Falling Hard: Stories of Men in Love

by Dale Cameron Lowry, Deelylah Mullin (Editor), Paige Prince (Editor)

**Currently 33% off retail price! (Price as marked in basket.)**

Nine of Dale Cameron Lowry’s best short romance stories are available for the first time in one book. Meet a sign language interpreter who finds unexpected love at middle-age, college students in their first relationships, a vampire who would rather be a vegan, and a proudly gay ex-Mormon who sells Bibles. From sweet to sensual, this collection exhibits the quirkiness, fun, and diversity Dale’s writing is known for.

Part 1: Falling Fast

Part 2: Falling Fantastically

Part 3: Falling Deep

Genres: M M Romance, Anthologies

233 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 11, 2017

About the author

Dale Cameron Lowry lives in the Upper Midwest with a partner and three cats, one of whom enjoys eating dish towels, quilts, and wool socks. It’s up to you to guess whether the fabric eater is one of the cats or the partner. When not busy mending items destroyed by the aforementioned fabric eater, Dale enjoys writing gay romantic, erotic, and speculative fiction; wasting time on Tumblr; listening to Mormon-related podcasts; studying anatomy and neurophysiology; getting annoyed at Duolingo; and reading fairy tales.

Note about my involvement on Goodreads: I leave occasional reviews here and check in on conversations, but I don't connect with other users as "friends." This is because Goodreads is connected to Amazon. Amazon has a policy of removing reviews left by readers who know authors in real life. There's the potential for Amazon to misinterpret an internet relationship between myself and an author based on mutual literary interests as a real-life friendship, and thus to delete legitimate reviews on books I've actually read.

However, feel free to follow me and to ask me to follow you back. That's an alternative way for us to keep up with each other's reviews on Goodreads.

Thanks!

Reviews

[Jude Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here’s what I love about Dale’s stories and work in this collection: they are so varied — there’s something for everyone. Dale’s skills as an author are clear here. It takes a great amount of skill to be able to write such a variety of stories so well. You can clearly tell that Dale does a ton of research for her stories (either that or she’s freaking hella smart and a compendium of knowledge about Irish lore, advanced virtual reality, turtles, mormons and American Sign Language…to name a few). There’s a level of detail in each story that speaks to careful crafting — and a love of crafting. Dale’s style is super unique; I cannot wait for the day I have a Dale novel or novella in my hands!

There were a couple of stories that didn’t really hit home with me — Sweeter than Blood is the vampire one, and blood stuff is hard for me. If you dig vampires though, it’s great. There’s a beautifully sensual scene in a barbershop in this one that was very well done.

My favorites were Loggerhead, Ghost of a Chance and Pacific Rimming (although to be honest, the title of that one isn’t my favorite. Read it anyway guys, it’s gorgeous and lush and lovely and WOW super hot threesomes ahoy!). Loggerhead stuck with me: I love the reconnecting and the deep love for each other that the MC share. Ghost of a Chance took me by surprise; I wasn’t sure about it at first but Dale did a great job packing what could have been a huge plot skillfully into a short story.

I definitely recommend you pick this one up! This author’s work is special, and I cannot wait to see what else she produces next!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review available at: https://optimummblog.wordpress.com/20...

Rating 4.5*s

This review is a bit tough. There are nine stories in total in this collection. They run the gambit from little to no sex to multiple sex scenes. They run first-person to third-person depending on the story. I have to say they are all well written, great little reads! If you’re looking for a quick nighttime read before bed, this is a great choice. If you only have 20 minutes between errands or meetings, this one is easy to pick up and read one fast-paced story and go on with your day. Dale seems to lean toward the novelette and anthologies so keep that in mind!

Part 1: Falling Fast – short whirlwind stories

Mi Alma 4*s

I’m not normally a fan of foreign language in a book. However, this author did it right in our first story. When he used Spanish, he also added the verse in italic English! For a quick little journey, I was delighted with the characters and the ending. As the reader, you don’t have a chance to get too involved with Alma and Damian. However, I found myself awing by the end.

Loggerhead 4*s

Dale gives the reader a quick look at how Jake and Eric met and fell in love, then moves quickly to six years later. The characters are also in their mid-lives which is a treat from all the younger characters out there in the genre right now. I like these types of stories that move forward to let the reader know where they are now. Most of us can relate to the dulling of love because of work and life, but he shows the reader that people can reconnect and find that first spark again in this short. And who doesn’t love turtles?

