kara_hildebrand's review
5.0
Level Up by the fabulous Annabeth Albert was originally in the Exposed Anthology. It's a short, sexy, fun book that packs all the feels we've come to love from Annabeth. Smart, sexy heroes who have to overcome their pasts and find happiness with the person meant for them. Landon reluctantly agreed to post naked for a calendar. He chatted online with the photographer before the shoot, but when he meets Bailey in person, he's not who he expected. But the big, burly man is soft spoken and helps put Landon at ease about taking off his clothes. There's a mutual attraction, but neither of them is sure what will come of it. Landon has demons from his past that he can't seem to extinguish. He really wants to be friend with Bailey and when he finds out he's a Space Villager fan the thinks that's the perfect common ground. Bailey had been looking forward to meeting Landon and taking pictures of him. His sexy hair and shyness are such a turn on. But when Landon says they can only be friends, he's crushed. But he's willing to take whatever he can get. They talk, they play games together. They get closer. Can Landon get past his fears and try to be with Bailey? Will Bailey take a leap of faith? I loved this story! It was sexy and full of emotions and I didn't want it to end. I loved the vulnerability of these two men and how they dealt with their issues. I also loved the secondary characters. I hope to see more of Landon and Bailey!
"I'd say you should give lessons on how to do that, but I'm not sure I'd want the competition."
"Dork."
"I'd say you should give lessons on how to do that, but I'm not sure I'd want the competition."
"Dork."
lovehollyxx's review
5.0
Review and rating for The Watermark by Tiffany Reisz, featured in the Exposed anthology
When your favourite author has a new short story in an anthology, you immediately one-click that book and dive right in. I admittedly skipped straight to The Watermark by Tiffany Reisz (because fave) and I loved it so much!
For fans of her Original Sinners series, remember Simone? Søren's sometimes sub? This story is all about her and a sexy secretly kinky cowboy. I think Simone is such a great character and she was the perfect girl to go on this journey with Jason. When we first met Jason I got zero Dom vibes from him, but I soon saw a different side to him and DAMN!! He can punish me anytime. Wait...did I just say that out loud?
The Watermark was such a great story with so much packed in to it -- it definitely wasn't lacking with being a short. And luckily for us, in October, The Watermark will be released as a full length novel titled Picture Perfect Cowboy, with lots of extra scenes, and more Master S! *dreamy eyes* Bring it on, Ms Reisz!
When your favourite author has a new short story in an anthology, you immediately one-click that book and dive right in. I admittedly skipped straight to The Watermark by Tiffany Reisz (because fave) and I loved it so much!
For fans of her Original Sinners series, remember Simone? Søren's sometimes sub? This story is all about her and a sexy secretly kinky cowboy. I think Simone is such a great character and she was the perfect girl to go on this journey with Jason. When we first met Jason I got zero Dom vibes from him, but I soon saw a different side to him and DAMN!! He can punish me anytime. Wait...did I just say that out loud?
The Watermark was such a great story with so much packed in to it -- it definitely wasn't lacking with being a short. And luckily for us, in October, The Watermark will be released as a full length novel titled Picture Perfect Cowboy, with lots of extra scenes, and more Master S! *dreamy eyes* Bring it on, Ms Reisz!
ejimenez's review
4.0
It's hard to rate an anthology. Some of these stories I really enjoyed, some were not to my taste, and some I skipped altogether. It's worth noting that I wasn't aware of the controversy around this book until I saw the other reviews of it.
gabi90's review against another edition
I only read the M/M stories eventually. No surprise there.
I'm not gonna rate the whole anthology, but the stories individually.
So, here goes...
Level Up by Annabeth Albert
****4 stars****
This story is maybe the longest in this bundle, and it dragged a bit. It's about Landon, who made an appearance in the gaymers and the Out of Uniform series as well. He was Pike's roommate.
I really liked this one, because it wasn't stereotypical. With the name Landon, I instantly thought about a tall and burly guy; and with Bailey, a quirky twink comes to mind. And they were the exact opposite. Landon was a shy man in nature, and Bailey more confident, but when they got to the sexy part Landon got all bossy, while Bailey just sputtered. So their roles got reversed, and it was fun to witness. There's mention of sexual assault in Landon's past, that's causing
some tension in there blooming relationship, but it just made the sexy times all the more hotter. :)
Ghost by Robin Covington
***3.5 stars***
This was the one story, where I instantly felt the spark between the MC's. It was hot as f***.
And the same thing happened here, as with Annabeth Albert's story. The pushy, cocky guy was the bottom, and I like when that happens. :) To hell with the stereotypes.
