Heart2Heart: A Charity Anthology, Volume 4

Heart2Heart Charity Anthologies

by Leslie Copeland (Editor), Jeff Adams (Contributor), Macy Blake (Contributor)

Once upon a time, a bunch of authors wondered...
Why should Heart2Heart - the phenomenally successful dating app - only work its magic in the human world when lonely lycans, dejected dragons, and jilted jackalopes need love, too?

In this new paranormal universe, mages and shifters, vampires, psychics, and even humans, will reach out to Heart2Heart podcast host Gene E. Del’Amp for help finding a magical match… and they just might find that talking about their woes helps their wishes come true.

Eighteen of your favorite gay romance authors have come together to bring you brand-new paranormal and urban fantasy stories inspired by reader suggestions!

Once again, all proceeds from this collection will go to the authors’ favorite LGBTQ charities, to ensure that love in all its forms will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year!

Titles included in the collection:
A Caller From Grand Rapids, part 1 and 2 by Jeff Adams and Will Knauss
A Caller From Windermere by Charlie Cochet
A Caller From San Francisco by Hailey Turner
A Caller From Springfield by J.D. Light
A Caller From Ottawa by Jenn Burke
A Caller From Portland by Kiki Burrelli
A Caller From New Orleans by Lisa Oliver
A Caller From Knoxville by Macy Blake
A Caller From New York by Maz Maddox
A Caller From Pittsburgh by Morgan Brice
A Caller From Boston by Pandora Pine
A Caller From Chicago by Piper Scott
A Caller From Seattle by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes
A Caller From Savannah by Silvia Violet
A Caller From Montreal by S.J. Himes
A Caller From Austin by Susi Hawke

Genres: Anthologies, M M Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Vampires, Shapeshifters

760 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 2, 2020

Reviews

[Cadiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review when I'm at the laptop but this is definitely my favourite of all the anthologies so far.

So, it's not a secret that I love a good urban fantasy, fantasy and paranormal read, I am a Sci-Fi/Fantasy girl at heart, which made this particular volume of the charity anthology just perfect for me.

I read every story, all 16, and there wasn't one I didn't really like, although I have some very definite favourites:

A Caller From Grand Rapids by Jeff Adams and Will Knauss - the one which kicks it all off, super sweet introduction to former NHL player and possibly magic genie Noah and his office manager Marc, who takes a chance on asking out his boss.

A Caller From Windermere by Charlie Cochet - definitely one of my favourites, this was a lovely little tale about finding your own inner worth and having faith in spite of all the odds, Salem was a cutie, his alpha wolf shifter bodyguard Izzie was fierce and the family were loud and loving!

A Caller from San Francisco by Hailey Turner - what can I say, I'd read Hailey's shopping list. This one also touches on some of my favourite mythology, the Celtic legends of Selkies, seal or otter shifters and their beautiful fur coats. Jacob was just the right person to trust with Ethan's pelt.

A Caller from Boston by Pandora Pine - this was just wonderful, a great meet/cute when Porter literally knocks Zion off his feet, throw in disability rep, a psychic gift and two men who were just made for each other and I really loved this one.

A Caller from Seattle by Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes- my other fave paranormal duo, Sam and Fawkes went into vampire territory with this short but totally puling at the heart-strings romance between a 21-year-old who'd been thrown out for being gay and the vampire doctor who offers him a second chance of life.

A Caller from Montreal by SJ Himes - dragon! Yep this was a really interesting twist on dragon shifters, magic and fated mates, loved it!

As with all the other entries in this series, all net profits are going to three very worthwhile charities, find out more here:

https://www.facebook.com/Heart2HeartA...

[Gerbera_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The anthology was enjoyable. Besides its charitable endeavors, every story was also an excellent example of participating authors's works. It reminded me why I love their books and why I have stopped reading some of them. Most of the stories had little/off page to no steam. Every story was unique in its own way. I am not going to do a break down on each because it's hot and I am way too lazy today. I enjoyed them, had fun reading them and supported charities while doing something I love. It was a win win for me!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Additional reviews reread 2021

A Caller from Windmere by Charlie Cochet
3.5 stars. This was adorable! I do kinda wish Salem didn’t get these bananas amazing powers and instead was most powerful because of his lasagna but I would still definitely read a whole story about these two.

A Caller from San Francisco by Hailey Turner
3.5 stars. I love everything Hailey writes so it was no surprise I enjoyed this one so much. It just felt way too short and I’d love to get a full version

A Caller from Ottawa by Jenn Burke
4 stars. I have such heart eyes for this one. Cool magical explanations and adorable characters. I’d read a whole series set in this world.

A Caller from New Orleans by Lisa Oliver
3 stars. Surface level cute like all the stories have been but I also didn’t really feel like I got to know any of the characters.

A Caller from Knoxville by Macy Blake
The writing was good but this was more erotica than romance. I would’ve loved to see more about what it means to be a forest guardian, rather than what seemed to be a lot of sex in a short story.

A Caller From New York by Maz Maddox
3 stars. I love Maz’s writing, I’m just currently in the mood for stories with more substance and less sex. This was pretty much just one long sex scene.

A Caller from Pittsburgh by Morgan Brice
3.5. Geeks, squirrel shifters, and little love gifts. This was definitely the story for me.

A Caller from Boston by Pandora Pine
2.5 stars. Pine’s writing style very rarely works for me and this one was unfortunately not a win. Very saccharine, and even though I don’t always hate Insta-love it was so extreme here I couldn’t handle it.

A Caller from Chicago by Piper Scott
2.5 stars. I usually live Piper Scott but this was just far too ridiculous for me.

A Caller from Savannah by Silvia Violet
3 stars. Maybe it’s just burnout, but I haven’t been enjoying the stories as much. Still cute, but so surface level.

A Caller from Montreal by SJ Himes
3.5 stars. I love dragon stories. It’s pretty hard to get it wrong with me lol. This was short and sweet and I definitely enjoyed it.

A Caller from Austin by Susi Hawke
3 stars. I usually really enjoy Hawke's work but this was just okay to me. It was a lot of information that really wasn't explained and surface level development


Original Review
I absolutely loved that this time around the Heart2Heart anthology had a paranormal twist! It gave some authors that haven't been showcased before a chance to shine, and I absolutely adored it.
A Caller From Grand Rapids by Jeff Adams and William Knauss
3.5 stars
Very cute, sweet romance. I liked that both men were secretly pining after one another and the way they got up the nerve to do something about it. A great intro and conclusion to the anthology.

A Caller from Seattle by Sam Burns and WM Fawkes
4.5 stars
I absolutely loved this one. A vampire daddy who saves his virgin boy’s life? Sign me up! Adorable with a good deal of steam as well. I would definitely read an entire story on these two (or Robin!)

A Caller from Springfield-JD Light
4.5 stars
JD Light is a go-to for sweet, fluffy fated mates stories with adorably awkward characters. This one fit the bill perfectly, and again, I would love to read more about these two!

A Caller from Portland-Kiki Burrelli
4 stars
So cute! Two werewolves on a search for a pony who meet all kind of magical creatures, what’s not to love! The “road trip” gave a perfect backdrop to get to know the characters well even in such a short story. I’m rooting for these two!

I will definitely review more as I read more, but my overall rating will not change. These stories alone make the book at the very least a 4 star read!

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book as part of the 2020 Members' Choice Awards Challenge.
Categories: Best Anthology

I would have liked it if the authors agreed on more than just the basic outline of the universe, as there were some very inconsistent details about it throughout the stories. But overall, if I had to describe this anthology in one sentence, I would say it is cute and fluffy. I had fun reading it. And it's for a good cause!

A Caller from Grand Rapids, part 1– Jeff Adams and Will Knauss
Not sure why they felt the need to make this story into 2 parts, but it feels meh to rate just one part...

A Caller From Windermere – Charlie Cochet
Cute little story about a mage and a dog shifter with Cochet's signature goofy humor.

A Caller from San Francisco – Hailey Turner
A story about a selkie and a firefighter. I tried one book by Turner before and I couldn't finish it so I was a bit weary of this one, but in the end I liked it and would love an extended version of it.

A Caller from Springfield – J.D. Light
A story about a human and a demon. My first by this author and very cute.

A Caller from Ottawa– Jenn Burke
A story about a witch with wonky magic who finally finds a home and a family. My favorite so far! Love me some Jenn Burke <3

A Caller from Portland – Kiki Burrelli
My first by this author. A shifter story, and I liked the characters but the writing was not for me.

A Caller from New Orleans – Lisa Oliver
Adorable hedgehog shifter finds his wolf mate. The writing was not for me but I loved everything about the hedgehog!

A Caller from Knoxville – Macy Blake
Another new author. I loved the characters and the setting - a human meets a forest guardian (kind of reminded me of the forest god from Princess Mononoke), but it had way too many sex scenes for such a short story.

A Caller from New York – Maz Maddox
This was just one overly long sex scene. I didn't like it. :(

A Caller from Pittsburgh – Morgan Brice
This writer is definitely not my cup of tea.

A Caller from Boston – Pandora Pine
My least favorite so far. Too insta love. Too much telling, not enough showing.

