Heart2Heart: A Charity Anthology Volume 5

Heart2Heart Charity Anthologies

by Leslie Copeland (Editor), Lucy Lennox, A.M. Arthur

Once upon a time, a bunch of authors wondered... what would happen if Heart2Heart, the dating and community app responsible for bringing together couples from all over the world, encouraged people to do something they’d never done before?

#NeverHaveIEver is trending on H2H, and fourteen authors who’ve never before appeared in a Heart2Heart anthology (and one who’s never left) have come together to show how funny, hot, and heartwarming it can be when H2H app users challenge themselves to do something outside of their comfort zones--from singing in public, to skinny dipping, to getting their first real kiss--while they manage to fall in love along the way.


As always, all proceeds from this anthology will benefit LGBTQ+ charities to ensure that love in all its incarnations will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year!

Never Have I Ever…Fallen In Love by Lucy Lennox
Never Have I Ever…Cold-Called A Stranger's Phone Number by A.M. Arthur
Never Have I Ever…Ridden A Bike by Alice Winters
Never Have I Ever...Dyed My Hair Flaming Red by Daryl Banner
Never Have I Ever...Worn That For Halloween by E.M. Lindsey
Never Have I Ever...Sung in Public by Jodi Payne
Never Have I Ever...Gotten Lost by K. Webster
Never Have I Ever…Taken a Vacation by Kate Hawthorne
Never Have I Ever...Spent The Night With Blanche by Louisa Masters
Never Have I Ever…Had a Makeover by Mia Monroe
Never Have I Ever…Flown In An Airplane by Neve Wilder
Never Have I Ever…Gone Skinny Dipping by Riley Hart
Never Have I Ever…Watched The Godfather by S.E. Harmon
Never Have I Ever...Kissed Someone on the Lips by Spencer Spears
Never Have I Ever…Been On A Date by Tal Bauer

Genres: Anthologies, M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Novella, Ebooks

810 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 31, 2022

Reviews

[Florence . · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading short stories and I love discovering new to me authors, and I really enjoy the idea of this anthology, which is all about characters doing something that they have never done before. I enjoyed a lot of stories in this anthology and I had a really good time discovering some new authors that I really want to read more books from and I had a lot of fun reading new stories from authors that I love.

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Never Have I Ever … Fallen in Love by Lucy Lennox
Rating: 2.5 stars
Themes of the story: Traveling, falling in love
Blurb: Jonah is traveling to Alaska for work and he has to do something he has never done before. When taking a small plane to get there, he meets Pete, the pilot. And they end up falling in love.

Thoughts on the story: I absolutely loved the ambiance of this one. I live in a remote small town, really far from any city, so I always love when books happen in places like that. And it was the case of this story and I loved reading about it, so much. This story really nailed the remote small town ambiance, it felt like I was really living in that town.

This story was incredibly sweet but sadly it just wasn’t for me. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and to the story. And the story was a little too dramatic for me, which is just not my preference when it comes to books.

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Never Have I Ever … Cold Called A Stranger’s Phone Number by A.M. Arthur
Rating: 3.5 stars
Themes of the story: Friends to lovers, idiots in love who don’t know how to tell each other their feelings
Blurb: Charlie keeps being told by his roommate Jasper that he is boring. One day, he is in the library and he finds a bookmark in a fantasy says that says for a good time call a certain number, so he calls the number to prove to Jasper that he isn’t boring.

Thoughts on the story: This is a friends to lovers with two guys that have always been into each other but don’t know how to tell each other. I love reading about lovable idiots that just want to date each other but don’t know how to approach each other so this one really worked for me. This short story was so damn hilarious. Also I really like awkward little moments in stories and this one had a lot of it and I really enjoyed it. I also really liked how this story handled the trope it took on, it was a nice take on the trope and I appreciated it. Also damn was this story sweet, I had a really good time reading it.

I wish that these people were a little better at communication because I often got a little annoyed at the fact that they just didn’t really talk to each other about the important things.

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Never Have I Ever … Ridden A Bike by Alice Winters
Rating: 2 stars
Themes of the story: Friends to lovers, being at the wrong place at the wrong moment
Blurb: Owen has been in love with his roomate Lance for ages but he doesn’t know how to tell him. There is mixed packages involved and they end up being threatened by a random dude with a knife that wants to kill them and their cat. But don’t worry, they have each other through it all.

Thoughts on the story: This style of story just isn’t my prefered style. I don’t like high drama and over the top plots in books and thats exactly what this story was. This story read exactly as an episode of Days of our Lives and thats just not my prefered thing to read about.

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Never Have I Ever … Dyed My Hair Flaming Red by Daryl Banner
Rating:3.5 stars
Themes of the story: Falling in love, living out your dreams
Blurb: Zakary is the stagehand in a theatre company, he doesn’t like to stand out in a crowd, which is why he never acted in any plays, even if it’s his dream to do so. While working on a play, Zakary falls for the director of the play, Jonatho.

Thoughts on the story: I loved how much of the story was about the play that they were putting on, that was so much fun to read about. And I loved reading about how Zakary lounged to be in the play himself, that was wonderful to read about. I loved the clear messaging of needing to believe in yourself and in your dreams that this story had, it was lovely to read about. This story was super sweet and I really enjoyed reading it.

This story felt exactly like a rom-com, which are just not my favourites type of stories, but it nailed that kind of vibe perfectly.

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Never Have I Ever … Worn That For Halloween by E.M. Lindsey
Rating: 5 stars
Themes of the story: Best friends to lovers
Blurb: Dom has been pinning for his best friend Siloh since they were kids, they have been friends for 20 years. They finally realize that they both have been pining for each other for all this time and they get together.

Thoughts on the story: This might be a short story but it packed one hell of an emotional punch. I was full on ugly crying while reading most of this story. This short story had me on the edge of my seat not so patiently waiting what would happen next, the way everything was build up really worked for me and I loved following these characters on their journey.

I love pining in books and the pining in this book was absolutely exceptional. They both had been pining for each other for ages and I just loved reading about that so much. What I love in best friends to lovers books is when the two characters know each other and sound like they have been friends for a long time and Siloh and Dom knew everything about each other and I loved it, I just loved how realistic their friendship felt. Also this was really hot. It had all of the flavours I love in a short story and did everything perfectly. I absolutely adored this short story and I would love a longer book of this story because I just want more of this story, it was absolutely perfect to me.

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Never Have I Ever … Sung in Public by Jodi Payne
Rating: 3 stars
Themes of the story: High school crushes meeting up again after a while, facing your fears
Blurb: Nathaniel writes on a blog post about how he never sung in public. Ethan sees him and reconizes him from high school. Turns out that Nathaniel had a crush on Ethan in high school but he never did anything about it. But now they reunite and get together, including some singing in public from Nathaniel.

Thoughts on the story: This story was so damn sweet. I’m a really big fan of the premise where someone has had a crush on someone before and they meet later on in life and they fall in love and the way it was done in this story was so sweet. I loved seeing Nathaniel do what always scared him and I loved how eager Ethan was to help him.

I wish we got a couple more scenes of Ethan and Nathaniel being a couple, thats all that this short story was missing for me. But it was a sweet story with a really nice set up and it was a lot of fun to read.

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Never Have I Ever … Gotten Lost by K. Webster
Rating: 4 stars
Themes of the story: First meetings, falling in love
Blurb: Hunter is browsing the Heart2Heart forum when he finds a tread about never having gotten lost, and he is fascinated by the idea. He meets Andrew, another guy who has never gotten lost and they decide to get lost together.

Thoughts on the story: I enjoyed this one so much. It set a really magical atmosphere and it was just the perfect balance of sweet, heart warming and tear jerking. This short story got tears out of me because I was so invested in the characters and how their lives would go.

I absolutely loved the characters in this, Andrew is on the autism spectrum and he’s always been told that he’s too much. While Hunter has always been told that he’s not enough because he is too serious, boring and doesn’t have much emotions. But they both didn’t see that about the other and thought that they were perfect just like they are. And I loved that so much. And the romance, it was so damn sweet. I loved how they adored each other and how they worshiped the ground that the other walks on. . Also their banter was just the best. These characters had such a good connection and it showed through their every actions.

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Never Have I Ever … Taken a Vacation by Kate Hawthorne
Rating: —
Themes of the story: Open relationships, people in an established relationship that meet someone new, MMM
Blurb: Milo is a travel blogger who has a travel blog where he talks about the food and the people he has sex with when he travels somewhere. While on a flight to New Orleans, Milo meets Jermaine, a flight attendant. Also, Jermaine is in an open relationship with his best friend Gage and they all end up having an interest in each other.

Thoughts on the story: I decided to not rate this story because while it was really hot and I enjoyed those scenes, I just don’t like reading about people in open relationships. There is nothing wrong with the story, it’s just not a topic for me or one that I enjoy reading about, to be honest it’s kind of a triggering topic for me. This story just wasn’t for me, but Kate Hawthorne has written what probably will be my favourite book that I have read this year, so I already know her other books work for me, this story was just an exception to that rule.

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Never Have I Ever … Spent The Night With Blanche by Louisa Masters
Rating: 2 stars
Themes of the story: First meetings, watching the Golden Girls
Blurb: Fin has never seen an episode of the Golden Girls and he says that on the Heart2Heart forum and Clay decides to work with a local place so that they organize a Golden Girls marathon. Fin and Clay meet there and they fall in love.
Thoughts on the story: This was super sweet and I really wish that I could have gotten into the story. But alas, i’m just not the target audience for this one. I have seen a grand total of zero episodes of the Golden Girls and I have no desire to change that number any time soon, so a lot of the references and details about the show were lost on me. I’m sure this story would be lovely and a hit on any fan of the show because there is a lot of talk about the show and references to the show, it’s just not for me.