I only gave it 3.5 stars, because this needed some more editing... It doesn't matter if it's called Epic or Elite Agencies, but pick one, and stick with it (btw Epic is a better name for a comic book agency). :)
Thrown off Track by Tamsen Parker
****4 stars****
A very well put together story, really liked this one.
Teague and Christian are bandmates. They're like One Direction, even have a Zane. :D And it turned out, that Zane already had his story in a previous book. Anyway... the band is on the brink of splitting up, and everyone is planning their future, except, it seems, Christian. Teague is trying to help him, but he doesn't know that Christian already has plans, but he doesn't share it with the others because they wouldn't understand the direction he wants to go. And he's already in love with Teague. The photo shoot happens, where Teague is lusting after Christian. He's a bit confused, and after a bit of a silent treatment, they talk it out together...sparks fly... etc.
What bothered me, is that there were a lot of inner monologues, and I'm more into dialogues. :)
Natural Enemies by Roan Parrish
*****5 stars*****
I tried really hard to find something, that I didn't like, some error, but it was just flawless.
Stefan is a botanist, who brags about his five PhD, work's in a corporate building in a lab coat all day, he thinks his life is good, but he doesn't really have a life outside of work. And than he meets Milo, an urban gardener, they butt heads over whose job is more important. Stefan can't stay away from the sexy gardener...and then they're having sex between the plants... LoL
Loved how the author described this world. Especially Milo's apartment with all the plants, and the rooftop. Beautiful.
Oh, and another thing I loved... Stefan is a black man, and Milo is latino :P Hail to diversity!
I'm not gonna rate the whole anthology, but the stories individually.
So, here goes...
Level Up by Annabeth Albert
****4 stars****
This story is maybe the longest in this bundle, and it dragged a bit. It's about Landon, who made an appearance in the gaymers and the Out of Uniform series as well. He was Pike's roommate.
I really liked this one, because it wasn't stereotypical. With the name Landon, I instantly thought about a tall and burly guy; and with Bailey, a quirky twink comes to mind. And they were the exact opposite. Landon was a shy man in nature, and Bailey more confident, but when they got to the sexy part Landon got all bossy, while Bailey just sputtered. So their roles got reversed, and it was fun to witness. There's mention of sexual assault in Landon's past, that's causing
some tension in there blooming relationship, but it just made the sexy times all the more hotter. :)
Ghost by Robin Covington
***3.5 stars***
This was the one story, where I instantly felt the spark between the MC's. It was hot as f***.
And the same thing happened here, as with Annabeth Albert's story. The pushy, cocky guy was the bottom, and I like when that happens. :) To hell with the stereotypes.
I only gave it 3.5 stars, because this needed some more editing... It doesn't matter if it's called Epic or Elite Agencies, but pick one, and stick with it (btw Epic is a better name for a comic book agency). :)
Thrown off Track by Tamsen Parker
****4 stars****
A very well put together story, really liked this one.
Teague and Christian are bandmates. They're like One Direction, even have a Zane. :D And it turned out, that Zane already had his story in a previous book. Anyway... the band is on the brink of splitting up, and everyone is planning their future, except, it seems, Christian. Teague is trying to help him, but he doesn't know that Christian already has plans, but he doesn't share it with the others because they wouldn't understand the direction he wants to go. And he's already in love with Teague. The photo shoot happens, where Teague is lusting after Christian. He's a bit confused, and after a bit of a silent treatment, they talk it out together...sparks fly... etc.
What bothered me, is that there were a lot of inner monologues, and I'm more into dialogues. :)
Natural Enemies by Roan Parrish
*****5 stars*****
I tried really hard to find something, that I didn't like, some error, but it was just flawless.
Stefan is a botanist, who brags about his five PhD, work's in a corporate building in a lab coat all day, he thinks his life is good, but he doesn't really have a life outside of work. And than he meets Milo, an urban gardener, they butt heads over whose job is more important. Stefan can't stay away from the sexy gardener...and then they're having sex between the plants... LoL
Loved how the author described this world. Especially Milo's apartment with all the plants, and the rooftop. Beautiful.
Oh, and another thing I loved... Stefan is a black man, and Milo is latino :P Hail to diversity!
jefrang's review
3.0
This little collection ended up mired in controversy but I decided to let my preorder stand and read the revised collection sans one story by the offending author. In typical anthology fashion, there were a few flops and a lot of forgettable stories but I appreciated what must have been a concerted effort to include a variety of s exualties. The calendar concept was a touch hokey to me, especially after three or four storues that followed the sane format of meet cute at the photo shoot. I think its telling that my two favorites (Natural Enemies by Roan Parrish--which didnt even include a photoshoot scene--and Thrown off Track by Tamsen Parker--which used the photoshoot to leverage attraction between two people who were already friends) each put a different spin on the concept. I also enjoyed Ghost and Level Up. Parker and Covington are the two new to me authors I most look forward to checking out more from, though overall I think the quality of storytelling in this collection was quite good. Individual reviews for some of the stories in my updates.
