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marlobo's review against another edition
3.0
Post Mortem by Jordan Castillo Price - 3 stars
Dressing Down by Clare London - 3 stars
Et Tu, Fishies? by JL Merrow - 4 stars
Zones by Elyan Smith - 4 stars
Sollicito by Charlie Cochrane - 4 stars
A Few Days Away by Elin Gregory - 3,5 stars
Vidi Velo Vici by Robbie Whyte - 3 stars
Shelter From Storms by Sandra Lindsey - 1.5 stars
Faulty Genes by Rebecca Cohen - 2 stars
Lost in London by Tam Ames - 3,5 stars
My Husband by Zahra Owens - 4, 5 stars
Waiting for a Spark by Lillian Francis - 2,5 stars
Social Whirl by Emily Moreton - 3 stars
School for Doms by Anne Brooke - 1,5 stars
Dragon Dance by Josephine Myles - 3 stars
Reclaiming Territory by Becky Black - 2 stars
Dressing Down by Clare London - 3 stars
Et Tu, Fishies? by JL Merrow - 4 stars
Zones by Elyan Smith - 4 stars
Sollicito by Charlie Cochrane - 4 stars
A Few Days Away by Elin Gregory - 3,5 stars
Vidi Velo Vici by Robbie Whyte - 3 stars
Shelter From Storms by Sandra Lindsey - 1.5 stars
Faulty Genes by Rebecca Cohen - 2 stars
Lost in London by Tam Ames - 3,5 stars
My Husband by Zahra Owens - 4, 5 stars
Waiting for a Spark by Lillian Francis - 2,5 stars
Social Whirl by Emily Moreton - 3 stars
School for Doms by Anne Brooke - 1,5 stars
Dragon Dance by Josephine Myles - 3 stars
Reclaiming Territory by Becky Black - 2 stars
suze_1624's review against another edition
4.0
A wide range of short stories, all delivering a nice quick read. The stories range from funny to poignant, contemporary to historical, include boys, girls, shifters, stories of reminising, being transgender, young and older lovers.
Unusually in a large grouping of stories there were none I didn't like, and the average rating came out as 3.6. A book I'll definitely dive into again when I need a quick story to fill 20 mins.
Unusually in a large grouping of stories there were none I didn't like, and the average rating came out as 3.6. A book I'll definitely dive into again when I need a quick story to fill 20 mins.
babyleo's review against another edition
2.0
This review was published on Lost in a Good Book
The most important thing I think any anthology needs is a strong opening story, one that will hook the reader and want them to keep going. I was curious about Post Mortem, the opening story, but it really doesn’t give you anything to grab your attention. It was unengaging and it was only my hope that there were other better stories did I keep reading. It was only by a slim chance did I actually keep going because so many times I was prepared to add this to my DNF (Did Not Finish) pile. My DNF pile is small but I was getting the same feeling from the first half of this anthology that I have had with books before. The fact I told myself that I may be missing out on other good stories kept me going, I was eventually rewarded but it was a long road.
The theme of this anthology is a little vague. The introduction states it is to show off how great the LGBTQIA community have it in Britain and in Europe. It was published in 2012 when Britain was on its high from the Olympics and the Queen had her Diamond Jubilee. None of these events are mentioned in the story but 2012 was also the 3rd annual meeting of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet and to celebrate this anthology was created. The idea is sweet enough, a chance to celebrate the good times of being part of the community in Britain at the time and this is reflected in the stories in as much as they are nice stories, things aren’t complicated, there’s no altercations or conflict that I could tell due to a character’s sexuality or gender.
There are multiple trans stories, gay and lesbian romances, as well as a BDSM story. Content warning wise not every story involves sex but some do which are described in detail though not graphic or overly explicit. In a way they are the good examples of stories; the LGBTQ characters aren’t there as a plot point, nothing really centres around their sexuality, it is just a part of the overall story because it affects who they interact with and how. It isn’t an issue of contention or a problem which was refreshing.