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Never Have I Ever … Had a Makeover by Mia Monroe
Rating: 2.5 stars
Themes of the story: First meetings, falling in love, opposite attracts
Blurb: Constantine just went through a break up where his ex called him boring and his friend makes him get a makeover. Thats where he meets the stylist, Deacon. They end up falling into bed together and then they fall in love.

Thoughts on the story: If there is one thing I love in books, it's a good subversion of tropes. Which this story is and I really loved that part of the story. This story is about a very well known trope, the twink and the bear, but I liked how it took a twist on the typical way this trope is done.

This one was so damn sweet and it was the exact type of stories I love to read about but I didn't really like the style in which this story was writen, the writing was a little too dramatic and over the top for me, I prefer subdue characters and plots over over the top ones and this story was a little too on the over the top side for me. But I think it would be perfect for anyone who loves this kind of writing style in books.

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Never Have I Ever … Flown In An Airplane by Neve Wilder
Rating: 4 stars
Themes of the story: Conquering your feers, first meetings, falling in love
Blurb: Beau is scared of flying in a plane and he is taking a trip to Italy. While at the airport’s bar, he meets a flight attendant, Jack. Turns out that they are sitting beside each other in the plane and Jack helps Beau while he is panicking on the plane.

Thoughts on the story: Beau was so scared of taking a plane and I loved reading about all of his thoughts as he flew for the first time, as someone who was scared of planes before I took one for the first time, it was very relatable to read about and I really enjoyed it. This is so sweet, it was so heartwarmingly sweet and I loved it so much. I loved all of the little movies, tv shows and music references in this one, it was so much fun to read them all. Plus there was a really hot sex scene in this one. This short story had everything I could ever want in a short story and I loved it so much. This was just one of the sweetest short story I have ever read and I absolutely loved it, so much.

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Never Have I Ever … Gone Skinny Dipping by Riley Hart
Rating: 4.25 stars
Themes of the story: Second chance at love, falling in love
Blurb:Mickey met a guy online when he was a teen and they had plans to go skinny dipping the first time they met up but Mickey got too scared to go and he never heard of the guy again. It’s been 8 years since then and Mickey is a romance novel writer and he always goes to the same coffee shop to write his books, because he has a crush on the owner, Ronan. Mickey decides to ask Ronan on a date and they live out Mickey’s dreams and fantasies.

Thoughts on the story: This was so sweet. This story melted my entire heart and left me with the biggest smile on my face. I love shy and awkward narrators, the ones who don’t really know how to interact with people and Mickey was exactly that and it made the chapters in his point of view really delightful to read for me. I love pining in books and there was a lot pining in this one, so I really loved reading about that. I also loved how even it it’s a short story there was a lot of page time dedicated to Mickey and Ronan talking to each other and bounding. I really enjoyed how a lot of the story was just them getting to know each other, it was really fun to read about. Also the sex scenes were really good and very damn hot.

I just wish that the story was a little more developed, I know that it’s a short story but it brought up some plot points that I felt like they weren’t developed enough and I just wanted a to learn a little more about those.

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Never Have I Ever … Watched The Godfather by S.E. Harmon
Rating: 4.5 stars
Themes of the story: Second chance, falling in love while watching classic movies
Blurb: Ashton told his friend how he hasn't seen the Godfather and his friend could not believe it so Ashton writes a message on a message board about how he's looking for a date to watch movies with at the local movies in the park event. He finds a date in Levi. Turns out that they have an history together and that they spend the summer reconnecting while watching movies together and they fall in love.

Thoughts on the story: This short story had my heart just because of the premise of it. Two characters who goes to movie dates to see classic movies is one of my favourite thing to read about and I love every movie mentioned in this story, so reading about the characters watching them was an absolute blast for me. And I also adored the romance in this one, it was so damn sweet and so romantic and I loved it so much. I loved everything about this story: their banter was so so good, the sex scenes were lovely, the relationship between Ashton and Levi was so sweet, how much they cared about each other and also complimented each other and made each other feel good was just the sweetest thing, the fact that they wanted each other and told each as much and fought to be together really worked for me.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story but I must admit that Ashton lost me as a fan the second he said that Rear Window is boring and that he hasn't seen Citien Kane, i’m just not sure I can forgive him for such statements, they really hurt my poor soul. But I think we can say that I enjoyed a main character when the only thing I disgreed with is his taste in movies.

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Never Have I Ever … Kissed Someone on the Lips by Spencer Spears
Rating: 4 stars
Themes of the story: First meetings, first times, sexual exploration
Blurb: West is looking out of the window when he sees a thief stealing diamonds from his neighbours house. The thief sees him and goes to visit him. They start talking and West has never been kissed so he blackmails the thief into giving him his first kiss in exchange of him not ratting out the thief.

Thoughts on the story: I enjoyed this story so damn much. The set up was absolutely hilarious in the best way possible and it lead to some really good banter between the main characters and some really sweet and some really hot scenes. This one was the perfect balance of everything I enjoy in a short story and I had such a fun time reading this story. This was pretty much the perfect short story for me and I would take atleast 20 books exactly like this, I love the idea so much and I just want more. This is a new to me author and this short story really sold me on checking out more of this author’s books.

I must admit that I had a hard time understanding how West, who has anxiety, was having his first time with a total stranger and didn’t seem very anxious about the situation, but that was my only thing I enjoyed less in this story, I enjoyed everything else about it.

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Never Have I Ever … Been On A Date by Tal Bauer
Rating: 4.5 stars
Themes of the story: Long term crushes, love declaration, polar horror
Blurb: This story is set in Antartica, where there is a lot of scientists exploring and trying to learn more about it. In the lot, there is Cletus, a pilot and Damien, a palentologist. They are sent on a rescue mission to find a scientist who dissapeared and Cletus and Damien have been pining for each other and they finally tell each other how they feel.

Thoughts on the story: I have every Tal Bauer book TBR but I haven’t read any of them yet, but damn did this short story made me want to read all of his books. This short story was exactly my speed and I loved it. The ambiance in this story was absolutely wonderful. The way everything was described was so fascinating and I loved it so much. And I loved all of the descriptions of Antartica, they were so vivid that it really made me feel like I was exploring the place with the main characters.

And the romance in this story was so damn sweet it just melted my heart. It was absolutely lovely and I just adored Cletus and Damien together, they made a wonderful pair. And I loved how much pining there was in this story. And I loved how both characters were super well developed and fleshed out.

I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest review.

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 average, rounded down, because Y'ALL. This was not good. Like, really actually pretty bad, and this is coming from somebody who hasn't had the best luck with these anthologies in the past and went in with low expectations, but I truly couldn't even read the majority of them. And I hate having to shit on a charity anthology but COME ON, get some authors who know how to write a short story and don't just phone it in. And also, this was the stupidest theme ever, I definitely think that didn't help. It was really clear the authors didn't quite know how to fit the concept of heart2heart + this theme into their stories, and it was super awkward.

Never Have I Ever... Fallen in Love by Lucy Lennox: 2 stars
Alaska. This one suffers from being cut in half, but the second bit was *so* rushed, and I'm still not sure what the point of the ex-husband was, unless it's because it's a tie-in to an existing/upcoming series, otherwise it wasn't needed.

Never Have I Ever... Cold-Called a Stranger's Phone Number by A.M. Arthur: 2 stars
Jock roommate tricks nerdy roommate because he's a coward and can't admit he likes him. Very odd premise and the roleplay at the end was just strange.

Never Have I Ever... Ridden a Bike by Alice Winters: 0 stars - DNF
Exhausting. Mutual pining roommates get involved in a diamond heist? Idk I hate this author. Like crack!fic but with less joy.

Never Have I Ever... Dyed My Hair Flaming Red by Daryl Banner: 0 stars - DNF
Theater kid dyes his hair red. DNF like 2 pages in, the writing was atrocious.

Never Have I Ever... Worn that for Halloween by E.M. Lindsey: 0 stars - DNF
Yet another bffs in love with each other. Stupid set up and bad writing.

Never Have I Ever... Sung in Public by Jodi Payne: 2.5 stars
Drama teacher and dentist reconnect years after high school. No smut, a bit quick. Fine, but not memorable at all.

Never Have I Ever... Gotten Lost by K. Webster: 1 star - DNF
Two strangers have never got lost so they... meet up to get lost together? What? I was so confused about this whole premise and couldn't get past it. Writing wasn't great but didn't make me want to scream like several of the other previous ones so it gets 1 pity star.

Never Have I Ever... Taken a Vacation by Kate Hawthorne: 0 stars - DNF
Travel blogger and a flight attendant who's never been on vacation. OMG the writing here was so stiff and terrible. I felt like I was reading a middle school essay.

Never Have I Ever... Spent the Night with Blanche by Louisa Masters: 0 stars - DNF
Golden Girls virgin and mega fan. Concept was boring, writing was meh, and I was very confused about the emphasis on the third dude for the first chapter--legit thought it was gonna be a threesome and then was disappointed.

Never Have I Ever... Had a Makeover by Mia Monroe: 2 stars
Femme "firm top" personal stylist and insecure bear "dedicated bottom" professor. This was okay, but not quite my thing. I liked the bucking of stereotypes but it was clunky.

Never Have I Ever... Flown in an Airplane by Neve Wilder: 4 stars
Musician afraid of flying and off-duty flight attendant connect on a flight to Italy. Super hot, and IDK if it was actually that great or if it was just SO good compared to the terrible stories that preceded it, but my favorite by a landslide so far.