A Caller from Chicago – Piper Scott
A story about an innocent human and a being from another dimension. Don't know what to think about this one. It had humor that felt like Alice Winters and I'm not a fan. But the setting was interesting so points for that!

A Caller from Seattle – Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes
A dying 21 year old meets a vampire. Short but still managed to make me cry.

A Caller from Savannah – Silvia Violet
This one was really fluffy. A mage and his love interest enter a baking contest to win a bakery!

A Caller from Montreal – SJ Himes
A dragon finds his treasure. Loved! <3

A Caller from Austin – Susi Hawke
A vampire story. Despite it being a bit clumsily written, I liked it.

A Caller from Grand Rapids, part 2 – Jeff Adams and Will Knauss
I'm still not sure why they divided this story into two parts. Could have left it as the last story imho.
We get an explanation on how the podcast and wish granting works. As for the romantic part of the story, I spent too much time trying to remember what happened in the first part to really enjoy it.

[True Loveislovereview · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart2Heart volume #4

In this new paranormal universe, mages and shifters, vampires, psychics, and even humans, will reach out to Heart2Heart podcast host Gene E. Del’Amp for help finding a magical match… and they just might find that talking about their woes helps their wishes come true.

With every call, you understand there is some kind of magic going on.

A Caller from Grand Rapids, part 1 Jeff Adams & Will Knauss

Thomas is falling for his boss and knows it’s asking for trouble, still.
Gene the host of the podcast who is talking to Thomas granted his wish, he should give it a try.
Marc is Gene’s producer and he didn’t tell Gene his middle name...

An amazingly kind story, intriguing, fun, of course, I hurried over to part 2

A Caller from New Orleans by Lisa Oliver

Bailey always sees the big handsome guy in the gym, hastily he gets out of his way because he thinks of himself as a little unattractive guy. Little does he know, Sin has only eyes for Bailey.
What he does know is that Sin is a player with every week a different hookup.

After a disturbing phone call from the police, Bailey returns to the office to meet... the big guy from the gym, detective Sin.
Even though Sin is his fated mate Bailey knows a player isn’t what he’s looking for.

A big wolf and a little hedgehog. Awesomely written super short story.

A Caller from Savannah Silvia Violet

Kai works at the family catering company. In his eyes a bit boring. When he has his own bakery it would be so different and magical.
Nate hates his job, or more his boss, and would love to start something new
Nate and Kai meet when they both see a poster for a baking contest, the price is a bakery.

The magic has a role, so does their sparkling connection and all the cakes.
You understand Kai was the caller :)
Lovely story, kind, two guys meant to be together. Captivating and creatively written story.


A Caller from Grand Rapids, part 2 Jeff Adams & Will Knauss

Marc can’t believe the magic of a call is really working. Gene isn’t convinced about the
magic part until he looks deeper into it.
They fit so well. Both kind, easygoing, with humor, dedicated.
Alternating between both men we get their pov and I love that.
A sweet warm-hearted story.

[~nikki the recovering book addict · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad

Anthologies hardly work for me. But this one wasn’t bad. The only 2 that were stellar was the one from Jenn Burke and Kiki Burelli, which is actually a bit of a surprise because while I love Jenn Burke, Kiki Burelli’s work is often a miss for me. But I’m so glad it worked this time!! The SJ Himes one was another notable one. Except it rushed the ending and finished wayyyyy too soon.

All in all, not bad! 😊

[F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always with this type of anthology the stories are too short to really enjoy - one gulp and they're gone!! Kudos to all the authors that contributed. Loved the cute little hedgehog shifters!!
5 stars as all proceeds to charity.

[Rin (indefinite hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate rating anthologies, because there were some REALLY great stories in here. But I also can’t ignore the really disappointing ones. Hailey Turner’s and Charlie Cochet’s were the stand outs here by far.

Jeff Adams and Will Knauss 2.5⭐️⭐️
Uh… it was like, half a story. And it was split in half. 🤔🤣

Charlie Cochet 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s very difficult to have a well formed plot, developed characters, side characters, sex, action, and love in a short story. Well this little one read like a full length novel. Might be one of the best short stories I’ve ever read.

Hailey Turner 4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pretty solid and sweet and sexy story.

J.D. Light 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cute

Jenn Burke zero stars
All the sex was off page. Not even their first kiss was on page. BIG NOPE.

Kiki Burelli 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cute

Lisa Oliver zero stars
No kiss, no sex, no confessions. Lame.

Macy Blake 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cute but I’m over Harry Potter references in literature.

Maz Maddox 3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing was a tad confusing but it was cute I guess

Morgan Brice zero stars
No kiss. No sex. Wtf is with these PG shorts?!

Pandora Pine 1⭐️
There’s insta-love then there’s this. Can anything be faster than insta-love? Also inconsistencies in the writing: *Porter kissed my cheek. His one-day growth of stubble scratched across my chin.* In the first chapter, which was the day before, Porter was described as having a scraggly beard. The sex was written weird too. Aaaaand this was written exactly like the way two other authors I’ve shelved write, which gives me the uncomfies 😳

Piper Scott zero ⭐️🥴
Oh my god I am reminded well why I shelved this author. This is the most irritating story ever.

Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes 3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️
Some of the vampire-related things were a little cheesy but the Daddy thing was surprising and hot.

Silvia Violet 3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️
I skimmed the competition stuff. Just don’t care lol. It was cute.

SJ Himes 2⭐️⭐️
I absolutely adore Himes storytelling but this was 90% internal dialogue and there was only a kiss. Sad face.

Susi Hawke-
Don’t feel comfortable reviewing. RIP Susi ❤️

[Dixiecowgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing selection of Paranormal stories from some of my favorite authors.  i read several of the stories so far and I would like to tell you about some of them.

Each story that I have read in this book has been top notch and together this is an absolute jewel.  

Lisa Oliver wrote a delightful story about a hedgehog shifter finding his mate in a wolf shifter. This was a fun and engaging story about an accountant who worked for a man who was murdered and he meets his mate, who is the detective that is investigating the murder.   Two very different men find what they have been hoping for through an unexpected turn of events.  

Morgan Brice wrote a very touching and heartfelt story about a squirrel shifter who falls for a man that is human.   I absolutely loved how the squirrel romanced his man and i loved how they found their way to love.  

Pandora Pine wrote a sweet and dreamy story about how a big man, who found others intimidated by his size, finds an amazing connection with a blind man who has a psychic gift. 

Hailey Turner wrote this really charming story about a selkie shifter and a fireman.  This was a truly awesome story about trust and giving the gift of trust and giving your heart.   

I recommend that you purchase this book like I have done and keep it as a treasure to read when you need a feel good story.  I know I will read these stories many times. 

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: MM Romance authors, learn how to write a short story before doing an anthology! I promised myself I wouldn't read any more of these because they're ALWAYS overwhelmingly disappointing, but I'm a sucker for the paranormal. The average of all these stories for me is less than 2 stars, which is embarrassing. The only stories I actually enjoyed were from authors who I already love, and there were only TWO stories from new-to-me authors that might make me want to read more of their works. Everything else would make me actively avoid these authors, which is a shame for them. Y'all are just hurting yourself putting out lazy, ill-thought-out content.

A Caller From Grand Rapids, part 1 and 2 by Jeff Adams and Will Knauss - 2.5 stars
Ex-profession hockey player with magic and human podcast manager. I understand the whole bookending concept, but I don't like it anymore than I have for the past 3 books. I find it clunky and not actually that effective. I also felt a bit let down by this story and the background of the genie magic. After hearing about the podcast and genie in every other story, finding out that he's not a genie and didn't even know he had any magic at all? Kind of meh. I also felt the romance was lukewarm at best.

A Caller From Windermere by Charlie Cochet - 2.5 stars
Mage who can only conjure lasagne and a shifter. Verged into crackiness and got a little cheesy. As always, I think this author has some interesting ideas that are not executed the way I wish they wer.

A Caller From San Francisco by Hailey Turner - 4 stars
Selkie and a human firefighter from a coven. Loved the concept and the characters, though the ending was a bit abrupt.

A Caller From Springfield by J.D. Light - 2.5 stars
Chubby human & demon mate. Liked having a chubby MC but the whole thing was a little ridiculous and convoluted.

A Caller From Ottawa by Jenn Burke - 3.5 stars
Covenless witch with weird magic & human with vaguely witchy powers. No smut, which was a bummer as I enjoyed the dynamic in this one. Ending was a bit dramatic, but sweet overall.

A Caller From Portland by Kiki Burrelli - 2 stars
Werewolf shifters. Not really my vibe, a bit disjointed, moved way too quickly, and the ending was full of public declarations which I loathe.

A Caller From New Orleans by Lisa Oliver - 2 stars
Wolf shifter and hedgehog shifter. Liked the hedgehog shifter but didn't like the wolf shifter character at all, and the murder mystery made no sense. No smut.

A Caller From Knoxville by Macy Blake - DNF 0 stars
Stag shifter and... idk, human, maybe? Didn't read long enough to find out. So far, this was the worst story from a technical writing standpoint, and add on ridiculous characters and plot and I was out of there.

