Weekly Round Up

Flower sex. Disgusting.

Every summer the Goodreads M/M Romance Group puts together this giant anthology-thing where people request stories, and then authors write them, and we end up with 200 or so stories posted roughly daily for the months of June-September (I think). There is great variation in content, in length, and in quality, although there’s somewhat of an overall theme–this year it was Love’s Landscapes.

I found the sheer quantity of stories overwhelming last year, and ended up getting none of them until the very end, when I got ALL of them. I actually had this blog while I was reading them, but I didn’t really post much about the stories because holy hell there’s a TON of them. And many are short.

So this year, I decided to wait again (although I think they’re still posting stories even now, so I only got about 170 of them). But I cheated a few times and read some on my phone on my lunch breaks. And I skipped downloading a few of them because they each come with a list of tags, and there’s a certain length vs. number of certain tags that I find is better worth leaving well enough alone.

Then I figured that, instead of making one absurdly long list and publishing it sometime in December when I finally finish all the stories, I should write up tiny summaries as I read the stories, and then post them on a weekly basis. At least with the short tales. Longer ones will still get their own entries.

This will not be a comprehensive list of all the stories. I’ve already mentioned that I’ve read a few, and skipped a few, and served a few real cold (ahhh, sorry, had a Smurfs moment there), and those probably won’t end up in here. Also if I read the stories while away from my recording device of choice, or I forget, or they were just too terrible to speak of, or so wonderful my brain turned into a shower of sparkles, I reserve the right not to share an opinion about them.

I also also will not include individual story links for the short ones because I am lazy. But here is their website so you can find them all despite me: M/M Romance Group

And here is the list of the stories I’ve read this week:

One step at a time by S.N. Kat: a good, sweet tale about accepting yourself for who you are.  It had me at the edge of my seat until the very end, which earned a heartfelt “awww.”

Omissions by Taylor Law: hoooly shiiit this is an intense one. Really good, but deals with some heavy stuff, so be sure to check the warnings before you begin.

Fleece, Fleas, and Flirtation by Ava Penn: A silly, lighthearted tale with some fantastic elements. Wonderfully improbable and adorable.

Woven by Lor Rose: I found this one to be mildly dissatisfying. Partly because of the “to be continued” ending, but also because it could have been so much better overall.

Bird Meets Cage by Anyta Sunday: I like this author, but this story was a bit disjointed. Good, but confusing at times. Plus, clowns.

The Fourth Act by LE Franks: Eh. Couldn’t hold my attention. Too much telling, not enough reason to care.

Blood in the Water by Tami Veldura: Really, really good one about pirates and a curse. And maybe someday a sequel? (she asks hopefully)

Time Trials by Jay D. Clark: started okay, dragged out into boring. Too much preaching to the choir, and accepting characters being Perfect and Good, while the other characters were cookie-cutter evil. Didn’t finish.

It’s You, Then Breathing by Vicktor Alexander: Slow start, but worth a read. Very nice UST. Baseball players in unrequited love.