Reading the signs 3.5*s

This quick story gives us a look into the lives of Theo De Jong of the Netherlands and Alfonso Grossman of the United States. Both are at the University of New Mexico, for an international linguistics summer program. Theo is doing a comparative study of the dialects for his master’s thesis. Theo has read Dr. Grossman’s work and has an intellectual crush on him that also turns to a physical crush when he meets him in person. They end up having a two-week affair where they do everything together. After going their separate ways, they keep in touch. Theo figured they would eventually drift apart and find other love interests, but after six months, Theo is still just as much in love with Alfonso as he ever was. And when he finds out that he will be doing his doctoral fellowship in Boston which is only 90 minutes away from where Alfonso lives, he has to find out how Alfonso feels about him and whether he wants to continue their relationship. The story was really cute, had some love scenes but nothing graphic. But the story left me wanting more of this cute couple. It felt like the first part of a series.

Part 2: Falling Fantastically – stories that don’t follow normal realities

Born on fire 4.5*s

This short story filled my love of Ireland and the fairy folk who were notorious for stealing infants and switching them with old Changelings. Aodhán, who was accidentally burned by his mother as an infant and Cainnech. Even with his disfigurement, Aodhán led a full life as a great basket weaver. While traveling to sell his baskets, he falls asleep by a fairy mound one Midsummer’s Eve and sees a handsome face in the full moon that he falls in love with. The fairy people also enchant him. After spending so much time with them, he forgets his human life and thinks he is a fairy. On Halloween, they decided to kidnap a handsome human to join them. They find the perfect specimen in Dublin and kidnap Cainnech who is battling the grippe. The fairies cure Cainnech’s illness the same way that they had cured Aodhán’s disfigurement. Seeing Cainnech brings back all of Aodhán’s memories of his human life and he doesn’t want to go with the fairies any longer. He takes them back to his family home, and the fairies take their revenge by taking back their cures. Aodhán nurses Cainnech back to health, but will Cainnech still love Aodhán when he sees the real him for the first time? I loved that this story had an epilog that tied up the story nicely. Really great short story.

Ghost of a Chance 4*s

Dale brings us a cute story about a ghost (Frank) whose unfinished business is growing old with a man he loves and a college senior (Jeremy). I thought it was a very original storyline that Frank’s body followed the moon’s cycle. When it’s full, then he has a warm solid body and when it wanes then so does the solidness of his body. However, strong emotion allows Frank to have a solid body for a while. Although he only has a warm body during the full moon. This story was a little more explicit which made me happy, and I enjoyed all of the flirting that Frank and Jeremy did. This story inspires happy feelings.

Far from Home 5*s

Wow. This short story is a keeper. It’s a story about Mateo and Rajiv. They’re married, but they have been terraforming two different planets for the last two years. Mateo is on Mars and Rajiv is on Earth. They were last physically together seven months ago for their two-week vacation. They have another month to go before another vacation and then one more year before they’re up for new assignments. They hope to get assigned to the same station. This short story is about one of their Skype calls that turns into a very explicit call. I loved the TTASS – or temperature, texture and shape simulator – and how it used a combination of probes and ultra-high-frequency sonar to map three-dimensional images similar to the nerve signals that dart from skin to brain when a person touches something. So it is like touching a live copy of his husband when they make love. So much better than the standard phone sex or skyping calls. Perfect short story to read just before bed.

Sweeter than Blood 3*s

This short story is about vampires. John accidentally changed Keith during a bathroom hook-up at a gay club, and now Keith doesn’t want anything sexual to do with his sire. Keith has a crush on one of his customers at the barbershop where he works. I enjoyed the chemistry between Keith and Andre during the erotic cut and shave that Andre came in for and their hook-up later that night. But the hook-up ended up going further than it was supposed to and Andre beat Keith off of him and kicked him out. Keith goes back to John and tells him what happened and then because the blood has made him horny hooks up with John. Although the story was explicit and kinky, I found Keith to be wishy-washy about what he wants and how easy he gives up on and replaces the person he had a crush on. Maybe if the story was longer, we could have seen if he was able to work things out with Andre or not. Not a bad story just not my favorite.

Part 3: Falling Deep – a little more in-depth stories

Rough Love 5*s

Yep, this short story hit the spot. I love when two men can communicate what they want in a relationship, and that’s what Blake and Michael do. They communicate when Michael is unhappy with their sex life and finds that Blake has been holding back for doing what he would normally do which is give it to the guy hard and rough. He was under the mistaken impression that making love had to be slow and gentle. This story is definitely explicit and had me squirming. I will definitely be reading this college story again.

