The stories you are about to read celebrate love, sex and romance between men. They are a product of the Love Has No Boundaries promotion sponsored by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group, and each anthology is published as a gift to you.
What Is Love Has No Boundaries?
The Goodreads M/M Romance Group invited members to choose a photo and pen a letter asking for a short M/M romance story inspired by the image; authors from the group were then encouraged to select a letter and write an original tale. The result was an outpouring of creativity that shone a spotlight on the special bond between M/M romance writers and the people who love what they produce.
Nearly 190 stories were submitted and have now been published as a twelve volume set with two additional bonus volumes, titled Love Has No Boundaries. This edition is Volume 1.
Words of Caution
The stories in this collection may contain sexually explicit content and are intended for adult readers. They may also contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that the reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
Stories in Volume 1:
DIRTY BOYS by Kyle Adams MISSION: X by Kim Alan AN ANGELIC MEETING by Vicktor Alexander PURA VIDA by Sara Alva TRIPLE JUMP by Tam Ames FATED by Lexi Ander PLAYING FOR KEEPS by Lexi Ander BOUND BY A RED THREAD by Ann Anderson ROUGH IN THE SADDLE by Hennessee Andrews SYNCHRONICITY by Kiera Andrews LETTING GO by C. J. Anthony TAKING THE PLUNGE by Lacie J. Archer OLD STONES by Elin Austen
Kyle Adams started out dabbling with writing gay romance stories for fun. He writes what makes him laugh and hopes anyone who reads his work laughs with him. Kyle had three books nominated in the 2013 Goodreads.com M/M Romance Group readers choice awards and two books nominated in 2012 for the same event. His free story, Dirty Cop won Best Short Story in 2013.
Kyle has a hard time picking a favorite anything (color, book, music, quote, etc.), so trying to write a decent bio was quite the challenge. He is a very quiet person and is used to keeping things to himself. If there is anything you want to know, just ask.
Kyle loves hearing from readers. Always feel free to contact him or add on any of the following:
The stories in Love Has No Boundaries anthologies celebrate love, sex and romance between men. They are a product of the Love Has No Boundaries promotion sponsored by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. The Goodreads M/M Romance Group invited members to choose a photo and pen a letter asking for a short M/M romance story inspired by the image; authors from the group were then encouraged to select a letter and write an original tale. The result was an outpouring of creativity that shone a spotlight on the special bond between M/M romance writers and the people who love what they produce.
Phew! That’s a lot of pages read. This anthology was a mixed bag all around, some fantastic stories, some mediocre, some not so good. I enjoyed it all though. I reviewed each story individually so this review is pretty much going to be epically long…ok so apparently it’s WAY too long (10 pages in Word) so I’m going to replace the individual reviews with links to all the reviews as I’ve posted them to the individual story pages.
I just want to add a note at the end here and say a BIG HUGE THANK YOU to all of the authors donating their wonderful stories to this amazing event! Incredibly enjoyable hours have been spent reading everything you’ve put forth for us. Thanks again!
Reading this Anthology was a lot of fin! I enjoyed most of the 13 short stories and I wanted to once again express my thanks for the work of all the authors and moderators involved in the Don't Read in the Closet Events of the M/M romance group!
Dirty Boys Garbage man Devon is lusting after Connor, a very sexy young man doing lawn work whenever Devon is passion on his trash pick-up. However, he is to shy to do anything about it until his best friend and co-worker Mark takes the situation in hand. Sweet, sexy and a bit too short. I would have liked to read parts of the story from Connor’s POV. 3 stars!
Mission: X After a row of boring and short-term boyfriends, Xander is keeping his promise to his best friend Lara and goes to a BDSM gay club in order to finally find someone. What Xander doesn’t know is that Lara has set him up to meet her boss, Mister Forrest, which Xander is reluctant to meet after an embarrassing incident in the past. In den BDSM club, Xander is quickly falling for the strong Dom in his sexy kilt. Mission: X is a very hot short story with light BDSM elements. I would have loved to read more! 4 stars!