A Caller From New York by Maz Maddox - DNF 0 stars
Jackalope shifter and... wtf knows. This was ridiculous. Random shifter assassin who can partially shift but nobody notices? Then he meets a random spy? who immediately guesses he's an assassin, because that's what you assume when you first meet somebody. Couldn't force myself to continue.

A Caller From Pittsburgh by Morgan Brice - 1.5 stars
Squirrel shifter (come on guys, you don't actually have to pick ridiculous animals) and human who is afraid of squirrels (because how else are you going to manufacture angst?). Both guys are super into a super lazy "Supernatural" stand-in and write/read fanfic, only the author wrote it as if a bunch of MM romance readers have never heard of fandom or "shipping". Poorly done meta, no smut.

A Caller From Boston by Pandora Pine - DNF 0 stars
Human (maybe? I didn't read long enough to understand why a human knew about the genie show...) and a blind psychic. Insta-love, which I don't generally enjoy from an author who I know does it in a way I dislike. Gave it a shot, but just not interesting or good.

A Caller From Chicago by Piper Scott - DNF 0 stars
Demon alien?? and human? What the actual fuck was this author smoking. This was unreadable garbage. I am offended this exists.

A Caller From Seattle by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes - 3.5 stars
Vampire and terminally ill human. I really enjoyed the concept of this one and pairing daddy kink with the whole vampire sire thing was a fun kinky touch. I really think this would have worked better as a longer work as there was a lot to explore in this one and I don't think the short story did the idea justice.

A Caller From Savannah by Silvia Violet - 3 stars
Magical baker and human. I liked that, like the previous one, the wish wasn't focused on love, and the baking competition was a fun touch. I did find the mage's family to be a bit overbearing and the ending was a little too neat, but enjoyable overall.

A Caller From Montreal by S.J. Himes - 4 stars
Dragon and mild psychic. One of my favorites! I love this author and the whole concept and vibe here was right up my alley. My only real disappointment (and it was kind of a big one given how much I enjoyed these characters) was the lack of smut.

A Caller From Austin by Susi Hawke - DNF 0 stars
Vampire author and... human? The whole concept of this was stupid and the writing and worldbuilding were terrible. NOT a great story to end this collection on, that's for sure.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology and cannot wait to pick up the next one. This was my first Heart2Heart!!

A caller from Grand Rapids, part 1
Jeff Adams & Will Knauss
4 Stars
I really enjoyed this one!! I love the boss/employee trope as well as the fact that outside of work they had similar interests and were able to connect at one unexpectedly. I just wanted this to be with the other, so I am holding out for more!! It was definitely a great intro to the stories to come.

A caller from Windermere
Charlie Cochet
4 Stars
This was really sweet. Salem is a Mage with the power to conjure up lasagna...he believes he is broken and he has a huge crush on Izzie, who is a family friend and Salem’s new bodyguard. Izzie and Salem soon realize they have both harbored feelings for each other and Salem gets some more powers. It is a sweet feel good story with action.

A caller from San Francisco
Hailey Turner
5 Stars
My favorite up to this point. Had never read about selkie shifter. So, Ethan is a selkie and has his skin, which he must keep safe always. A fire is in his building and he must save his skin, enter Jacob, the sexy fireman to do this for him!! Jacob is a werewolf shifter and just thinks Ethan is super cute and wants to help him out. Anyways short story, they fall in love and Ethan wants Jacob to keep his skin safe for him. Sigh

A caller from Springfield
J.D. Light
5 Stars
Loved this one!! Jonas is pining real hard for his roommate Raph and really just wants to find his soulmate. Well what Jonas doesn’t realize is Raph is in love with Jonas as well and they just have to go to Vegas to figure it out!! Soulmates for the win!

A caller from Ottawa
Jenn Burke
4 Stars
Roland believes he is a broken witch, as he has not been able to find a coven to take him in. Well he gets to be a roommate for a ragtag group of paranormal beings and finds him home. He also finds his love in Miller. They also love animals and it is so sweet.

A caller from Portland
Kikki Burrelli
2 Stars
Eh, this one was not my favorite. Werewolf shifters. One the son of the pack leader and the other wanting to be included more fully in the pack while raising his young sisters. Not bad, but didn’t love it.

A caller from New Orleans
Lisa Oliver
5 Stars
Hedgehog shifter!! Omg sooo cute! Love this so much. Bailey is a hedgehog shifter looking for his mate, and he finds him in Sin, who is a wolf shifter and already has a slight crush on Bailey. I wanted more of this story!!

A caller from Knoxville
Macy Blake
3 Stars
This was interesting. Mates story about two neighbors. One who is not a paranormal being and the other who is a steg shifter and forest protector. It was good and very humorous.

A caller from New York
Maz Maddox
3 Stars
Lars is an antelope shifting assassin who really just wants to write full time. After one of his assassinations he runs into Arlo who he is immediately taken with and they fall in love. Also, Arlo has a super cute hedgehog who is famous!!

A caller from Pittsburgh
Morgan Brice
3 Stars
Squirrel shifter Madden just wants to provide gifts and things for a love and so he takes an interest in Elias who also happens to be a regular commenter on a fanfic that Madden writes. They start a friendship and in the end they decide to give it a go for more. I wanted to of this story and loved, loved the Squirrel shifter storyline.

A caller from Boston
Pandora Pine
4 Stars
Instalove & insta funny:):) Really enjoyed this one.

A caller from Chicago
Piper Scott
4 Stars
Love me some other world action and this did not disappoint. It was also very funny! OTT, but still great.

A caller from Seattle
Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes
5 Stars
Wow, so definitely a short that packs a punch with the feels. Adored this one. Dying human meets a lover in a vampire.

A caller from Savannah
Silvia Violet
5 Stars
Sugary sweet goodness!! Loved this, and a bonus with the baking. I love having cooking/baking in my books.

A caller from Montreal
SJ Himes
5 Stars
Dragon shifter romance! Loved it.

A caller from Austin
Susi Hawke
4 Stars
Love me a short vampire story!

A caller from Grand Rapids, part 2
Jeff Adams & Will Knauss
4 Stars
Well we got an ending for our two MCs from the start. Gene and Marc were a great opener and closer.

[Joyfully Jay]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.5 stars

In this fourth installment of the Heart2Heart anthology, paranormal beings are getting their chance at love. Eighteen authors have joined forces and donated their time to bring the newest anthology to life. Follow along as callers ask for their wish for romance from Gene E. Del’Amp and the Wish of Your Heart podcast. And the proceeds from sales of this anthology go to the authors’ favorite LGBTQ+ charities!

There’s a lot of stories included, so it’s good for a long haul read, but they are pretty short. Have a few minutes and looking for a quick, happy romance? Read one of these stories. The paranormal flavor really worked for me here, and I loved that the famous Gene granted wishes for the men in these stories. But as Gene says, be careful what you wish for!

Read Kris’ review in its entirety here.

[Natalie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charity anthology with stories from some of my favourite m/m authors and new ones I haven’t read before.

1. A caller from Grand Rapids, part 1 by Jeff Adams and Will Knauss. Noah and Marc, the podcast host and the editor. It was sweet. Magic caster? and human with some hockey thrown in. Nice intro. 3.5 stars.

2. A caller from Windermere by Charlie Cochet. A mage that can only conjure lasagna and a dog shifter. Adorable and ridiculous I loved it. Felt like being dropped in the middle of a series with all the family mates. I liked both characters. 4 stars.

3. A caller from San Francisco by Hailey Turner. These are all so cute. Selkie and a firefighter. Goes pretty quick. Favourite character was Dylan. 4 stars.

4. A caller from Springfield by J.D Light. A clueless human with a complex and a demon. This one was my favourite so far. I liked the little backstory with Roan. Ridiculous fun. 5 stars.

5. A caller from Ottawa by Jenn Burke. This one was heartbreaking. A witch kicked out of multiple covens and an author. I liked how there was a second voicemail. 4 stars.

6. A caller from Portland by Kiki Burrelli. Pack wolves and a search for a birthday pony. Couldn’t really get into this one. 3 stars.

7. A caller from New Orleans by Lisa Oliver. A hedgehog shifter and a wolf shifter. The voicemail was adorable and so was the little guy. Felt shorter than the rest. Wouldn’t mind a sequel.4 stars.

8. A caller from Knoxville by Macy Blake. A human and a forest guardian. No voicemail on this one which was a shame. No filter and awkward. They were sweet together. I liked the ending. 3 stars.

9. A caller from New York by Maz Maddox. A jackalope assassin finding a new job. The voicemail was entertaining especially when it shows what Lars is doing. I liked the hedgehog. Cute story. 4 stars.

10. A caller from Pittsburgh by Morgan Brice. Stalker squirrel shifter. Awkward but sweet. I liked the gift giving on both sides. 4 stars.

11. A caller from Boston by Pandora Pine. A wish for love at first sight. Insta love with a blind psychic. Insta love isn’t my thing. 3 stars.

12. A caller from Chicago by Piper Scott. I have no clue what was going on. A guy that wants someone gift wrapped at his door and a not quite demon. The sisters were a little creepy. 3 stars.

13. A caller from Seattle by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes. A dying human and a vampire with a daddy kink. Mostly serious and focused on turning than the romance. 3 stars.