Pacific Rimming 5*s

Yep, this one is also a keeper. Mike and Ken are married and on vacation on Vancouver Island to celebrate Mike’s 40th birthday. Ken is Deaf and Mike is the hearing child of Deaf parents. Ken and Mike occasionally bring a third to the bedroom since Ken is a top only and Mike likes to do both. They meet Jason while out bird watching, and Ken and Mike immediately feel an attraction to Jason. But he runs off before they can exchange numbers. They end up running into each other on the beach later and decide to meet later that night. After a very explicit and hot night, Jason has to leave the next day. They exchange numbers for keeping in touch and realizing they are both from Chicago. They continue to date, and finally, after a year of being together, they end up back on Vancouver Island for a commitment ceremony of their own. I loved how balanced the relationship was and how Mike and Ken loved Jason just as much as they loved each other.

4.5 OptimuMM's

*** I would like to thank the author for the privilege and opportunity of reading this ARC. My review is an honest opinion of the book ***
optimummblog.wordpress.com

[DebbieReadsBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Oh my days! I freaking LOVE this job!! I have, along the way, found some amazing authors I may never have come across reading for myself. Dale Cameron Lowry is one such find.

This little collection of 9 short stories of men falling in love, or keeping that love alive, was nothing short of A-MA-ZING!!

I've never read anything by Lowry before, unless I read it in a box set, but by golly the man can write short stories!!

There is here a little bit of something for every one. Some contemporary, some new adult, some sci fi, some vampires, ghosts. The heat level for each is slightly different, some almost clean and some way more explicit, again, a bit for every one. There's no violence, not really, unless you count being bitten by a vampire :-)

I have two favourties.

Born of Fire - The fairies on Ireland’s north coast are notorious for kidnapping, and Aodhán of County Donegal has the scars to prove it. When the fairies abduct the handsome youth Cainnech, Aodhán seeks to free him—but risks losing his health and Cainnech in the process.

AND

Pacific Rimming — On Mike's fortieth birthday, his husband, Ken, takes him on vacation to Vancouver Island in Western Canada to celebrate. While Mike mourns his loss of youth, Ken encourages him to recapture it by bedding a gorgeous twenty-something man they encounter while hiking in Pacific Rim National Park. A night of no-holds-barred passion among the three men reveals a sizzling chemistry, and when Mike and Ken return home they find themselves longing to reconnect with the young Jason. Can what started as a one-night stand transform into a threesome that lasts?

Two very different books, told in two very different ways.

What I really loved about these books, was the depth of connection I felt to each and every character, and the connection to their world. Whether it be Ireland of old, or Mars, thousands of years in the future. Lowry nailed it, he nailed every single one!! Oh, and I should point out too, there is one story that is written, wait for it, wait for it ......first person, present tense. And ya'll KNOW how I feel about THOSE!! But here, because it's short, I really enjoyed it. So there *insert sticking out tongue and blowing raspberries at ya*

So, because I actually managed to read this, in a single day at **whispers very quietly, please don't tell anyone** work, and because I enjoyed all 9 nine stories, and because I really REALLY want to read more by Lowry...

5 full stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review An Alisa Review:

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

This is a great collection of stories. The men are all looking for love or are enjoying the love they already have which was a nice variety. They all ended great but took a bunch of different ways to get there, just like in real life. Most of the stories are only told from one character’s point of view, but the author does a wonderful job of showing the other characters emotions and feelings through their eyes.

In Mi Alma Damian and Alma aren’t quite sure how to approach the other with their growing feelings but their tension works wonderfully in building their friendship, I thought both of these characters played well off each other. In Loggerhead Jake and Eric show that it is easy to put yourselves and your relationship on the back burner a bit, but I loved seeing them make their relationship even stronger during their trip. Theo and Alfonso begin a wonderful friendship at the beginning of Reading the Signs and keep it going via skype when their course is over for the summer and seeing Theo learn what love really is, even at a distance, is great.

Born of Fire was an interesting concept; Aodhán becomes abducted by fairies and realizes this and how much Cainnech could mean to him if they were free, but they have to support each other once they are free from the fairies. Ghost of a Chance was one of the sweetest stories in this collection; Jeremy and Frank build a great friendship that turns into a strong relationship even though they are somewhat separated on the physical plane, but their love is what can keep Frank solidly in Jeremy’s life. Rajiv and Mateo miss each other so much in Far From Home, but have figured out the next best thing to having the other with them. In Sweeter than Blood Keith has not been very welcoming to the vampire lifestyle and when he finally takes a chance on Andres he realizes that maybe John is the one he needs.

