am afraid that the plot was so thin—I knew the outcome the moment Otis hit Lester’s house and yet that did not stop me from grimacing at the gruesome description of what befell poor Otis. All in all I felt this was not in any way representative of how good an author John Inman is and I was shocked that DSP Publication allowed such a negative story to be in the anthology.

Couches of Fabric and Snow by Brandon Whitt
Vice: Sloth
Holy schmolies—what an ending—and what a sad, sad story. Yet—beautiful—truly well written and with all the feelings and emotions one comes to expect from this wonderful storyteller, author Brandon Witt. I would need a bevy of stars to rate this short and still not have enough to communicate the depth of despair the main character was immersed in—all due to his own lazy approach to life in general. For me, this was the highlight of the anthology.

Final Thoughts: Overall this anthology would probably rate 4 stars and is well worth reading—it does give you a fairly good window into some very gifted writers now under the DSP Publications umbrella. However, it does one well to remember that some of these authors shine in the longer novel realm (Andrea Speed comes immediately to mind) and not so much in the short story field. My suggestion? Read through the offered stories and then go find a longer novel by these authors to really see how gifted they truly are.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Red Light Special by Rhys Ford - 4.25 stars - would like to see more of this couple
*Couches of Fabric and Snow by Brandon Witt - 4 stars - poignant and heartbreaking, so incredibly sad for Levitt
*The Rendering by John Inman - 3.75 stars - horror story with an expected ending

[Jax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating is for the four stories I read:

The Dark of the Sun by Amy Rae Durreson
Heirs to Grace and Infinity by Carole Cummings >>>>my favorite
Horseboy by J Tullos Hennig
Train to Sevmash by Jamie Fessenden

[Littlebookterror · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this. There was a variety of stories and ideas which were executed by varying degrees to my likeness.

The Darkness of the Sun:Virtue: Faith.
★★★★★
Such an incredibly good story about religion.

The Bank Job: (Greed)
★★★✩✩
Funny and over-the-top enjoyable but not memorable.

Prudence for Fools: (Prudence)
★★★★★
Long-term relationship goals honestly.

The Gate: (Anger)
★★✩✩✩
I was confused through most of this.

Heirs to Grace and Infinity: (Justice)
★★★✩✩
Okay.

The Rendering: (Gluttony)
unrated, not my thing at all

Beyond the Temperance Effect: (Temperance)
★★★✩✩
Interesting concept if a bit lackluster execution.

Covetous: (Envy)
★★✩✩✩✩
I did not like this.

Hope: (Hope)
★★★✩✩
Everything was happening too fast and too much for me to have any real inpact. The AIDS especially felt weird? I don't exactly know why.

Horseboy:★★★★★
A magical story, probably my favourite.

Train to Sevmash: (Charity)
★★★★✩
Beautiful while heart-breaking.

Red Light Special: (Rhys Ford)
★★★★✩
Very funny. Takes a bit of a piss at general High/Urban Fantasy and I was living for it.

Traitor: (Fortitude)
★★★★✩
The complexity of their relationship had me hooked.

Couches of Fabric and Snow: (Sloth)
unrated, not my thing at all

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first story then stepped out for over a month.
This book has 14 stories the mixture of 7 deadly sins and the 7 virtues.
The stories were clever, some took a while to get into but others from authors I've read before I settled into quite well.
I laughed and in others I felt sorry for characters in their storyline. Life isn't always great and these stories are honest in this.

[CB · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good way to find new authors. A couple of my favorite authors are in here which is why I picked it up, I like to have a quick read available.

Note to self, very disappointed Inman's book was NOT a romance.

[Ben Lilley · Rating 3 out of 5]

For this review, I’ll speak briefly of the anthology as a whole, and then I’ll talk about a few stories I enjoyed. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the others as well, but sometimes it’s hard to write a significant amount on shorter works.

The anthology was put out by Dreamspinner’s non-Romance imprint, DSP Publications, which is supposed to represent LGBTQ fiction, unlike Dreamspinner’s main line, which is majorly M/M Romance. The bulk of these stories; however, had gay male protagonists and frankly so do most of the stories currently in the imprint. This is acceptable, I suppose, and certainly follows very basic supply and demand principles, but I there could have been more representation since the imprint is now over a year old and it would have been nice to have more diversity and breadth for readers new to the line. That being said, I enjoyed the anthology and I thought the theme–vice and virtue–was intriguing.