14. A caller from Savannah by Silvia Violet. Opposites attract, a creative mage that wants to be a baker. Cute story. I need that skill with the icing. 3.5 stars.

15. A caller from Montreal by SJ Himes. A truth seeker and a storm dragon. A bit different compared to the others with the love interest listening to the podcast message instead. Sweet and interesting story. 4 stars.

16. A caller from Austin by Susi Hawke. More of a rant than a wish. A human and a vampire. Sweet story in an ongoing war. I liked how far Storm went for his sister. The mother was funny, as was the ghost talk. 4 stars.

17. A caller from Grand Rapids, part 2 by Jeff Adams and Will Knauss. I thought about whether or not to jump straight to this one or wait incase of spoilers. No spoilers. Continues on from the first part. Straightforward confession. Bit disappointed there was no wolf/vampire romance but I enjoyed how sweet it was. 3.5 stars.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these stories were really good, some were ok. All in all some good reads

[Achim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this anthology was like getting locked overnight into an old-fashioned candy store. At the beginning of the night you're standing there in the semi-dark in front of all those colorful sweets with big eyes and a devotionally whispered Yeah on your lips.

You start with Charlie Cochet and it's exactly the explosion of sweetness you expect. Although you can't really stop at some point everything blurs together and you wonder if they only adapted some colors and shapes but never touched the flavor since the 60's. Only Hailey Turner's contribution with its underlying melancholy stands out.

You start to become a bit picky and for a short time believe Piper Scott's variety might be what you need but its demonic burst of licorice is an acquired taste and doesn't really fit into this candy store. Then you open the Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes jar and you may believe there could be candy tasting like the 21st century, some sadness first at the tip of your tongue, still the overwhelming flavor of insta-love but at least not with the first guy who comes along and this little dusty aftertaste of the M/M variation of a 60's husband/wife role model is wiped away by a cute daddy kink.

However at the end of the night you only long for a steak or at least for a fresh carrot, just something not sweet … until the next time ;)

Don't get me wrong, a lot of those stories would work for me, some I even would have liked to read a longer version of but all together, one after the other that was a bit too much for me.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great collection of stories, there are definitely a few I hope that are expanded upon, that's for sure.
I think this was the first of the Heart2Heart anthologies where I've only read one of the authors before, although I've heard of a few others. But now I have a list of authors to add to my ever growing tbr.

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love urban fantasy and paranormal read and this particular volume of the charity anthology is just perfect and the best is that all my favorites authors took part of this great charity. I read all the stories and this are my favorites:

*A Caller From Windermere by Charlie Cochet: one of my favorites, Salem was a lovely character, a marge who thinks is not worth it because he isn’t as powerful as his family and in love with his alpha shifter bodyguard Izzie, this is a great story about finding you’re worth in spite of all odds.

*A Caller from San Francisco by Hailey Turner: Hailey is also one of my favorite authors and this story is Great, I think this is my first Selkies shifters and their beautiful fur coats, Ethan is so affair of losing his pelt but Jacob is a great guy and the right person to trust with it, love the story!

*A Caller from Boston by Pandora Pine: this was just wonderful, I love this two! Porter literally knocks Zion off his feet, a physic with a visual disability, this two are just made for each other!

*A Caller from Seattle by Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes: My other favorites paranormal duo, Sam Burns & Fawkes their story about vampire doctor and a 21 y/o Timothy who is sick and is been given a second chance, throw a Daddy/boy kink and hot damn!

*A Caller from Montreal by SJ Himes: I love SJ Himes’s books and if it is about dragons the better! Tarquin is dragon shifters and Rick an clairvoyant looking for a job to help his Mom, this books is fill with magic and a dragon finding his treasure! Love it!!!!

This anthology fill with so many great authors and this paranormal universe has become one of my favorites I highly recommended this book!

[Lyndsay TC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that these authors are able to create these amazing stories in just a few short chapters. I also love finding new authors from these types of anthologies. There are so many amazing paranormal shorts in this book!

J.D. Light-Raph and Jonas were amazingly adorable with their mixed up communication and demon/human story. I absolutely loved this story by J.D. Light!

Kiki Burrelli-This romance was about two men trying to find purpose in their life. Lobo was fumbling in his new life while Lloyd was just trying to survive his existing life. The two men stumbled upon one another and had a spark from the beginning. A short and sweet happily for now story.

Charlie Cochet-I love these shorter friends to lovers stories because you skip out on a lot of self-doubt and instead skip straight to the happily ever after or happily for now in these anthologies. Salem and Izzie were no exception, after knowing each other for years, they finally had a chance at love which made Salem a stronger mage and Izzie a stronger shifter.

Jeff Adams & Will Knauss-
Noah (Gene E Del'Amp) & Marc
Jenn Burke-Miller & Roland (human with witch blood & witch)
Lisa Oliver- Sin & Bailey (shifter wolf &
hedgehog)
Hailey Turner-Ethan & Jacob (selkie & human from coven)
Macy Blake- Oliver & Roan (human & deer shifter)
Max Maddox-Lars & Arlo (jackalope & human)
Morgan Brice-Elias & Madden (human & squirrel shifter)
Pandora Pine- Zion & Porter (psychic & human)
Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes-Michael & Timothy (vampire & human)
Silvia Violet- Kai & Nate (mage & human)
Piper Scott- Jackson & Dylan (demon & human)
SJ Himes-Tarquin & Alaric (dragon & clairvoyant)
Susi Hawke- Darcy & Storm (human & vampire)

[Emily Seelye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. I think I read all but 1 (maybe 2) of the stories and enjoyed them all.

I read in KU, but will definitely be purchasing.

[Zee♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun reading this anthology. Some of my favorite authors were contributors and I really enjoyed every one of the 16 stories. Some stood out more than others of course, and some were just okay, but they were all entertaining and great additions to this paranormal installment of the Heart2Heart anthologies.

[RACHEL REED · Rating 4 out of 5]

A CALLER FROM GRAND RAPIDS, PART 1 & 2 by JEFF ADAMS & WILL KNAUSS. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a cute story about the hosts of the Wish Your heart podcast.
Gene E. Del’Amp ( is none other than former pro hockey player Noah McCarthy) who retired due to a concussion and has now turned to journalism and starting his own show.
Marc is his partner and on air producer who has a bit of a crush on Noah.
Marc makes a wish on the show under his alias 'Thomas'. Despite resenting work relationships, Noah grants his wish.
Later we come to know that magic runs in Noah's family and he can help people with their relationships if both parties are open to the same desire.
With a little bit of genie magic Noah and Marc find the courage to open their hearts to eachother.
This was a cute short story divided in parts 1 and 2. A great start to the series.


A CALLER FROM WINDERMERE by CHARLIE COCHET ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Salem Havercroft - Is 200 years old and a member of the most powerful mage family in Florida. He should have come into his powers when he hit puberty, but his only speciality is conjuring lasagna. He is a disappointment to his father and his mage clan. And above all that he hasn't found his mate yet.
As his last straw, he makes a call to the 'Wish your heart' podcast to find someone who loves him for himself.

Izzie is Salem's big brother's best friend and a loyal bodyguard to his family. He is a dog shifter and has his sights set on Salem.

With a little Lasagna magic and a Warlock intervention, Salem and Izzie find their hearts desires.


A CALLER FROM SAN FRANCISCO by HAILEY TURNER⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ethan Smith is a grad student completing his masters in folklore to better represent his selkie clan.
All he wants is someone to go home to and be less lonely.
A fire in his apartment has him in tears over losing his seal skin forever.
Hunky Firefighter Jacob Gallagher comes from a family of witches and Warlocks.
When he goes to rescue Ethan's fuzzy blanket, he understands why the beautiful young man was so attatched to it.
Despite knowing the nature of said blanket he returns it to Ethan.
Thereby gaining the young Shifter's trust and capturing his heart.


A CALLER FROM SPRINGFIELD by J.D. LIGHT⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jonas Bingham is a chubby, quirky human, pining after his hot straight roommate.
Raphael Goodman is an 82 year old exus (crossroads) demon.
Who is head over heels for his roommate who also happens to be his soulmate.
Raphael hasn't told Jonas that their mates, and Jonas has no clue that Raphael is gay and pining after him.
A miscommunication has Raphael thinking that he is being rejected by his mate causing him become gravely ill as a result of the weakening of his mate bond.
Eventually, confessions are made and misconceptions are finally cleared.
Jonas gets someone to love him and accept him for who he is and Raphael gets a loving mate to whom his soul is now tethered to.


A CALLER FROM OTTAWA by JENN BURKE⭐️⭐️⭐️

Roland Gray is a witch who has been rejected by each one of the nine covens he has visited. He thinks his magic is wonky and has been told so on numerous occasions. He lives his solitary life with his fuzzy, part husky mutt BB (Birch Bark). All he wants is a place to call home, or is that really to much to ask for?
Miller Moore has lost his husband, his job and is on the verge of losing his house. He prefers to live alone with his mastiff, Hogan and focus on his writing.
However, in order to keep his house, he now shares the rent with a couple of roommates who are all unique in their own way.
A classifieds ad, a couple of oddball but supportive roomates and two adorable dogs help bring together a hearthwitch and his writer.


