Flames, Flirts & Festivals: A Diverse Short Story Romance Anthology

by Milly Bellegris (Editor), Rumi Khan (Editor), Everleigh Allen

Flirting always gets me into trouble. Flaming hot trouble ...

From Samhain to Up Helly Aa, these sizzling stories by award-winning and bestselling authors will whisk you away to celebrations around the globe. Featuring spectacular locations, diverse characters, and rich storytelling, you're sure to find something to love.

Come join the fun as we eat, drink, and live happily ever after.

Authors:

Everleigh Allen, A.R. Bell, Brianne Gillen, Milly Gray, Allegra Johnson, Chele MacCabe, Maida Malby, A.M. Roark, Saharra Sandhu, Alexa Santi, Heather Scarlett, Catherine Stein

Genres: International, Anthologies

589 pages, Paperback

Published August 2, 2022

Reviews

[Timitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated 3.5 Stars

Can’t Help Falling…In Edinburgh by A.M. Roark

It was a cute, sweet and quick read. It was endearing in parts but it didn’t fully work for me because I didn’t feel the connection between the hero and heroine. That said I am looking forward to reading more from this new to me author.


Copy provided by author

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers

This review is for Kiss Me, I'm Incorporeal by Catherine Stein

Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: third person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? I thought it was a pretty even mix!
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: pretty soon in – 16% (it’s a short story so this isn’t as long as it seems) (chapter 2 of 7)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: No
Format: read an e-book format from the author’s newsletter
Why I chose this book: I like Stein’s writing and unique settings and plots and want to read all her work eventually!
Mains: This is a M/F relationship between a cishet ghost hero and non-ghost human heroine
(Descriptions found at end of my review)

Should I read in order?
This is a stand alone short story that was originally published in Flames, Flirts and Festivals anthology but now you can grab it as a newsletter freebie here!

Basic plot:
When Molly inherits a castle, she is shocked to find a ghost in residence

Give this a try if you want:
- 1897 time period
- Ireland setting
- ghost hero
- Samhain fun
- heroine has OCD (especially regarding germs)
- gothic vibes – ghosts in a dark and messy Irish castle
- working together to break the curse
- reading The Lusty Shepherdess together 😆
- average novella steam – 1 full scene in a shorter page count
- shorter story

Ages:
- didn’t catch either! Hero has been a ghost for 17 years or so though

First line:
Diarmuid Burke had fae blood.

My thoughts:
I am here for all the ghost heroes and Samhain fun!!! Especially in a historical setting. This story takes us to a haunted castle in Ireland and I found it a quick, fun read! This is a lower angst story, working together to break a curse and perfect length story to break up longer reads. This anthology isn’t available any more but you can grab it as a newsletter freebie from Stein!

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 5
Average rating from me: 4.8 stars
Favorite book: Maybe Mishaps and Mistletoe??

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

Safe sex: No? But he’s a ghost...
How’s the consent? It’s good!
Pregnancy/children in story? No children or pregnancy on page
41% - kiss
58% - 🔥 kisses, her on top
Diarmuid smothered the sound with his mouth and dragged her closer still, until she could feel his cock, cool and hard as steel.
“Oh, fuck, Molly,” he moaned, his fingers tightening on her hips until it pinches. “You feel like paradise.”
67% - brief sex


Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs


Full break down on what my ratings above mean here:
Overall: How I felt about it everything considered!
Readability: How ‘readable’ was the book? Did I fly through it? Did I have to tell myself to pick it back up repeatedly? Were any passages confusing? (I will probably score like (1) is literally unreadable due to formatting/typing errors, etc (2) There were lots of errors that made it difficult to read OR It was extremely confusing and I had to reread passages to make sense of it OR I disliked it so much I had to bribe myself to keep reading (3) I didn’t really want to keep reading and would have preferred to abandon the read and start something else OR some minor continuity issues/confusion (4) I liked it fine, maybe a minor error or 2. I was happy to pick it up when I had time. (5) I never wanted to put this down. I thought about it when I wasn’t reading it. I hid in the bathroom from my kids to read. I threw inappropriate food at my children for dinner so I could read instead.)
Feels: Totally subjective to each person but did the book give me any tingles? Any butterflies? Did it rip my heart out (in a good way?)
Emotional depth: How well do I feel I know the characters at the end? How much did I feel their emotions throughout the story?
Sexual tension: Again, subjective, but how strong was the wanting and longing to me between the characters? A book might have strong sexual tension without a single touch.
Romance: Was there romance? Did romantic things happen? This can be actions/words/thoughts of the characters and again is subjective.
Sensuality: This is how the intimate scenes are written. Kisses and sexual scenes – how sensual were they? Were they on the mechanical side? Was there emotional pull tied in? Were the details explicit or flowery? These are subjective but generally (1) too short to get a good judgement (2) not all what I'm looking for - very vague or flowery prose (3) either not explicit enough or not enough emotional pull (too mechanical/physically descriptive without the emotions) (4) what I love in a scene (5) absolute perfection - perfect balance of emotional longing and explicit descriptions
Sex Scene Length: How long the bedroom scenes are (generally (1) is 1-3 sentences (2) is a few paragraphs to a page-ish (3) is about average, a few pages (4) more well developed scenes, quite a few pages with descriptions (5) the majority of the book takes place in the bedroom. This is always hard to tell for me on audio!
Steam Scale: Generally, each flame is a scene. If scenes are super close together I sometimes combine them. If a scene is super short or so vague I don’t know what’s happening, I don’t count it. There’s some levels of grey but generally the number of flames is how many sex scenes there are (I max out at 5 so I’ll put a + after if there’s more than that)


Find me
Instagram || The Storygraph || Bookbub ||

Book Clubs
The Ton and the Tartans (Historical Romance)
Upturned Petticoats and Undone Cravats (Historical Romance with Steam Requirements)
A Love Less Ordinary (Science Fiction, Paranormal, Monster, Fantasy)
Modern Manuscripts (Contemporary Romance)
Words for the Wicked (Contemporary Romance with Steam Requirements)
Vintage Romance (Old School Romance – published 2000 and prior)

[Sera Taíno · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful collection! Can't Help Falling and Kiss Me Quick were particular standouts for me so far. I will read the remainder of the collection and edit this review but so far, the stories are brilliant. If you want some quick, romantic reads, this collection does a good job of delivering.

[Christine Ashworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A.M. Roark's Can't Help Falling...In Edinburgh - this short is everything I want in a quick read. It's got life, location, sizzling sexual tension, and the main characters are just so worthy of their romance! Natalie is a hoot, speaking what she thinks. Graeme is her perfect match right from the beginning - pettable, indeed! Edinburgh is a lovely wintery character all its own, and Up Helly Ya sounds like a wonderful festival.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Ms. Roark's work. The only thing wrong with this story is it ended way too soon!

[Luna Joya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pre-ordered my copy and then lucked into getting an ARC for the A.M. Roark story "Can't Help Falling...In Edinburgh" for December/January with Hogmanay and Up Helly AA. I loved the rich setting details that made me feel as though I shivered on the streets of Edinburgh with the main character. Speaking of which, the female lead had me giggling when I was supposed to be sleeping because her voice is rom-com with on-point snark. The lead guy was dreamy. This short is sarcastic sweet at its best with just enough spicy to leave you wanting more and a sigh-worthy HEA.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love box sets and this is enjoyable set of short stories. My review is on:
Her One True Love by Heather Scarlett
This was a very enjoyable story that is about Foster Dupont a businessman and Zoe Huxley. They meet while attending and helping the Winter Solstice Festival held by Foster's family winery. Zoe is the sister of his best friend Zach. Foster is waiting outside of the tarot-reading booth for Zoe who runs New Age store to arrive. Their meeting sparks the crush they had on each other long ago. Is fate giving them a chance to find love? Loved the angst in this story I read of Foster struggling with being back home also that makes him reevaluate his life's choices. What does he decide? I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bonnie Theel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for "Her One True Love" by Heather Scarlett.

Foster moved away from Harmony after graduation. He cared about Zoe, but she was two years younger than him. Zoe secretly cared about him also.

He came back to town after his parents unexpected death to help his siblings with the family business, planning to return to New York by the new year. After running into Zoe, would his plans change? Does she still care about him?