"The Dark of the Sun" by Amy Rae Durresson

I was pulled immediately into our protagonist, Tomal, a fallen priest who lost his husband years ago. I appreciated the priest was older and in many ways still embarking upon the journey of his faith in God, the world, and people. I enjoyed his sense of discovery and wonder. There was a fascinating feel of reluctant movement in the piece, of Tomal climbing the mountain to do his duty. You’d think that he’d be the one to weaken first, but he was steadfast. He may have feel as if he has lost his faith, but I had an inkling it was with him the whole time, especially when he couldn’t see it in himself.

"Prudence for Fools" by Sean Michael

One of my favorite stories in the anthology–I couldn’t put it down! For a short story it had a ton of worldbuilding, which made me wonder if this was a part of a larger project (if it is, someone tell me). For a short story there was a surprising depth to our protagonist, Del, which kept me glued to the page. I also appreciated the moments of levity in otherwise horrible situations. I very much enjoyed my brief romp in Michael’s world and I plan to play around in his others.

"The Rendering" by John Inman

I have to admit I saw where this was going from the get-go. Though I liked our main character, Otis, I was a bit disappointed how the idea of gluttony as a sin was taken literally–as in gluttony of someone eating too much food. I couldn’t see the sin in someone being fat, and I think this story could have used a fresher spin on the idea. It almost felt as if the horrible things that happened to Otis were deserved, which made me terribly sad, and because I thought the tone was supposed to be more in line with a horror/thriller, the mournful edge threw me out of the story.

"Hope" by Rick R. Reed

I really enjoyed this. I have to admit it started off a bit odd, and maybe a bit inconsistent. Todd sees a ghost in his house, which you would assume would freak him out, but Todd is sort of… resigned to it. As the story moves on and we learn more of Todd’s life everything falls into place. The poor guy not only lost his mother, but he’s also dealing with his own failing health. It’s almost as if his reaction to the ghost was so mild because he doesn’t feel as if he has anything left to lose. Though it starts off oddly, and the middle is depressing, I thought the story ended on a rather happy note. There’s nothing like the denizens of the afterlife to make you appreciate living.

"Train to Sevmash" by Jamie Fessenden

I love a good spy story and I’ll take any excuse to have a gay James Bond in my life (or gayish). This piece was sweet, sexy, and just a bit dangerous. Colby was a fun protagonist, but I ultimately enjoyed Veselov’s secondary characterization the most. I could almost see what Veselov was thinking through Colby’s eyes, but Veselov still astonished me again and again. Brilliant storytelling. The ending was ultimately surprising but inevitable, a stupendous feat in literature.

"Red Light Special" by Rhys Ford

I needed a good guffaw after all the seriousness, and this story delivered. Humor is hard to do, especially in speculative fiction, which made it all the better. Ford writes these prickly half-elf characters in urban fantasy settings that are frankly to die for with their wit and antics. Even at their gloomiest they crack me up. Her characters are definitely people I’d want to know in real life (but probably wouldn’t give me the time of day).

"Couches of Fabric and Snow" by Brandon Witt

I have read some amazing love stories by Witt, but I’m also getting used to his obsession with darkness, especially concerning character choice. By the end of a novel, the protagonist can either change for the better and become their best self, or stay the same and perpetuate their troubles. Witt likes the trouble makers. Even though I will admit I grew a bit despondent, I ultimately felt this story could be inspiring for those who want to soldier on in life, and at the same time it could be a solace for those who are done fighting. This idea of sacrifice is perhaps maudlin, but it also struck me as rather beautiful.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took awhile for me to finish unlike most books I read. I loved some of the stories and found some disturbing and just plain disliked a couple. Overall I'd give this anthology a 4.25 stars

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never written a review on here before, but this anthology was so up-and-down I feel I have to. There are some real gems hidden away but digging toward them can feel like a bit of a grind.

For the record, 13/14 of these authors are brand new to me.

Dark of the Sun by Amy Rae Durreson ★★★★
The religious tone of this story originally threw me and I found it a little baffling in places, but otherwise I really enjoyed it. The journey, characters, and writing were fantastic but I felt it fell at the end.

The Bank Job by Andrea Speed ★★★
The main reason I downloaded this anthology was for Speed's story. Unfortunately I was disappointed by it. I like the concept, as I'm definitely a person who favours villains over superheroes, but I didn't enjoy the execution. I'd have loved to have seen more of the heroes.

Prudence for Fools by Sean Michael ★★★
I really enjoyed this story despite it being in a genre and setting I generally dislike. Not much else to really say about it. It was written incredibly well and unlike certain stories in this anthology, it felt complete.

The Gate by J.S. Cook ★★
I couldn't find a way to care about the main character and the story just felt as if it progressed too quickly. However, I did really love the style and tone of the work, as well as the character of Jack.

