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Curious?: A Woman's Introduction to Gay Romance
303 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
May 3, 2010
As with any anthology, the stories offered are going to be a mixed bag. None will appeal to all and favorites vary widely from reader to reader. This particular offering has a lot of high quality authors and thus the stories are mostly well crafted and interesting. There are the usual less engaging stories or those that just didn’t appeal to me personally but none are a failure. There are 14 stories included and over half I’d give at least 4 stars and many I’d give even higher so the final collection is delightful, romantic, and often whimsical in the best way. This is worth getting and finding your favorites in the group.
The collection starts off with a chapter from Amy Lane’s absolutely delightful and steamy poker story, Gambling Men. This first chapter is short, hot, and to the point. It absolutely does the job to make you curious for more and the remaining chapters end up spaced out in the anthology between other stories. An interesting move and one I didn’t mind once I caught on but it may not appeal to all readers. It also means you need to read the anthology in order from the beginning to end and I didn’t find the pacing and progression the best aspect of the collection. After this quick bite, which I had no way of knowing there’d be more to it, the next few stories are immediately longer and more involved.
Sean Kennedy’s Bad News Brett is a very cute, sports related story with some steamy men and good premise. Due to the very short first story, I actually kept expecting Kennedy’s story to end quickly so I was thrown off when I realized it was much longer. I think if you understand going in that most stories are all typically longer and Amy Lane’s is spread out chapter by chapter, then the uneven pace and progression won’t bother you as much. Especially since after Kennedy’s delicious story is an even longer story by S. Blaise about two high school friends that reconnect later. I didn’t care for this story and found my attention wandering and lost pretty quickly. The concept is good and the characters offer something different and unique but once the story continued out of high school I just lost interest sadly. The pace felt rambling without a strong focus for me, but reader preference always varies.
From there highlights continue with the 60’s inspired We Are Stardust by M. Jules Aedin which offers a fun look at two young men heading to Woodstock. The feel, touch, and taste of that time come through really well with all the hope and whimsy of the concert and era. Followed by Chrissy Munder’s Spontaneous showing the great benefit in mixing up your schedule and going for something unusual. Both of these stories are fun and enjoyable but Ashlyn Kane’s The Meaning of Significant Digits really heats up the pages and offers a flirty, fun, and thoroughly engaging story about two friends finally getting together.
After that is the completely wonderful and touching story, Catt Ford’s Road to Nowhere. This story looking back at two unlikely couples is heart warming, lovely, and invokes a totally different feel and romance. The Montana beauty is shown in the small details and slower pace of life and one of the most romantic stories of the collection. Yet not outdone are also Isabella Rowan’s Snowman about moving on from grief and finding a focus in life and GS Wiley’s food inspired delight Weak in the Knees about two friends who get together after wrong starts, missteps, confusion, and some really wonderful food descriptions. The incredible writing of these three stories and the two offerings by Amy Lane made the collection for me but many of the other offerings are fun, entertaining, and incredibly sexy to read.
One of the downsides to this collection is that stories with similar themes or details stand out much more when put together in the same space. Because of this the fact that there are multiple stories with the same names stands out pretty vividly. Here there are two stories with a main character named Ryan, while there are also two stories with characters named Quinten. Well one is named Quentin (called Quen and involved with Jace) and one is named Quinten (called Quin and involved with Jai). So the similarities are much more noticeable when paired in an anthology than on their own. It’s not detrimental to reading but sometimes jerks me out of the story due to the repetitious names.
If I didn’t mention a story specifically then it didn’t appeal to me for whatever reason. Some of these felt laborious and tired as they struggle to create just enough tension and resolution in a short story but these also felt very much reader preference. None of these are inherently flawed or bad stories but just didn’t interest me much. As reader preference changes so much I’d still recommend reading the entire anthology and deciding for yourself. I’d be shocked if there aren’t several you fall in love with and find favorites of your own. On the whole, Curious is a successful anthology and one of the better ones from the publisher.
The collection starts off with a chapter from Amy Lane’s absolutely delightful and steamy poker story, Gambling Men. This first chapter is short, hot, and to the point. It absolutely does the job to make you curious for more and the remaining chapters end up spaced out in the anthology between other stories. An interesting move and one I didn’t mind once I caught on but it may not appeal to all readers. It also means you need to read the anthology in order from the beginning to end and I didn’t find the pacing and progression the best aspect of the collection. After this quick bite, which I had no way of knowing there’d be more to it, the next few stories are immediately longer and more involved.
Sean Kennedy’s Bad News Brett is a very cute, sports related story with some steamy men and good premise. Due to the very short first story, I actually kept expecting Kennedy’s story to end quickly so I was thrown off when I realized it was much longer. I think if you understand going in that most stories are all typically longer and Amy Lane’s is spread out chapter by chapter, then the uneven pace and progression won’t bother you as much. Especially since after Kennedy’s delicious story is an even longer story by S. Blaise about two high school friends that reconnect later. I didn’t care for this story and found my attention wandering and lost pretty quickly. The concept is good and the characters offer something different and unique but once the story continued out of high school I just lost interest sadly. The pace felt rambling without a strong focus for me, but reader preference always varies.
From there highlights continue with the 60’s inspired We Are Stardust by M. Jules Aedin which offers a fun look at two young men heading to Woodstock. The feel, touch, and taste of that time come through really well with all the hope and whimsy of the concert and era. Followed by Chrissy Munder’s Spontaneous showing the great benefit in mixing up your schedule and going for something unusual. Both of these stories are fun and enjoyable but Ashlyn Kane’s The Meaning of Significant Digits really heats up the pages and offers a flirty, fun, and thoroughly engaging story about two friends finally getting together.