I received a free ARC, and this is my honest opinion.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate to read Season Swap by A.R. Bell. What a delightfully sexy story! Set in Romania for the Martisor holiday, it tells the story of Victor and Alina and Eva and Corin, two couples who are friends and business partners and decide to become "partners" in a new way. Lots of fun, snarky banter with sensual sexy times. This story has M/F pairings and no sword crossing. I can't wait to read the rest of the stories in this collection!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her One True Love
By Heather Scarlett

This was a quick, splendid beautiful story. Foster left town to embark on his own and has done well for himself. He cared for Zoe when he left, but she is his best friend’s sister. Foster has no intention of breaking the bro code.
Zoe has cared for Foster but he was a couple of years older than her. Foster is structured, while Zoe is a bit of a free spirit. With their differences and bro code, do they stand a chance?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rach H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Foster and Zoe's story.
It was a lovely, cute, short, sweet and well written romance that and wonderful characters.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[BookLover❤️ ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A.M. Roark Can’t Help Falling is a short romance set in Edinburg. It is short and sweet. I love that the main characters are mature adults. Graeme sounds super dreamy and the accent was well written into the story. I enjoyed the twist. I love the chemistry between them, it came off authentic. They clicked so effortlessly when meeting that the chemistry grew naturally. They are the perfect couple. I also enjoyed the different race and background. The festival sounded fantastic.
Very well written. Besides wanting a full length novel from this author , I want more descriptive sex scenes. This is this author’s first book and I’m excited to see what else she writes. 4.5 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

[Siera London · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a unique anthology idea!

I loved A.M. Roark’s characters, Graeme and Natalie! Both are over 40 and know what they want in a relationship.

[Sherri Lupton Hollister · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable collection of delightful romantic stories filled with a variety of festivals and fun.

[Birdtrovert · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

So, this is a romance anthology so I ranked each section separately. The total rating I give for the entire anthology averaged out to 3 stars. I'm just going to give a brief note for each story (since there are 12). There may be slight spoilers so be careful I guess.

Story 1: Kiss me, I'm incorporeal

- Super cute story! I really liked Molly and Diarmuid I just found them adorable
- cute paranormal romance between a woman with ocd and a guy turned into a ghost
- 4/5
- spice level 4

Story 2: calypso butterfly

- cute story about a dancer and a music artist, he is still getting over his dead wife and she is getting past her string of bad luck
- 3/5
- spice level 2

Story 3: season swap

- partner swap, it's fine like good sex scenes but also not my cup of tea
- 2/5
- spice level 4

Story 4: lost and found

- girl gets transported back in time
- LGBT mlm relationship but also fmm relationship too
- it's cute enough but rushed and I really wish they actually did more with this
- 2/5
-spice level 2

Story 5: first harvest of love

- cute LGBT romance between 2 women
- they fall in love writing letters to each other and then have a physical connection
- it's cute
- 3/5
- spice level 4

Story 6: the love letter

- cute paranormal romance between a sea god and a human woman
- they exchange letters and he's been in love with her for years
- really cute actually
- 4/5
- spice level 3

Story 7: it's always been you

- reincarnated romance
- paced a bit quickly but still cute
- 2/5
- spice level 4

Story 8: kiss me quick

- divorced woman and a chef fall in love
- cute, I like them sharing food and being adorable
- 3/5
- spice level 1

Story 9: Panagat

- cute but super rushed, paced too fast
- 1/5
-spice level 3

Story 10: masquerade

- long lost love beloved returns home
- there is a ghost and you aren't surprised
- 2/5
- also what spice?
- spice level 2

Story 11: her one true love

- they both were in love with each other but didn't know it
- cute and simple
- 3/5
- spice level 2

Story 12: can't stop falling...in Edinburgh

- cute story about a recently divorced woman falling in love with a cute scottish man
- they are both in their 40s which I kinda love
- very cute story but kinda quickly paced (also some stilted dialogue)
- I like how it ends
- 3/5
- spice level 3

[Listen with Precious · Rating 3 out of 5]

⚠️ Read Panagat ONLY so far!

H: Jack h: Belen Didn’t emphasize much in the Halloween mood, but could easily be a holiday (Christmas) story line 🤔 Shorter novella length utilizes insta-love, curious if it was longer 🤔

CW: shipwrecked

All new reads will be blogged 😉, found at https://listenwirhprecious.com/blog-p... https://listenwirhprecious.com/ but you already know that 😏😂😇

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

These amazing authors have come together to give us a wonderful collection of stories. Each story pulls us into the lives of the characters and holds us there.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Renée Dahlia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've only read Catherine Stein's ghost story in this one so far, and it was fab.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good anthology. Heather Scarlett had an entertaining read. Very enjoyable. And am voluntarily leaving my review.