Heirs to Grace and Infinity by Carole Cummings ★★★★
One of the highlights of this anthology. The ending was a little predictable, but enjoyable all the same. I think I might look into reading more of Cummings work.

The Rendering by John Inman ★★★
The theme (gluttony) was played a little too literally for my tastes, and it was very predictable, but at the same time I just loved Otis and Lester.

Beyond the Temperance Effect by Serena Yates ★★★★
I was loving this story and then it was... over. Abruptly. I ended up flicking back and forth between the end of the story and the author bio convinced I was missing a page. I feel like the idea would have been better reserved for a longer piece of fiction.

Covetous by Pearl Love ★★★★
I loved it. Possibly the most unpredictable story in this. I thought I knew where it was going from the start and I was so wrong. I love a writer who can break my trained mind.

Hope by Rick R. Reed ★★
Just didn't capture my interest. It started off really well but just went downhill for me from there.

Horseboy by J Tullos Hennig ★★
I couldn't get into it at all. Sad, as I found Sabiq to be an interesting character.

Train to Sevmash by Jamie Fessenden ★★★★★
My favourite story by far. The characters were intriguing and the writing was brilliant. The ending bothered me a little but not enough to distract from my overall enjoyment of the rest of the piece.

Red Light Special by Rhys Ford ★★★
Loved the characters and storyline, but something about it didn't sit well with me. That might just be due to me not being much of a fantasy person.

Traitor by Clare London ★★★★★
AMAZING. The story was well-paced, exciting, tense, and I loved the characters.

Couches of Fabric and Snow by Brandon Witt ★★
Just overall unsatisfying. The story felt like it had little purpose. Another where I feel the theme (sloth) was maybe taken too literally.

[Clarene · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Darkness of the Sun - Amy Rae Durreson
Faith
Tough read for me a priest who lost his faith not really what I had anticipated, writing was good and characters were memorable.

The Bank Job - Andrea Speed
Greed
MEH....did not really like the super villain perspective.

Prudence for Fools - Sean Michael
Prudence
Too short to actually get a real feel for this one.

The Gate - J.S.Cook
Anger
Definitely angry not a lot of substance in this one for me.

Heirs to Grace and Infinity - Carole Cummings
Justice
Needed more of this story.

The Rendering - John Inman
Greed
Horror as a genre is not my thing at all, it ranks up there with infidelity as a MEH. Super surprised since I have read this author and thought this one would have been a favorite.

Beyond the Temperance Effect - Serena Yates
Temperance
I think that some things give you a nibble and you want more and some you just want to be over. This was a nibble one that I would like more info.

Covetous - Pearl Love
Envy
HORROR again and once again I would not have chosen to read this. Nothing against the author.

Hope - Rick R. Reed
Hope
I wanted to like this one after reading the horror, i did not.

Horseboy - J Tullos Hennig
Pride
hmmmmmm, not sure what I just read

Train to Sevmash - Jamie Fessenden
Charity
Would love to read more on this and this author.

Red Light Special - Rhys Ford
Lust
A light in the tunnel of ones I did not get.

Traitor - Clare London
Fortitude
Interesting enough but needed more.

Couches of Fabric and Snow - Brandon Witt
Sloth
I may have changed around the order of these reads as this was a low to end on.
Overall Anthologies are tough, liked some, did not like others.

[Olivia Helling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourteen LGBT spec fic short stories centred around the 7 virtues and 7 vices. While the quality varied from story to story (and not all even count as spec fic), I enjoyed most of them, and loved a few: The Dark of the Sun by Amy Rae Durreson about a priest finding his way out of grief and back to his god, Horseboy by J Tullos Fessendon set in the Crusades with a Lebonese protagonist (refreshing change from European protagonists!), and Train to Sevmash by Jamie Fessenden set in Soviet Russia in the 1960s. If you’d like a taster of some amazing gay spec fic, then I recommend reading 7 & 7.

[Bellbomb Bellbomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Note: this rating is for 'Heirs to Grace and Infinity' by Carole Cummings only.

5 Star. I'd have given more if this was expanded into a long story, but for such a short story-2 chapters to be exact-to have a very tight plot that deals with the virtue of Justice filled with palpable tension, magic, espionage, a revolutionary coup, and let's not forget deeply passionate tenderness between the two characters is no small feat. A great short story.

[Lillian Francis]

The Darkness of the Sun - Amy Rae Durreson An interesting story about faith. Just don't forget these stories aren't romance. The gentle tone of this tale lulled me into a false since of romance and because of that I was ultimately disappointed by the ending.

[Stillman]

Prob on dsp