After that is the completely wonderful and touching story, Catt Ford’s Road to Nowhere. This story looking back at two unlikely couples is heart warming, lovely, and invokes a totally different feel and romance. The Montana beauty is shown in the small details and slower pace of life and one of the most romantic stories of the collection. Yet not outdone are also Isabella Rowan’s Snowman about moving on from grief and finding a focus in life and GS Wiley’s food inspired delight Weak in the Knees about two friends who get together after wrong starts, missteps, confusion, and some really wonderful food descriptions. The incredible writing of these three stories and the two offerings by Amy Lane made the collection for me but many of the other offerings are fun, entertaining, and incredibly sexy to read.
One of the downsides to this collection is that stories with similar themes or details stand out much more when put together in the same space. Because of this the fact that there are multiple stories with the same names stands out pretty vividly. Here there are two stories with a main character named Ryan, while there are also two stories with characters named Quinten. Well one is named Quentin (called Quen and involved with Jace) and one is named Quinten (called Quin and involved with Jai). So the similarities are much more noticeable when paired in an anthology than on their own. It’s not detrimental to reading but sometimes jerks me out of the story due to the repetitious names.
If I didn’t mention a story specifically then it didn’t appeal to me for whatever reason. Some of these felt laborious and tired as they struggle to create just enough tension and resolution in a short story but these also felt very much reader preference. None of these are inherently flawed or bad stories but just didn’t interest me much. As reader preference changes so much I’d still recommend reading the entire anthology and deciding for yourself. I’d be shocked if there aren’t several you fall in love with and find favorites of your own. On the whole, Curious is a successful anthology and one of the better ones from the publisher.
July 31, 2019
Bad News Brett by Sean Kennedy - 1,5 stars
Choices and Changes by S. Blaise - 4 stars
Equinox by M. Jules Aedin and Anna J. Linden - 4 stars
We Are Stardust by M. Jules Aedin - 4 stars
Spontaneous by Chrissy Munder - 3 stars
The Meaning of Significant Digits by Ashlyn Kane - 2.5 stars
Mending the Break by Jaymz Connelly - 2.5 stars
The Road to Nowhere by Catt Ford - 4 stars
Snowman by Isabelle Rowan - 2,5 stars
In His Eyes by Bethany Brown - 3 stars
Weak in the Knees by G.S. Wiley - 2,5 stars
Shirt by Amy Lane - 3 stars
The Neighbors by Janey Chapel - 2.5 stars.
Gambling Men by Amy Lane - 3.5 stars
Choices and Changes by S. Blaise - 4 stars
Equinox by M. Jules Aedin and Anna J. Linden - 4 stars
We Are Stardust by M. Jules Aedin - 4 stars
Spontaneous by Chrissy Munder - 3 stars
The Meaning of Significant Digits by Ashlyn Kane - 2.5 stars
Mending the Break by Jaymz Connelly - 2.5 stars
The Road to Nowhere by Catt Ford - 4 stars
Snowman by Isabelle Rowan - 2,5 stars
In His Eyes by Bethany Brown - 3 stars
Weak in the Knees by G.S. Wiley - 2,5 stars
Shirt by Amy Lane - 3 stars
The Neighbors by Janey Chapel - 2.5 stars.
Gambling Men by Amy Lane - 3.5 stars
July 20, 2013
absolutely amazing! Wonderful stories, awesome writers! I couldn't let my kindle down for a minute, I felt compelled to read one story after another...
I absolutely recommend it to every compulsive reader of MM books and to others who like romantic, erotic and well written stories.
Once again, many thanks to the authors for being so talented!
I absolutely recommend it to every compulsive reader of MM books and to others who like romantic, erotic and well written stories.
Once again, many thanks to the authors for being so talented!
December 26, 2012
Gambling Men: Ante Up by Amy Lane 3 stars - AH this was the biggest tease for Gambling Men: The Novel! Just one little scene into these guys lives... I have to admit, I'm intrigued. Jace seemed to come (pun intended) out of nowhere, so I wanna know his thinking, and I'd like to see some strength from Quen, he could easily get pushed around.
Bad News Brett by Sean Kennedy 1.5 stars - This wasn't bad by any means, but it's a short scene involving a lot of sports talk with an already established couple. So while they were sweet, I didn't really care and skimmed most of it.
Choices and Changes by S. Blaise 4.5 stars - Ohmygod this was so sweet! Amazing journey of two lonely boys who meet in high school. I think it could have been a 5 star if it had been a full-length novel and the ending had more time to develop naturally but SO GOOD.
Equinox by M. Jules Aedin and Anna J. Linden 3.75 stars - This was a sweet and well developed story. I got a little annoyed at the end with the poor communication though.
Gambling Men: Deal by Amy Lane 3.75 stars - Damn, now I'm really gonna have to go read Gambling Men: The Novel! Although the Poker analogies could get old fast, this was a very short very sexy and very sweet little snippet. Higher rating than the first because we saw some emotion from Jace, and that last line made me melt! "Not a game, Quentin. Never Was." Swoon.
We Are Stardust by M. Jules Aedin 4 stars - This was a really unique story that simply made me smile with a perfect HFN ending.
Spontaneous by Chrissy Munder 2.5 stars - This wasn't bad by any means, it just didn't grip me. It was a little slow and I skimmed some of it, then right when it was getting ready to start... it ended. I get that it's a short and the author was trying to give us that feeling of 'this might be the beginning of something great', but unfortunately I didn't feel a connection with the characters and it just didn't do much for me.