terriaminute's review
4.0
As with the vast majority of anthologies, so with this one: I enjoyed four of the nine stories, so it was certainly worth the price of a dollar, and it's nearly certain that you'll like some I didn't, so go for it!
goodbyepuckpie's review
4.0
Amy Jo Cousins's Kate Likes Girls had a shaky start for me - the opening chapter or two were really not endearing our POV character to me, but she grew on me a lot as it went on so I was glad to have stuck with it. 3.5-4 stars (and great on the Chicago setting)
Santino Hassel's Undoing the Darling was very competently done.
Tiffany Reisz's Watermark was very compulsively readable; a bit more insta-love-y than I usually prefer but I tore through it all the same, looking forward to trying out some of her other stories as this is the first I've read by her.
Karen Stivali's Legal Briefs was interesting, and I liked both characters, but the sex scenes got a little floridly written in a couple points. That said, the plot was well done and I enjoyed the overall story a lot, would read more from her too.
(other stories in here either listed separately or as I read them)
Santino Hassel's Undoing the Darling was very competently done.
Tiffany Reisz's Watermark was very compulsively readable; a bit more insta-love-y than I usually prefer but I tore through it all the same, looking forward to trying out some of her other stories as this is the first I've read by her.
Karen Stivali's Legal Briefs was interesting, and I liked both characters, but the sex scenes got a little floridly written in a couple points. That said, the plot was well done and I enjoyed the overall story a lot, would read more from her too.
(other stories in here either listed separately or as I read them)
krystolla's review
2.0
Hit or miss
Lots of quality variation in this set of stories. Something for everyone, I guess, but I larger number of DNF stories than usual for me.
Lots of quality variation in this set of stories. Something for everyone, I guess, but I larger number of DNF stories than usual for me.
misssleepless's review
3.0
the first story was by far my favourite and there were two others I liked but the rest was kinda meh. I also wish there had been more than one f/f story...
jamesflint's review
2.0
level up - 3 stars
Rep: gay mcs
alright but nothing rly special
wishing - 3.5 stars
these hets!! somehow makes a 5 day falling in love well developed
kate likes girls - 2 stars
Rep: bi mc, lesbian mc
(1) wtf are friendship orientations are yall taking the mick
(2) can straight ppl stop with the sexuality is fluid mess and go with sexuality can be fluid instead
(3) half the time reading this i was on edge expecting some gay character to make a shitty vaguely homophobic remark love that
(4) why do straight ppl think someone not being out is a dealbreaker on a relationship
ghost warriors - 1 star
Rep: gay mcs, Native American mc
is ur company name epic or elite make ur bloody mind up
rigged - 4.5 stars
Rep: bi mcs, polyamory
the only actually rly good one ok
thrown off track - 3 stars
Rep: gay mc, bi mc
yall cant even do a 110 page slowburn huh
natural enemies - 1 star
Rep: gay mcs
no
the watermark - 1 star
yeah youre never gonna catch me reading abt a m/f dom/sub relationship where the woman calls the man sir or master and is his "slave" no matter how consensual it just makes me uncomfortable
legal briefs - 2 stars
his bro wanted to "punish" her because he thought she hurt him and its suggested he might have done so via date raping her??? yeah fuck off
Rep: gay mcs
alright but nothing rly special
wishing - 3.5 stars
these hets!! somehow makes a 5 day falling in love well developed
kate likes girls - 2 stars
Rep: bi mc, lesbian mc
(1) wtf are friendship orientations are yall taking the mick
(2) can straight ppl stop with the sexuality is fluid mess and go with sexuality can be fluid instead
(3) half the time reading this i was on edge expecting some gay character to make a shitty vaguely homophobic remark love that
(4) why do straight ppl think someone not being out is a dealbreaker on a relationship
ghost warriors - 1 star
Rep: gay mcs, Native American mc
is ur company name epic or elite make ur bloody mind up
rigged - 4.5 stars
Rep: bi mcs, polyamory
the only actually rly good one ok
thrown off track - 3 stars
Rep: gay mc, bi mc
yall cant even do a 110 page slowburn huh
natural enemies - 1 star
Rep: gay mcs
no
the watermark - 1 star
yeah youre never gonna catch me reading abt a m/f dom/sub relationship where the woman calls the man sir or master and is his "slave" no matter how consensual it just makes me uncomfortable
legal briefs - 2 stars
his bro wanted to "punish" her because he thought she hurt him and its suggested he might have done so via date raping her??? yeah fuck off
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