In Rough Love Blake and Michael are trying to start their relationship off well, but don’t know how to talk to each other. When they finally do we can see what they have been holding back and how much more perfect they are for each other. Pacific Rimming show how there is always room in people hearts for more people to love if they want and Ken and Mike know that if they give it a chance Jason could easily fit into their lives. Seeing Jason realize that he can have the love he has wanted is wonderful.

Cover art by Dale Cameron Lowry is great and eye catching.

[Elaine White · Rating 5 out of 5]

** For the full review, please check Divine Magazine - https://www.divinemagazine.biz/book-r... **

Cover – Hot!
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – LGBT, Contemporary, Romance


** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine



I'm new to Dale Cameron Lowry's work, but as soon as I was asked to read and review this, I jumped at the chance. The blurbs sounded incredible.

I loved that the blurbs for all stories were included at the beginning. I always read the blurb of a story before reading the book, but when there's a collection like this, it's nice and easy to flick back before starting each story to get an idea of what to expect. I also loved that there was a brief explanation of what each “Part” represented and that each story came with a heat rating. That's great information to have on hand. (Example, one flame equals no sex, two is fade-to-black and then more detailed as they increase to five flames)

~

OVERALL

What a fantastic collection of stories! And, don't underestimate that tag in the title. This really is a story about men falling in love. It's not erotica. It's not cheap thrills. It's not even cheesy romance. This is real men, of all different ages, backgrounds and showing a range of diversity in various forms, sharing their stories of romance and love.

Normally, I offer a star rating for each story, but I don't need to do that here. Every story is 5 star quality. Perfection. Beautiful. Romantic. All of these stories are those things and more. Some made me cry, some made me laugh and you can bet your bottom that I was smiling through almost every one of them. They may tackle tough issues, real challenges that relationships can face, but they do it in a respectful, compassionate way that draws the reader into the story. Because these are feel-good stories of love and overcoming all the odds.

I've fallen in love with Dale Cameron Lowry's writing and I'll be reading any and every book they ever write.

The characters are diverse, well explored and detailed only enough that it feels comfortably like I know them but without drifting into excessive detail. The stories are sweet, charming and beautiful, because they place the emotional connection of the couples at the very heart of the story and only add the heat when appropriate. And the attention to detail within the worlds – whether it be sci-fi, contemporary or paranormal – is incredible. The authenticity of the characters and their struggles – race, hearing, religion and humanity – make these stories real, relateable and the kind of stories that will stick with you for a long time.

These stories have been crafted with love.

You couldn't ask for a better collection.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently enjoyed the writing in Pacific Rimming and was eager for more of Dale’s work, so when the chance to review this collection of stories came up I volunteered immediately. And I wasn’t disappointed.

This is a superb collection of short stories set around the theme of men falling in love. Previously published separately, they are now grouped together and available in one money-saving volume. I particularly liked the diverse range of stories, from contemporary to fantasy, from sci-fi to menage. There’s something for all tastes here and the heat ratings span from fade to black to medium steam to smoking hot and explicit. The introduction to the book helpfully allocates heat ratings to the blurb for each story, so if necessary you can pick and choose the story you wish to read, although I read from start to finish without jumping around.

The stories within this anthology demonstrate Dale’s talent as a writer. Each storyline is different, yet poignant and beautifully written. A host of diverse and wonderfully portrayed characters have been created and, even though the stories are relatively short, the personalities are accessible and relatable. Some of the stories are sweet and romantic, some will make you smile, some will pull on your heartstrings, and many will heat you up! All of them tell the tale of two (or more) men falling in love. Sometimes fast, sometimes hard, and sometimes fantastically. I’m hard-pressed to choose a favourite one. Highly recommended.

Review also posted on Gay Book Reviews:
http://gaybook.reviews/2017/03/02/lil...

[Tammy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally reviewed for Love Bytes Reviews: http://lovebytesreviews.com/2017/03/2...

