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Reviews
Love All Year: A Holidays Anthology by Savannah J. Frierson, Felicia Grossman, Hallie Alexander
hidingincorners's review against another edition
4.0
What a lovely collection! I love holiday romances, especially non-Christian holidays. And I learned new things about various holidays, too! I think I'll have to check out more of these authors' works!
chelle_thebelle's review against another edition
4.0
Holidays have long been at the heart of romance, but this collection thought outside the Christmas box and sucked me in. The stories did a great job of teaching me about new-to-me holidays and celebrations, connecting me to the characters, and keeping me hooked.
araleith's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the range of holidays and people and romances and everything about this anthology. More please?
emeelee's review against another edition
3.0
I absolutely love this concept: a diverse romance anthology about holidays other than Christmas or other Christian holidays. I'm glad to hear that there may be a second volume on its way, as I'd love to see even more diversity amongst the stories included. Three of the seven short stories in Love All Year are centered around Jewish holidays (certainly not a bad thing, but deserves mentioning), and only one story centers queer characters which was a bit of a letdown considering the gorgeous queer cover. I enjoyed most of the stories, with one that was just "meh" and one other I DNF'ed for just not vibing with the writing style. My average rating across the board was 3.25 stars, not counting the DNF, and my favorite story of the bunch was "Queen Esther, Unmasked" by Hallie Alexander.
***
***
radioactve_piano's review against another edition
4.0
A seriously great collection that introduced me to new authors. (And I'll be seeking out more from them!) Plus, I love the meaning of the cover -- absolutely perfect for this anthology.
But the best? I definitely had gaps in a lot of the references, so I spent time educating myself every time I came across a word, phrase, tradition, etc. that was new to me.
But the best? I definitely had gaps in a lot of the references, so I spent time educating myself every time I came across a word, phrase, tradition, etc. that was new to me.
emmalita's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this anthology of holiday romance novellas. I knew I would. When Elizabeth announced she was putting together an anthology of romances centered around non-Christian holidays, I knew she would put out a thoughtful and entertaining book. I’m hoping this will be the first of many Love All Year anthologies.
All of the stories were lovely, each in their own way. I wasn’t ready for any of them to be done when I reached the end. For the most part, the stories were about former lovers meeting again, or friends or co-workers acting on a long simmering attraction. Only one story involved two people who met for the first time, and as much as I enjoyed the story, it was the least satisfying. I wanted more chapters.
Savannah J. Frierson’s “Legacy of Love” was a standout in a strong anthology. It’s a second chance romance with some twists set against a backdrop of a community coming together for a Freedmen’s town Juneteenth celebration. Romance is about hope – hope for acceptance, love, family, a strong community and a brighter future. Frierson starts her story on a note of grief that runs throughout. Gabriel and Gloria are sharing space because his beloved late grandmother asked Gloria to take on organizing the town’s Juneteenth celebration. Gabriel is struggling with the loss of his grandmother and shame for something he did as a young man that wrecked his friendship with Gloria. He wants to convince her to stay and to give a relationship with him a chance. Gloria doesn’t want to get her heart broken again. They are both grieving, they each have a hope for the future, but can they build that future together? Frierson layers the grief and hope of Juneteenth into Gabriel and Gloria’s story beautifully.
Every few months someone swaggers in to romancelandia with a hot take on romance’s commitment to the Happily Ever After. What they don’t understand is that HEAs have grief and loss baked in to the foundation. The guarantee of and HEA makes it possible for the author and reader to delve into emotions. A Happily Ever After doesn’t mean their will never be struggle, grief, trauma, or loss again. It doesn’t mean that the world will be fair and equitable. It means that these characters have found someone, or someones, who will struggle with them, grieve with them, and support them through the inevitable downs of life.
In Ekaterina Xia’s “A Bridge of Magpies” very sweetly and gently brings a former classmate back into the lives of a pair of committed best friends. The three are brought together at a Qixi festival artist exhibition in Taiwan. Yulan and Verity are a unit, and they make room for Lucien. it was lovely to read such a gentle, non-heteronormative love story, especially centered around a festival celebrating thwarted lovers. As with all the stories, I wanted more, but I could see the three of them as a mutually protective unit in a world that isn’t always kind.