Never Have I Ever... Gone Skinny Dipping by Riley Hart: 2.5 stars
Librarian/undercover gay erotica writer and podcaster/coffeeshop owner. Fine, but I found the coincidence of having a crush on the dude who was your anon teenage online love interest to be more eye-roll inducing than cute.

Never Have I Ever... by S.E. Harmon: 1.5 stars
Overworked lawyer and his old professor. I SO wanted to love this one and it started out promising, but then the anon date turned out to be an old professor who lawyer guy kissed and was rejected by, which felt really weird and unnecessary and kind of tanked the mood. Both POVs sounded the same, and the dynamics were just odd. I wish they'd been strangers.

Never Have I Ever... Kissed Someone on the Lips by Spencer Spears: 2 stars
Never-been-kissed university student sees a thief and helps shelter him from the police. This started out promising, even with the slightly ridiculous premise, but the way the sex progressed here didn't quite make sense for me and the whole vibe felt very much like a teaser for a proper series and not super well-contained within the story itself.

Never Have I Ever... Been on a Date by Tal Bauer: 3.5 stars
Antarctic explorer and a pilot. As is common in this author's works, it was heavy on the plot/murder mystery and light on the romance. Fade-to-black, which was unsatisfying, and the connection to the heart2heart at the end felt reeeeeally forced.

[drew]

the stories that were good were really good and the stories that weren’t so good…. well, i didn’t finish reading those nn.

no score for this as i skimmed through the majority of it, but E.M Lindsey, Tal Bauer, and, to a lesser extent, Alice Winters delivered three wildly different and enjoyable stories; they were the best of the bunch for me.

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewing the following novellas:

1. Never Have I ever... Been On A Date by Tal Bauer ( 5 stars)
This was classic Tal--->
- Powerful characters
- Amazing prose
- Suspense and thrill
- Sweet Romance
- Intricate details and world building.

I just loved this romance with the Antarctica backdrop, I just needed a steamy scene Tal! But oh well...We can't get everything we want.

2. Never Have I Ever...Watched The Godfather by SE Harmon (5 stars)
This novella was such a delight in all the ways!
- Ex-Teacher-student romance
- Age Gap
- Sweet dates
- Sexy Steam
- Romantic gestures

It was a great novella that didn't feel rushed or incomplete.

3. Never Have I Ever... Flown In An Airplane by Neve Wilder (3.5 stars)
This was also classic Neve.
- Hot sex
- Loveable characters
- Cute moments

However, I did feel like it needed a bit more depth/substance. It felt rushed towards the end. I felt that 1 more chapter would have gone a long way towards making me believe in this couple. Sure they were hot and sexy together. I enjoyed their dates. But the last chapter was too abrupt imo.

4. Never Have I Ever ... Worn That For Halloween by EM Lindsey (5 stars)
This novella both surprised and delighted me. It was a whole novel condensed in a novella nd it was done beautifully!
- Best Friends To Lovers
- Secret Pining from both MCs
- One hot AF sex scene
- Great secondary characters.

I loved every page of this novella and would gladly read more of this couple!

5. Never have I Ever... Called A Stranger's Phone Number. (4 stars)
This was another delightful surprise.
- The premise
- The Roommates to lovers
- The Secret Crush
- The secret planning to be together.

It was all so cute and sweet and it gave me a big smile on my face.

Note that all the proceeds of this anthology go to LGBTQ charities.

[Leslie]

So I'm going to update this review as I read these. Then maybe give an overall average rating. I won't be reading all the stories as some don't interest me. I'll try hard not to read authors I've sworn off but short stories tend to lure me in so we'll see how that goes...

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ Never Have I Ever Flown on a Plane by Neve Wilder
Neve returns to her Rhythm universe with this shortie. I don't know if I was supposed to know who Beau was but I did remember Dan and Ru and liked seeing them. Loved the little mention of my babies Les and Evan. This was cute and sweet but I can't say it gave me the oomph I usually get from a Wilder story. (Hangs head in sadness.😢) I felt little to no connection to either guy. Perhaps another chapter or two would have given me that? 🤷🏻‍♀️ Still it was a sexy little treat. It did make me want to find a handsome guy to spend an international flight with. 😀

[Ash🍉]

I’ll be adding my reviews as I read each story.

1: “Never have I ever … fallen in love” by Lucy Lennox - 2.5/5 stars.
I know short story’s don’t have much time for development, but this was a bit too quick for me. It would’ve worked better as a full length story that spanned a few months rather than a week.

2: “Never have I ever … cold-called a stranger’s phone number” by A. M. Arthur - 1.5/5 stars
I have no idea why the mc liked Jasper when he just sounded a really annoying roommate. The plot and characters were not likeable at all.

3: “Never have I ever … ridden a bike” by Alice Winters - DNF
This is basically a crack fic which Im not a huge fan of so I gave up about halfway through

4: “Never have I ever … dyed my hair flaming red by Daryl Banner - 2.25/5 stars
I was kinda bored reading this, it wasn’t terrible tho.

5: “Never have I ever … worn that for Halloween” by E. M. Lindsey - 4.5/5 stars
Finally a good story in the bunch. This was a best friends to lovers which I adore and it was done so well.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never Have I Ever - Fallen in Love

So I really wanted to love this one. It got off to a good start but starting and finishing with the same story may have sounded like a good idea. In reality it was annoying.

Johan works for Heart2Heart in Miami and he’s flying to Alaska to write an article for their Never Have I Ever…
He meets Pilot Pete and the attraction simmers between them. Johan was a little burnt out and is hoping Alaska is the break he needs.
This was a fabulous little romance but the second half seemed rushed.

…Cold Called a Stranger’s Phone Number.

I could be interesting. Hell, I could probably even be spontaneous … with enough notice and planning time.

This was an okay read as Charlie and Jasper navigate life, love and college.

…Ridden a Bike

Laugh out loud funny in places. I might have done a very unladylike snort at one point as well.

I only read these three, it’s still on my kindle but I haven’t felt the draw to return to it. So I suspect this is it for me.

[ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rating/review is ONLY for Never Have I Ever…flown in an airplane by Neve Wilder
3.75 ⭐️
Beau (musician), first time flying meets Jack (flight attendant) on a flight to Venice, Italy. Cute stuff ensues with a HEA.

[Heike · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 star rating *huh* how is this possible? Mathematical - not at all. 14 short stories with ratings from 0 (dnf) to 5 stars average 2.89 stars, if one wants to be particular.
But - it is a perfect anthology to meet new authors and revisit old ones, and with almost all of these stories as short as 50 pages and reading times around an hour it's not much of a risk to get into hating a story. My lower ratings were mostly for boring and in-inspired stories. Predictability is a given, 50 pages are not much for building up a plot, so I am not expecting a big one.

This said: I highly recommend to take a peek! I read every single one of the 14 mini-novellas - my thoughts and ratings here. I abused this review space for personal notes about the authors as well before I started reading (and I did not read in order) - those are marked as spoilers since they are not part of these particular short stories.

Never Have I Ever…Fallen In Love --- Lucy Lennox
I always think "Licking Thicket" when I see her name, this is one of her book titles I find childish and stupid. Her books are 4 stars to "lost-interest" for me. (personal notes about author)
5 stars, 55 pages
Alaskan pilot Pete picks up Heart2Heart staffer Jonah (Florida born and raised), who is supposed to write a "Never Have I Ever ..." - piece about his adventures in Alaska.
This was a fun story supported by great friends and family in a Alaskan small town - highly recommended. Got a bit sappy towards the end, but in a good way. Just keep your Kleenex close.
R-rated contents: one scene skimmed over, not very explicit. Perfect!
I just read Arctic Sun by Annabeth Albert which has almost the same story line. Annabeth made the mistake not to leave it with the happy couple, though, but tag on very unnecessary drama.

Never Have I Ever…Cold-Called A Stranger's Phone Number --- A.M. Arthur
New to me author. (personal notes about author)
3.5 stars, 50 pages
Well, that was not really the definition of cold calling. But - nice one. Bookworm Charlie (21) tries to prove to his roommate that he can be adventurous and sets up a date with a stranger. No R-rated content, and despite the unbelievable setup it was a story well told and swoon-worthy if not going into sappy land sometimes. If this novella would have been any longer I would have dropped a star for sweetness overload.

Never Have I Ever…Ridden A Bike --- Alice Winters
From 5 star to DNF author for me, sometimes the humor is way OTT. Usually her story telling is better than her romances. (personal notes about author)
4 stars, 45 pages
Lance and Owen, 29, are best friends since the were 6 years old. Now they are roommates, but not a couple. One wonders why?
A typical Alice Winter ridiculously OTT short story, absolutely unbelievable but oh so funny. Very enjoyable read and earns an extra star for the cat.

Never Have I Ever...Dyed My Hair Flaming Red --- Daryl Banner
New to me author. (personal notes about author)
2 stars, 55 pages
Zakary, mid-20, stagehand, admires the screen writer Jonatho, mid-40, and knows the play word-by-word by heart. 'nouf said ...

I did not care for the characters. Zakary came over as slow and simple, and Jonatho as a leery old lecher. I am sure that was not the writer's intention.
In the first third it was repeated several times that Zakary thinks of himself as just a lowly stagehand. I hate it when the author thinks I am too stupid to get it the first time.

Needless to say - not my favorite story in this anthology.
R-rated contents: one descriptive scene.

