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Best Gay Romance 2012
Brains, muscle, tenderness, kink. Like the perfect lover, Best Gay Romance 2012 captures the raw energy of man-on man desire like no other. Once again, award-winning editor Richard Labonté has gathered hot, heart-pounding, tent-raising, gorgeous stories of no-holds-barred sex between men that will grab your senses, and send you into the sweaty backrooms of your erotic imagination. As varied as the unique and irreproducible experiences of falling in lust, the sensually rich Best Gay Romance 2012 celebrates the intensity and passion of gay love in all its glory.
213 pages, Paperback
First published January 10, 2012
12 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Richard Labonté
66 books54 followersi read a lot of books. i review many of them. i edit many anthologies. i edit technical writing so it reads more like real english. i live on a small island with a man and a dog (tiger-lily, r.i.p). once upon a time, i was a bookseller.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 19, 2013
In the intro to this anthology, entitled 'The Heart Finds Many Ways', Richard Labonte reflects on the myriad themes these stories touch upon: 'Young love. Love, unexpected. Lost love. Love, interrupted. 'Straight' love. Rough love.'
In 'Hello, Young Lovers', the protagonist sees two young men in a mosh pit at a music concert: 'Both of them have each other's cocks in their hands, jacking each other off as they kiss passionately ... He thinks it's the most romantic thing he's seen in a long while.'
Buster reflects: 'Yes, I know that most straight people, maybe even some Respectable Gays, would look askance at whipping it out at a concert, much less thinking of that as 'love'. But fuck it. Breaking the rules: it's one of the best things about being queer.'
... and breaking the rules about gay romance and love is certainly what this excellent anthology does.
The normal connotations of romance are wine, muzak and soft light ... there is a great deal of sex in these stories, which initially made me wonder what the difference was between Labonte's Best Gay Romance and Best Gay Erotica anthologies. But, as Labonte points out at the outset, the heart finds many ways ...
And in the immortal words of Buster from 'Hello, Young Lovers': 'Back in the olden days, people sure behaved weirdly because they couldn't just fuck.'
The stories range from whimsical to heartbreaking, glamorous, laugh-out-loud funny and, yes, High Romance. This makes for a varied, always entertaining and highly thought-provoking reading experience.
Labonte's anthologies continue to fly the (rainbow) flag for literature in the short form. Here's to the 2013 versions of Best Gay Romance and Best Gay Erotica.
In 'Hello, Young Lovers', the protagonist sees two young men in a mosh pit at a music concert: 'Both of them have each other's cocks in their hands, jacking each other off as they kiss passionately ... He thinks it's the most romantic thing he's seen in a long while.'
Buster reflects: 'Yes, I know that most straight people, maybe even some Respectable Gays, would look askance at whipping it out at a concert, much less thinking of that as 'love'. But fuck it. Breaking the rules: it's one of the best things about being queer.'
... and breaking the rules about gay romance and love is certainly what this excellent anthology does.
The normal connotations of romance are wine, muzak and soft light ... there is a great deal of sex in these stories, which initially made me wonder what the difference was between Labonte's Best Gay Romance and Best Gay Erotica anthologies. But, as Labonte points out at the outset, the heart finds many ways ...
And in the immortal words of Buster from 'Hello, Young Lovers': 'Back in the olden days, people sure behaved weirdly because they couldn't just fuck.'
The stories range from whimsical to heartbreaking, glamorous, laugh-out-loud funny and, yes, High Romance. This makes for a varied, always entertaining and highly thought-provoking reading experience.
Labonte's anthologies continue to fly the (rainbow) flag for literature in the short form. Here's to the 2013 versions of Best Gay Romance and Best Gay Erotica.
May 18, 2012
Posted On Romancing the Book's blog
Reviewed by Sabrina
Review Copy Provided by the Publisher
I loved this anthology. I think that the collection of stories that were put together were amazing. They were all slightly different in someway but all related to each other in another. There were bitter sweet moments and there was happily ever after stories. Anything that you can possible look for in gay romance was displayed in this collection. I can not even pick a favorite as each one resonates with me on some level. The editing was well done and most stories were just long enough to understand the story but still short enough to read at a red light. Some were a little long for my taste, but that is a very personal note. Anyone looking for a Chicken Soup type book about gay men will enjoy this book. They may not be true stories, but the type of stories are of the same mind set. I can’t stress how much I loved this anthology. I will be looking for past publications and keep an eye out for future ones.
Reviewed by Sabrina
Review Copy Provided by the Publisher
I loved this anthology. I think that the collection of stories that were put together were amazing. They were all slightly different in someway but all related to each other in another. There were bitter sweet moments and there was happily ever after stories. Anything that you can possible look for in gay romance was displayed in this collection. I can not even pick a favorite as each one resonates with me on some level. The editing was well done and most stories were just long enough to understand the story but still short enough to read at a red light. Some were a little long for my taste, but that is a very personal note. Anyone looking for a Chicken Soup type book about gay men will enjoy this book. They may not be true stories, but the type of stories are of the same mind set. I can’t stress how much I loved this anthology. I will be looking for past publications and keep an eye out for future ones.
May 27, 2012
*3.5 stars. This collection of 13 short stories about gay couples finding each other was a pleasant but not stellar read. The stories ranged from good to very good, with a certain repetitiveness. Most seemed to be either about young men (teens or early twenties) coming together, or childhood/teen friends who were separated and years later found each other again. Many were sexually explicit and the erotic component was generally well-written. The most original was Steve Berman's lead-off story, done in the style of a classic musical, with little moments of the characters breaking into song. My favorite was probably "The Curtain Store" by Anthony McDonald, one of those reunion-of-teen-lovers stories, but with a sweetness and charm all its own. All of these stories were written by men, which had to be a conscious decision on the part of the editor, given the preponderance of women in the field. It's up to the reader to decide if this adds authenticity in their mind.
March 30, 2016
I enjoyed half of the stories. Most of them are about young men finding each other, having sex, and then continuing to build a relationship. It's been years since I was young, so didn't connect with the stories. But, on the other hand, I did like "Cody Barton" and "Cinema Love". So, maybe it was in the telling of the story, and not the story themselves that didn't grab me. The same is true for SM\BD stories. Wasn't thrilled with "Precious Jade", but did enjoy "The Prisoner". The rest of the stories were pleasant, or I just couldn't get into them.
September 28, 2012
This book is an anthology of short stories of gay romance The stories were just okay, with a few exceptions. I noted that it is edited by a man and all the authors (at least going by their names) are male. Perhaps the error is in the translation, between what a woman finds appealing and romantic vs. the male reader. Your mileage may vary.
August 15, 2013
This anthology was disappointing. The only stories that held my interest were "Cody Barton" by Martin Delacroix and "The Curtain Store" by Anthony McDonald. The others were largely forgettable. Reading about some dude watching two guys pleasure each other during a Scissor Sisters show or a guy having sex with his best friend's ghost just didn't do it for me.
May 8, 2012
Some stories were good... some were ok... others were just way too cheesy but its a good book...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews