Review of six shorts

Hearts and Flowers: A Tale of Hay Fever and Bad Decor by Angel Martinez
Stars: 4/5

Length: 23 pages
Overall
A cute, free Valentine's day story that takes an unexpected turn. Jaded, sweet men with dry senses of humor make for a lovely show of verbal sparring. This story has romance, a number of silly scenes, and enough sweetness to satisfy a holiday craving. Definitely worth picking up and curling up for a giggling good read.


Trick or Treat by Andrea Speed
Stars: 3/5

Length: 9 pages
Overall
A quick slice-of-life story featuring two characters that--I believe--are from Speed's other works. One grumpy detective and a sticky sweet kiss left me wanting more, but it's still a nice little tale.


The Maze by Tia Fielding
Stars: 3/5

Length: 13 pages
Overall
A story that starts off strong with a thrilling chase but feels a little lacking once the excitement is gone. A nice piece, but feels way too short.


Haunted by JP Barnaby
Stars: 3.5/5

Length: 13 pages
Overall
An achingly bittersweet story about a man who has lost his husband and the anniversary of his death. This is sweet and sad, but with a hopeful (though still depressing) end.


Independence by Clare London
Stars: 4.5/5

Length: 12 pages
Overall
Not strictly a Halloween tale, this hot little story is sizzling with a touch of sweet. Cross-dressing and power play pack a punch in this short and sexy glimpse into the lives of these two men in an established relationship. Definitely worth a read...or two.


Depth Perception by Rowena Sudbury
Stars: 4/5

Length: 13 pages
Overall
Another not-necessarily-Halloween story, it's almost heart-breakingly sad as two ex-lovers meet at a party. It shows the meeting from both perspectives, making it all the more painful to watch. I want there to be more of these two so they can get there happy ending.

The Tourist by Clare London

The Tourist by Clare London
Stars: 3/5

Overall
Normally in reviews we talk about "head hopping" from a narrative perspective, but in the case of Ace, our narrator, we literally hop heads with him. Although he's a little pompous and self-centric, he's a bearable narrator and he grows (on the reader and as a character). In an interesting twist on the normal "switch perspective" trick, London uses Ace to not only change perspective, but also to retain some of the memories and feelings that were in his previous host so that he can use that information to further the relationship.

Strengths
Unique perspective. This was a really creative writing tool and London did a good job of writing four different perspectives, often two at a time. We have Ace constantly present, and then the different men he hops into. Initially we see him more separate from his hosts, but as he lingers in their bodies (and as the story needs to progress) we see him and his host as one and the same, although there is still a struggle as Ace cannot know all the deep secrets that the host is unwilling to admit to himself.

Writing. London did an excellent job of writing a difficult subject without doing too much or too little. The characters, while minimal in number, are very different in personality. This worked out just not from a plot point, but also because it allowed the narration to change dramatically depending on who was hosting Ace.

Weaknesses
Not necessarily a weakness, but Ace as a character bothered me. His personality rubbed me the wrong way, but not enough that I threw the book down and didn't continue. Some may find his sort of pompous attitude charming; it wasn't like he was a bad guy, he just didn't endear me, so I had difficulty getting into the book initially. Once we stepped back from his direct involvement and were more focused on the two other central character, I found myself able to relate better. He does improve as the story progresses, as well.

Some of the character developments, especially in Dan, left me curious, as I didn't feel as if the reader was given anything to be prepared for that particular turn. However, that said, I didn't feel like it was a random course of action either; it fit the story well and was established in the characters by the end—just the initial action surprised me.

Anthology: Flipped Fables

Flipped Fables edited by SA Clements
Stars: 3/5

Overall:
Anthologies are always tricky because you can get such a mix of authors writing such a mix of stories, but I think in this case, it paid off. Not every story is a shining star, but none of them are folding in on themselves either, plus they cover a range of tastes so there should be one story sure to satisfy everyone.

The Man Who Cried Werewolf by Kiernan Kelly
A cute, if not completely predictable tale. Since this story is probably one of the most familiar among an American audience, I'm glad it started the series as it held the fewest surprises. It's a straight forward piece that plays out like you'd expect. Who's up for a romp in the hay?

A Sheepherder in Fabulous Clothing by Rob Rosen
If you like fabulous, you'll like this one. It's not completely to my taste, but it does give a good consideration of what makes a man, men who love men who dress as women, and forming your own identity. I feel like I should be more familiar with the tale this is based on, but nothing comes to mind. Still, it stands alone without requiring prior knowledge, except for maybe about drag queens.

Shifter 2.0 by Winnie Jerome
Rather than be a retelling of the Mouse and the Lion, this story just goes with the vague gist of a lion and a mouse in the same story. Daniel doesn't fit the old-school style of shifter that his families believes he should be, but he doesn't fit alot of stereotypes about shifters. He's a vegetarian lion who rips mattresses, clogs the drain with his hair, and requires odorless soaps. Good thing he's met Alex, owner of one mouse and chef at a vegetarian restaurant. He doesn't seem to mind Daniel's quirks, as long as Daniel won't mind his...

Bad Hair Day by Clare London
Rapunzel gets a gender swap and an attitude in this take of "Let Down Your Long Hair." The Prince is persistent through to the end, even if he starts of as a tender whippersnapper and ends up a hero (or, well, you tell me). The end is rather cheesy, but these are fairy tales, so I suppose it's forgiven...this time! ^Insert witch cackle here.

Wild Fox Chase by Misa Izanaki
This particular story is based on a Chinese tale and I like the concept and most the writing. The sex was kinda awkward though, and the dialogue during the sex worse. But other than that a perfectly enjoyable story, and our kitsune (but of course), is playful and keen and has an inner dialogue that fits the fox.

Sweet Persuasion by Angelia Sparrow
In which Zeph and Apollo, two gods of old (Greek, I think, but I'm always confusing them), challenge each other to see who can get a shepherd to remove his clothes first using their gifts. It doesn't really matter who the winner is, as they decided to pursue the boy that evening, which the both have off. For having a threesome, it's an incredibly sweet tale with some hot hillside sex.

The Nature of Love by Anah Crow
This is one of my favorite stories among this group. I wasn't familiar with the tale it was based on (The Cat and Venus), but I'm not sure familiarity would help/hinder the story since it was changed rather thoroughly in very excellent ways. I never knew what to expect next and the author never disappointed. This actually has me interested in what more she wrote.

Court and Country by GS Wiley
A new take on Country Mouse and City Mouse, we have two boys who grew up together, one who stayed in the country, preferring farming and hard work, while one moved into the city and joined the court. Before they part ways, they share a kiss, but nothing else, and then many years go by. They meet up together when the Courtier comes to visit the country and their tale unravels from there. How can two lovers with so very different tastes survive? It's a cute story. You won't be surprised by the ending, but I don't think we're meant to be.

The Cock and the Jewel by Sean Michael
Michael is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. He brings such great characters to life and explores facets of life that I don't face while still making the characters accessible. Here we meet a tattoo artist who is too inked and pierced for his last boyfriend, who he is still trying to get over. So the question is, will the cock give up on the jewel, or will he find his true worth?