The Meaning of Significant Digits by Ashlyn Kane 2.5 stars - The set up and premise for this story was really good, a little friends to lovers with some misunderstanding thrown in, but it didn't really follow through. The same problem as the last story where when we're finally gonna get some resolution... a little anti-climactic. The "it was you" line was sweet, but there wasn't enough emotional build-up leading up to it, just too easy over all especially considering that Dev had had his crush for years.
Gambling Men: Draw by Amy Lane 3 stars - So I'm torn on this. Jace's super confident dominance is crazy hot. But I dunno about Quen, I'm just not a big fan of "followers" and it's one thing to hero-worship or whatever, but I don't quite know what to make of him yet. We'll see. I'm not sure where these scenes fit into Gambling Men: The Novel, if they proceed it or if they are actually scenes from the book.
Mending the Break by Jaymz Connelly 2.5 stars - This was a really great ending, the problem is that without the entire beginning of the story (which since this is a short is relegated to the past and simply mentioned vaguely) I didn't really feel a strong enough connection with the characters to understand their motivations.
Road to Nowhere by Catt Ford 5 STARS! - I'm not even sure what to say. This was an absolutely beautiful little story that just had me smiling. The addition of Myrom and Dowling definitely brought it from a 4 to a 5. I'm not always a fan of flash-backs, but since this story was about their entire lives it was completely appropriate.
Snowman by Isabelle Rowan 4 stars - I liked this story a lot, and I actually think it would have been really good as a full-length novel. My only complaint may have something to do with the length, I didn't quite feel there was enough lead up to their strong feelings. I'm OK with the three-days-only, but even a little more internal dialogue about developing feelings would have felt more realistic. As sweet as it was, it felt a little sudden.
Gambling Men: Call by Amy Lane 3.5 stars - So now the guys' relationship ahs progressed a little this was a steamy little short, but I'm still not sure how these shorts relate to Gambling Men: The Novel. Is this a scene from the book? Anyway it was cute and we saw a different side of Jace.
In His Eyes by Bethany Brown 4 stars - This was a really sweet May-December story with a little cowboy twist. I liked it a lot and think it would have made a really good full-length story, although with that last chapter she added it didn't seem too short or under-developed.
Weak in the Knees by G.S. Wiley 3 stars - This was really close to being a 4 star, but the HFN ending was what kept it a 3 for me. I'm OK with HFN at times, and if that had happened at their first big interaction it would have been fine. The problem is, Ray's actions really hurt Spencer and I don't quite trust him. The set-up was great and the fight did add to the drama, but given the seriousness of what Ray did I feel like a lot more resolution was needed than a few public kisses.
The Shirt by Amy Lane (Ryan & Scott #1) 3 stars - This Ryan & Scott story was one of the main reasons I got this anthology. I enjoyed it although I did think the couple flashbacks were kind of unecessary. I actually skipped one because I didn't care about some BJ that happened 4 months ago, I wanna see what's happening now. But it's a sweet story and has a fairly steamy sex scene with very very light BDSM. I'm not running out right away to buy it but the next one, Phonebook, is offered for a buck on Dreamspinner and looks cute.
The Neighbors by Janey Chapel - This is hard to rate. It's not really a story about two guys but more about the premise of this anthology; why a straight woman would want to watch (or in our case, read about!) two men.
Gambling Men: All In by Amy Lane 3 stars - A sweet HFN ending to this series of shorts.
Bad News Brett by Sean Kennedy 1.5 stars - This wasn't bad by any means, but it's a short scene involving a lot of sports talk with an already established couple. So while they were sweet, I didn't really care and skimmed most of it.
Choices and Changes by S. Blaise 4.5 stars - Ohmygod this was so sweet! Amazing journey of two lonely boys who meet in high school. I think it could have been a 5 star if it had been a full-length novel and the ending had more time to develop naturally but SO GOOD.
Equinox by M. Jules Aedin and Anna J. Linden 3.75 stars - This was a sweet and well developed story. I got a little annoyed at the end with the poor communication though.
Gambling Men: Deal by Amy Lane 3.75 stars - Damn, now I'm really gonna have to go read Gambling Men: The Novel! Although the Poker analogies could get old fast, this was a very short very sexy and very sweet little snippet. Higher rating than the first because we saw some emotion from Jace, and that last line made me melt! "Not a game, Quentin. Never Was." Swoon.
We Are Stardust by M. Jules Aedin 4 stars - This was a really unique story that simply made me smile with a perfect HFN ending.
Spontaneous by Chrissy Munder 2.5 stars - This wasn't bad by any means, it just didn't grip me. It was a little slow and I skimmed some of it, then right when it was getting ready to start... it ended. I get that it's a short and the author was trying to give us that feeling of 'this might be the beginning of something great', but unfortunately I didn't feel a connection with the characters and it just didn't do much for me.
The Meaning of Significant Digits by Ashlyn Kane 2.5 stars - The set up and premise for this story was really good, a little friends to lovers with some misunderstanding thrown in, but it didn't really follow through. The same problem as the last story where when we're finally gonna get some resolution... a little anti-climactic. The "it was you" line was sweet, but there wasn't enough emotional build-up leading up to it, just too easy over all especially considering that Dev had had his crush for years.
Gambling Men: Draw by Amy Lane 3 stars - So I'm torn on this. Jace's super confident dominance is crazy hot. But I dunno about Quen, I'm just not a big fan of "followers" and it's one thing to hero-worship or whatever, but I don't quite know what to make of him yet. We'll see. I'm not sure where these scenes fit into Gambling Men: The Novel, if they proceed it or if they are actually scenes from the book.
Mending the Break by Jaymz Connelly 2.5 stars - This was a really great ending, the problem is that without the entire beginning of the story (which since this is a short is relegated to the past and simply mentioned vaguely) I didn't really feel a strong enough connection with the characters to understand their motivations.
Road to Nowhere by Catt Ford 5 STARS! - I'm not even sure what to say. This was an absolutely beautiful little story that just had me smiling. The addition of Myrom and Dowling definitely brought it from a 4 to a 5. I'm not always a fan of flash-backs, but since this story was about their entire lives it was completely appropriate.
Snowman by Isabelle Rowan 4 stars - I liked this story a lot, and I actually think it would have been really good as a full-length novel. My only complaint may have something to do with the length, I didn't quite feel there was enough lead up to their strong feelings. I'm OK with the three-days-only, but even a little more internal dialogue about developing feelings would have felt more realistic. As sweet as it was, it felt a little sudden.
Gambling Men: Call by Amy Lane 3.5 stars - So now the guys' relationship ahs progressed a little this was a steamy little short, but I'm still not sure how these shorts relate to Gambling Men: The Novel. Is this a scene from the book? Anyway it was cute and we saw a different side of Jace.
In His Eyes by Bethany Brown 4 stars - This was a really sweet May-December story with a little cowboy twist. I liked it a lot and think it would have made a really good full-length story, although with that last chapter she added it didn't seem too short or under-developed.
Weak in the Knees by G.S. Wiley 3 stars - This was really close to being a 4 star, but the HFN ending was what kept it a 3 for me. I'm OK with HFN at times, and if that had happened at their first big interaction it would have been fine. The problem is, Ray's actions really hurt Spencer and I don't quite trust him. The set-up was great and the fight did add to the drama, but given the seriousness of what Ray did I feel like a lot more resolution was needed than a few public kisses.
The Shirt by Amy Lane (Ryan & Scott #1) 3 stars - This Ryan & Scott story was one of the main reasons I got this anthology. I enjoyed it although I did think the couple flashbacks were kind of unecessary. I actually skipped one because I didn't care about some BJ that happened 4 months ago, I wanna see what's happening now. But it's a sweet story and has a fairly steamy sex scene with very very light BDSM. I'm not running out right away to buy it but the next one, Phonebook, is offered for a buck on Dreamspinner and looks cute.
The Neighbors by Janey Chapel - This is hard to rate. It's not really a story about two guys but more about the premise of this anthology; why a straight woman would want to watch (or in our case, read about!) two men.
Gambling Men: All In by Amy Lane 3 stars - A sweet HFN ending to this series of shorts.
January 1, 2012
Since I had no plans for New Years Day (a little pathetic, I know), I decided to have a lazy day on the sofa with my Kindle and this particular anthology. Although the anthology is titled A Woman's Introduction to Gay Romance, I've actually been reading M/M for a couple of years and have read hundreds of gay romance titles, so nothing in here was particularly eye-opening or unexpected. I'd heard good things about this particular collection of stories, and was eager to read Amy Lane's contributions (since I noticed that she had wrote continuations for one of the stories).
Like all anthologies, I found that a few of the stories weren't quite my thing and so I skipped past them. For example, M. Jules Aedin's We are Stardust wasn't really my kind of story and I mostly just skimmed through it. I'm a sucker for a HEA, but not every story ended that way and there were lots of HFN type stories that I liked here. Overall, I felt that the anthology contained a good mix of stories with enough variety for everyone to find something to enjoy. I particularly liked Amy Lane and Sean Kennedy's contributions, and I really enjoyed Equinox by M. Jules Aedin and Anna J. Linden.
Like all anthologies, I found that a few of the stories weren't quite my thing and so I skipped past them. For example, M. Jules Aedin's We are Stardust wasn't really my kind of story and I mostly just skimmed through it. I'm a sucker for a HEA, but not every story ended that way and there were lots of HFN type stories that I liked here. Overall, I felt that the anthology contained a good mix of stories with enough variety for everyone to find something to enjoy. I particularly liked Amy Lane and Sean Kennedy's contributions, and I really enjoyed Equinox by M. Jules Aedin and Anna J. Linden.
February 19, 2011
I finished most of this book. I would recommend this book to someone who is contemplating reading m/m. Most of the stories are light on the steam. As a reader you just really dip your toe in the proverbial m/m pool so to speak. I pretty much liked every story that I read (3-3.5 stars), but just as I would start to get interested the story would end. Of course that is what the book aims to do. So I would have to say in that respect, it succeeds. I just need more, a full story and of course a HEA.
I may pick it back up at some time and finish the rest. There is a story that is spread out though the whole book. The book starts with the first chapter and then every 3 stories or so you get another chapter. Interesting…
I may pick it back up at some time and finish the rest. There is a story that is spread out though the whole book. The book starts with the first chapter and then every 3 stories or so you get another chapter. Interesting…
January 18, 2012
I really enjoy anthologies because it's a great way to find new authors, and I have to say that this was, by far, one of the best anthologies I've read. There were, by my count, fourteen stories included by thirteen authors, and each and every one of them brought something different and enjoyable to the table. This was a fantastic anthology, and, as the title says, a great introduction to those curious about gay romance.
Favorite stories: Gambling Men by Amy Lane, Choices and Changes by S. Blaise, Equinox by M. Jules Aedin and Anna J. Linden, We Are Stardust by M. Jules Aedin, Snowman by Isabelle Rowan, and The Shirt by Amy Lane
Favorite stories: Gambling Men by Amy Lane, Choices and Changes by S. Blaise, Equinox by M. Jules Aedin and Anna J. Linden, We Are Stardust by M. Jules Aedin, Snowman by Isabelle Rowan, and The Shirt by Amy Lane
October 13, 2015
I have to admit that I expected a little more sub-genre diversity from an anthology that calls itself an "introduction" to the genre. A crime story maybe? Shifters? A Regency romance? A space opera? Something that would truly show the breadth of what we write and read. Still, even if the menu is a little bland it's quite palatable and enjoyable, hot and/or poetic at times.
