Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Nine of Dale Cameron Lowry’s best short romance stories, available for the first time in one book.
Part 1: Falling Fast
Warm up with whirlwind romances that last.
Mi Alma — Ex-Mormon Alma Larsen doesn’t know the first thing about alcohol, so he hires bartender Damian Banks to help out at his winter holiday party. They build a friendship that simmers with sexual tension—and possibly something much deeper. Will this Christmas bring them both a love that lasts?
Loggerhead — Soon after they fall in love, Jake makes Eric a promise inspired by an old track uniform. But demanding work schedules at Jake’s four-star restaurant and Eric’s newspaper keep them from following through. Six years later, they take the honeymoon they never had, heading to the Florida coast in search of sea turtles—and rekindling their passion for each other in the process.
Reading the Signs — The only thing twenty-three-year-old Theo De Jong expects when he enrolls in a summer school for linguists in New Mexico is to get more ideas for his master’s thesis in Dutch Sign Language. But then he meets the American sign language expert Alfonso Grossman, and sparks fly.
Part 2: Falling Fantastically
Because reality is overrated, these stories have elements of the fantastical.
Born of Fire — The fairies on Ireland’s north coast are notorious for kidnapping, and Aodhán of County Donegal has the scars to prove it. When the fairies abduct the handsome youth Cainnech, Aodhán seeks to free him—but risks losing his health and Cainnech in the process.
Ghost of a Chance — When shy Jeremy Anderson meets mysterious and dapper Frank at his spooky old university library, their connection is instant. Their romance waxes with the full moon—but just as quickly, Frank’s interest seems to wane. He insists that he loves spending time with Jeremy, but then why does he keep Jeremy at arm’s length?
Far From Home — Rajiv met and fell in love with his husband, Mateo, when they were both members of the scientific team responsible for transforming Mars into a home suitable for humans. But years into their shared mission, Rajiv is ordered back to Earth to restore the barren lands of the American Midwest. With a little help from technology, the two men find innovative ways to nurture their long-distance relationship while they wait to reunite.
Sweeter Than Blood — Keith was a vegan before a hot encounter with a stranger turned him into a vampire. In the year since, his sire, John, has tried to make up for the mistake by teaching Keith everything he knows about being a non-murderous bloodsucker. But temptation is strong in the form of Andres, a regular customer at the barbershop where Keith works. When Andres finally asks Keith on a date, the real danger begins.
Part 3: Falling Deep
The deeper the love, the hotter the intimacy.
Rough Love — Blake thinks new boyfriend Michael doesn’t like French kissing. Michael thinks Blake doesn’t like rough sex. Neither are virgins, except in the art of conversation. Can they set things straight before the honeymoon’s over?
Pacific Rimming — On Mike’s fortieth birthday, his husband, Ken, takes him on vacation to Vancouver Island in Western Canada to celebrate. While Mike mourns his loss of youth, Ken encourages him to recapture it by bedding a gorgeous twenty-something man they encounter while hiking in Pacific Rim National Park. A night of no-holds-barred passion among the three men reveals a sizzling chemistry, and when Mike and Ken return home they find themselves longing to reconnect with the young Jason. Can what started as a one-night stand transform into a threesome that lasts?
This is a great collection of stories. The men are all looking for love or are enjoying the love they already have which was a nice variety. They all ended great but took a bunch of different ways to get there, just like in real life. Most of the stories are only told from one character’s point of view, but the author does a wonderful job of showing the other characters emotions and feelings through their eyes.
In Mi Alma Damian and Alma aren’t quite sure how to approach the other with their growing feelings but their tension works wonderfully in building their friendship, I thought both of these characters played well off each other. In Loggerhead Jake and Eric show that it is easy to put yourselves and your relationship on the back burner a bit, but I loved seeing them make their relationship even stronger during their trip. Theo and Alfonso begin a wonderful friendship at the beginning of Reading the Signs and keep it going via skype when their course is over for the summer and seeing Theo learn what love really is, even at a distance, is great.
Born of Fire was an interesting concept; Aodhán becomes abducted by fairies and realizes this and how much Cainnech could mean to him if they were free, but they have to support each other once they are free from the fairies. Ghost of a Chance was one of the sweetest stories in this collection; Jeremy and Frank build a great friendship that turns into a strong relationship even though they are somewhat separated on the physical plane, but their love is what can keep Frank solidly in Jeremy’s life. Rajiv and Mateo miss each other so much in Far From Home, but have figured out the next best thing to having the other with them. In Sweeter than Blood Keith has not been very welcoming to the vampire lifestyle and when he finally takes a chance on Andres he realizes that maybe John is the one he needs.
In Rough Love Blake and Michael are trying to start their relationship off well, but don’t know how to talk to each other. When they finally do we can see what they have been holding back and how much more perfect they are for each other. Pacific Rimming show how there is always room in people hearts for more people to love if they want and Ken and Mike know that if they give it a chance Jason could easily fit into their lives. Seeing Jason realize that he can have the love he has wanted is wonderful.
Cover art by Dale Cameron Lowry is great and eye catching.
Sales Links: Terrestrial Press | Amazon | Books2Read
Book Details:
ebook, 233 pages
Published: February 20, 2017 by Terrestrial Press
ISBN: 9781508058670
Edition Language: English
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 