Never Have I Ever...Worn That For Halloween --- E.M. Lindsey
Read only one of her books, stayed away from her others due to MC's have disabilities and do not deal well with them. The book I read was (excerpt from my review): "full of editing errors and story contingency errors all over the place, some ridiculously bad "villains", the predictable but yet so unnecessary drama, the even more predictable sappy end - this really was b-movie quality".
So there is that. (personal notes about author)
1.5 stars, 55 pages
Oh my gosh, this one must have been so boring, I do not even remember it anymore less than 24 hours after reading it.
There were two friends who met when they were 11 years old, that's now 20 years ago. Both came out as gay to each other in their teenager years. Both are pinning for each other, always have been. One of them is constantly inner-dialoging that he is not good enough for the other. *gah*
I think I hate the "supporting" characters the most, the father and the best friend. Both are standing by instead of doing an intervention after it so clear that our two MCs love love love each other. I hate wasted years!
R-rated contents: one scene at the end. Word count, you know.

Never Have I Ever...Sung in Public --- Jodi Payne
New to me author, not very well known (347 ratings on her most popular book) but a lot of high ratings on GR (personal notes about author)
1.5 stars, 55 pages
Nat (now dentist) had a crush on a straight student, Ethan (now English and Drama teacher), at high school. 10 or 15 years later Ethan recognizes Nat in an internet forum and starts facebook stalking him. Eventually they meet up for a drink and so on.
This was boring, awkward, and the sex horrible (50% of it was muttering "fuck!" to each other).

Never Have I Ever...Gotten Lost --- K. Webster
New to me author. I have one book of her on my TBR list for quite a while. She is not sorely an MM writer. (personal notes about author)
dnf @40%, 55 pages
Supposedly emotionless Hunter picks up super quirky Andrew at a hotel in Norway for an adventure trip. Why, how, what for - who knows?
It's a really weird set up that I have problems to follow. Then it's just Andrew blabbing away and Hunter proving that he can be funny as well. I am more annoyed to feel like the odd one out in their fellow company, than entertained.

Never Have I Ever…Taken a Vacation --- Kate Hawthorne
New to me author. Mostly mediocre reviews. (personal notes about author)
3 stars, 60 pages
Flight attendant Jermaine meets Travel blogger Milo on a flight to New Orleans. Both feel some chemistry, but they are professional enough not to abuse the lav. When Jermaine's next flight is cancelled he hooks up with Milo for the night.
I first thought this would be border-lined cheating, but Jermaine is polyamorous, and so is his partner. For Milo this was a whole new line of thinking.
For me it was a bit too fast to add emotions to the relationship, but it was well written despite being heavy on the sex.
R-rated contents: one very long scene and a lot of talk about it as well.

Never Have I Ever...Spent The Night With Blanche --- Louisa Masters
From 5 star to lost-interest author for me, some fantasy with demons and such, some contemporary (personal notes about author)
2 stars, 50 pages
Fin, interior designer, has never watched Golden Girls and is lured to a Golden Girls marathon where he meets Blanche-fan Clay, who writes for a queer weekly paper.
Sounds boring? It was.
R-rated contents: couple of descriptive scenes

Never Have I Ever…Had a Makeover --- Mia Monroe
Only book I read from her was a novella I disliked for the unrealistic setup when a guy meets a stranger's family and everyone was best friends within minutes. I feel like someone is trying to mess with me when settings are so hallmark-y. I avoided her ever since. Maybe I am unfair. (personal notes about author)
2 stars, 55 pages
Teaching professor Constantine is talked into a make over after his boyfriend breaks up with him with the words "you are boring".
He meets femme stylist *forgothisname* who falls head over heels for the professor.
So, while each of them keep telling the other how great the other is and a weekend date at *forgothisname*s apartment they are officially boyfriends and *forgothisname* is introduced to Constantine's students as such.
A touch fast *huh*? Other than that repetitive and just not very entertaining nor believable.
R-rated contents: one descriptive scene

Never Have I Ever…Flown In An Airplane --- Neve Wilder
I read only a novella by him, uninspired nerd-jock story. (personal notes about author)
2 stars, 40 pages
Cover musician Beau (27) is a flight virgin. Lucky for him his seat neighbor on his first class flight to Italy is flight attendant Jack (34) on his day off. Please do not ask me how a bar-musician can afford a first class flight or why a flight attendant would sit there.
Info-dump: Economy to Italy will cost $800 to $1400. Business $2500 to $4000. That would be "splurging". First Class $8000 to $12000. That would be "wasting" and "take out a loan for a flight".
However. Beau keeps panicking during the flight and Jack distracts him with movie and video game quotes. Funny for readers who know those, annoying for me who doesn't.
This said - all together uninspired story telling.
R-rated contents: one descriptive scene.

Never Have I Ever…Gone Skinny Dipping --- Riley Hart
The one book I read by her was very forgettable and read more like an f/m romance with all the unnecessary drama (personal notes about author)
3 stars, 55 pages
I left this story for last because - skinny dipping. Really? How original.
Mickey, 26, librarian and secret queer erotic author, has a crush on Ronan (26), barista in the coffeehouse he goes to every evening to write. Mickey is shy and awkward, the definition of a nerd, while Ronan is an outgoing dude with a pod cast named "Sex with Ronan". *huh*
The rest of the story is well written and as predictable as it is boring, however, I give this an extra star for slow realtionship building - these guys actually date for weeks before they hit the pillows! Who would have thought after the erotic writer and sex pod cast introduction.
R-rated contents: a couple of scenes, but not overly long.

Never Have I Ever…Watched The Godfather --- S.E. Harmon
New to me author. Looks interesting, though. (personal notes about author)
4 stars, 60 pages
When Ashton, 33, criminal defense attorney, pisses of a client, his father, partner in the law firm he works for, suggests an "unpaid vacation" for the summer. Ashton stays at a friend's house in the town where he went to college.
For something to do he plans to attend a weekly film festival and finds a companion through an internet forum.
Levi, 48, professor of American History, is not looking for a new relationship, and definitely not for one with a guy who is 15 years younger than him.

This was a very mature romance with low angst, good pacing, and believable relationship building. Very enjoyable and I will definitely check out more books by the author!
R-rated contents: two descriptive scenes which was border-lined too much for the story length

Never Have I Ever...Kissed Someone on the Lips --- Spencer Spears
New to me author. I only notice super cheesy book titles and very ugly book covers, but also decent ratings. (personal notes about author)
1 star, 40 pages
College student West spends his summer in DC. He is shy and awkward and watches a neighbor's party from the roof of the porch when a thief climbs out of the neighbor's window and crashes with him into his bedroom.
Sounds like a setup for a cheap porn? That is exactly what it was!
R-rated contents: ask me which contents were NOT R-rated.

Never Have I Ever…Been On A Date --- Tal Bauer
New to me author. Very high ratings and right along my alley (action packed books, supposedly) - I am intrigued! (personal notes about author)
5 stars, 70 pages
Helicopter pilot Cletus and "Dino Doctor" Damien figure it out over a mystery surrounding a death in the Antarctica.

Where have you been all my life, Tal Bauer? Loved all about the story, mystery and romance alike, fast paced and yet slow burn.

R-rated contents: none, faded out when it got hot.

[~Nicole~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting anthology of short stories,some of them very good . I loved Tal Bauer’s “….been on a date”. Absolutely fantastic setting and plot (bit cheesy but somehow cheesiness works in this author’s books). I also liked Alice Winters’ “…..ridden a bike” . It was funny as hell (I read her books solely for the humor,her romances don’t work for me). S.E Harmon’s “….kissed someone on the lips” was wonderful. I loved West.
Riley Hart had an ok story (if somewhat predictable and not very original ), the same goes for Lucy Lennox (they’re not very adventurous authors,it seems). The rest were also pretty enjoyable .
I didn’t like Mia Monroe’s and A.M. Arthur’s stories. I don’t like Mia’s writing style, I never have. Her plot and characters are childish and …simplistic. A.M. Arthur’s “…….cold-called a stranger’s number” didn’t work for me because I didn’t like the characters. Charlie ,at least, was obnoxious .
It was a long read but I loved the concept and the idea behind it. 🏳️‍🌈❤️

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

Riley Hart, Daryl Banner, Neve Wilder, Mia Monroe, and SE Harmon’s stories are what saved me from rating this anthology as low as some other novellas made me want to rate it. Theirs were absolute perfection and exactly what I’m looking for from well rounded novellas.

I won’t highlight what I didn’t like because there’s nothing nice to say. Just that I probably won’t be buying this anthology again based on the overall quality of writing.

[haletostilinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

My overall rating of this is for about my average for all the stories I read in this anthology. I skipped quite a few, but also read quite a few. I'll rate and give a summary/mini-review for the ones I did read.

⭐︎ Never Have I Ever...Fallen In Love ⭐︎ by Lucy Lennox ★★.5 stars/5 stars

I don't know what it is about this one, but it just didn't work that much for me. The beginning was cute, and the MC's had potential with each other, so points for that. But it was just mostly "meh" for me. I don't think the story set up the MC's and their chemistry well enough, and then when they get to more with each other, it just kinda goes "they spent the next four days together and then all the sudden they were in love, but he was leaving" and I didn't really feel that. And then the conclusion at the end wrapped it up in a neat and pretty bow too easily. I skimmed a little bit by that end as well.

I think this was just a story that needed more time to stay with these characters to feel that love between them.

Never Have I Ever....Cold-Called A Strangers Phone Number by A.M. Arthur
I skimmed this one. I don't think I've ever read this author and the beginning didn't grab my attention so I just skimmed it and from what little I read, it seemed a little ridiculous to me, so...yeah, this was mostly just a skipped one.

Skipped the Alice Winters one

Skipped the Daryl Banner one

Never Have I Ever...Worn That For Halloween by E.M. Lindsey
This a new to me author, I skimmed this mostly. I couldn't muster the interest to really dive into this author as I skimmed. Meh, maybe another time I'll give this author a shot.