A word of warning though, the second story (third if you count the Gambling Men prelude), 'Choices and Changes' by S. Blaise, contains some really vicious misogyny, body-shaming and fatphobia. Thank god the scenes are short :)
A word of warning though, the second story (third if you count the Gambling Men prelude), 'Choices and Changes' by S. Blaise, contains some really vicious misogyny, body-shaming and fatphobia. Thank god the scenes are short :)
January 11, 2012
I really enjoyed this anthology. It was put together well and I enjoyed the split story that carried you through to the end. Most of the stories I would give at least a 4 star and a few 5 stars and there was only one that was a 3 star. Usually I find that anthologies have a few strong stories at the beginning to hook you and the rest aren't very good, so this anthology was a pleasant surprise. I will definitely be looking up the various authors to see if they have more that I might like.
March 8, 2016
THIS REVIEW IS ONLY FOR "SHIRT" BY AMY LANE. I will review the rest of the book at a later date.
~
Book – Shirt (Ryan and Scott #1)
Author – Amy Lane
Star rating - ★☆☆☆☆
No. of Pages - 25
Movie Potential – ☆☆☆☆☆ (No plot to speak of)
Ease of reading – easy to read, confusing POVs
Would I read it again – No.
Page 370 - 395: Curious? A Woman's Introduction to Gay Romance.
WARNING: light, improvised bondage; spanking, first time bottoming.
~
Ryan is kind of girly and immature. He reads like a teenager, though he claims Scott is younger than him. Scott is more forward. Flirty and honest, with only a hint of vulnerability in the end. Despite Ryan claiming that Scott is the sexually charged one and Ryan the together in life one of the pair, we see Ryan take equal charge and Scott seems the more sensible of the two.
It felt like there was this really big something missing. Chapter 1 should have been a Prologue, setting us up for the main story, which in Chapter 2 suddenly bounced through 2 paragraphs of the processes of a relationship, until these people who only met a chapter ago are now a serious couple, with no hint of why they like each other, other than a quick snog in a bathroom, at a party.
Colour me confused.
Then we find out halfway through Chapter 2 that they've only been together four months. Things just bounced way past “fast” and into “insta-” territory. It's all very sudden, like the ultimate Gay For You, Insta-Love kind of moment. Four months? Four months together and they're moved in, meeting each other parents and practically living a totally fully integrated life together? Huh. Then to use a phrase like “in the early days”? I'm sorry, but when you're only into a relationship four months, you're still IN the early days.
Ryan is someone who can't date women, (in 2 months of a relationship he never went further than letting Tania's hand down his pants) but he's never thought of men either, and suddenly one sniff of Scott has him in a long term relationship, that we get to see nothing of. After just five minutes of being in the one room, acting like naughty schoolkids trying to hide during an adult party.
There's no explanation of why he hasn't been good with women or why he's never thought about men. No explanation of being asexual or uninterested in sex and just faking being straight. Nothing. Then, suddenly, after that fateful sniff of Scott, he's fully gay. Not bi or bicurious or anything. Just gay. With no explanation or even an attempt at one. It's just “oh hey, I never knew I was gay”.
Oh, and I'm not a fan of one partner pushing physical intimacy onto another. And there's no other way to explain Scott rimming Ryan, when he's never (as far as we've been told) done it before and when Ryan's already told him to shove off. No. Nopety nope. I don't care how long they've been together or if it gets him aroused; Ryan says no, that is a sign for Scott to stop. At least ask permission before pouncing on your accidentally restrained boyfriend and shoving your tongue up his arse!
Also, how is it that Ryan can't see, but he can tell the difference in sound between one drawer rummage and the next? Illogical!
There are quite a few flashbacks, that have missing full stops. It's in these flashbacks that suddenly everything is supposed to make sense and we're introduced to the “relationship” these two guys have with each other. FYI, two paragraphs of how quickly they've moved in together and a few sexual scenes do NOT make a relationship. It's also a little annoying to have one sex scene interrupted to switch to another sex scene in a flashback. It made no sense and felt more like an attempt to drag the story out even longer.
And, frankly, I don't like being told there's a safe word after something has been done without consent. See that whole bondage, rimming part above. That whole scene would have made so much more sense if we knew about Turkey (safe word) first. Reading it before just made me angry with Scott for ploughing on ahead regardless, while Ryan protested.
~
OVERALL
I didn't get this story. At all. Maybe if it had been a full length novel or even twice the length, there would have been room for the characters to grow and actually be something other than a pair of jumped up hormonal kids playing around with BDSM. But that's all it was, in the end.
Not enough character development (and it's not the length that's the issue, because I've seen it done). Not enough plot development. And I often had to re-read passages to tell if if it was Ryan's POV or Scott's, because that got confusing for a while. I like some plot with my hot, but this is just a bit of kink in 25 pages.
~
Book – Shirt (Ryan and Scott #1)
Author – Amy Lane
Star rating - ★☆☆☆☆
No. of Pages - 25
Movie Potential – ☆☆☆☆☆ (No plot to speak of)
Ease of reading – easy to read, confusing POVs
Would I read it again – No.
Page 370 - 395: Curious? A Woman's Introduction to Gay Romance.
WARNING: light, improvised bondage; spanking, first time bottoming.
~
Ryan is kind of girly and immature. He reads like a teenager, though he claims Scott is younger than him. Scott is more forward. Flirty and honest, with only a hint of vulnerability in the end. Despite Ryan claiming that Scott is the sexually charged one and Ryan the together in life one of the pair, we see Ryan take equal charge and Scott seems the more sensible of the two.