A CALLER FROM NEW YORK by MAZ MADDOX ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lars is a trained assassin who comes from a long line of Jackalope shifters. He likes to call it as being in the 'waste management' business.
But all he wants to do is follow his passion and become a writer.
He is on a job, when he stumbles into Arlo, a cute barista who loves to photoshoot his adorable, diva hedgehog, Puffin.
A chance encounter and a job gone awry has the two men finding that they have more in common than he ever imagined.



A CALLER FROM PORTLAND by KIKI BURRELLI ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️

Lobo Luna's life couldn't get any worse. His parents died in a car accident and he is left to care for his twin sisters Cagney and Lacey.
To secure his position in the inner circle of the Portland pack and provide for his sisters, he must first procure a pony for the pack leader's daughter's birthday.
When Lobo nearly runs over a young man sporting a black eye he knows he can't just abandon him.
LLyod is the only son of Portland's pack leader. He is forced to toughen up and spar on a daily and with his father' soldiers. All he wants is to feel wanted and loved for who he is.
A wild goose chase to find the perfect pony accompanied with a couple of detours along the way may just be the perfect recipe to help two lost souls find their way to eachother.


A CALLER FROM NEW ORLEANS by
LISA OLIVER ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bailey Dearne is a 27 year old hedgehog shifter who works as an accountant and is passionate about knitting . He longs to find his fated mate and live happily ever after.
Sin Rand is an officer of the law.
A Wolf shifter who has a reputation for having a roving eye. But all he longs for is someone to call home.
It takes a murder, an evil lion shifter
and a box of doughnuts to bring two fated mates their happily ever after.


A CALLER FROM KNOXVILLE by MACY BLAKE⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oliver Wood Perry is not an outdoorsy person. He would rather research facts and read books. However, to catch the attention of his new neighbour, he tries to step out of his comfort zone and explore the wild.
Roan is a stag shifter and a forest guardian. He needs to find his mate to help his magic grow stronger.
It takes a little forest magic to help Oliver and Roan realise that they are meant for eachother.


A CALLER FROM PITTSBURGH by
MORGAN BRICE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Madden Reid is a 28 year old irish squirrel shifter whose only wish is to find someone to love him for who he is. His day job is running social media accounts and as a hobby he writes fanfiction under the username Squirrel276. He has a frequent online face off with Comix90 who disagrees with the characters he is shipping.
Elias (aka Comix90) is the owner of The book bunker which he inherited from his uncle before ge died.
He has Sciurophobia due to a childhood incident, which is why he is alarmed when he is being followed and courted by a squirrel of all creatures!
Shipping wars, Irreconcilable differences and a cute bushy tailed squirrel giving an unsuspecting Sciurophoic gifts may be the sparkle that helps two men love and accept eachother for who they are.


A CALLER FROM BOSTON by PANDORA PINE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Porter Hines is 35 years old and is struggling with his love life.
All his friends are finding love but him.
All he wants is to experience love at first sight, the instant sizzle of attraction and kismet. His past lovers have made him feel nothing but insecure about his height.
He makes a wish to the 'wish your heart' podcast to find someone to love.

Zion Galel is a voiceover artist. He has been visually impaired since birth and has his service dog Havoc, to help him navigate daily life.
He has been lonely ever since his bad break up from his ex, Chad.
He experiences occasional psychic visions that help him see into the future and glimpses of the present.
As the snow falls, two men bound to eachother by ties of fate are swept off their feet in a whirlwind of romance.

Overall, I absolutely loved this anthology, especially with the Paranormal twist.
(I received an arc and willingly left a review)

[Carra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grand Rapids Part 1 - Jeff Adams & Will Knauss

This first tale sets up the impetus behind the stories, plus lets us see the spark of Marc and Noah’s own connection…I can’t wait to see where their relationship goes, and I’m reserving my rating for them until part 2 of their story at the end.

Windermere - Charlie Cochet

Salem is a mage with a frankly ridiculous power where he can only conjure lasagna. Laughable? Definitely. What’s not amusing is his feeling of worthlessness compared to the rest of his talented mage family. Izzie is a dog shifter and is Salem’s brother’s best friend, plus Salem’s bodyguard. I loved the multiple tropes, and let’s not forget both Salem and Izzie have wanted each other from the moment they met...but of course neither have said anything.

LOVED this one—my attention was riveted to the pages, even with the absurdity of Salem’s power...or is it? While that mechanism for the drama of his family’s party is admittedly “out there”, the events still had my rapt attention. 5 stars!

San Francisco - Hailey Turner

Awww...just...awww. Oh my goodness, Ethan is so sweet. I felt so bad for him, but was beyond relieved at Jacob’s honest behavior. Jacob is truly one of the good ones, the epitome of what a true partner should be. While they did move quickly in their relationship, I can’t find it in me to object at all, that’s how much I loved these two together. 4.5 stars!

Springfield - JD Light

Aside from a strange predilection Jonas has initiating close physical contact with Raphael when they aren’t even a couple at the start of the story, everything else about this matchup hit the right buttons for me. It was easy for me to identify with Jonas from a body image standpoint, so that helped me insert myself more into the story. 4 stars!

Ottawa - Jenn Burke

Poor Ro seems like a misfit wherever he goes, so he’s continually searching for somewhere to belong. He’s actually a great guy, kind and giving...but until he finds that place where he fits just right, everyone around him is uncomfortable. Then he comes to Miller’s home. There Ro finds a mix-and-match group of roommates, and once he and Miller become comfortable around each other, Ro is able to find out exactly what his own issue is. He and Miller also find they fit together quite well ;-). 4 stars!

Portland - Kiki Burrelli

While it’s a silly mission on which Lobo’s been sent to find a pony for the pack leader’s daughter for her birthday, it does set the stage for an unexpected encounter with another pack member who is very close to the pack leader. Not that Lobo knows that...and Lloyd isn’t in any hurry to tell him who he is either. Their misadventures are cute, their naughtiness definitely hot, and in the end it all works out—even if at one point you might be concerned for Lobo’s well-being once back in front of the pack leader. 4 stars!

New Orleans - Lisa Oliver

Everything about a hedgehog shifter makes me go “Awwww...”, and Bailey fits the bill perfectly. His fated mate, Sin, has a reputation of one-and-done, at least until he meets Bailey and Sin’s wolf recognizes his mate. With a murder in the middle of everything and Bailey being in no small amount of danger, this story does get a touch of excitement and suspense. And when things reach their climax and Bailey shifts...just awwww. 4 stars!

Knoxville - Macy Blake

Oliver is an ultimate bookworm nerd, relying on what he finds in books to the nth degree (yes, many readers will easily identify with him, though he’s truly on a different level). That definitely could never prepare him for what Roan is, or what happens once they come together. My fellow bookworms are going to love the exchange between Oliver and Roan when Oliver sees Roan’s personal library. And you’ll love the two of them together as well...4.5 stars!

New York - Maz Maddox

I’ve never read any story of any kind with a jackalope in it. Well, until now. Lars is very matter-of-fact about what he does in “waste management”, and he gets just as lonely as the next guy. Arlo and his hedgehog (a real one and not a shifter) are pretty cute, and I love the photo shoots that Arlo does with him. Arlo and Lars definitely make an odd couple, but this is a fun start to a relationship. 3.5 stars!

Pittsburgh - Morgan Brice

Okay, Madden is just adorable as a squirrel. He’s so eager and hopeful—and he’s exactly the same when he’s human. Elias might be freaked out with the squirrel, but the same cannot be said of the man. I really liked how the author used fandom and fan fiction as a way to bring Elias and Madden together. This was an all around fun story, and a great way to start a budding romance. 4.5 stars!

Boston - Pandora Pine

Zion and Porter are far, far, far beyond insta-lovey, and their story is incredibly sappy. But it does fill that tiny need I get once in a very long while for a love at first sight story. Okay, in this case “second” sight...you’ll see what I mean. Since I can only take just so much of stories of this type (which is totally a “me” thing), this one gets 3 stars.

Chicago - Piper Scott

Okay, Dylan and Jackson is your totally odd story of the bunch. Dylan as an Innocent, that totally fits him (he’s sweet and adorable). Jackson as what basically equates to a demon in our dimension...yeah, that fits too. They’re very much opposites, and Jackson being assigned to protect Dylan sets up our two guys perfectly. As for how they get out of an attack on Dylan? A bit crazy, yes. 3.5 stars for this one.

Seattle - Sam Burns & WM Fawkes

Classic setup—Michael, vampire; Timothy, dying human. Add Timothy’s wish that winds up bringing them together. Given the setup, I know everyone can guess the outcome, but even so this one was still perfectly satisfying. 4.5 stars!

Savannah - Silvia Violet

See, now I want cake. Besides crafting an excellent story with a whimsical romance that was also filled with heat, the author also described the baked goods in such a way that makes me want cake LOL. But seriously, Kai and Nate are wonderful together and yes, their relationship is definitely a bit magical. 5 stars!