Skipped the Jodi Payne one

⭐︎ Never Have I Ever...Gotten Lost ⭐︎ by K. Webster ★★★★ stars/5 stars

I actually quite enjoyed this one. Other reviews for this one haven't been that complimentary, but I myself enjoyed it.

These two were adorable together. With Andrew being a rambling cutie and Hunter being a more silent, awkward guy but who got flustered easily and was adorable in his own way. I liked their chemistry together and their little adventure together in Norway, ending up in a candy shop that has a nice couple who lets them stay when their car accidentally ends up in a ditch when they're driving in the hard rain.

This was a light, fluffy read that established a connection between the MC's well and kept me entertained until the end when these two get their HEA.

Never Have I Ever...Taken a Vacation by Kate Hawthorne
I have only read one book by this author before this, and I liked it, but for this one I skimmed it, and it ended up being an M/M/M even though it focused only on two of them for a good portion of this, and the other was one of the MC's SO, but they were in an open relationship, I guess open for a third and were polyamorous? Idk, from what I skimmed I just knew it wasn't my thing.

Skipped the Louisa Masters one

⭐︎ Never Have I Ever...Had a Makeover ⭐︎ by Mia Monroe ★★★ stars/5 stasr

This was a new to me author who I gave a try. Overall this one was cute. It was a good introduction to this author, who I might give a try in the future for a full length book.

I thought the two MC's, Constantine and Deacon, were cute together. I skimmed a *tad* here and there, but for the most part I read all of this. There wasn't anything particularly special about this story, but it was cute and fun and the sex scene was actually pretty hot, so that gains a 3 stars in my book. The respect and kindness these two showed each other right away was nice too, and very adorable.

⭐︎ Never Have I Ever...Flown In An Airplane ⭐︎. by Neve Wilder ★★★.5 stars/5 stars

I love this author, so I was excited to dive into this. Apparently it takes place in this authors singers/bands series which is the one series I haven't read yet by her and have to get to at some point.

For a good portion of this short story, it was pretty good. I loved the two MC's, they had great chemistry, and I was enjoying their interactions. I do wish we had gotten a hot Mile High Club scene, but we didn't, in a story about a romance starting on an airplane, so I was a tad disappointed about that.

When they got off the plane they did have the hot sex in the hotel room. But then it ended so abruptly, and then it was months later and they were in love and together and living their HEA, but I it just happened too fast at the end.

This would have benefitted from at least another chapter or two getting them to that place. They'd barely known each other by the end of this and then all the sudden it was over and they were a solid couple in love doing their thing. I wanted a little more near the end. The first part of the story was very good and enjoyable though, hence the 3.5 stars.

⭐︎ Never Have I Ever...Gone Skinny Dipping ⭐︎ by Riley Hart ★★★★/5 stars

With this author it's usually a hit or miss for me, and this one, overall, was a hit. It was very adorable, and I enjoyed the main couple and how they took their time with each other, and how sweet they were together.

I do give a star off for the lack of remotely any drama coming from what seemed like would be the main conflict. It turns out the two MC's talked over 2 years on the internet without knowing who they really were, but when they were 18 they planned to meet in person and go skinny dipping together, but one MC bailed because he was too scared and nervous to follow through.

I thought the other MC would be upset once they found out who the other was, but he wasn't at all. It just made it all a bit too easy. It would have given this an extra chapter or two, and gave it a little more meat on its bones than just the pure fluff we got.
Which, the fluff we got was great and I enjoyed it. But the opportunity for a little more was there and it wasn't taken.

Still a fun, light and entertaining short story overall, though.

⭐︎ Never Have I Ever....Watched The Godfather ⭐︎ by S.E. Harmon ★★★★★ stars/5 stars

I loved this one. It did an amazing job of establishing an connection between Ashton and Levi, our two MC's. They knew each other way back when when Ashton was Levi's student when Ashton was 18 and Levi was 15 years older. There was feelings there, and Ashton did kiss Levi, but Levi pushed him away and rejected him, as he did the right thing at the time, even though he was attracted to and had feelings for Ashton.

Now it's another 15 years later, I think, and Ashton is a workaholic criminal defense lawyer, and Levi's last relationship that lasted for 3 years ended bad, with his ex having cheated on him...a lot. The guy was 10 years younger than Levi, so Levi thinks he shouldn't date any significantly younger guys.

But then after Ashton makes a big name client at work angry for a plea deal he wanted to go through with, his father (who is also his boss at the firm) puts him on a forced vacation, as it were, for the summer. Ashton hasn't took any time off in....basically forever, so having all that time to do what he wants is new to him.

When he posts on the Heart2Heart message board that he's never seen the Godfather (Ashton hasn't seen MANY classics), he makes plans with another guy (Levi) to meet up a park that is playing classic movies all summer, and when they meet up, they definitely recognize each other again.

This was written so well, it didn't feel like it was rushed or not enough or anything. It felt like the author fit a whole novel length story into this short one. I never felt cheated of more of these two or dissatisfied with how these two got together. It just flowed really well and the feeling came naturally between these two.

We get some good steam as well, and when these two get their HEA, it felt earned and made perfect sense. A definite win in this volume.

Skipped the Spencer Spears one

⭐︎ Never Have I Ever...Been On A Date ⭐︎ by Tal Bauer ★★★★★/5 stars

Saving the best for last, as they say.

I always love a good Tal story, short or full length novel.

This was able to be a quintessential Tal story in such a short length. Cletus and Damien had amazing chemistry and I felt the depth of their feelings for each other, just how strong their feelings were for each other, even though they'd spend the last 4 years not really talking a whole lot and just kinda silently crushing on each other. I still felt the heat and love between these two, even though they didn't start really talking to each other until the main events of this story.

They just clicked, and I felt the longing between them, even though Cletus was pretty stoic and reserved a lot of the time. But when it came to Damien he let his guard down and was sweet and caring with him.

The action was great too, kept me on my toes waiting to see what would happen. We didn't get full on steam, but what we did get was great, and if this HAD been longer, I know we would have gotten some great sex between these two. As it was, they weren't exactly in the best location and situation for some full on sex haha.

Their HEA was sweet and adorable as well. This was definitely the best of the bunch. Can't wait for more Tal Bauer stories. Please keep them coming, sir. They are always so so good with the best romance! 🥰

[Jacquie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the stories within this anthology are based on the premise of the game "Never have I ever" and often the first MC has posted on the Heart2Heart blog.
I didn't read them all - but I will! - I read quite a few of them though.

I started out with one of my favourite authors, Alice Winters, and her story, Never Have I Ever....Ridden a bike.
This was funny, really cute, full of hijinks and adventure. It's a best friends to lovers tale, told from the single pov of Owen, who has never ridden a bike and is in love with his best friend and roommate, Lance. They have a cat which is integral to the story. Loved it and want more, please!

Next was E.M Lindsey's ...Worn that for Halloween. Really cute friends to lovers, told in single pov by Dom, who is a baker and in love with Shiloh, his best friend. There's a mild kink element which I enjoyed and a meddling dad. Really sweet and I'd also like a longer version.

K.Webster's, ...Gotten Lost felt like a full-length story, maybe because it was dual pov, but I loved the grumpy/sunshine pairing, the idea of soul-mates and just the way that Hunter and Andrew just fit together. It was pretty emotional - I nearly cried. For me, it felt like history repeating itself in the best way with the parallel to Andrew's parents.

Lousia Masters ...Spent the Night with Blanche was adorable. Fin has never watched the Golden Girls and meets Clay at a viewing. Their meeting is a total meet cute and helped along by new friend to both, Ripper. I liked the almost found family aspect of the story. Told in dual pov and is pretty steamy.

Neve Wilder ...Flown in an Airplane. Flight attendant, Jack, meets never flown before musician, Beau on a flight to Venice. There was a feeling of serendipity because Jack had seen Beau play before and it was a lovely and also steamy story. I'd absolutely love more stories of them travelling the world together.

Last but not least was Spencer Spears ...Kissed Someone on the Lips. Super shy and anxious, West, meets thief, Tenn when he comes bursting through his window. West blackmails Tenn - a kiss for an alibi but in a cute, harmless way since it's obvious that Tenn has the upper hand. Features West's first time. This one felt like it has the potential for a series or at least a full-length novel.

In short, a great mix of stories and I would absolutely recommend picking this up, especially since the proceeds go to charity.

[Megan [At The Cottage] · Rating 4 out of 5]

MM Romances
Never Have I Ever…
3.5 Stars ⭐️

I liked the majority of the stories in this even though I wasn’t quite sure what to think when I saw the theme. Strangely though, the ‘Never Have I Ever’ theme just worked and I was able to find a few authors I’d never read before and want more of like Alice Winters while solidifying my love of Riley Hart and absolutely needing to read more of Daryl Banner. Daryl Banner is seriously my new obsession after “When I See You Again” and his story here just added to that but I digress.

However, the craziest thing about this anthology is that the story I liked most is by an author I’d essentially written off. I have not liked a single book I’ve ever read from this author and I’ve either DNF’d, one starred or gracefully bowed out after reading the sample of all of their books and after reading Switch Hitter earlier in the year and hating it, I wrote off this author. I almost skipped this story so imagine my surprise when I’m reading E.M. Lindsey’s story “Never Have I Ever Worn That For Halloween” and absolutely LOVING it. What in the actual fuck? I have read a ridiculous amount of samples from this author and hated most so who knew this story would make me want to try something of theirs again? Not me if that’s not clear. Mind blown. 🤯😂

Anyway, this was for a great cause and I enjoyed reading it so that’s a win for me. I wish these didn’t disappear after 3 months because I’d love to read past ones. Boo Hiss.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for it being for a great cause.