It felt like there was this really big something missing. Chapter 1 should have been a Prologue, setting us up for the main story, which in Chapter 2 suddenly bounced through 2 paragraphs of the processes of a relationship, until these people who only met a chapter ago are now a serious couple, with no hint of why they like each other, other than a quick snog in a bathroom, at a party.
Colour me confused.
Then we find out halfway through Chapter 2 that they've only been together four months. Things just bounced way past “fast” and into “insta-” territory. It's all very sudden, like the ultimate Gay For You, Insta-Love kind of moment. Four months? Four months together and they're moved in, meeting each other parents and practically living a totally fully integrated life together? Huh. Then to use a phrase like “in the early days”? I'm sorry, but when you're only into a relationship four months, you're still IN the early days.
Ryan is someone who can't date women, (in 2 months of a relationship he never went further than letting Tania's hand down his pants) but he's never thought of men either, and suddenly one sniff of Scott has him in a long term relationship, that we get to see nothing of. After just five minutes of being in the one room, acting like naughty schoolkids trying to hide during an adult party.
There's no explanation of why he hasn't been good with women or why he's never thought about men. No explanation of being asexual or uninterested in sex and just faking being straight. Nothing. Then, suddenly, after that fateful sniff of Scott, he's fully gay. Not bi or bicurious or anything. Just gay. With no explanation or even an attempt at one. It's just “oh hey, I never knew I was gay”.
Oh, and I'm not a fan of one partner pushing physical intimacy onto another. And there's no other way to explain Scott rimming Ryan, when he's never (as far as we've been told) done it before and when Ryan's already told him to shove off. No. Nopety nope. I don't care how long they've been together or if it gets him aroused; Ryan says no, that is a sign for Scott to stop. At least ask permission before pouncing on your accidentally restrained boyfriend and shoving your tongue up his arse!
Also, how is it that Ryan can't see, but he can tell the difference in sound between one drawer rummage and the next? Illogical!
There are quite a few flashbacks, that have missing full stops. It's in these flashbacks that suddenly everything is supposed to make sense and we're introduced to the “relationship” these two guys have with each other. FYI, two paragraphs of how quickly they've moved in together and a few sexual scenes do NOT make a relationship. It's also a little annoying to have one sex scene interrupted to switch to another sex scene in a flashback. It made no sense and felt more like an attempt to drag the story out even longer.
And, frankly, I don't like being told there's a safe word after something has been done without consent. See that whole bondage, rimming part above. That whole scene would have made so much more sense if we knew about Turkey (safe word) first. Reading it before just made me angry with Scott for ploughing on ahead regardless, while Ryan protested.
~
OVERALL
I didn't get this story. At all. Maybe if it had been a full length novel or even twice the length, there would have been room for the characters to grow and actually be something other than a pair of jumped up hormonal kids playing around with BDSM. But that's all it was, in the end.
Not enough character development (and it's not the length that's the issue, because I've seen it done). Not enough plot development. And I often had to re-read passages to tell if if it was Ryan's POV or Scott's, because that got confusing for a while. I like some plot with my hot, but this is just a bit of kink in 25 pages.
June 9, 2011
Despite the rather insipid title (made far better by the very yummy cover), this is actually a great anthology of shorts and excellent introduction to several authors. These are short stories and run the gamut from very sweet stories with no love scenes to mildly sensual ones to a few scorching hot ones. And while, as with most short stories, we get a lot of HFN endings, we do get several believable HEA endings, which is very tough to pull off. My favorite selections had me cursing my nook--I wanted MORE. This is why I don't read more short stories--I like at least novella length selections simply because if I emotionally invest in great characters I want to spend more time with them!
One of my favorite selections is M. Jules Aedin's "We are Stardust" set at Woodstock. I was so desperate, I had to stop reading and frantically search to find out if this was possibly the opening chapter of a full length novel. It isn't, but is awesome just as it is too. A great slice of American history that we don't see nearly enough of in Romance and fabulous characters. I wanted more! And more!
Chrissy Munder's Spontaneous is the same way--I wanted to spend more time with her great characters: a geeky guy meets his HEA (we hope) in a construction worker with a heart of gold. Both of these pieces are very mild on the sensuality scale, giving them broader appeal than a lot of m/m fiction, which tends to be firmly in the romantica camp.
Ashlynn Kane pulls off the impossible with a believable HEA tale of love between best friends that felt complete within the small word count in "The Meaning of Significant Digits." Note to others looking to pull off her feat, she started with gay best friends--if you have under 20,000 words, you can't have a guy go from confused to HEA believably. She also gives her characters a focused purpose and tight timeline of one week to prepare for a friend's wedding.
Isablle Rowan's Snowman is a haunting, evocative tale of broken souls moving on after different kinds of loss. The ambiguous ending was perfect for this lovely tale. "In His Eyes" by Bethany Brown is one of the longer stories in the collection and does feature a nicely done love scene. I love city slicker meets cowboy tales of all kinds, and this one is particularly fabulous with a nice slow build and complex characters that belie the shortness of the piece. The other stories in the collection offer up different perspectives, and I read the entire collection, which isn't usually the case for me with short story anthologies.
One of my favorite selections is M. Jules Aedin's "We are Stardust" set at Woodstock. I was so desperate, I had to stop reading and frantically search to find out if this was possibly the opening chapter of a full length novel. It isn't, but is awesome just as it is too. A great slice of American history that we don't see nearly enough of in Romance and fabulous characters. I wanted more! And more!