Love All Year is a wonderful anthology. I should note that the anthology as a whole had a thread of grief running through it. The anthology is dedicated to Corey Alexander, who died a few months ago. Several of the authors also acknowledged Corey’s influence in their comments. If you are in the corner of Twitter that encompasses inclusive romance, you probably knew who Corey was. They described themselves as, “white Jewish autistic queer fat genderqueer writer and community activist with multiple disabilities who spends a lot of time on Twitter.” They had a tremendous impact on the way many authors thought and wrote about gender and inclusiveness. As a reader, I found their Twitter threads thought provoking and educational. Also as a reader, I am fortunate that there are authors who were inspired by Corey and continue to push romance into more thoughtful inclusiveness.
All of the stories were lovely, each in their own way. I wasn’t ready for any of them to be done when I reached the end. For the most part, the stories were about former lovers meeting again, or friends or co-workers acting on a long simmering attraction. Only one story involved two people who met for the first time, and as much as I enjoyed the story, it was the least satisfying. I wanted more chapters.
Savannah J. Frierson’s “Legacy of Love” was a standout in a strong anthology. It’s a second chance romance with some twists set against a backdrop of a community coming together for a Freedmen’s town Juneteenth celebration. Romance is about hope – hope for acceptance, love, family, a strong community and a brighter future. Frierson starts her story on a note of grief that runs throughout. Gabriel and Gloria are sharing space because his beloved late grandmother asked Gloria to take on organizing the town’s Juneteenth celebration. Gabriel is struggling with the loss of his grandmother and shame for something he did as a young man that wrecked his friendship with Gloria. He wants to convince her to stay and to give a relationship with him a chance. Gloria doesn’t want to get her heart broken again. They are both grieving, they each have a hope for the future, but can they build that future together? Frierson layers the grief and hope of Juneteenth into Gabriel and Gloria’s story beautifully.
Every few months someone swaggers in to romancelandia with a hot take on romance’s commitment to the Happily Ever After. What they don’t understand is that HEAs have grief and loss baked in to the foundation. The guarantee of and HEA makes it possible for the author and reader to delve into emotions. A Happily Ever After doesn’t mean their will never be struggle, grief, trauma, or loss again. It doesn’t mean that the world will be fair and equitable. It means that these characters have found someone, or someones, who will struggle with them, grieve with them, and support them through the inevitable downs of life.
In Ekaterina Xia’s “A Bridge of Magpies” very sweetly and gently brings a former classmate back into the lives of a pair of committed best friends. The three are brought together at a Qixi festival artist exhibition in Taiwan. Yulan and Verity are a unit, and they make room for Lucien. it was lovely to read such a gentle, non-heteronormative love story, especially centered around a festival celebrating thwarted lovers. As with all the stories, I wanted more, but I could see the three of them as a mutually protective unit in a world that isn’t always kind.
Love All Year is a wonderful anthology. I should note that the anthology as a whole had a thread of grief running through it. The anthology is dedicated to Corey Alexander, who died a few months ago. Several of the authors also acknowledged Corey’s influence in their comments. If you are in the corner of Twitter that encompasses inclusive romance, you probably knew who Corey was. They described themselves as, “white Jewish autistic queer fat genderqueer writer and community activist with multiple disabilities who spends a lot of time on Twitter.” They had a tremendous impact on the way many authors thought and wrote about gender and inclusiveness. As a reader, I found their Twitter threads thought provoking and educational. Also as a reader, I am fortunate that there are authors who were inspired by Corey and continue to push romance into more thoughtful inclusiveness.
prgchrqltma's review
4.0
I think these all had a nice balance between explaining the holiday to the uninitiated and assuming that the audience would know or could research anything unfamiliar. As always for me when reading short fiction, an entire romance arc feels pretty rushed, but I did think I would try something longer by most of the authors.
madiemartin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
melonreads's review
4.0
I've been looking forward to this anthology since it was announced because I loved the idea of reading romances set in the midst of cultural holidays different from my own.