Never Have I Ever…Fallen in Love by Lucy Lennox
This has a cute premise, but it’s all building and going very fast. Short story writing is an art, and building all the same emotion & character development in a couple chapters can be challenging. This just feels like it’s meant to be longer. There’s also a lot of side characters & names that doesn’t help the story necessarily. If tightened up, it might bring the characters forward some.

Never Have I Ever…Taken a Vacation by Kate Hawthorne
Pretty cute and sexy. Milo and Jermaine weren’t the most likable of characters, something of a pattern with this author and her characters. They just always come off wooden, materialistic, and pretentious. Still sex was fairly hot in parts. I would have preferred the m/m/m aspect more if Milo hadn’t been throwing out the “love” word. Wasn’t believable for me. But fans of m/m/m might like this tease of a start.

Never Have I Ever...Gone Skinny Dipping by Riley Hart
Cute and predictable. I’m really over the blushing twink with the tall, confident flirt, but still. It was sweet and an easy read.

Never Have I Ever…Watched The Godfather by S.E. Harmon
I’m not into age gaps, so I wasn’t sure if I’d like this, but it was sweet and an easy read. I’m glad they found each other.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Heart2Heart anthologies! I love that all the monies are donated to LGBTQIA+ charities- if that's not reason enough to purchase, all the incredible authors and their stories should push you over! I've discovered new authors with every version of the anthology, and get to read fun new stories from some of my favorite authors. I was really excited for volume 5, seeing that Alice Winters, Riley Hart, Daryl Banner, Lucy Lennox, and Tal Bauer, among others, were new additions to the line-up this year!

With these anthologies I like to start with the "origin" story- the first one that kind of lays out what's to come. This year's starter, and finisher, is written by Lucy Lennox and it was a great beginning! I love the kind of gumpy/sunshine feel to Jonah and Pete's story. These 2 are such opposites, I really enjoyed their connection and can't wait to see what's going to happen when Jonah's time in Alaska is up. (No, I didn't go right to the conclusion, I like to save that for when I'm finished all the other stories!)

Next I jumped to Alice Winters' contribution, Never Have I Ever...Ridden a Bike. This was such a fun read, but I'd expect nothing less from Ms. Winters! Owen and Lance are best friends (Owen wants more though!) and roommates who get caught up in some nefarious dealings when Owen accidentally opens a box meant for their neighbor. What follows is a zany, hilarious romp that had me laughing.

Then it was on to Never Have I Ever...Dyed My Hair Flaming Read, by Daryl Banner. This was a sweet read. Zakary dreams of being more than just the invisible stagehand and finally gets his chance to show the world his talents. I really enjoyed this one!

Never Have I Ever...Gone Skinny Dipping by Riley Hart was a terrific second chance romance! I loved the set up for this one, and how Mickey and Ronan found each other again. So very sweet, ugh!

The last story I've read so far was Never Have I Ever...Been on a Date by Tal Bauer. This story was different from any of the others and really had me hooked. It's more a thriller/horror with a side of sweet romance. I was on the edge of my seat as Cletus and Damien found themselves running for their lives. I think it's great that Mr. Bauer stepped away from the typical light-hearted romances that make up most of the stories and changed things up a little! Not to say I don't adore the light-heartedness, because I so do. It was just a nice change of pace!

Never Have I Ever...Cold-Called A Stranger's Phone Number by A.M. Arthur- loved the set-up of this one, coming across a note/sketch in a book and reaching out to the person who left it. While I didn't appreciate Jasper calling Charlie boring, I'm glad it made him step out of his comfort zone. But then I was sad for what he went through. This had a fun twist though, and I liked how everything worked out in the end!

Never Have I Ever...Worn That For Halloween by E.M. Lindsey- wow, was this one a bit of an emotional ride, it had me crying real tears, not just tearing up a little! I love friends to lovers stories, but some of them can tend to give me a little heartache, like this one did. It happens when it turns out both characters have been pining after each other for years, but they were both scared to say anything for fear of ruining what they had. And that's exactly what was going on with Dom and Shy, friends since childhood. Oh my heart, they were the sweetest!


I can't wait to read the rest of the stories, and then see what happens with Jonah and Pete!

[Szidi ☼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Never Have I Ever'... every story in this Anthology is about something with this line.
I really enjoyed the stories I ready although I only read a few of my favorite authors, but I'm sure I'll read the whole book!

I'm starting with the best:

ALICE WINTERS
OMG, that story was hilarious and so good! It was a first for me to READ from Alice, because I only listened to her audiobooks before, but wow, reading it is something amazing. Funny, real and cute. Loved it. It was the best story IMO.

KATE HAWTHORNE
How dare to finish the story with that cliffhanger?! I thought my copy was missing something, because they were about to start getting naked together!!! Wow, it was super hot and cute. I can't wait to read more about these three!!!!

LUCY LENNOX
Ahhhh, the starting and finishing story is Lucy's and I loved it. First I thought the story is only that little something at the beginning and I was confused because of the cliffhanger?!, but we met them again at the end of the booky so everything was perfect. Loved it. Typical Lucy Lennox story, easy to read and easy to love.

NEVE WILDER
I swear I read that story and loved it, but I can't remember the details, because I read it after Kate's and both has airplanes and vacation in it. But I know I loved it because I finished it. Anyway, Neve's writing style is always amazing ;)

Ps. I started some, but wasn't in the mood (Tal Bauer, Mia Monroe, K Webster, EM Lindsey)

Love this Anthology and I recommend the book. It has many different authors with amazing and uniqe writing style, everyone should find something for their liking.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little late to the Heart2Heart party and only discovered these anthologies with the third edition a few years ago, but since then they've become a thing I greatly look forward to every year - even more so this year, as volume 5 happens to come with a new Tal Bauer story... which, unsurprisingly enough, ended up being my absolute favourite piece in this collection. The other standout five star read was Lucy Lennox's contribution. She tends to be a bit of a hit-or-miss author for me, but this one was very much a hit.

[Katharina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the stories I've read here are more 3 stars to be honest, but I've really enjoyed a couple of them so much that I had to round up. Also - charity. That deserves a round up all by itself.

My faves of the pack are definitely SE Harmon's story followed by Lucy Lennox' Alaska adventure (that reminded be a little bit of Northland by Cara Dee only way shorter) and Tal Bauer's Antarctica craziness.

[Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite anthologies that I look forward to every year. This year featured new authors that did not disappoint. Recommended!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a charming anthology. It's filled with lovely queer romance that has a few different queer identities incompassed. There's definitely a story for everyone in here and I can genuinely say that I liked them all. There were a few standout favorites but as a whole this is a solid anthology. Please if you're able to order this remember that this anthology is dedicated to donating money to LGBTQ+ charities and over the five volumes has donated over $100,000.

I don't remember all the titles of them but I have arranged them in the order they appear by author.

Lucy Lennox: what?! Split into two parts? I eagerly look forward to the end story now. This one is about a writer who goes to Alaska for his never have I ever article . He ends up meeting Pete, the sexy pilot who also just happens to be a part of the family that runs just about everything in the small town. This part has one explicit scene but it is written in a closed door style. It's a little bit more graphic than some closed door scenes near the beginning. Gay MCs

2nd half: My heart is happy. And there's a puppy.

A.M. Arthur: This was so cute. I really really enjoyed it. It would make a fantastic full-length novel but it was a complete short story. I usually find myself wanting more and feeling like a story is lacking in anthologies, but that is not the case here. Well yeah I would enjoy more of them, it wasn't necessary exactly. This one is about a guy named Charlie who is quite introverted and extremely academically focused. He ends up grabbing a book from the library and finding a card in it with a character sketch and a quote that says call for a good time. Charlie was not ready for what that call ended up bringing him.
This has not a single explicit scene and only one kiss in it. Perfect for my sex repulsed friends. Gay MC, bi MC

Alice Winters: This was the most ridiculous thing I've ever read and it was highly entertaining. It's basically about these roommates who are in love with each other but neither one of them have told each other and when one roommate accidentally opens a package that's meant for their neighbor they end up held at gunpoint by this guy at their neighbors and on this random goose chase to get a diamond ring that their cat swallowed and has to puke up. It is absolutely ridiculous. It is also hilarious. One on page explicit scene. Gay MCs

Daryl Banner: This one was another very well composed and complete short story. It is about a stage hand who is a little bit introverted and shy but knows every word of the play. He would love to act but he is scared of the attention. One night after a dress rehearsal, he and the playwright end up walking back to his apartment, they have a night together, and then the next day the stage hand has to confront his fears of being on stage instead of behind the scenes. It's cute and I don't really feel like anything was missing. It's a solid short story. There's one explicit scene and both MC's are gay.

E. M. Lindsey: oh my this is definitely my favorite so far. It is a best friends to lovers set in a small town. Lots of mutual pining and it was just good. I felt like a complete story and I really enjoyed. This one has a Deaf secondary character, the use of BSL (British Sign Language), a disabled gay MC who has short-term memory issues and is colorblind, and a queer MC. I do wish the short-term memory issues were more developed and discussed. It's kind of mentioned as a throwaway comment but never delved into. The color blindness is a large part of a story.