Chrissy Munder's Spontaneous is the same way--I wanted to spend more time with her great characters: a geeky guy meets his HEA (we hope) in a construction worker with a heart of gold. Both of these pieces are very mild on the sensuality scale, giving them broader appeal than a lot of m/m fiction, which tends to be firmly in the romantica camp.
Ashlynn Kane pulls off the impossible with a believable HEA tale of love between best friends that felt complete within the small word count in "The Meaning of Significant Digits." Note to others looking to pull off her feat, she started with gay best friends--if you have under 20,000 words, you can't have a guy go from confused to HEA believably. She also gives her characters a focused purpose and tight timeline of one week to prepare for a friend's wedding.
Isablle Rowan's Snowman is a haunting, evocative tale of broken souls moving on after different kinds of loss. The ambiguous ending was perfect for this lovely tale. "In His Eyes" by Bethany Brown is one of the longer stories in the collection and does feature a nicely done love scene. I love city slicker meets cowboy tales of all kinds, and this one is particularly fabulous with a nice slow build and complex characters that belie the shortness of the piece. The other stories in the collection offer up different perspectives, and I read the entire collection, which isn't usually the case for me with short story anthologies.
June 1, 2010
This is an anthology which is supposedly for the woman who’s a bit curious about m/m and wants to try it out. It’s fine for die-hard fans as well. I read it pretty much all in one go, more or less. One unusual aspect is a short by Amy Lane which has chapters interspersed throughout the book. I’m not sure that worked for me because I had a couple of days between when I started and when I got back to it and it took me awhile to remember what the heck had happened in the previous chapter. It works fine if you read it all in one sitting but if you are reading it over a period of days it is easy to forget. And interesting concept though, I’ll give it that.
Favourites? Hmmm. To be honest I don’t seem to have any that really stand out. I mean they were all “good”, none that I thought “Well, that was crap” but I’m not sure any where like “Greatest thing I ever read”. I will say We are Stardust by M. Jules Aedin set during Woodstock in the 60’s was interesting as the setting was very unusual. There were a couple that involved horses which always suckers me in, Snowman by Isabelle Rowan and In His Eyes by Bethany Brown. I also found The Neighbors by Janey Chapel intriguing, a voyeuristic woman watches her new gay neighbors getting funky. An interesting twist.
Some have next to no sex, some have lots of sex, nothing too extremely kinky but it’s a nice mix. It would be a good start for someone who wants to test the waters, plus you get to try some great authors like Sean Kennedy, Chrissy Munder, Cat Ford, GS Wiley along with those I mentioned, plus others. I enjoyed it and was able to read it straight through and not find it repetitive because the subject matter was so broad.
Favourites? Hmmm. To be honest I don’t seem to have any that really stand out. I mean they were all “good”, none that I thought “Well, that was crap” but I’m not sure any where like “Greatest thing I ever read”. I will say We are Stardust by M. Jules Aedin set during Woodstock in the 60’s was interesting as the setting was very unusual. There were a couple that involved horses which always suckers me in, Snowman by Isabelle Rowan and In His Eyes by Bethany Brown. I also found The Neighbors by Janey Chapel intriguing, a voyeuristic woman watches her new gay neighbors getting funky. An interesting twist.
Some have next to no sex, some have lots of sex, nothing too extremely kinky but it’s a nice mix. It would be a good start for someone who wants to test the waters, plus you get to try some great authors like Sean Kennedy, Chrissy Munder, Cat Ford, GS Wiley along with those I mentioned, plus others. I enjoyed it and was able to read it straight through and not find it repetitive because the subject matter was so broad.
own-it-to-read
August 24, 20108/23- Gambling Man by Amy Lane:
This is the first story in this series. The story, which is at most is maybe 5 pages long, is about Jace & Quentin. They have been friends since college and business partners since graduation and now they are taking the step beyond. I really can't say much, it was so short and you really only get a snippet of these two guys and it's all surface knowledge. You really don't get to know the characters which isn't something I'm used to with Amy Lane. I guess I'd give it 3 stars.
8/23- Shirt by Amy Lane
This is the story of Scotty and Ryan. Ryan is lawyer in his late 20s and Scott is a young guy that works at Starbucks. They meet at a party in a bathroom while trying to avoid the same pushy women. You get a quick glimpse through their relationship up until the point that Ryan gets stuck in his shirt and Scott uses that to his advantage.
In general this story had more depth, than the other Lane story in this book, and I know it's a short story, but Ryan makes the leap to man love seemingly fast. But pay attention to Scotty he comes up (just a bit) in another Story by Amy Lane. 3.5 stars
This is the first story in this series. The story, which is at most is maybe 5 pages long, is about Jace & Quentin. They have been friends since college and business partners since graduation and now they are taking the step beyond. I really can't say much, it was so short and you really only get a snippet of these two guys and it's all surface knowledge. You really don't get to know the characters which isn't something I'm used to with Amy Lane. I guess I'd give it 3 stars.
8/23- Shirt by Amy Lane
This is the story of Scotty and Ryan. Ryan is lawyer in his late 20s and Scott is a young guy that works at Starbucks. They meet at a party in a bathroom while trying to avoid the same pushy women. You get a quick glimpse through their relationship up until the point that Ryan gets stuck in his shirt and Scott uses that to his advantage.
In general this story had more depth, than the other Lane story in this book, and I know it's a short story, but Ryan makes the leap to man love seemingly fast. But pay attention to Scotty he comes up (just a bit) in another Story by Amy Lane. 3.5 stars
December 31, 2015
Gambling Men by Amy Lane ***
God, I'm glad for the longer version of this one.
Bad News Brett by Sean Kennedy **
Very, very short story!
Choices and Changes by S. Blaise ***
What is this? Just as I start to get interested it ends!