An Angelic Meeting Blake, an overweight and rather unsecure young gay man is meeting Sciniel in the steam room of his local gym. Somewhat confused by the sudden and intense attraction Sciniel shows, Blake agrees to meet his new acquaintance for dinner. What Blake doesn’t know is that Sciniel is an angel living with his many brothers on earth and that he is his mate. I’m not really into Angel stories, but this one was ok. However, the whole world building was way too short and everything felt a bit rushed. 2 stars!
Pura Vida While on family holiday with his family, Simon meets a young local – Juan – working for a Nature Conservatory. After an awkward start due to language issues, they spend most of their nights at the beach in order to protect turtles and their eggs from poachers. I loved reading about the animals and the country. Both boys were still quite young and didn’t know how to behave around each other. Facing the fact, that Simon’s holiday will be over soon, they are trying to keep their feelings for each other hidden. The atmosphere and the interaction between Simon and Juan were lovely. The whole pace of the story was perfect and the epilogue felt very credible. 4 stars!
Triple Jump Jeff and Patrick are in a relationship since a while, but decided to start looking for a third permanent partner. After a few frustrating meetings with a number of men, who were apparently just looking for sex, they go for a camping trip in order to pass some quality time together. Just a few feet away, Taylor has set up his camping spot. He is a bob cat shifter and is feeling lonely since quite some time. Jeff and Patrick invite him over, but he is too shy to do anything more than drink a beer. However, Jeff and Patrick don’t give up and set to seduce Taylor when back in town. I’m not really into shifter stories, but this one was just fine. The ménage aspect of the story felt credible, but unfortunately Patrick felt always a bit apart. I didn’t get to know much about him. 3 stars!
Fated While fighting for his king, Ewen meets the mate of his bear. He spears Roi’s life and after some misunderstandings and kept secrets, they get close to each other. I usually love historical settings in m/m romance; however this one was really hard to read. With English not being my mother tongue, I had problems getting into the language and writing style of the story. The first half of the story was difficult to get and I had problems getting a feeling for the world the story was set in. Luckily, the second half was a bit better; the pace got faster and finally there was a plot I really liked. Considering the fact that Lexi Ander picked this prompt in order to keep it from being dropped and hadn’t that much time to finish this story, I will rate it with 2 stars!
Playing for Keeps Playing for Keeps tells us the story of three young men that are in a ménage relationship since nearly three years. While not hiding their relationship, they are not out to the public due to Trent’s desire to get into the NFL. Unfortunately, they are seen in an obvious situation by one of Trent’s teammates and he is now facing rumors spreading like wildfire. Put under pressure not only by players from other teams and the media, Trent also has to deal with his father, who is engaging a political career and isn’t happy about the rumors about his son. Suddenly, Trent isn’t sure anymore if he is able to keep his relationship going. He doesn’t want his partners – Block, a sportscaster and AJ, an ex-marine – getting into trouble due to him. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if they would lose the opportunities to get their dream jobs. I definitely liked the idea, but somehow I didn’t really get the dynamics between the MC’s. I enjoyed reading about their relationship, but I never really felt with them. I have to say that the sex scene at the end was very hot! Unfortunately the dialogues didn’t work for me and I sometimes couldn’t follow the thinking of the MC’s. 3 stars!
Bound by a Red Threat Owen, an openly gay high school boy, is on his way home one night, when he suddenly looks into a dark alley. Seeing somebody on his knees giving a blowjob to another man raises his interest and he isn’t able to look away. However, when discovering that the boy on his knees is no other than the biggest bully in his school, Owen can’t believe his eyes. After talking with his best friend Kayla, he hears about the terrible rumors surrounding Kurt and they both decide to help him out of his situation. I loved the story idea, but somehow it was a bit too short to feel credible. Some MC’s reactions felt totally rushed or over the top. I would have liked to read a full novel about Owen and Kurt. 3 stars for a nice idea!
