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I Do, Two

4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 · rating details · 48 ratings · 11 reviews

Love is at the heart of all we want for ourselves so why shouldn't any human being be able to say I Do to a life of commitment and sharing with that special person?

We hope that marriage will soon be a dream that everyone can share.

That's why some of the leading authors of GLBT fiction have donated their talent -- and their heart warming, thought provoking, life affirming s...more

ebook, 317 pages

Published February 15th 2010 by MLR Press (first published 2010)

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Mar 25, 2010 Top 2 Bottom Reviews Interviews and More rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Even Guys Cry
by D.C. Juris
short story, 15 pages
from I Do...Two! Anthology
MLR Press
5 Kisses

Derek and Oscar are on their first date. As with all such first-time encounters, the conversation is a bit stilted and awkward. Derek assumes that Oscar is like all the other gay guys he’s met. He’s fairly certain that Oscar has just one thing on his mind. In an attempt to shield himself from disappointment and rejection, Derek makes it easy for his date. He tells Oscar what he’s feeling. He explains that h...more

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Mar 14, 2010 Kassa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I Do Two is the sequel to the successful and popular anthology to benefit the Lambda Legal Defense. New and repeat authors have joined forces to offer a packed collection of stories celebrating all facets of LGBT. Included are 22 stories of love, sex, and marriage from historical to contemporary with humor, whimsy, sadness and hope. Above all this anthology is a celebration of love and passion between LGBT people. There is sure to be something for everyone and with the great benefit to buying th...more I Do Two is the sequel to the successful and popular anthology to benefit the Lambda Legal Defense. New and repeat authors have joined forces to offer a packed collection of stories celebrating all facets of LGBT. Included are 22 stories of love, sex, and marriage from historical to contemporary with humor, whimsy, sadness and hope. Above all this anthology is a celebration of love and passion between LGBT people. There is sure to be something for everyone and with the great benefit to buying the collection, there is no reason not to get this. You’ll be delighted and entertained with the wide selection of stories while feeling good about buying this – a win all around.

These stories are short, mere glimpses for the most part of men with men, women with women and even a few transgender stories to really show a full spectrum of people, personalities, and relationships. The writing is almost universally solid with evocative settings and engaging characters. The stories range time frames and geographical boundaries from North American to Europe and even Australia. The variety and breadth offer sharply makes the point that this an entire group of people from all walks of life with different values, hopes, dreams, and goals that all deserve the same options as anyone else. This celebration of life and all it’s high and low points is demonstrated incredibly well with these stories.

The progression of stories is very nice and smooth starting with several historical themed tales, showing commitment and love even without the ability to legally marry. The long time companionship of men or women is strong and necessary as much as if they were actually married. The stand out of the historical group is Ruth Sims’ “The Legend of Mountain Ash” showing a deep love between two men that stretches the imagination and gives rise to legends. The lyrical prose gives rise to a story telling narrative, showing the lifetime of two men through happiness, hardship, and loss and a happy ending with a unique twist.
From there, the stories turn contemporary with numerous stand outs that shine and delight. There is Sophia Deri-Bowen’s wonderfully entertaining and romantic tale “Two Men: A Fugue” about opposites attracting. The men are creative not only in their lives and appearance but in their passion and dedication. Similarly “The Song Inside” by Nexis Pas offers a glimpse into two blue collar workers in England as they reminiscence on their years together and their home. Neither man is classically handsome, instead larger and unassuming which lends an air of authenticity and honesty to the touching story.

Slightly more whimsical and humorous are the engaging and entertaining stories of Charlie Cochrane’s “The Uneven Chance” about a man that takes fate into his own hands with a slight bit of trickery. However when the man of your dreams is at stake, all bets are suspect. Just as JL Merrow’s “Aim Higher” offers several laugh out loud moments about a teenager that has an unusual problem. The dry wit and candor evoke a teenager almost perfectly and the resolution is clever and fun. These stories, among others, allow the reader to peer into the world of everyday men and women as they live, love, date, and fall in love.

Among the 22 stories, there are few that stood above the rest but there are almost none that fail to offer a touching and evocative story. The one discordant note is Rick Reed’s “Morbidly Obese” which is interesting but the lone urban fantasy story. The concept of two overweight vampires that can’t stop eating is sly and worthy of an interesting telling but is misplaced within this collection. The story hits a jarring note and doesn’t fit in with a collection that focuses mostly on romance and relationships of LGBT men and women. Similarly “Touche” by James Buchanan focuses more on explicit erotica and less in keeping with the majority of stories. Neither of these stories is bad per se, but don’t seem to fit well with the theme of relationships and romance. Some of the stories chosen have explicit sex and some do not, but almost all show the lives of men and women in good times and bad with a thread of hope for a positive future and these two particular stories just didn’t seem to fit well.