Montreal - SJ Himes

I’m going to sum this one up pretty easily—I NEED MORE! More Tarquin, more Alaric, just MORE. So much hurt/comfort with protective vibes going on, and everything about these two together just screams perfect match. The writing makes it easy to feel the connection between the two men without any hint of it being insta-love. It’s more a fated feel, and I absolutely loved it…my favorite story of the anthology. 5 stars!

Austin - Susi Hawke

This one is for all the people who had a parent (or other person in their life) who was way too open for your liking when it came to talking about sex. I think poor Darcy is just resigned to the fact that he’s never going to escape that with his mother. Thankfully for him he has Storm to distract him now. An interesting take on the existence of supernatural creatures coming to light in the public eye, the fallout of that, and the situation that brought Storm and his sister to Darcy’s doorstep. While that situation may not be fully resolved, this story does still provide a good start to a relationship between Storm and Darcy. 4 stars!

Grand Rapids Part 2 - Jeff & Will

And now we get to see that Noah and Marc do get to be more than just co-workers, and find out just what is and isn’t behind the magic of the show. A nice, sweet way to wrap up the anthology, and 4 stars

Overall

Every story in this anthology has something to offer pretty much every reader out there, and I love that this edition was all paranormal since it’s my favorite. The organizers have another hit on their hands, and for an overall rating I’d give this 4.5 stars. This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language, and most stories have sexual content as well.

[Bronwyn Heeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting. It’s the first book in this anthology series that I’ve read and it was, honestly, like most anthologies. They were super short, super cute stories about falling in love. These had the added bonus of being about paranormal and even though they were clearly meant to be in the same world, that just wasn’t true and some of them where more obviously outside of the shared world than others.

I'm sure there will be more to say but that wont happen until the 14th on my blog.

also not sure if I should put down my thoughts on ALL the stories of just leave it be

ARC provided for honest review

[Diane Dannenfeldt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Caller from Grand Rapids, part #1 by Jeff Adams & Will Knauss
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Marc and Noah were seriously too cute. Noah is a former pro hockey player who retired after a concussion and moved back home. He is a journalist by day and also has a podcast that his alter ego, Gene E. De’lamp, which I absolutely love, grants wishes to people of the human and nonhuman variety. At first I wasn’t sure if he was an actual magic user, but eventually I figured he had to be. Marc is his producer on the show and is crazy about him, but is afraid to ask him out because well, work place romances don’t always work. So he come up with a plan. I really enjoyed this one.

Caller from Windermere by Charlie Cochet
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In this short we have Salem who is a mage that hasn’t come into his powers and believes that he never will as he is over 200 years old, and Izzy who is a dog shifter and Salem’s bodyguard. Salem calls into the podcast and leaves a rambling message not asking to give him his powers, all he can do is conjure up lasagna, which was pretty funny, but asking for someone to love him as he is. His family loves him, but all he sees is pity . I loved watching Izzy and Salem come together and becoming mates. They were so sweet together.

A Caller from San Francisco by Hailey Turner
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ethan, a selkie, and Jacob, firefighter and human, but from a family of witches with no powers of his own, were such a sweet couple. They meet when the apartment building Ethan lives in is on fire. Ethan is on his way home from school, and panics because his seal skin is in the apartment. Jacob goes in and gets it for him not knowing what it really is, but knowing that it is magical.

A Caller from Springfield by J.D. Light
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved that Jonas was not a perfect man. In almost all romance books the MC’s are fit and buffed, so when one comes along, it warms my hearty. Jonas is in love with his roommate Raphael, Raph, and believes that he is heterosexual and even if he wasn’t, he couldn’t love someone like him. Raph is an exus demon, he made a contract to bring justice to the man that killed his family. We don’t see him carry out any of his contracts, it’s all about these two. I loved that Raph was able to show Jonas that he was loved for just being himself.

A Caller from Ottawa by Jenn Burke
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Poor Roland, not being able to find a home / coven, broke my heart. He has been kicked out of every coven because they all told him that his magic was throwing their balance off and instead of figuring out what the issue was, they just kept turning their backs. Miller is a major introvert and has kept his home by getting roommates. I loved that Miller and everyone made Ro feel like he was finally home.

A Caller from Portland by Kiki Burrelli
⭐️⭐️⭐️

The story felt a little disjointed to me. It was okay with the story of Lobo trying to take care of his twin sisters and Lloyd the son of the alpha of the Portland pack. Lobo has been tasked with finding a pony for the alphas daughters birthday and if he does he gets o join the inner circle even though he is basically brand new to the pack.

A Caller from New Orleans by Lisa Oliver
⭐️⭐️

Even though Bailey was so sweet, we never got any time with them together. And that was really disappointing to me.

A Caller from Knoxville by Macy Blake
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Roan and Oliver were perfect for each other. I loved that he didn’t run away screaming when he found out what roan was. I would have liked a little more background on Roan.

A Caller from New York by Max Maddox
⭐️⭐️⭐️

It was cute, though I would have liked a little more. What happened to Arlo? Was it an accident, is he really a spy and it happened on the job? Other then that, they were sweet.

A Caller from Pittsburgh by Morgan Brice
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sweet squirrel shifter. I loved that as a squirrel, Madden picked a flower for Elias, that was so sweet. Poor Elias was scared of squirrels which saddened Madden. And when madden saved him, it was the moment when Elias knew Madden was his.

A Caller from Boston by Pandora Pine
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Porter and Zion made a sweet couple. From the moment that porter literally knocks Zion over, he knew he was the one. I loved how independent and sweet Zion was.

A Caller from Chicago by Piper Scott
⭐️

Hate to say it but I didn’t like this story, at all.

A Caller from Seattle by Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Timothy broke my heart, not only did his parents kick him out, because you got it, he’s gay, but he was dying and had a very short time to live. He lets his best friend talk him into going to a cloud where he meets Michael who is not only a doctor but a vampire. I loved these two and would love this to be expanded to a full length novel. We get to see just a smidge of Daddy kink. I would love to see Luke and robin get together.

A Caller from Savannah by Silvia Violet
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

They were so sweet together. When they were both going for the bakery, it was never a heated competition between the two.

A Caller from Montreal by SJ Himes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let there be dragons! I loved these two together. Poor Alaric’s world is crumbling around him. His mom is ill, the ex talked her into taking out a second mortgage fix up their home that is in disarray and then runs off with the money. Now Alaric has to leave college and come home to help her out. And what happens he meets his mate who just so happens to be a dragon. Sighs, I love dragons.

A Caller from Austin by Susi Hawke
⭐️

I didn’t care for this one. I just didn’t like Darcy, at all.

A Caller from Grand Rapids, part 2 by Jeff Adams & Will Knauss
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

And the plan worked. I loved that Noah was too shy to ask Marc out, but jumped at the chance when Marc asked him. Noah finds out some secrets his folks have been keeping from him, but it explains why he so good at what he does.

I really enjoyed the messages left to the show at the start of each short to see what headspace the caller is in.

ARC provided by Gay Romance Reviews in exchange for an honest review.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute and quirky collection of stories in an anthology that raises money for LGBTI organisations. It's a worthy cause, and I think there's enough variety in the stories to have something for everyone. However, short stories are hard, and I think many of the tales suffered from authors simply trying to do too much with not enough words, but overall it was a pleasant, escapist collection of stories that I enjoyed. There were a couple I actively disliked, and a couple I absolutely loved - I have made a few comments on each one below, but my overall recommendation would be to definitely give the anthology a go!

The first story, A Caller from Grand Rapids, is a sweet story centering around hockey and featuring a crush on the boss. It brackets the book, which is fine, but annoying if it takes you awhile to read the all the other stories in between. It's cute, but it really suffers from some immature writing and lack of context. In the introductory short story, setting the scene, it's trying to do too much, and the magic imbued world is only vague referred to. It was fine, but not solid, and I went on the rest of the anthology honestly a bit confused.

Charlie Cochet's short story, A Caller from Windermere, is a cute story about fated mates. It's a quick, easy read, and introduces the reader a little more to the odd shared universe of this anthology. I did enjoy it, but it would probably make a better novella than a short story.

Hailey Turner's A Caller from San Francisco is well written and does a better job in containing the story to a more contained story-line. It's fun (if sometimes a little clunky - do we need to know the brands of computer or watch the main character uses??), sexy, and a sweet premise of a selkie looking for company. I had to ignore the instalove, excusing it due to the constraints of the short story format.

J.D. Light's A caller from Springfield is a bit clunky - the premise is cool (demon and his human mate who don't realize they're in love with one another), but I struggled to keep working through it. It's quick and never really feels like a fully formed story, the stakes don't feel that high, and I was bored.

A Caller From Ottawa, by Jenn Burke, features a lonely, misfit witch who just can't find a coven. I think this one is my favourite, it's a sweet and well contained story that I enjoyed immensely. While I would love MORE about Miller and Ro, I really enjoyed their tale and will probably track down more by Burke. This was definitely my favourite.

Kiki Burrelli's A Caller from Portland features some werewolf misfits - they have family, but they're looking to really belong. It was a cute little snapshot of a story, and I enjoyed it.