Born of Fire is a beautiful love story about Aodhán and Cainnech. When Aodhán was born, he was so sickly his mother thought he was a changeling, replaced by the fairies because, “ It seemed a newborn couldn’t be around longer than a few months before the fairies switched it with one of their own elderly people who, though aged and decrepit, could not at first be distinguished from the human babe it replaced.” Only, Aodhán was a human baby born with Cholera except when his mother tried to send him back to the fairies by burning him in the fire Aodhán was badly burnt instead. Instead of letting his disfigurement get him down Aodhán became a celebrated basket weaver.
One night Aodhán was resting by the road when he sees a beautiful young man in the moon and he fell in love with him. The fairies are a very jealous race so they trick Aodhán into going with them to their place where they take away his burns, other injuries, he forgets he’s human and that he fell in love with the man in the moon. That is until the fairies decide to go out hunting for a human and abduct the same man. As soon as they speak their connection breaks through the fairies hold on Aodhán and out of spite the fairies give back his burns and injuries.
Ghost of a Chance is about Jeremy meeting Frank in the university library. Jeremy is a very serious senior who doesn’t date or party in fact his parents declared that he was born old! When Jeremy meets Frank, he is immediately smitten. Frank is an incredibly good-looking, old fashioned young man and Jeremy can’t help but begin to fall in love with him. They spend every night together for the next week, Frank even agrees spend Sukkot with Jeremy in the sukkah Jeremy builds. After spending the night together Jeremy is heartbroken when Frank pulls away and won’t touch him or let Jeremy touch him. Frank then tells Jeremy about how he was killed in a fire in the very same building they’re in now and this is when Jeremy does some investigating and discovers they discover that the more time they spend together and the stronger the emotion Frank feels the more solid Frank becomes and for longer periods of time.
Far From Home is about the love and connection Mateo and Rajiv have with each other. Rajiv has been sent to earth to restore the barren lands to try to make earth livable again whilst his husband Mateo is back on Mars. Rajiv and Mateo get limited time together so they they’ve worked out a way to “be” together with the help of the TTASS. The TTASS - or temperature, texture and shape simulator used a combination of probes and ultra-high-frequency sonar, is actually just a common piece of lab equipment that Mateo adapted into a sex toy for them to share. Because Mateo knows that Rajiv uses his sense of smell a lot he has worked out a way to incorporate this into the TTASS’s workings as well. Far From Home is when Mateo surprises Rajiv with the added sensory input he developed for him and how they have to express their love for each other until they can be together again.

[Staphysagria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite mixed. They are all m/m romances. Divided into 3 sections: first "falling fast.." 3 short stories about love /lust at first sight. The first one has an interesting pair lined up :a Mormon - raised young man who invents and sells phone apps and has started his own firm hiring a Latino bartender for the firm's Christmas bash. Quote :"this person of mystery and contradictions. Atheist who sells bibles. Skinny white boy with a voice deeper than a Tuba. Man with a girl's name. " and a little bit of instant Spanish thrown in for good measure. Because it's a short story there is no room for elaboration on the development of a partnership. It just ist. But it's still cute because the two guys are, although we learn very little about Damian. So I'd give it three stars . no. 2 is the turtle watching couple who realise they need to make time for each other in their schedules. Message taken. But there is no real story behind it. So 2 stars for that one. Then there is no. 3 which is quite original and I really enjoyed. It is about 2 linguists comparing sign languages of different nations and get to know each other intimately, being faced with the realistic problem of long distance, but it is very sweet and the characters are plausible. Plus an extra star for the unusual and interesting topic making it 4 stars. I skipped the fantasy bits after leafing through them, because they aren't my books by choice. Part 3 is made up of 2 stories : one story about a black jew and a white guy from the bible belt. Sounds interesting, but then things stop. 2stars for too many words without actually something happening . the 2nd story is about a couple picking up a third, not really plausible, and apart from a lot of literary spank Bank material nothing interesting going on. So two stars.14:5=2.8-so the average is 3 stars

[Christina's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm generally not a fan of short stories. The way Dale wrote these though....oh....be still my heart.

It ranges from soft and sweet to erotic. Includes contemporary romance, paranormal, and sci-fi.

A little bit for everyone.

You can see my full review on my website: http://christinasbookshelf.net/2017/0...

[Sam Thorne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fantastic collection. As someone who really enjoys MM short stories, there was something to appeal to my sense of romance, raw heat, and sense of humour in every section. I cannot recommend this more highly.

Dale creates real characters with unique idiosyncracies and backgrounds, and does an amazing job breaking down cultural barriers in the process.

Definitely a book to read in private!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good assortment of short stories.

This is my first time reading this author and this collection of short stories is a good introduction to this authors writing style. The books are placed in categories with heat ratings from 1-5. All the stories are low angst and filled with good characters, decent stories and good sex scenes. Recommended.