Status Updates From Magic and Romance: A Collec...

Enthralled- Pretty good and tense!! I like that the protagonist was unlikeable by the end and was pretty sad at the vamp and her gf :(

Breakaway - sweet and short. But more heavy I think with this one and it’s a shame it wasn’t a tad bit longer so you could see more of Jen and Sarah bonding and how Sarah and Debbie didn’t fit together. I like the ending though. Feels freeing

THE KINGDOM IN A CAVE WAS GREAT!!! Perfect dark fairytale vibes constant tension and such a great cast!!! Deffo a five star

Reason to Stay- This was pretty good. I’m not a fan of contemporary stuff but this was pretty sweet. I related to the protagonist tbh. I was a teen lesbian dealing with comphet so a lot of the jokes she made I related to. It was good.

The Black Hound - beautifully gothic and Victorian a perfect October read too. I liked the werewolf implication through that red riding hood like and Kate and Bella were very sweet. Just wish it was longer so we got to see their bond grow because it was a lil speedy.

In Rhythm- cute wholesome short story. Characters were sweet and nice tension near end. Ballroom competition was neat. Unfortunately I have a bias against modern settings/stories so it isn’t my fave.

Delicious (Contemporary Lesbian Romance)
3 stars "She had been obsessing over this woman all year, practically stalking her and putting everything else on hold, putting her life on hold, [...]" Yeah, that's not healthy. A pining woman too afraid to make a move, that is certainly a realistic trope. This story has erotica in it, so if that's not something for you...

The Black Hound (Victorian Gothic Werewolf Suspense)
4 stars. A good gothic horror short story. Not much is explained but one can gather what is happening by paying attention. A very nice read.

Mask of the Highwaywoman (Historical Action Adventure)
4 stars. Hey, this one was actually really nice. A cliffhanger ending but since this short story was apparently the set.up for a novel that's to be expected.

Reason to Stay (Lesbian Teen Humour)
2 stars. So this one was odd. First of all I don't see the humour in it, though the middle part is quite nice. It starts with another slightly stalkerish protagonist and it ends in a very, very odd way that does not feel realistic. But at least this story knew it did not need chapters.

The Lady Edris and the Kingdom in a Cave (Adult Myth & legend, Authurian Adaptation)
3 stars. It was alright, maybe a bit underdeveloped, though the skeleton-plot is solid. Nothing very fancy but an enjoyable quick read. There were 11 chapters in this one, each read in roughly 2 minutes.

Is She? (Contemporary LGBT Humour)
Nope. 0 stars. An obsessed and very creepy girl, moves into a shitty apartment because she fancies the looks of a girl that lives there. I felt very uncomfortable throughout the whole story and was hoping the lead would learn something by the end and reflect but I didn't see her doing that. She just ended up with her best friend who she never realised had a mutual crush on her.

Enthralled (Lesbian Vampire Thriller)
maybe 3 stars. It is short but gets the drama across. The lead is unlikeable and possessive but I assume that was intended since it falls in line with the plot. Again, there are chapterbreaks where none are needed.

In Rhythm (Contemporary Teen Romance)
2 stars at best. I expected more from a short story about ballroom dancing but there is not much realism about how competitions work in here. Also not sure why this needed chapters, it would have been fine without them.