Love Unlimited: Anthology

by Katie Leonard, Anne Hamilton, Samantha Bryant

Explore the unlimited nature of love and its many incarnations in Love Unlimited, an anthology featuring eleven short stories and novellas by women authors that cross generations, cultural backgrounds, and borders.

Some of the stories will warm your heart, tickle your funny bone, and make you reflect on the complex nature of love.

LOVE LETTERS TO THE UNIVERSE by Bryana Beecham
When Ursula aims her cupid’s arrow at an office colleague, the drama begins with a series of handwritten letters. Penned to charm and disarm, the one-sided letters take on a life of their own... until one day Ursula decides it’s time to take their relationship to the next level. What could possibly go wrong?

IN HER SPACE by Geralyn Corcillo
A sixty-four-year-old woman lives quietly, content with all she has survived in life. But things change when she discovers a homeless young man living under her small house.

SMYTH SAVES THE DATE by Laura Chapman
While clashing with his stern but swoon-worthy producer, George, about the show’s direction—and trying to plan his best friend’s wedding—Smyth will have to choose what he needs more: fame or love.

SUMMER HEALING by Kelly Cain
A contemporary enemies to lovers romance about a poly-sci major home for the summer from college. While visiting her ailing grandfather in the hospital, she meets a hot RN with strong political opinions, completely opposite of her own.

SUPERMOM by Katie Leonard
When her mother-in-law is injured, Lauren is forced to bring her wife’s son (okay, he’s her son, too) to a comic book convention. As she navigates a world of masked heroes, flirty villains, and a giant gorilla, she learns unexpected lessons about empathy and love.

THE SHINING GIRL by Anne Hamilton
Surviving a cyclone, Caroline travels from India to London and back again, to find – maybe – the man she once loved but shouldn’t have. En route, a surreal encounter with her would-be guardian angel helps her redefine love, life, and what she really wants from both.

KANEEZ’S BULBUL: THE SONGBIRD by Zainab Muhammad Shahid
Set in Lahore, the capital city of the Pakistani province of Punjab, this love story features a young couple whose marriage of convenience reveals dark family secrets from the pre-Partition era. If love gives life, it certainly has the power to take it away.

FLYGIRL’S SECOND CHANCE by Samantha Bryant
Jessica “Flygirl” Roark has no problem with flying headlong into danger to save the citizens of Springfield, but that doesn’t mean she’s immune to nerves on the eve of her wedding. Sure, she’s survived ovarian cancer and learned to control her new powers of flight, but is she ready for her second chance at romance?

STARTING OVER by Lizbeth Durano
When her flight is delayed due to a snowstorm, a young painter, recently betrayed by her boyfriend and best friend, finds herself stuck overnight at Gate 27. But she’s not alone for she finds a new friend in a carefree young man who just might be the perfect friend for the duration of the wait… maybe even longer.

PARIS IN APRIL by Therese Giraldi
An American woman has her life upended on an April day in Paris.

380 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2017

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, a disclaimer: I'm one of the 11 authors writing as Lizbeth Durano and this is a review for one of the stories in the anthology, Kaneez's Bulbul: The Songbird which features a young couple whose marriage of convenience reveals dark family secrets from the pre-Partition era.

I really enjoyed this story. Zainab has a keen eye for storytelling and she doesn't hold back. The Songbird is set during a dark time in the region's history and so there may be triggers for some readers but they're only mentioned in passing. One sentence, maybe two. But the story is powerful and the punch toward the end is heartbreaking. This is her first published story and I hope she writes more.

I intend to read the rest of the stories in the anthology and so will probably update this review as I go.

[Kelly Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I have a story in this anthology, I would still like to review the collection minus mine. I was honored to be included with such talented women who express love in all of its forms. It's not always pretty, but it's real and I can appreciate the stories for what they are.

[Laurie Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology features a variety of authors, some I am familiar with, some I am not, and a few who are publishing for the first time. It's a wonderful mix, with a variety of voices approaching the same subject in many different ways. I thoroughly enjoyed each different expression of love and I particularly appreciated their range. The overall message of the book is all the more powerful for it. Great read.

[Geralyn Corcillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of stories, above all else, is about hope. Whether the story is a happy romance or complex exploration into fundamental differences between lovers or a tale of those who lives quiet lives that will likely never be a part of a scintillating romance or a story about atypical love or romance or the story of survival, each story injects the reader with the hope we can all find in human connection.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good anthology about the many faces of love.

[Timothy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst ever. A book of stories about love featuring rape, murder, and cheating. Few happy endings. Glad to be done with it. Stay away, if you want a pleasant read.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s always nice to have a book you can pick up and read in segments. This anthology of short stories is absolutely ideal for that. Eleven very different authors all giving their take on the unlimited nature of love. Some I have read their work before while others are completely new to me so that makes it interesting. What is love? What does it mean to the individuals? How is it expressed? Each form of love is unique and I’m sure there will be one if not more stories in here that will capture your heart. A nicely produced book that holds a variety of enjoyment.

I’m just going to highlight two that particularly held my attention, I enjoyed and will remember.

IN HER SPACE by Geralyn Corcillo

A lady increasing in years, with secrets in her past has her reasons for never marrying or having children. She lives alone and is very wary about letting anyone get close to her, even a friend who she has known for years. There is an underlying sensation of fear, but what of?

Eventually this lady becomes aware of something under her house .. can she possibly be brave enough to investigate or let anyone get close to her heart .. this is a lovely story of overcoming emotions in a very innocent way. This tale left me full of hope that there can still be good in the world.

