Lucky Dip by Clare LondonOne StarCall me a bitch if you want, but I would never have taken back a man that dumped me the way Greg did to Andy. I can see making a mistake and being scared, I can see somebody not knowing what they have because it’s new to them, I can even see trying to break it off because you are afraid your partner is going to get hurt. I understand these things, and if you see the signs of any of these coming to pass please make sure you drop that bomb in the appropriate place.Greg did the unacceptable, yes he says he was scared, but being a complete tool and telling Andy that it’s over, “let’s just be friends” at the start of a school event. Yeah that is just classy, and to make matters worse you have been going out for a while so you know how much of a klutz Andy is. So now you have an upset man that is not the most graceful at a school event full of people, I bet you can see what is coming. If you think just please kill me now embarrassment you guessed right.Now, I can hold a grudge like the best of them, and with this much trauma due to a man being a selfish asshole and thinking only of himself I really don’t think there would be a chance in hell in me taking him back.Butterscotch Kisses by Chrissy MunderTwo StarsThis was a cute story about a man trying to conquer his fear of heights, and meeting the man of his dreams while doing so. There isn’t much to say about this story, its pretty white bread. The main character gets a crush, meets his crush, and then they share their first kiss. Nothing exciting here folks, though I did like Cute Ticket Guy slash Adams hats, they were a bit of spice to the storyWintertide by Lou HarperOne Star (minus)This story creeped me the fuck out, I am not one for age gaps, but like most things there are exceptions to the rule. This was so very much not one of them.The story starts out with the main character Jem leaving his apartment and going to the beach. On the docks he sees an older man, as in twenty to twenty five years older than him tossing something into the ocean. So he goes up strikes up a conversation then ends up going home with him to have sex then fall asleep. Jem wakes up in a few hours to snoop around the house, and sees Oscars dead partners stuff and thinks that he is just a hook up while he is out of town and takes off.When Oscar wakes up and finds Jem gone he decides he needs to find Jem and take care of him. When they were talking earlier Jem told Oscar that he works in a Thai food restaurant, and when he finally finds Jem he confesses he has been to six so far. Yeah, that is not too creepy for words, no really?So they go out to eat, and end up going back to Oscar’s place where in the moments before sleep Oscar sees his dead lover who approves of Jem, and that Oscar should take care of him.I want to add now that Jem is twenty years old, living on his own in Hollywood working as a dishwasher. Oscar is a successful ghost writer with a condo on the beach, and over twice Jem’s age! There is no balance; I believe Jem will always feel less than Oscar, and these feelings will lead to either resentment in Jem or Oscar having complete control over Jem because Jem feels like he owes Oscar.This was not a romance; it was a story about a man finding a pet on the streets and taking it home to take care of it.So.Not.Sexy.When in Amsterdam… by Josephine MylesOne StarI don’t have much to say about this one, its bondage and I don’t find that sexy.A Pint of Beer, a Bag of Chips, and Thou by JL MerrowTwo StarsHere is the exception to the rule I was talking about earlier, Liam is a twenty three year old musician, who wears his hair in a Mohawk, and has a penchant for leather, offensive shirts, and older men. Liam finds himself attracted to an older man he sees nightly while out busking, but just can’t find a way to find out if the “Silver Fox” is interested in him.I will not give away the method of madness that is their starting point, but when they finally get to their meet and greet there is balance. Yes Neil feels a little intimidated by Liam’s wardrobe, but he is a business man, and it would make sense. So this story was cute, but still a Winter Spring romance and I really just don’t care for them.So all in all this collection was a fail for me, I am glad I didn’t pay money for it.