Three Stars in the Sky by Stacey Agdern is almost wistful and melancholy in tone. No worries, there is an HEA but it's about young love lost and rediscovered through the power of music and it's really lovely and poignant.
It Happened One Yule by Celestine Martin was fun and whimsical, delivering two characters who were secretly pining for each other. Really cute premise, pretty good execution.
Queen Esther, Unmasked by Hallie Alexander was sweet and lovely but needed more. Too short to contain the characters.
Legacy of Love by Savannah J. Frierson was just beautiful and bittersweet and heartbreaking. A second chance romance, set against Juneteenth celebrations with a hero who had a lot to make up for. I really enjoyed this story a LOT and would definitely investigate this author's backlist.
Making Up With Eid Bae by Farah Heron features one of my favorite tropes, second chance romance and while I do adore the trope, I found the reasoning behind why they broke up to be a little flimsy. Overall, I think the hero could've stood to grovel a bit more and his parents were so rude to her! Still, I really enjoy Farah's writing style and it always serves to make me hungry!
A Bridge of Magpies by Ekaterine Ria was just so lovely and quiet and beautiful. I LOVED the characters, I only wish it had been longer. Fantastic queer rep and just really poignant and sweet and full of heart.
The Sweet Spot by Felicia Grossman was also sweet and lovely, about a prickly heroine trying to navigate Shul politics, keep her job as a rabbi as well as navigate her very inconvenient attraction to the cantor. It was also the steamiest of the 7 stories and I wish it had included an epilogue.
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection, it was pretty delightful.
Three Stars in the Sky by Stacey Agdern is almost wistful and melancholy in tone. No worries, there is an HEA but it's about young love lost and rediscovered through the power of music and it's really lovely and poignant.
It Happened One Yule by Celestine Martin was fun and whimsical, delivering two characters who were secretly pining for each other. Really cute premise, pretty good execution.
Queen Esther, Unmasked by Hallie Alexander was sweet and lovely but needed more. Too short to contain the characters.
Legacy of Love by Savannah J. Frierson was just beautiful and bittersweet and heartbreaking. A second chance romance, set against Juneteenth celebrations with a hero who had a lot to make up for. I really enjoyed this story a LOT and would definitely investigate this author's backlist.
Making Up With Eid Bae by Farah Heron features one of my favorite tropes, second chance romance and while I do adore the trope, I found the reasoning behind why they broke up to be a little flimsy. Overall, I think the hero could've stood to grovel a bit more and his parents were so rude to her! Still, I really enjoy Farah's writing style and it always serves to make me hungry!
A Bridge of Magpies by Ekaterine Ria was just so lovely and quiet and beautiful. I LOVED the characters, I only wish it had been longer. Fantastic queer rep and just really poignant and sweet and full of heart.
The Sweet Spot by Felicia Grossman was also sweet and lovely, about a prickly heroine trying to navigate Shul politics, keep her job as a rabbi as well as navigate her very inconvenient attraction to the cantor. It was also the steamiest of the 7 stories and I wish it had included an epilogue.
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection, it was pretty delightful.
slowburnsrus's review
4.0
Like most anthologies, this was a mixed bag. But the stories that were great, were exceptionally wonderful. Farah Heron’s Making up with Eid Bae has to be the best short romance that I’ve read in years, and Celestine Martin’s It Happened One Yule, reminded me that most of the cultural trappings I associate with Christmas, are actually pagan.
There’s a trope for everyone here, second chance, enemies fo lovers, surprise pregnancy, magic love potions, and a hero happy to wear makeup. For the holidays I was familiar with, the stories captured their essence perfectly, down to the red soda at Juneteenth.
There’s a trope for everyone here, second chance, enemies fo lovers, surprise pregnancy, magic love potions, and a hero happy to wear makeup. For the holidays I was familiar with, the stories captured their essence perfectly, down to the red soda at Juneteenth.