Rough in the Saddle Wade and Macon grew up together in a small town in Kansas and are friends since ages. When puberty comes, they fool around with each other and soon become lovers. They are hiding their relationship for as long as they can, but at the end the truth about them comes out and they are facing discrimination by most of the narrow minded inhabitants of the small town. Being excluded from rodeo is hitting Wade and Macon very hard. When they get an invitation from a cowboy called Zander to the XYZ ranch in order to participate in a gay rodeo, their life is about to change. I liked the setting and the sex scenes were very hot. I will definitely look into the second part of the series. 4 stars!
Synchronicity After the exclusion of his old partner from every diving competition due to steroid abuse, Aiden is paired up with Tyler – the youngest in the team – to represent Canada at the Olympics. Tyler has the hots for Aiden since first seeing him, but he desperately tries to keep it professional. I loved the way the story was told: for every jump descried in the present, we get to read about an event that happened during the days before. Synchronicity is a super sweet story and I would have loved to read more about these two sweeties! 5 stars!
Letting Go After a secret night in a gay club, Sam and his boyfriend Dustin end up in a terrible car crash and suddenly Sam’s world is turned upside down. He has to only to face the heartbreaking consequences of the accident, but he is also forced into a “rehab facility” by his own parents in order to cure him from his devious sexual tendencies. At not even eighteen, Sam is put trough some of the most horrifying things that can happen, but with the help of his sister Emmy and a young man called Nick he is finally able to overcome his past. Letting Go tells as a beautiful story about loss, healing and about moving on. I wasn’t able to put this book down and my heart was breaking for Sam. Knowing that there are still too many stories like Dustin’s out there, this story gives hope that one day humanity might be able to overcome discrimination and homophobia. 5 stars!
Taking the Plunge Morgan is lusting after his boss since quite a while now and when he is about to work for another department, he finally gives in to his cravings. Unfortunately, this story was way too short and superficial for me to really connect with the characters. 2 stars!
Old Stones Set in an Allied-occupied Germany, Father Anton finds a wounded man close to the river and it just happens to be his old lover. While Karl barely survived the war after being arrested due to his sexual orientation, Anton has become a priest and depraved himself from touching a man during the last six years. The horrible events of the war made him doubt his conviction and being confronted with his boyhood love makes him question his life. I didn’t really get into this story; the MC’s felt flat and I wasn’t able to connect with them. There might have been too many big coincidences in this story to make it credible. 2 stars!
So some of the stories I really liked and others not so much. But I was happy to say that I'd never read books by any of the authors in this anthology and there are a few I'm planning keep look into after this.
Dirty Boys - Found this one kinda gimmicky but it was short and sweet so liked it well enough.
Mission X - Oh boy, this one wasn't for me. The fact that I skimmed the sex scene in this one just means I didn't get engaged enough with the characters to care if they got together in the end or not. Mildest BDSM story I've read in awhile as well.
An Angelic Meeting - Yes, I'm surprised too. I've never read a book by him and why not? That's an awesome question, I have no idea! But I will be, let me tell you, I loved the writing style. But about the story, I wouldn't exactly have called that an ending. Plus we are introduced to all 9 angels so are they getting their own stories? I'll have to look into this!
Pura Vida - Not a story that got my motor running. I was really hoping for the bacon and eggs Scavenger Hunt point in this one but to no avail.
Triple Jump - Favorite story, up to that point in time. Super cute and I like that the author actually wrote three separate personalities for the 3 guys.
Fated - This was so hard to read! A lexicon for a short stor, really not my thing. Plus the language seemed to change once they started "thinking" or talking about their actions. Also I have a burning issue with the word "ere". It's just so lazy, in my opinion, to rely on that word to prove your in a certain time period. World building is there for a reason people.