Jodi Payne: This was really adorable. It is about two men who knew each other in high school but it's been forever, it doesn't actually say years I don't think, but it's implied that it's been 10 years plus. Anyway they reconnect over this heart to heart app and end up meeting for a drink which leads to a talent show. It's got a drama teacher and a dentist, both gay MCs. One explicit blowjob scene

K.Webster: set in Norway. Oh my goodness that's what's really freaking cute. It is about two Americans in Norway. One works as a statistician of sorts and the other is visiting trying to find all the best chocolate and grieving the loss of his parents who met fell in love with Norway. They meet on the heart heart app about never having gotten lost and they set out on an adventure to get as lost as possible. Andrew is extremely talkative and energetic and has all sorts of random wonderful bits of knowledge. Hunter is very stoic and broody and has been told that he is emotionless but he really feels all sorts of things just doesn't know how to portray them. Both of the MCs are on the autism spectrum. Hunter is bisexual and Andrew is gay. I really really like this one. I would have loved to see this as a full-length book. But as a short story It was great as well.

Kate Hawthorne: This is one of the first ones that felt stunted to me. It features a pansexual travel blocker and a queer polyamorous flight attendant who meet on a flight and hook up. Then when Milo realizes that Jermaine has never taken a vacation despite being a flight attendant, he suggests they meet up again in San Diego with Jermaine's partner Gage. The three of them meet up have some chemistry and then it just ends. I wish we got a little bit more character traits and less sex. This one is definitely one of the most explicit from the anthology with technically only one explicit scene but numerous mentions of explicit content. The story is fine and I was interested and would have loved to have a longer story. This one just didn't quite work as a short story for me.

Louisa Masters: This one was very blah to me. It's not that it was bad it just wasn't very entertaining or substantial. I get that it's hard to pack substance into a short story but this one is literally two guys meeting at a Golden Girls screening marathon and then having sex and then going to dinner at a friend's house and having sex again. That's pretty much it.

Mia Monroe: Yes. This was great. If features a professor who is a bear and is in need of a makeover. He ends up going to this like get a makeover thing at a boutique and ends up with the stylist of his dreams. Deacon is a femme gay who doesn't explicitly identify as genderfluid but it's hinted at with terms like "feeling male today" "presenting feminine" etc. Deacon and Constantine connect over the makeover and end up going out on a date where they realize they have a few more things in common. I am a sucker for books that challenge gender norms and toxic masculinity and this story does that wonderfully. There is a gay mid-size bottom MC and a gay, gender bending top femme MC. There is one explicit on page scene.

Neve Wilder: This was fine. It's about a first-time flyer and a flight attendant who somehow more accurately end up on the same flight to Venice. I don't really have much to say about it to be honest. I felt like there was a lot of loose ends and stunted moments. It's fine, it's not problematic or anything, it just isn't my favorite.

Riley Hart: I really enjoyed this one It's definitely one of my favorites of the book so far. It features a shy awkward librarian who secretly writes kinky sex positive queer romance novels. He is in love with the coffee shop owner. The coffee shop owner is super flirty and outgoing and has a podcast where he is super sex positive and talks about all sorts of things. One thing leads to another and there's some skinny dipping. I really appreciate how inclusive this book was in terms of language. Sex positive is about allowing people to have as much or as little sex as they want in this book actually recognizes that. Even though both for my characters really want to have a lot of sex I appreciated that the notion was there about different types of love and attraction. 2 major explicit scenes

S.E. Harmon: Loved this one! So much. It's about a lawyer who is taking the summer off In Michigan and he does the never have I ever seen The godfather. Their town is doing a like movies in the park deal and he asked for someone to go with him as a friend platonically etc. Little does he know that the man who shows up to attend the movies with him is his old professor that he had a huge crush on. I really appreciated this book took time to develop the characters and give them their own personality. There is two explicit scenes I believe. A 15-year age gap with midsize rep and gay MCs.

Spencer Spears: literally finished the story and said "wait what?" Out loud. This is absolutely ridiculous and somehow still good? I don't really know how that happens. It basically has a gay MC with an anxiety disorder who was supposed to go to this party at the neighbor's house but instead he's sitting on the roof watching it all happened. The last thing he expects is for someone to come out the window of his neighbor's house onto the roof with jewelry, throw the jewelry away, jump over onto his roof and push him into the room. This one is centered around our gay anxious MC having never been kissed and he definitely has some internalized baggage around that and there's a little bit of shitty virginity culture there. Thankfully the other character does not share the same views and ensures that it's totally fine whatever. This isn't my favorite for my the anthology but it is memorable.

Tal Bauer: whoa. That was intense. I don't think that I was ready for a suspense / thriller / horror in this romance anthology but it was really good. Honestly probably one of my favorites. It's about a paleontologist and a pilot who both work on Antarctica. When a fellow scientist goes missing and they find her bloody parka, the two head out to find her body. Along the way they get a taste of what polar horror looks like and the phenomenon that happens to certain people in Antarctica and the Arctic, where they basically lose their minds. They become paranoid and see hallucinations and lose touch with reality. It was honestly a little bit scary but that's because I'm a super big wimp, but I also just really loved the quiet and slow build of the romance between the two as they went for their lives. There are no explicit scenes in this one, just a closed door scene. It has a US bi MC and a Pitcairn gay MC. I love this book had its romance and the horror/thriller was honestly interesting af and I learned some new things about bounty bay and T3 polar syndrome.
CW: Blood, violence, murder, isolation, polar horror, t3 polar syndrome.

[BevS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have to admit I only really bought this for S.E. Harmon and Tal Bauer's stories. I did read the Riley Hart one which was quite predictable, and I seem to have gone completely off Lucy Lennox altogether.

Maybe it's time to keep my money in my purse, and carry on supporting the Albert Kennedy Trust over here in the UK.

[Gerbera_Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this anthology because at this point this is the only way I can afford to support charity, so just for that A+ for the effort. That said, the theme of Never have I ever was a bit boring for me. Some stories were cute, some very predictable and others got me hooked. I read my favorite authors and found couple new ones whose voices were interesting. I do not care much for contemporary romance, and that's what the stories were. Will read the next one though if they make it because of charitable efforts.

[Sharing The Book Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of this anthology for charity.

I've read all the stories in here, some I loved, some I liked and some just didn't quite resonate with me.

Lucy's at the start/end is a wonderful intro to this seasons Never Have I Ever ...

AM Arthur's contribution made my heart melt with the best friends to lovers

Spencer's novella about Never Been kissed was cool but way too short LOL

I'd mini review all but not enough time
Overall this is 4 🌟

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this Heart2Heart volume 5 installment. I read Louisa Masters and Alice Winter's stories, and I love the couples and the writing style of the authors. The theme in this book that I absolutely loved was the "Never have I Ever" game, with the game being implemented in a forum in the stories that I read. The short story by Alice Winters, "Never Have I Ever Ridden A Bike." revolves around the main character Owen being in love with his best friend Lance, both are so quirky and fun! I loved how this story leads us on a crazy chase, and Owen manages to complete the "Never Have I Ever" in the chaos of it. The next story I ended up reading by Louisa Masters titled "Never Have I Ever... Spent The With Night Blanche" was so cute and fun as well. For me, this story wasn't as chaotic and kind of ridiculous as Alice Winter's story, but a bit more realistic. The story premise revolves around one of the main characters, Fin, not having seen a classic TV show, which he lists on the Heart2Heart forum. Fin ends up meeting Clay at the TV marathon there, and their connection is palpable; I loved their interactions and the addition of the stranger and eventual friend Ripper and his husband. These two stories were so fun to read; when I have more time, I'll definitely read the rest of the other authors' stories as well!

[Kara Hildebrand (Two Book Pushers) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good anthology and I always meet new to me authors. I even love it more when it's for charity so I was very excited to get an early copy of the fifth Heart2Heart anthology.
Never Have I ever… Been to Alaska is Lucy Lennox's contribution and holy cow is it fantastic! It's fresh, fun, exciting and sexy. Jonah works for Heart2Heart and when they start an event "Never Have I Ever" theme and he says been to Alaska, he's quickly off for the state to experience all it has to offer so he can write about it. Pete is the sexy pilot who brings him to the small town by plane, with a water landing. Jonah isn't a sexy wallflower though. He's sexy alright, but Pete realizes he loves a good adventure, isn't afraid of the water, getting dirty or having fun. He also keeps running into him. Even though Jonah is leaving, Pete wants to get to know him better. They spend time together doing fun things and Jonah realizes he can actually breathe here. He loves this town and the people in it, but his life is in Miami. Right? The chemistry between them is crazy electric and I loved everything about their story. Especially that Lucy gave us a few extra chapters of them! Thank you, Lucy! Also, while I have your attention, I love the Valentine's and wouldn't mind seeing them again :).

Never Have I ever… Cold-Called a Stranger's phone number by A.M. Arthur. This is my first book by this author and I really loved it!! Charlie and Jasper are roommates and complete opposites. Charlie is a book nerd who's not a big partier or social butterfly. Jasper is a fun, outgoing baseball player. They aren't really friends, but when Jasper encourages Charlie to call the number on an index card he found in a book he's been wanting to ready, Charlie goes for it. He agrees to meet the person on the other end of the number and he takes Jasper with him. The mystery guy can't make it but he and Jasper go on to have a really great day. They talk, have fun and realize they have more in common than they thought. Charlie keeps getting stood up but Jasper is there for him. When Charlie finds out something is going on behind this index card number and Jasper might have the answers, he’s not sure if he’s mad or excited. I really love Jasper and Charlie. They made me laugh and swoon. It’s such a short, fun story and I would definitely read more about them!