In a caller from New Orleans, Lisa Oliver brings together an unlikely couple in the form of a cute and chubby hedgehog shifter, and a muscular police officer, in a who dun it murder mystery. As much as I loved the premise, it's hard to build proper mystery in such a short story, and the writing was a bit awkward, giving me an initial dislike of Sin that didn't have time to go away before the story was over.

Macy Blake's A Caller from Knoxville is also a tale of two opposites colliding - Oliver loves books, while Roan loves the outdoors. It's a cute story, but I'll admit that I found the slightly juvenile writing style irritating - this is perhaps one of my least favorites in the anthology.

A Caller from New Work, by Maz Maddox, started off fairly promisingly, but unfortunately very quickly just turned into smut. It was boring, and wasted the potential of the opening.

Morgan Brice's A Caller from Pittsburgh is the middle story of this anthology. Featuring a squirrel shifter, it's an incredibly cute story of quirky nerds, fanfiction writing, and looking for love. It's a fun, easy story with a touch of angst, and I enjoyed it.

A Caller from Boston, by Pandora Pine, is a cute little story of instalove between a psychic and a very tall wish maker. While I found Porter a little irritating (he swings between jealous and pitying in one breath and it annoyed me!), Zion is sweet, and this was a nice and adorable tale of love.

Piper Scott's A Caller from Chicago stood as the most sci-fi among the other more urban fantasy stories. It took me a little bit to get into it, but once I did I really enjoyed this very quirky, multi dimension tale.

A Caller from Seattle, by Sam Burns and W.M Fawkes is a LOT. From illness and angst, to daddy kink, this story is slightly odd tone wise, but definitely well written, cute, and I would have enjoyed more of it.

Silvia Violet's A caller from Savannah, about two aspiring bakers and the competition of a lifetime, is a really sweet, fun read.

In A Caller from Montreal, S.J Himes, a dragon and a down on his luck clairvoyant find true love. It's an interesting story, fun with a neat twist I enjoyed.

A Caller from Austin, by Susi Hawke, does highlight some of the issues in a loosely tied anthology that is nonetheless set in the same world. It seems to be set in the future, in a war between supernatural creatures and humans (?) but apparently a genie podcast is still popular. Go figure. The story itself is ok - a little rough, and missing some context that just isn't possible in so short a story, but enjoyable. Darcy is cute and funny in his put upon exasperation, and it's a fun last stand-alone story to end the anthology.

Returning to Noah and Marc, the anthology ends properly with the conclusion to their story. Sorry, I didn't really enjoy it at the end any more than I did at the beginning, and the many, many pages in between meant for a moment I completely forgot who they were. The story IS cute, and I'm glad they got their happily ever after like everyone else, but I was mostly just impatient to finish at that point.

[Lillian Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've currently read 5 of the stories.
Well written and fun. My favourite so far is Pittsburgh by Morgan Brice. This is nothing like her series. It's a sweet story about fandom and fanfic writers with the most adorable squirrel shifter.

New York by Maz Maddox.
Another excellent short with a Jackalope 'waste management' worker who has aspirations to upgrade from fanfiction to writing full time and a human who devotes his time to his hedgehog's Instagram account! Adorable and funny.

Ottawa by Jenn Burke. Lovely story about found family.

Seattle by Sam Burns and WM Fawkes - Vampires and daddy kink.

San Francisco by Hailey Turner - a sweet selkie story about trust.

[Shelley Chastagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Caller from Grand Rapids Part 1 – Jeff Adams & Will Knauss – 5 stars
The whole premise of the story, along with the authors, made me jump in happily. Noah’s extra job doing an audio blog granting wishes made me smile. His assistant Marc is obviously a great friend. I loved seeing them outside the studio. Marc’s obvious longing for more and Noah is just beginning to see Marc as more than his producer and assistant.

A Caller from Windermere – Charlie Cochet - 5 stars
I love Charlie’s writing and this story really tickled me. Salem is seriously lacking in self-confidence. A lasagna conjuring mage in a very powerful family of mages can do that. I laughed out loud when he uses his power to his advantage against the bad guys. Izzie obviously adores Salem but doesn’t feel he measures up; after all, he’s only a dog shifter.

A Caller from San Francisco – Hailey Turner - 5 stars
The story was just beautiful. I liked Ethan’s determination to finish school but his fear jumps off the page. The fact that Jacob knew from the moment he retrieved Ethan’s ‘blanket’ just what he was and gave it back immediately made him a good guy. Never once does he try to push Ethan into showing it to him, or even talk about it, made him a great guy. Ethan’s gift to Jacob was perfection.

A Caller from Springfield – J.D. Light - 5 stars
Jonas made me snicker more than once. His rollercoaster emotions get him into more than one problem. Raph knows that Jonas is perfect. He loves Jonas’s snark and curves. Jonas’s view of himself is low and jumps at the chance to get away from the temptation of Raph believing that he doesn’t even ping on Raph’s radar. I liked that, once they confess their attraction, Raph doesn’t hesitate to show Jonas that he’s there to stay.

A Caller from Ottawa – Jenn Burke - 5 stars
Ro kinda broke my heart. A lifetime of looking for somewhere to belong has made him insecure. Miller doesn’t realize what he’s created until Ro shows him what a wonderful family he has. The people and pets that reside together give a place of acceptance and love, not only Ro but everyone. Ro’s phone call at the end of the story left me feeling so happy and content.

A Caller from Portland – Kiki Burrelli - 5 stars
Lobo is just plain overwhelmed with the responsibilities he’s inherited. Unsure of himself is an understatement. Lloyd is reminded daily that he doesn’t measure up to his father’s expectations. Both men are striving to be more and together they find that they can face anything. I loved that Lobo stood up to Lloyd’s father, pointing out all of Lloyd’s wonderful qualities.

A Caller from New Orleans – Lisa Oliver - 5 stars
Bailey is just too much sweetness. He loves wool (not the scratchy kind), making gifts for friends, and eating. He meets Sin, his mate. Sin, the man known as a one-night-wonder. When the bad guy shows up though, it’s Sin that’s there to make Bailey safe. Offering everything Bailey could want.

A Caller from Knoxville – Macy Blake - 5 stars
A sweet fantasy. Oliver thinks he’s prepared for everything when it comes to catching Roan’s eye. He’s just not prepared for who Roan really is. I loved that Oliver is so blatantly honest about his intentions and he feels about Roan. His inner and outer monologue made me snicker. Roan is a great guy and pleased as punch to find his mate. My favorite lines… Roan: “They’re alphabetical by author, but I divide them into-“ Oliver: “Genres. Dear god, I want you to do bad things to me.” That, my friends, is a true bibliophile.

A Caller from New York - Maz Maddox - 5 stars
My first encounter with a jackalope shifter, Lars has a career in "waste disposal" that he's tired of. When he meets up with Arlo, the international Canadian spy, I snickered. Arlo's internet star hedgehog, Puffin, just made me laugh. There's a bit of kink and a whole lot of connection that made me super happy to see these guys together at the end.

A Caller from Pittsburgh - Morgan Brice - 5 stars
Oh lordy was this just too cute for words! Madden, a red squirrel shifter, spots his dream man jogging and sets out to win his heart. His little tokens of love were sweet. Finding Elias again he's able to get to know him in human form. And the love tokens continued. When Elias needs him most, Madden doesn't hesitate to give his all. I liked that Elias accepted all parts of Madden.

A Caller from Boston - Pandora Pine - 5 stars
I adored everything about Porter and Zion. The kismet and instant attraction only becomes stronger with each moment. Porter is solicitous without being patronizing. Zion's gift added a terrific element to the story. Porter's gifts of the snow and the dolphins were my favorites.

A Caller from Chicago - Piper Scott - 5 stars
This quirky, sci-fi gave me the giggles more than once. Jackson tries to play himself off as smooth to Dylan, but it doesn't go so well. His annoying sisters are out to make his life miserable and the bad guy just wants to end him. Dylan is thrown into a world with demons and monsters and only Jackson to rely on.

A Caller from Seattle - Sam Burnes - 5 stars
The call to Gene from Timothy rang with emotion. He's too young and losing so much. I loved his bestie Robin. What a hoot! Michael sees that Timothy has the possibility of being everything he's wanted. There's the tiniest bit of daddy kink and it's obvious that Michael lives up to all of Timothy's wishes.

A Caller from Savannah - Silvia Violet - 5 stars
Kai is a bit impulsive, flamboyant, and lacking control of his magic. I like his bubbly personality and that he didn't try and tone it down to impress Nate. Nate is a bit stuck in a rut, frustrated with his life, and lacking creativity. They compliment one another in every way. I enjoyed the story and watching them realize how much better they are together than they are separate.

A Caller from Austin – Susi Hawke - 5 stars
I love Susi’s characters and the humor that she laces into her stories. Darcy Valentine has a home full of refugees and an overbearing mother; adding a vampire and his sister shouldn’t be a problem. The vampire, of course, turns out to be the man he’s just been rambling about to the talk show host. Storm D’arcy. I laughed out loud at his ramblings about marrying the man. The ending was so hopeful for a wonderful future.

A Caller from Grand Rapids Part 2 – Jeff Adams & Will Knauss - 5 stars
A terrific follow up to part 1. The fates converge to give Noah and Marc time together outside of work. Marc’s invitation is met with a fervent acceptance. The more time together they spend the more they see how well they fit together. I loved seeing Marc’s nerdy side come out. Noah may have some new info from his parents to deal with but he’s much more excited to see where things with Marc go.