Playing for Keeps - Okay, now this was my favorite story! This is the second story by Lexi in the anthology and it was so much better. She also wrote Fated which I didn't like. She needs to stick to feel good stories like this one. I'll be looking into her later.
Bound by a Read Thread - So...was there a second book or something? Because that wasn't an ending.
Rough in the Saddle - Interesting turn of phrases in this books such as "my dad's going to shit a twinkie" or something like that. But in the end it was just an okay story.
Synchronicity - Oh so cute. Except why mention a back injury or pain if you weren't going to go anywhere with it. I like the way the story jumped back and forth between the days before and the day of.
Letting Go - So story about religious zealots, yes! This one? Not my thing.
Taking the Plunge - I would definitely not be adverse to reading a full novel about this two guys! Loved the little girl she definitely added to this WAY TO SHORT story.
Old Stones - I have this weird want to read about a castrated man having a relationship but this one wasn't any fun. Oh and the author bio Elin Aysten writes for fun oh man I cracked up about that. Best part.
Okay, that was long but done now. Like it well enough and will be looking at the other anthologies in the group.
These sorts of compilations are more fun if one can read them at leisure, and not have to power through them quickly for a competition! Some stories were better than others, of course, but there were (surprisingly) no real dogs among them. I particularly liked Pura Vida and Letting Go.
Dirty Boys by Kyle Adams 3.5 stars - (contemporary, humorous) Kyle's stuff always has a light and fun feel to it, although this isn't as laugh-out-loud funny as some of his other stuff (and isn't meant to be). A really cute story of two guys that check each other out for a year before finally having the courage to talk (and of course, subsequently, get it on!) This could certainly have been longer and more fully developed, but Love Has No Boundaries is about short and sweet stories, and that's exactly what this is. I'd LOVE a follow-up on these guys!
Mission: X by Kim Alan 4 stars - (contemporary, BDSM) Oh my. What a sexy, sweet, and naughty little read. Not much to say, just YUM. Xander's submission was oh so sweet, and Paul had a great mix of Dominance and playfulness. Definitely a good read!
Fated by Lexi Ander 3.5 stars - This was a historical-fantasy-romance between a non-shifting shifter and a priest-warrior. I love me some contradiction. The plot was interesting and different and I enjoyed their short journey. I have to say that Ewen probably stuck his foot in his mouth a few too many times, and I would have liked at least one emotional conflict that didn't revolve around him saying or doing something wrong and then Roi getting upset.
I'm not sure what the purpose was of having Ewen be unable to shift, and the climactic fight at the end seemed unfinished. Also, they never explained why Ewen was skittish about Roi touching his star tattoo, so I think there is another book for these two men on the horizon.
Donn had a nice little poetic sentence about Roi smelling of the stars and the moon, but other than that I would have liked some sort of mystical explanation for why everyone seemed so drawn to him. I also would have liked Ewen to express his emotions better throughout (if only to us) to make his feelings more believable besides from that one speech near the end.
The author commented that it was difficult to do enough research in such a short time for the language and all to be historically accurate. For a lay-man like me she did a fine job. There was enough so that I could hear the Scottish brogue in my head, but I will say after a while I just ignored the 'ere's and said "before" in my head to keep things simple.
This was a cute little story about Garbage man Devon who lusts after a man on his route, Connor. Devon's friend Mark pushes the two of them together. Short and sweet
Mission:X by Kim Alan
Xander is getting back to dating after an attack. He reluctantly agreess to go to a BDSM to please his friend Lara. Sh wants to set Xander up with her boss, the owner of the club, Paul Forrest. I really liked these two together and would have liked the story to be longer
An Angelic Meeting by Viktor Alexander
Blake decides he needs to lose weight and joins a Gym. Here he meet Scineiel wh is an Angel and Blake is his fated mate. This was an okay story but there was a lot of world building and bk story for something so short. It felt as if this was a set up for a series.
Pura Vida by Sara Alva
Simon is on holiday in Costa Rica with his family. He meets Local Juan and helps him in his conservation efforts and falls in love. Sweet little story with likeable characters.