Nonetheless this collection is a must read for LGBT fans. The stories highlight the importance of equal rights by giving a look into the lives of such people. They live, love, laugh, cry, grieve, divorce, make mistakes and commitments like any other person and thus can only be granted the same options as anyone else. With the variety of stories offered, there is guaranteed to be something to appeal to all readers so be sure to buy this now. You can discover your own favorites among the group.(less)

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Jul 09, 2010 Ruth Sims added it · (Review from the author)

It's always a puzzle how to review a book in whichyou have a story. Naturally, any author worth his/her salt is going to think her story is the best. We're just made that way! Mine is a historical that combines realism and fantasy. ("The Legend of the Mountain Ash")

The length, subject, style, and heat level in the collection, vary wildly from story to story, as you would expect with this many authors. Some stories are going to appeal to one person and some stories appeal to someone else. There a...more

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May 18, 2010 Nathan Burgoine rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Shelves: anthologies, my-writing, glbt

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Full disclosure, I'm in this book - but let me further preface a little to chat a bit about the purpose of I DO TWO. Right on the bright cover, it subtitles itself with "An anthology in support of marriage equality." I'm going to say it once again, before I begin - I am truly blessed to live in a country where my husband and I are just that: husbands. In every legal definition thereof.

I loved this collection (I'm stunned at the company I'm keeping), and have to point out my favorites of the anth...more

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Apr 17, 2010 Josephine Myles rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gay-fiction, gay-romance, anthologies

When I ordered this anthology I had a sneaking suspicion that it would be a set of stories about weddings - a subject I've never found terribly interesting, gay or straight. Instead I was treated to a set of twenty-two short stories about partnership and some of the issues around it, like dealing with step-families and deciding how long to stick with a less than satisfactory relationship. There is a wonderful mix of the historic and the contemporary, of romances and comedies, of erotica and bitt...more When I ordered this anthology I had a sneaking suspicion that it would be a set of stories about weddings - a subject I've never found terribly interesting, gay or straight. Instead I was treated to a set of twenty-two short stories about partnership and some of the issues around it, like dealing with step-families and deciding how long to stick with a less than satisfactory relationship. There is a wonderful mix of the historic and the contemporary, of romances and comedies, of erotica and bittersweet tales to stir the emotions. The stories mostly deal with gay male partnerships, although there are three involving lesbian relationships and two with transgendered protagonists.

The quality of the stories was so high that it's almost impossible to decide which ones to pick out in more detail; I can honestly say that I think every reader would be able to find a handful that they really love, if not more. Rather than attempt to review all twenty-two, I will give my own, highly subjective account of the five that made a particularly strong impression on me.

“Home Cooking” by Brian Holiday – The setting and time-period is deliberately vague, giving this romance a timeless quality. David, a drifter, is given first a meal, then a job and home by the good-natured Scott, owner of a small-town diner. Holiday concentrates on all those little details that really make the diner and the characters come alive, in plain yet eloquent prose. The account of their gently growing love, despite the tragic losses in their pasts, makes a deceptively simple yet touching story.

“Two Men: A Fugue” by Sophia Deri-Bowen – Told in dreamlike flashbacks from the perspective of the day before their wedding, the romance of Steve and Adam has an almost unbearable poignancy. Punky artist and part-time drag queen Adam doesn't understand at first why he's been set up with “solid, steady” Steve, but they soon fall for each other. Steve being HIV-positive isn't an issue for Adam, but it gives the reader a sense of looming tragedy. Despite this, it is one of the most life-affirming stories in the whole anthology, and the couple's love is palpable in their affectionate banter.

“Stripes” by Nigel Puerasch – I fell for the self-effacing narrator of this story right from the first paragraph. Told in James' Australian surfer dialect, the prose is captivating and every line seems perfectly in character. This is another romance story, where James meets the delectable Mattie on the beach but nearly messes everything up because of his low self-esteem. The combination of naïvety, gentle humour and urgent lust is a winning one, and I just love the payoff in the final two paragraphs.

“Aim Higher” by J L Merrow – Of all the comic stories in the anthology, this one delighted me the most. Told from the perspective of a young teenage girl, this story is narrated in first person present tense which gives it an immediacy and charm. Simone is bothered by her invisible friend, who just happens to be the Greek god Eros, and is intent on finding her a boyfriend whether she wants one or not. I don't want to give away any more, but suffice to say, Eric/Eros ends up very happy when he finally manages to bring a couple together.