THE SHINING GIRL by Anne Hamilton

I was immediately captivated from the beginning of The Shining Girl when a young lady, Caroline is sitting on a plane, scribbling her life choices on a sick bag. I could identify with that! I loved her thought process, am I ‘Plane-Crazy or Plain-Crazy!?

She is running from a cyclone to a destination in India where there is someone she may/may-not want to meet in room 921. Her dilemma of whether there are actually voices in her head telling her what to do or if she is in fact thinking clearly adds to the suspense. Who is it she feels she should see?

When she meets a young man working at the hotel there is a connection between them, he possibly understands her better than she does herself. Or it could be pori rahka kora…..

This is a beautiful story with so much atmosphere the visuals and scents lift off the page and enrich the reading experience. Sometimes love arrives in mysterious ways and this tale shows we should open our hearts to accept it.

There is an author bio and contact details at the end of each story.

[JJ Broenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology has a wide range of types of love which kept it quite interesting. My three favorites out of the book two of them which are about a wedding in part, but the third is about PTSD and showing love in a different way.
The two involving a wedding or a wedding plan were Smyth Saves the Date by Laura Chapman and Flygirls' Second Chance by Samantha Bryant.
Smyth's love story was not the main focus of the story until late into it and I enjoyed the subtlety and the ending was satisfying, I felt invested in it working out in the end for Smyth.
Flygirl aka Jessica's story was focused on her, but not really on her wedding but on her job as a superhero and balancing planning a wedding to someone who know her as Jessica and flygirl and loves her children from her first marriage as well. The story completes before the wedding takes place but is satisfying as well in that you feel confident it will work out well.
The third story In Her Space by Geralyn Corcillo took me by surprise it seemed like a horror story at first especially at the start talking about the man living under her house. It took a deep meaning for me and, I would imagine for other readers. The care that the main character took for the man that was living under her house was amazing. It was touching and emotional and an inspiring story of selfless love.

[Nikki LeClair · Rating 5 out of 5]

From time to time, I like putting down the full length novels and novella's, and pick up a series of shorts. This has been one of my favourites so far!
I have read works from some of these novels and of course, they did not disappoint. It's hard to not spoil anything about these stories! They are all a great variety of author voices, and the characters are all well written and developed. You'll absolutely adore some, and absolutely loathe others. Even though the general theme is Love, they are all about different kinds of love. There is so much hope in these stories that when you finish them, each leaves you with a smile on your face. I read this series rather quickly, though the review took some time (for shame for me! I'm an author and should know better lol), I can see that this was a hard book to put down. Every story left you ready to dive into the next one without pause. Absolutely adored this!

[Zainab Muhammad Shahid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being one of the 11 authors featured in this anthology; it is my first publication, and I am honoured to have been included with talented women who had wonderful stories to tell. The authors of "Love Unlimited", have done an amazing job in portraying various shades and hues of Love. Whether a story has a fairy tale ending, or a tragic one; no one can be spared by the magic of love. Love might not always bring comfort; it might feature a strong presence in an absence; but it never quits reminding, that there is always a second chance; a hope; because love, never dies. This book promises to stir a blend of emotions and is definitely worth a read.

[Kendra]

Love Unlimited is an intriguing anthology of short fiction with an uplifting concept at its heart. Although love is the theme, the love featured in these stories isn’t purely romantic. Where it is romantic, it’s rarely the traditional boy-meets-girl love story. There are stories about the love a parent feels for a child, ambiguous love, the rediscovery of love following loss and the way loneliness and a sense of compassion can bring about a different kind of love, amongst many others.

While not all of the stories were to my taste, and there were places where I felt the writing could have been stronger, I found the general message of the collection to be commendable. Featuring stories by eleven different authors, the anthology includes a range of writing styles. What I enjoyed most about this collection was its sheer diversity. The characters featured in the stories span cultures, generations, abilities and sexual orientations. It’s rare to see so many diverse characters in one place and this alone makes the collection worth reading.

A few of the stories which I particularly enjoyed, include:

Summer Healing by Kelly Cain: When budding law school student Hayleigh Malone returns home for the summer holidays in order to visit her ill grandfather in hospital, she’s surprised to find herself falling in love with his nurse, whose political opinions are very different from her own. Cain’s story shows how irrational love can be at times, while also showing how it can be used to bridge people of different opinions and backgrounds.

I liked that the author showed how current political movements in the States affect real people and their relationships. Hayleigh’s interest in, and involvement with, the Black Lives Matter protests was pleasing to see, as movements such as these aren’t included often enough in contemporary fiction.

In Her Space by Geralyn Corcillo: When a sixty-four year old librarian discovers a young man living under her house, she isn’t quite sure what to do. She’s always worked hard to remain unnoticed and has lived alone for most of her life. When she discovers that the man has been going through her trash and eating the fruit from the trees in her yard, she decides to help. Through opening herself up to his presence, she begins to learn to accept her own.

The story skilfully navigates the gulf between our perceptions of ourselves and the truth. Love, empathy and kindness are shown to be powerful tools to connect with others and promote healing.

The Shining Girl by Anne Hamilton: Pale-skinned and blue-eyed Caroline has survived a devastating cyclone in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. On her flight home to London, England, she ponders her options going forward. The experience has made her view her life—and the man she loves—in a new light. But, having lost so much already, will she be able to recover that which is most important to her?

The Shining Girl won first prize in the New Asian Writing (NAW) Short Story Competition 2016, and it’s easy to see why. With beautifully written prose and deftly handled subject matter, the story explores the magic inherent in our lives and relationships. I also enjoyed her vivid descriptions of India.