Triple Jump by Tam Ames
Couple Jeff and Patrick are looking for a third to join their relationship. On a camping trip they meet Taylor. Taylor is attracted to both men but he is keeping a big secret, he is a bob cat shifter. He recognises both men as his mate and reveals his secret. An enjoyable story , I liked the three men together.
Fated by Lexi Ander
I didn't really enjoy this one, not sure why. I like historical, I like paranormal and shifters but I didn't like this combo. I couldn't warm to Roi or Ewen. I liked the general concept with the bear spirits but beyond that this one wasn't for me.
Playing for Keeps by Lexi Ander
This one was okay. I would probably have enjoyed it more if the characters had been more mature, I am finding more and more that college age characters are not my thing. I did like Brock, AJ and Trent together. I did like the balance of the relationship and it was well written.
Bound by a red thread by Ann Anderson
Owen witnesses the school tough guy giving another man a blow job for cash. The two are then forced to work together on a school project. I liked Kayla, Owen's best friend and Owen was likeable enough, Kurt was a bit over the top.The story was too short and felt very unfinished.
Rough in the Saddle by Hennessee Andrews
Macon and Wade were childhood best friends, they grew up and joined the rodeo circuit together as a very successful roping team. I have a soft spot for cowboys and really liked these two.
Synchronicity by Kiera Andrews
This was a sweet little story about Olympic divers Tyler and Aiden. Great story, just too short.
Letting Go by C.J. Anthony
This was a very emotional story of teenager Sam who is outed after a crash coming home from a gay club with his best friend and boyfriend Dustin. Sam has a hard time coming to terms with the aftermath of the crash and the actions of his parents. This was hard to read in places but it was nicely written story of Sam learning to let go and live again.
Taking the Plunge by Lacie J. Arthur
Another short and sweet one. Morgan has a crush on his boss Jonathon, he gets a chance to flirt with him at a carnival. Cute little story.
Old Stones by Elin Austen
This one was set at the end of WW II, an era I don't particularly like to read about. Priest Anton finds a badly beaten man by the river, he turns out to be an old boyfriend who is escaping from the Russians. Aiden helps him escape and then questions his vows. This is short and well written but not that interesting to me.
Anthologies, I have mixed emotions. Sometimes I wish there was more to the story and sometimes I am very thankful that it is so short. Overall a rating of 4 stars.
Dirty Boys: super cute story of two guys admiring each other from afar, and a sneaky friend who gets them to talk. Would like more about this couple.
Mission X: really liked this one also, would read more about this couple. It is weird but I downloaded from ARe and the pictures are not there, I would really like to see the pictures. Like that mr. Forest really wanted him and was a little annoyed that he walked away and needed the pep talk. Overall good read.
An Angelic Meeting: although the couple was cute the premise was a little off for me. I think that I would love though to read a story about all of the brothers. G. Uardian what a great name.
Pita Vida: This one was cute enough but I have some issues with this age group. I tend to stay away, good writing style and nice story, just wish they were older.
Triple Jump: loved the combination of shifter and ménage. I liked this one a lot and wish I could read much more about what else happens.
Fated: historicals are so not my thing. I liked it well enough but this was one that I am ok that there was no more.
Playing For Keeps: loved this one a lot. Especially when the mom comes in and sets the father straight. Really loved how much the characters protect each other. Love love love this one.
Bound by a red thread: I had a hard time with this one. High school is tough for me to read about. Heartfelt story, just not my thing.
Rough in the saddle: love me some Cowboys, like this one bunches.
Synchronicity: love me some Olympic athletes. Nice story and love this author.
Letting it go: can we just say cry fest. I hate these parents, I love these characters and love this author. The age still bothers me but boy o boy does this ring so true.
Taking the Plunge: I love this one. What a cute story. Want to see this picture badly.
Old stones: once again historical not totally my thing, however this one was a bit easier for me. I think the acknowledgment of Anton that he did things for the wrong reason, was great.