“Ganymede” by Lenore Black – A stunningly sensual tale of enthusiastic American winemaker Michael's pursuit of the chance to learn from Italian master vintner Carlo. Every word paints a vivid picture of the charms of Italy and Michael's mysterious host; the luscious language giving the whole story an erotic charge. I can see why it was chosen as the final story in the anthology, as it leaves you with such beautiful images and a sense of wonderful possibilities for the two men.

It seems so unfair to single any of the stories out, as there was so much to enjoy in all of them, from the delightfully characterful narrators of Alex Beecroft's “Inner Truth” and Bruin Fisher's “Work Experience”, to the bitter-sweet beauty of Ruth Sim's “The Legend of Mountain Ash”, L-J Baker's “Mallory's Gift” and Jamie Freeman's “Ships That Pass”. There were exquisitely erotic moments in James Buchanan's “Touche” and D C Juris' “Even Guys Cry”, and sophisticated comedy in Lee Rowan's “Turnabout” and Charlie Cochrane's “The Uneven Chance”. I also loved the sweetness of the relationships shown in “The Song Inside” by Nexis Pas and Nathan Burgoine's “Cakewalk”. Indeed, the only two stories that didn't work so well for me were the vampire story, “Morbidly Obese” by Rick R Reed, and the comedy by Michael Gouda, “Hitched”. My problem with the first is that I will always find it difficult to have sympathy for a cold blooded murderer, and with the second that it seemed like a sequel or a second chapter rather than a story in its own right. They were both perfectly well written, though, and I'm sure other readers will enjoy them.

In short, I can't recommend this anthology highly enough, and it's given me a tantalising taste of many authors I intend to read more from.(less)

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Mar 13, 2010 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Even Guys Cry by D.C. Juris

This short story stands out in the I Do, Two anthology. It is a touching and tendor love story of self acceptance. D.C. Juris has written it with a sublime balance of vulnerability, strength, sex & humor. I found myself laughing and then crying within the same paragraphs. It unveiled the mysteries of a transgender male as the character was laid bare and revealed in a loving moving story. I look forward to reading more by D.C. Juris.

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May 18, 2010 Lee Rowan rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Shelves: books-i-wrote-or-contributed-to

The second in the wonderful equality project created by Alex Beecroft. Less explicit but with a wonderful mix of GLB and the oft-neglected T characters, by writers of all persuasions and many nationalities. Real diversity in the service of equality, all profits go to Lambda Legal to carry on the fight for equal marriage rights.

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Oct 10, 2011 SA rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Some real gems; while the anthology is not a style of reading I particularly enjoy, both Alex Beecroft's lovely slice of life and Neil Plakcy's dip into his protoganist's partner's point of view made this whole book a very pleasant read.

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Oct 26, 2012 Mark Lancaster rated it 3 of 5 stars

I don't have a review for this one, but I recall enjoying it.

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May 09, 2013 Jordan Lombard rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, own, read2013, f-f-romance, transgender

I loved this anthology! Each story was unique and well written. There was also a good mix of FF, trans, teens stories/POVs, LGBTQ families with children, funny, serious, sad, romantic, oddball, and insanely happy stories. At least two were follow ups to novels I'd previously read, which was nice.

Over all, a fantastic read and even better than the first anthology by the same name, which I recall having mixed feelings about.

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Aug 28, 2011 Kimberly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, contemporary, paranormal, review, glbt, romance, read-2011

My review is posted on Joyfully Reviewed: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/new-r...

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Jun 02, 2013 Angel rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Shelves: anthology, p

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Shelves: mm-anthology

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Feb 08, 2013 Tammy rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Shelves: length-over-200p, anthology, mm

Jan 15, 2013 Shannon marked it as maybe

Shelves: anthologly

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Shelves: anthologies

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Shelves: nook-lending-library

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Dec 20, 2012 Neil Plakcy rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Nov 30, 2012 MG rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: q-t-x, mm

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About Kris Jacen

Kris Jacen is the Executive Editor and Formatting Director for ManLoveRomance Press and its imprints. She was invited to join the MLR staff in 2008 and has never looked back. Working with over thirty-five phenomenal authors such as Rick R. Reed, JP Bowie, James Buchanan, J.L. Langley, Ally Blue, Jet Mykles, William Maltese and has allowed her to both hone her editorial skills and indulge her inner...more

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