I bought this box set because a lot of my favourite authors have been included in it. Not only that there is a good cross section of genres and they are all new stories, so the box set definitely offers variety and value for money. Below are the three stories I have read so far, and for which I also received an ARC in exchange for an honest review, and I am hoping these alone are enough to tempt readers into buying this exceptional box set:
Review for: Too Much For You by Sky Corgan
Devlin and Gareth have known each other since middle school. Devlin is the practical joker, while Gareth is the serious one; perhaps this is why they balance each other out so well. Together they make the ultimate person, but finding a girl who wants to date two men who are into polyamory is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Jumping into the dating game after five years of being single is so much harder than Rose thought it would be; all the guys she meets are either players or losers. What she is looking for is someone to settle down with – surely there is someone else out there looking for love. Meanwhile, Rose’s new neighbours have been fulfilling her fantasies ever since they moved in, but she is embarrassed when she is caught spying on them. Realistically, Rose believes they are too perfect for her and doubts she is the type of girl they would go for - but she is so wrong! Devlin and Gareth are forthright when they approach Rose after seeing her profile on a dating app. and invite her for dinner, with no strings attached. 8.00 p.m. comes and goes and when there is no sign of Rose the two men become despondent. Then at 8.13 p.m. the doorbell rings; may be they have not been stood up after all and the night is just about to begin. Is there a worthwhile relationship in the offing after all?
Review for: Yours by Kim Linwood
Bianca didn’t win the reality show, the one where she was vying to marry a billionaire; she doesn’t regret it for a second, after all if she hadn’t been there she wouldn’t have met Danny. But it isn’t until they are apart that Bianca realises how little they know about each other; now she has agreed to share a luxury suite with him on a two-week cruise. Danny is living in London and she lives in New York – how can they possible make this work? Danny knows that he and Bianca connected physically, but this cruise was about something more; no camera crews, sleazy hosts, meddling best friends or ridiculous drama – just the two of them. Bianca wants to talk and for them to get to know each other, but Danny is hiding a secret, and it is only when Bianca’s grandmother becomes ill that matters start to unravel. Bianca realises that Danny has given her the Danny he thought she wanted, not the real Danny. Can he now trust her to do the same; to love him for him, not what he can do for her?
Review for: Tutoring the Wolf by Jacqueline Sweet
As the hardest working witch at Penrose Academy of Magical Excellence, Cassie is sure she has aced her test; now all she has to do is pass her final exams, graduate, marry Anoxamander and her life will be perfect. But Cassie is stunned when she finds out that instead of acing her test, she has failed it; not only that she is told that her theories, while excellent, were unimaginative. Coming to an agreement with her mother, who is also the Dean of Academics, Cassie agrees to tutor Mal, a student who is failing all his classes - not realising she has been set up. Mal’s Alpha has sent him to Penrose to learn to control both his magic and his wolf. Before he was bitten, Mal was the lead singer and guitarist in a band, but his werewolf senses now make him erratic and out of control. Cassie soon comes to realise that she has been tutoring Mal all wrong; he did not need to kindle his talents, just control them, and she searches for ways to help Mal focus his gifts. In just half a week Cassie has been able to teach Mal more than any of his Professors have, but she wonders if he really needs her anymore. Mal wants to repay her somehow, but then she hits him square in the heart when he least expects it. Suddenly Cassie’s life too becomes completely upended. Mal’s wolf knows she is in trouble and she needs him. This was an excellent story to read, which I enjoyed very much.