Dirty Boys by Kyle Adams 3 stars. Eh, not bad but not great. Mediocre.
Mission: X by Kim Alan 3 stars. I’m not a fan of BDSM, so I was glad it was really soft BDSM, but still mediocre.
An Angelic Meeting by Vicktor Alexander 3.5 stars. A bit more interesting. I wouldn’t mind reading more about the other nine angels.
Pura Vida by Sara Alva 4 stars. Cute and engaging.
Triple Jump by Tam Ames 3 stars. I’m not a fan of MMM.
Fated by Lexi Ander 3 stars. It was okay nothing special. I did however, hate the writing. I know the author was trying to be authentic with the time period but gosh, it hard to follow at times and I found myself skimming it.
Playing for Keeps by Lexi Ander 4 stars. I’m not a fan of MMM, but this wasn’t bad at all. The sex was hot, too.
Bound By a Red Thread by Ann Anderson 3 stars. I don’t see how this is romance. I just got friendship from it. Very mild story. Probably one of my least favorites and it had a lot of potential. Such a shame.
Rough in the Saddle by Hennessee Andrews 3 stars. Eh. Mediocre. A lot of the love talk was just plain cheesy and annoying.
Synchronicity by Keira Andrews 3 stars. Eh. That’s all I have to say about this one.
Letting Go by C. J. Anthony 4.5 stars. Probably my favorite story. I wouldn’t mind reading an expanded version or a sequel.
Taking The Plunge by Lacie J. Archer 3 stars. Mediocre although the sex talk was embarrassing.
Old Stones by Elin Austen 3 stars. This one surprised me. I really wasn’t expecting much but I quite liked it.
Thirteen short stories of high quality. Four stood out to me. Pura Vida a tale of holiday romance when a young American lad meets a local Costa Rican and is attracted to him. This is a lovely story of young love that manages to overcome separation, social differences and engender a love of baby turtles. Triple Jump a MMM cat shifter story. Jeff and Patrick are having no luck in finding a third to join their relationship. While spending a quiet weekend camping, they meet Taylor and realise he is the one. Taylor however has a secret, one they might not be able to overcome. Playing for Keeps a MMM college sport story. Trent, a college football player, lives with his lovers Brock and AJ. He is firmly in the closet but somehow rumours start and his lovers are threatened. Will Trent deny his partners and look out for number one or will he open the closet door and perhaps lose any chance of furthering his sporting career. This story has a sequel that I am definitely going to read. Fated is a historical, pnr bear shifter/seer story set in Olde Scotland. Apparently Lexi Ander wrote this quickly to save the prompt but its quality isn't diminished. Unfortunately there is no sequel to this as the story sets an excellent base for a series. There are other equally great stories in this anthology but these are the ones I remember the most when looking at my notes.
I pleasantly surprised at how much I loved most of the stories in this anthology. There was one I thought was okay and one I just did not care for. All the stories were interesting and I loved how unique some of them were. I even liked the really sad one (no spoilers!!) although I generally stay away from stories like that because I'm an easy crier. I'm glad I read it though, and all the stories. I was wary getting into this because I have read a couple other anthologies before and did not care for them but this one was awesome!:)
DIRTY BOYS by Kyle Adams MISSION: X by Kim Alan AN ANGELIC MEETING by Vicktor Alexander PURA VIDA by Sara Alva TRIPLE JUMP by Tam Ames FATED by Lexi Ander PLAYING FOR KEEPS by Lexi Ander BOUND BY A RED THREAD by Ann Anderson ROUGH IN THE SADDLE by Hennessee Andrews SYNCHRONICITY by Kiera Andrews LETTING GO by C. J. Anthony TAKING THE PLUNGE by Lacie J. Archer OLD STONES by Elin Austen
I read all the stories - some I like better than others (of course) but the entire event is amazing and so are the people who donate their talents & their time for it.