I'll add to this review as I complete the other stories.

[Danielle Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthologies are always a great way to find new authors! You get the anthology because you have a favorite author represented, and they do not disappoint, but you find some great new authors! Bonus! I got this anthology specifically to read the stories from Jeff Adams and Will Knauss and Susi Hawke. More about them later. I am very pleased though that I found a few new to me authors as well.
As with any anthology, you will like some stories better than others. There is something here for everyone! Various tropes abound. The anthology is built around the premise of listeners calling in to the Heart2Heart podcast hosted by Gene E Del’Amp…… you see what they did there…. Huh…..huh….. Many characters and situations are suggestions submitted to the authors who then used their author magic to write a wonderful little paranormal story.
Jeff Adams and Will Knauss wrote the story that introduced the concept and closed it out. Their story was divided into two parts. It featured a former pro hockey player…. Shocking right? Anyone who has followed Jeff Adams knows that he loves the hockey players! The hockey player, Noah, is the host of the podcast, with a disguised voice and pseudonym to hide his identity. The characters were well-developed, which is, in my opinion, very difficult to do in a short story. I had no trouble picturing Noah and Marc’s interactions and believing them to be true. It is a workplace love story, which is one trope I always enjoy. It is also a friends to lovers story. I discovered these authors after reading The Hockey Player’s Heart. I loved the book so much I had to look for more. It was at that time I also discovered their podcast- Big Gay Fiction Podcast, which I HIGHLY recommend by the way. If you are a fan of the genre you will be glad you checked it out! I love everything Will suggests….. can’t say the same for Jeff… he enjoys sad stories which I do not!
Susi Hawke is another author Iove, recommended by Will on the podcast I might add, she wrote a great story that had me cracking up. Her characters were also well developed and her secondary characters were well rounded as well. The story takes place in Austin, Texas in a world where the Paranormal have come through a war with the humans. Darcy Valentine has a fortified castle which operates as a refuge for those in need of protection. He is jaded about the wish thing and thinks wishes should be saved for things like world peace and ending hunger, not wasted on finding love. But after rambling and pontificating on the subject he throws out a wish to meet his author idol and fall in love. Enter a Vampire on the run… Who could it be? Only his favorite author of course! Did I mention the author’s name is Storm D’arcy? And let’s not forget Darcy’s mom is a sex therapist who loves to discuss her son’s sex life or lack thereof. The story is funny!
There are a few other standouts for me that sent me to the kindle store to get more books. One was Macy Blake, who wrote about a man pining for his next-door neighbor and his quest to win him over. Great characters there! Another was Morgan Brice, that was a hurt/comfort trope which is something I enjoy. It was also a shout out to fanfic. Great Read. Silvia Violet is a prolific author, who I had never read, but the story involving a bouncy mage and a baking contest was brilliant! S. J. Himes wrote a great story involving a dragon. I enjoy dragons. I guess I would label this one as either a hero trope or a rescue trope. It was wonderful and I look forward to reading more by this author.
In addition to being a great chance to find new authors, the sale of this book supports various LGBTQ+ organizations. Pick it up, you won’t be disappointed.

[iam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shortwhile collection of m/m short stories with an overall theme, all paranormal romances.

Content warnings include: terminal illness (cancer), death of parents, (internalized) fatphobia, ableism, violence, attempted murder, sex on-page (often unprotected).

Obviously with a short story collection there will always be stories you enjoy more and stories you enjoy less, but after liking the previous volumes of this anthology a lot I felt very underwhelmed by this one.
It's not so much the quality of the stories (though I do think there were less that I truly liked in there than is average for anthologies for me) but how little they fit together.

All of the stories are tied together by a podcast, which features in the first story, A Caller from Grand Rapids, where a man hosts a podcast where people leave voice messages about a wish they have, and he then.... I'm not even sure. Discusses if he will grant the wish? Except it's never mentioned if he has magic or actually is a genie or not??

But even disregarding that story itself, what annoyed me was that each story had its own worldbuilding.
In some humans and supernatural people coexisted peacefully, in others their were hostile, in yet others supernaturals are a secret. If this is supposed to be a shared universe, where all main characters call in and listen to that podcast, how could such a detail not have been told to the authors??

Overall I found this anthology more diverse than the previous Heart2Heart ones in regards to body types and disabilities. There were several fat and disabled characters!
However, all protagonists were cis (there was one (1) nonbinary side character and another I liked to read as trans but probably wasn't intended that way) and the vast majority were white.

Still a cute idea for a charity anthology, and I'm glad to have bought it.

Individual ratings and short notes to follow:
A Caller from...:
- Grand Rapids: 2 stars - This was supposed to set the scene and tone for the rest of the anthology, and unfortuantely missed the mark for me with how incongruent things started off, not making it clear what was magical or not.
- Wintermere: 3 stars
- San Francisco: 3 stars
- Springfield: 2 stars - The internalized fatphobia sucked, and it was overall too over-the-top for me.
- Ottawa: 4 stars
- Portland: 2 stars - Started out fine, but then turned meh
- New Orleans: 3 stars - Didn't expect much from it but it turned surprisingly sweet in the end, though again, kind of over-the-top. This one really threw me in regards to worldbuilding because it didn't fit with the previous ones AT ALL.
- Knoxville: 4 stars
- New York: 4 stars
- Pittsburgh: 4 stars - Sweet and I liked the fanfic and fandom plot.
- Boston: 2 stars - Something about this really rubbed me the wrong way.
- Chicago: 3 stars - This one actually had really cool worldbuilding and was super different from the rest overall. However, it was very chaotic and all over the place.
- Seattle: 4 stars - This one had some really heavy moments, but I appreciated how different it was! Very surprised that this was the first vampire story.
- Savannah: 4 stars - Very sweet and fits perfectly after the heavier one before it. The baking made me hungry!
- Montreal: 2 stars - Started out great but then turned really basic and meh. Yay for dragon though.
- Austin: 3.5 stars - Interesting and again, very very different worldbuilding wise. Had some curious hooks that however ended up going nowhere.

[AshPenny37 · Rating 5 out of 5]

These anthologies are fantastic. Not only are they for an amazing charitable cause, but they offer brilliant little snapshots into the authors' styles. The theme for this, the fourth Heart2Heart Volume, really works for me as I love a PNR but I think that, even if that's not your bag, these shorts are light enough for everyone to enjoy. This collection features characters (some human, some paranormal) who contact Noah via his Wish Of Your Heart podcast by leaving voicemails for his fabulously named show alter ego Gene E. Del'Amp. They all wish for something (or someone!) they really want or need in their life. I've just picked out a few of my personal highlights for this review.

Noah's own story, A Caller From Grand Rapids, forms the intro and outro of the anthology, wrapping around the rest of the fabulous short stories. It's a lovely tale of someone taking a chance because you never know if the thing you want the most is right under your nose. He has trust issues when it comes to dating but there's so much synergy between Noah and his man...and he definitely has a surprise in store. These authors are new to me, but I'll definitely check out their other works.

In A Caller From Boston by Pandora Pine, Porter leaves a message for Gene wishing for love at first sight. What follows is a total meet cute when he encounters Zion and Havoc. Their chance meeting turns into a date, which turns into so much more. Porter and Zion have a bit of a physical opposites attract thing going on, but they are super sweet characters who just seem to fit together in all ways and, of course, there's a trademark Pandora Pine plot bunny involving some psychic powers. A wonderfully heart-warming read.

In Charlie Cochet's A Caller From Windermere Salem, a 200 year old mage with daddy issues is forced to confront his insecurities and feelings of inferiority when dark warlocks crash a family gathering. Salem is super sweet and honestly, I wish I had his power...pure genius! Izzie, Salem's companion is a gentle giant of a hound shifter who is as protective of Izzie as he is attracted to him. This short story is everything you would expect from Charlie Cochet's brain...it's got the heat, the humour and that tiny bit of chaos that always follows her characters. Very entertaining!

SJ Himes' contribution is A Caller From Montreal. Here Gene's podcast receives a wish asking for an intervention to help the caller and his ill mother after her ex ran away with her money leaving them almost destitute. Enter Alaric, a human looking to use his powers in his new job as a Truthseeker and Tarquin, storm dragon and Alaric's new boss. I do like the employer/employee trope. Throw magic and dragons into the mix and we're on to a winner! Alaric is pure of heart: he's willing to give up his life in Boston to come back to Montreal to support his mother through all her trials, and quick to come to his boss' defense in the face of dark magic. Tarquin is ALL dragon; powerful, commanding and he cares deeply for the treasure in his hoard. Their bond is immediate, which is just as well given that they need to work with each other's power to stop whoever is wielding that dark magic. I loved this mini adventure.

Whether it's read cover to cover or if people want to dip in and out of it, this volume of short stories is a great showcase for the collective talent of a wonderful bunch of authors. It's both a 5* read and an awesome way to support a very worthy cause. My advice? Buy it, read it, love it.

I received an ARC from GRR in exchange for an honest review.