Equinox by M. Jules Aedin and Anna J. Linden ***1/2
Longer story, yet too short!
We Are Stardust by M. Jules Aedin ***
Spontaneous by Chrissy Munder***
The Meaning of Significant Digits by Ashlyn Kane**
Mending the Break by Jaymz Connelly**
Road to Nowhere by Catt Ford**
Snowman by Isabelle Rowan
In His Eyes by Bethany Brown**
Weak in the Knees by G.S. Wiley**
The Shirt by Amy Lane***
The Neighbors by Janey Chapel**
Normally I love anthologies, but this one....
God, I'm glad for the longer version of this one.
Bad News Brett by Sean Kennedy **
Very, very short story!
Choices and Changes by S. Blaise ***
What is this? Just as I start to get interested it ends!
Equinox by M. Jules Aedin and Anna J. Linden ***1/2
Longer story, yet too short!
We Are Stardust by M. Jules Aedin ***
Spontaneous by Chrissy Munder***
The Meaning of Significant Digits by Ashlyn Kane**
Mending the Break by Jaymz Connelly**
Road to Nowhere by Catt Ford**
Snowman by Isabelle Rowan
In His Eyes by Bethany Brown**
Weak in the Knees by G.S. Wiley**
The Shirt by Amy Lane***
The Neighbors by Janey Chapel**
Normally I love anthologies, but this one....
November 13, 2010
First thing i wanna say i should have read this months ago before like in the title "womans introduction" and this is anything but i have read over 200 books but still enjoyed most of the stories and only a couple i didnt like at all.
My 2 favs were called "Choices and Changes, "Road to Nowhere" and "Snowman" of which i wish were longer cause i really wanted to know more about the main characters cause they touched my heart the most.
My 2 favs were called "Choices and Changes, "Road to Nowhere" and "Snowman" of which i wish were longer cause i really wanted to know more about the main characters cause they touched my heart the most.
November 16, 2010
This was a wonderful collection for anyone that feels the urge to dabble in reading some gay romance, or for those that have read everything there is out there. I especially liked that some of these stories were set years in the past (those happened to be my favorite) as opposed to just modern day. There was plenty of range in these stories: from sweet declarations and revelations to explicit situations. Overall, very enjoyable.
April 19, 2012
Pretty much all the stories are good. Standouts for me are:
Bad News Brett by Sean Kennedy
Choices and Changes by S. Blaise
Equinox by M. Julie's & Anna J. Linden
The Meaning Of Significant Digits by Ashlyn Kane
Road To Nowhere by Catt Ford
Snowman by Isabelle Rowan
Shirt by Amy Lane
Bad News Brett by Sean Kennedy
Choices and Changes by S. Blaise
Equinox by M. Julie's & Anna J. Linden
The Meaning Of Significant Digits by Ashlyn Kane
Road To Nowhere by Catt Ford
Snowman by Isabelle Rowan
Shirt by Amy Lane
January 26, 2016
For "The Shirt" by Amy Lane
Super short little love story of two opposites attracting.
This fast moving story shows how the lovers met and then shows them about to meet Ryan’s parents for the first time.
It’s got a little sex, a lot of love and lots of laughs.
Highly recommended.
4.5 of 5 stars
Amy says the entire collection is coming out soon and for FREE!
Super short little love story of two opposites attracting.
This fast moving story shows how the lovers met and then shows them about to meet Ryan’s parents for the first time.
It’s got a little sex, a lot of love and lots of laughs.
Highly recommended.
4.5 of 5 stars
Amy says the entire collection is coming out soon and for FREE!
March 23, 2011
I enjoy every story in it, nothing make my brows furrowed in a bad way. Most of it are cute and fluffy, with happy endings. Yeah, love it.
Have to comment about the title, it's not quite an introduction, because it would be shocking for first readers on this genre XD
Have to comment about the title, it's not quite an introduction, because it would be shocking for first readers on this genre XD
May 2, 2014
Although I am not new to m/m romance I really enjoyed this anthology. It's full of stories by some really great DSP authors and I would definitely recommend it to a friend who wanted to be introduced to m/m.
September 9, 2016
14/May/2014 So far, I've only read The Shirt (Ryan & Scott 1) by Amy Lane.... and OMW was that HOTTT! ☆☆☆☆
15/May/2014 Gambling Men: Ante Up by Amy Lane - too short to really make much of.☆☆
15/May/2014 Gambling Men: Ante Up by Amy Lane - too short to really make much of.☆☆
September 8, 2012
A fun tantalizing read that has a story for everyone. Stories range from grieving and moving on to moving on to a new relationship after an old one has gone south. There is one story involving a a female peeper and her male neighbors.
Want to read
January 12, 2014
Oh gosh !!! I really LOVED the cover !!!!!
I saw similar pic somewhere, but with his 'dangling thing' silhouette behind the curtain (⌒˛⌒)
May 24, 2010
Loved this book! Some of my favorite authors together in one anthology. It really is an awesome introduction to the genre.
June 27, 2010
Very good m/m romance collection - I really can't remember if I've read a collection that I liked better. I think it would indeed serve as a good introduction to the genre.
Read
October 31, 20112 stars for Amy Lane's 'Shirt'
August 29, 2011
This anthology was full of beautiful stories. I loved it.
x-vol
November 14, 2011Anthology Curious
Merged review:
From Curious Anthology ...
Merged review:
From Curious Anthology ...
December 12, 2011
(on series shelf b/c some of the stories w/in are part of series)
December 21, 2011
I'll read the whole thing, but today read The Shirt so I can read the rest of Ryan & Scott stories. This is the story of how Ryan and Scott got together and fell in love.
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