Never Have I Ever… Gone Skinny Dipping is Riley Hart’s story! I have read and loved stories by Riley so I was excited to read this one. Mickey had an opportunity when he was younger to meet his secret online crush to go skinny dipping, but he backed out at the last minute and never spoke to the guy again. Now he’s a librarian who secretly writes queer erotica in the coffee shop of his crush, Ronan. Mickey watches Ronan smile and flirt with everyone, but one day he’s extra flirty with him and Ronan lets him know it’s different with him. Ronan loves when Mickey comes in to his place. He’s adorable with all his freckles and ginger hair and glasses. They are physical opposites but Mickey just does it for Ronan. When Mickey gets up the courage to ask him on a date, Ronan can’t believe his luck. Heck yes! They spend time together, going out, staying in, Mickey keeps coming to the coffee shop to write. Kisses are exchanged. Then more. Mickey really wants to do the one thing he never did, skinny dip! Will Ronan be on board with skinny dipping with him? What happens when they realize their pasts are more alike than they thought! I loved this story! It’s short but packs a full novel punch! Again, I wouldn’t mind seeing a longer version of this one!

[Sammy Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always get this book when it’s released, not just because of all the amazing authors, but because the proceeds to charity. The stories are always amazing and centre around one theme. This year it’s, never have I ever, and I love how each author interpreted the theme so differently. I will leave my review for each book as I read them.

Never have I ever... been on a date – Tal Bauer

I was super happy and excited when I found out that he was writing a story for this. Let’s just say that I so was not disappointed! It was a new kind of thriller for me; it was an Arctic thriller. It takes place at an Arctic research center and resolves around Cletus, a helicopter pilot, and Damien, a palaeontologist. We get the background on how they know each other and Damien’s feelings for Cletus wrapped up at the start of this story. It amazes me how Tal is able to tell us so much, in so few words. The thriller comes into this story in the form of the disappearance of a researcher. Cletus, with the help of Damien, go to find out what happened to her. The story really ramps up after only a few chapters and has you biting your nails again and again! You can really feel the danger and it keeps you glued to the story. The romance is only a small part here and it is tied into the story very well. You can believe the way their relationship comes about because they already know and love each other. It only took a life-or-death situation to bring it about. I loved both characters and Tal really has a way with words. He manages to put a great triller into only a short story. He really has a way with words!

Never have I ever…ridden a bike – Alice Winters

This story is so funny, and it shows us how Alice Winters is the Queen of writing funny romance stories. Owen and Lance are best friends and roommates. Owen is writing his, never have I ever comment on the Heart2Heart message board. He wants to write how he is in love with his best friend Lance, but he chickens out in the end. When a package arrives, Owen opens it without thinking and finds its for his neighbour. What happens after is one madcap moment after another. They go to try and deliver the package, or should I say diamond, to its destination. The story gives me Felix and Lane vibes, with a bit of Leland thrown in. I liked how they finally go from friends-to-lovers, and it is believable, due to the fact they know each other so well already. They both just needed a bit of mayhem to help them along. The adventure they go on is hilarious and one bad guy I ended up loving in the end. It is Alice Winters doing what she does best, and as always it makes for an amazing story!

Never have I ever…watched The Godfather – S.E. Harmon

I’m in a similar boat as Ashton in this story as I’ve never seen The Godfather. Ashton is on holiday from his job as a lawyer and staying with his relative. When his relative leaves for a few months, Ashton goes on the Heart2Heart message board to find someone to fulfil his, never have I ever. He gets a big surprise when he arrives at the park and finds his film buddy is Levi. Levi is his old teacher from university, and he had a big crush on him. He kissed him and Levi turned him down. What Ashton doesn’t know is that Levi really wanted to kiss him back, but his job made it so he couldn’t, with Levi being his student. They agree to watch the film together and they start to get to really know each other. Over the space of movie and tv shows, that spark is still there. They end up in a very hot and heavy sexy times, but its only till Levi returns to his job in a few months. As we all know, feeling start to happen and they must figure out what to do next. I really enjoyed this story and I loved that it was a second-chance romance, with a bit of ex-teacher and student theme too.

Never have I ever…spent the night with Blanche – Louisa Masters

This one features something else I have never seen, The Golden Girls. It has been mentioned in so many books and I always end up feeling lost. Luckily, I’m not the only one, Fin hasn’t either. His friends on the Heart2Heart message board are I shock that he hasn’t seen it, so they invite him to an all night showing of it. When Fin walks in and first meets Clay sparks are really flying. It was sweet seeing them getting to know each other and of course it ends up taking them to a friend’s-with-benefits situation. My favourite scene is when they start getting hot and Heavy in their friends from garden. It was equal parts funny and hot! We also learn Fin’s full name and it is so funny, I can see why he doesn’t use it. It was nice seeing them grow closer and they had a bit of help courtesy of their new friend. I may have to watch the Golden Girls, so I am not so lost!

I received a copy of the book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this anthology. Year after year a bunch of amazing authors come together to write wonderful stories, with the proceeds going to LGBTQ+ charities. These stories follow a common theme throughout, this year’s being “Never Have I Ever”, but each author puts their own spin on the theme. Some stories are super steamy and sexy, some are sweet and funny and some are a fantastic mix of it all!

I had great fun with Kate Hawthorne’s contribution, “Never Have I Ever Taken a Vacation”. Jermaine and Milo met on an airplane and while they didn’t join the mile high club, they definitely had some very steamy times. I loved their connection and how their one night together came to mean so much to both men. I was so invested in them, that I was left with wanting more. I’m crossing my fingers there is more to come from this author and these three (yes three) sexy guys!

I totally fell in love with the men in Riley Hart’s story “Never Have I Ever Gone Skinny Dipping”! Riley has an amazing way of connecting the readers with her characters and even though this was a short story, I connected with Ronan and Mickey right away. They were adorable and their chemistry fantastic. I loved the way Ronan brought Mickey out of his shell!

Another story I adored was “Never Have I Ever Been on a Date” by Tal Bauer. Which if you’ve read Tal before, you know you’re in for a treat. If you haven’t then I’ll tell you that his story is packed with action alongside a storyline that will grab you, and that’s just in this short of a story! I loved Cletus and Damien in this story, and the action was just what I was looking for. This is one not to be missed!

It’s not surprise I also loved Lucy Lennox’s contribution, “Never Have I Ever….”. I loved the trip to Alaska that Lucy takes us to within her story. Jonah and Pete were adorable and I loved how these two fell for each other even when it didn’t seem logical. Their chemistry was fantastic!

I’m savoring the rest of the stories for another weekend, but I can say this Anthology should not be missed! Don’t forget it’s only available for a limited time!

[Joshua Conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Heart2Heart: A Charity Anthology, Volume 5. I have never read an anthology series of this length before, which made this a new and exciting reading experience. I started with the intention of only reading two stories and I ended up finishing the entire book. The stories are so witty, funny, and brilliantly written. I also love how all the stories exist in the Heart2Heart dating app Forum universe. Although I loved reading the entire book, I decided to revolve my review around three of my favorites.

Never Have I Ever...Dyed My Hair Flaming Red by Daryl Banner
Let me start off by saying that Daryl Banner is my favorite MM romance author. I have read a number of works including: The Brazen Boys, The Spruce Texas Romance Series and Boys & Toys. I love how Daryl Banner continues to expand his own MM romance multiverse. In this case I love how it's a play within a play. I enjoyed reading about the unlikely romance between Zakary and Jonatho. I loved how Daryl included Texas references, aesthetically pleasing underwear descriptions, and combined them with a positive message of hope, going out of your comfort zone and how sometimes changing your look can change your life.

Never Have I Ever Cold-Called A Stranger Phone Number A.M.Arthur

This is my first time reading an A.M.Arthur MM romance novel. I loved following the bromance to romance journey of Jasper and Charlie. I loved how it plays with the concept of something you have been looking for all the time, has been right in front of you the whole time. Complete with some slight deception, shirtless adventurous hijinks and urban fantasies.

Never Have I Ever Kissed Someone on the lips Spencer Spears

This is my first time reading a Spencer Spears MM romance novel. I really enjoyed this somewhat coming of age love story that really plays with the concept of First Time. I found West as a character relatable to me and I found Tenn delightfully mysterious.

Overall I highly recommend reading this series and it's for charity which is a great bonus.

[Sheena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was one of the fortunate ones to receive a copy of this anthology, and it's wonderful. There are quite a few authors in here that are new to me, and some that aren't.

It starts with a story from one of my favourites, Lucy Lennox and doesn't let up from there. All the stories are based around the premise of 'Never Have I Ever' and I loved seeing where these different authors took their stories. These are the ones I particularly liked by new to me authors:

Never Have I Ever ... Ridden a Bike by Alice Winters - such a fun tale of two roommates, a feisty cat, a diamond, a stoner neighbour, learning to ride a bike and best friends to lovers. Such fun.

Never Have I Ever ... Dyed my Hair Flaming Red by Daryl Banner - a tale of a shy stagehand finding a little courage in the form of hair dye and along the way also finding love and the courage to take something else he's always wanted. I loved this story and was hooked all along.

Never Have I Ever ... Spent the Night With Blanche by Louisa Masters - I was intrigued with the title of this one but it turns out it's a tale involving cinammon roll biker matchmakers, the Golden Girls, Post-It note battles, agony uncles, azalea despoiling and it's such fun. I loved the two protagonists (although I think maybe Ripper stole the story)

I also loved Mia Monroe's story - Never Have I Ever ... Had a Makeover - I love Mia's writing in general and this was great because it took what you'd traditionally think and turned the story on its' head.

I've read most of the stories, I have a couple left to finish and I know I'm going to love them. I've been saving the Spencer Spears one because I just love their writing and I know it's going to be good. This has introduced me to some great authors and I'm going to go and look for more from these, for sure.

This is a wonderful anthology for a good cause, so if you're wavering pick it up because it's great.

I received an ARC and this is my honest review.