Having said that, only half of these stories were actually interesting. Maybe even less. Many were half and half, some parts were interesting but within the same story I was bored to pieces. There were a few exceptions that only barely made the mark: Vidi Velo Vici was good, basic but had a good ending. The better ones were Dressing Down and Zones for the humour and the heart and for something like Zones it is a great story about discovery and acceptance which is subtle, but certainly there. Lost in London was another rare gem as was My Husband and Social Whirl. The rest I was not interested in, and to only have six out of sixteen stories grab my attention, it doesn’t say much about an anthology I was rally expecting more from.
The genres range from contemporary to the paranormal and magical. I found I couldn’t engage with the paranormal as much, I preferred those in modern settings. The genders and sexualities present was a great diversity and something I was impressed with. As I say, without a theme as such, the general acceptance of LGBTQ people in Britain was a great starting point because it normalised these occurrences and while it was a theme, it also showed how to make gender and sexuality naturally part of a story and not only there to be a plot point in itself.
Honestly the second half is better than the first, I am glad I persevered because I found the stories in the second half more enjoyable, certainly more diverse. Even for a LGBTQ anthology there are only so many times you can read about gay men before you start wanting to see something different. But even so, to only like six stories, there’s more issues than just that to contend with.
The most important thing I think any anthology needs is a strong opening story, one that will hook the reader and want them to keep going. I was curious about Post Mortem, the opening story, but it really doesn’t give you anything to grab your attention. It was unengaging and it was only my hope that there were other better stories did I keep reading. It was only by a slim chance did I actually keep going because so many times I was prepared to add this to my DNF (Did Not Finish) pile. My DNF pile is small but I was getting the same feeling from the first half of this anthology that I have had with books before. The fact I told myself that I may be missing out on other good stories kept me going, I was eventually rewarded but it was a long road.
The theme of this anthology is a little vague. The introduction states it is to show off how great the LGBTQIA community have it in Britain and in Europe. It was published in 2012 when Britain was on its high from the Olympics and the Queen had her Diamond Jubilee. None of these events are mentioned in the story but 2012 was also the 3rd annual meeting of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet and to celebrate this anthology was created. The idea is sweet enough, a chance to celebrate the good times of being part of the community in Britain at the time and this is reflected in the stories in as much as they are nice stories, things aren’t complicated, there’s no altercations or conflict that I could tell due to a character’s sexuality or gender.
There are multiple trans stories, gay and lesbian romances, as well as a BDSM story. Content warning wise not every story involves sex but some do which are described in detail though not graphic or overly explicit. In a way they are the good examples of stories; the LGBTQ characters aren’t there as a plot point, nothing really centres around their sexuality, it is just a part of the overall story because it affects who they interact with and how. It isn’t an issue of contention or a problem which was refreshing.
Having said that, only half of these stories were actually interesting. Maybe even less. Many were half and half, some parts were interesting but within the same story I was bored to pieces. There were a few exceptions that only barely made the mark: Vidi Velo Vici was good, basic but had a good ending. The better ones were Dressing Down and Zones for the humour and the heart and for something like Zones it is a great story about discovery and acceptance which is subtle, but certainly there. Lost in London was another rare gem as was My Husband and Social Whirl. The rest I was not interested in, and to only have six out of sixteen stories grab my attention, it doesn’t say much about an anthology I was rally expecting more from.
The genres range from contemporary to the paranormal and magical. I found I couldn’t engage with the paranormal as much, I preferred those in modern settings. The genders and sexualities present was a great diversity and something I was impressed with. As I say, without a theme as such, the general acceptance of LGBTQ people in Britain was a great starting point because it normalised these occurrences and while it was a theme, it also showed how to make gender and sexuality naturally part of a story and not only there to be a plot point in itself.
Honestly the second half is better than the first, I am glad I persevered because I found the stories in the second half more enjoyable, certainly more diverse. Even for a LGBTQ anthology there are only so many times you can read about gay men before you start wanting to see something different. But even so, to only like six stories, there’s more issues than just that to contend with.
lillian_francis's review
My contribution to this anthology is titled Waiting for a Spark.
Naturally since I'm in this I won't be rating it.
Naturally since I'm in this I won't be rating it.
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