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Fool for You
Wagered & Won by Helena Maeve—Nearly caught picking pockets at a casino in Silvergarde, Kathra owes her closest getaway yet to the mysterious Cecily, a bewitching gambler with a lethal secret. Over the course of a single night and a high-stakes card game, Kathra is drawn into a web from which she may not wish to escape.
Toils & Tricks by Asta Idonea—Centuries ago, the gods grew tired of being forever on call, and so they hired counterparts to be their representatives. When Sverrir, Loki's representative, is called on to foil a blackmail scheme, he think it will be a simple task...
Whiskey & Pixie Dust by L.J. Hamlin—Shane loves and hates his best friend, a mischief demon, in equal measure. But when the demon takes it upon himself to play matchmaker, Shane thinks the hate might just win out.
A Love Story by Melissa Snowdon—Eager to escape an otherworldly bet, mirror demon Llednew determines to steal the life of a lonely young man. But executing his brilliant idea proves to be more difficult than anticpated.
A Spell for Luck by Daria Defore—When he's forced to spend the summer studying magic at his aunt's house, a bored Tom promptly starts looking for any way to escape. He probably shouldn't resort to making a deal with an extremely friendly demon, but he's too curious to say no...
Kneadful Things by Laurin Kelly—When Adam answers an ad for work at a local bakery, he has no idea what he's in for. Despite the storefront's dilapidated condition and isolated location, a steady stream of customers come through hoping to find what they're looking for from Jin, the mysterious owner.
How to Trick a Trickster by Ava Kelly—Eric is a trickster working for the Corps of Undercover Passion Instigators and Distributors. His latest assignment takes him to a bookstore where he has to bring together Ivo Newton and Tom Euler. What he's not supposed to do is fall in love with both his targets.
The Great Coke Robbery by Kashmira Majumdar—Charlie and Jack used to be the best in the business in the heist business. And then Charlie fell in love and settled down. Ten years later, Jack is debt-ridden and down on his luck, and in walks Charlie, proposing to pull off the most outrageous job of their lives.
Toils & Tricks by Asta Idonea—Centuries ago, the gods grew tired of being forever on call, and so they hired counterparts to be their representatives. When Sverrir, Loki's representative, is called on to foil a blackmail scheme, he think it will be a simple task...
Whiskey & Pixie Dust by L.J. Hamlin—Shane loves and hates his best friend, a mischief demon, in equal measure. But when the demon takes it upon himself to play matchmaker, Shane thinks the hate might just win out.
A Love Story by Melissa Snowdon—Eager to escape an otherworldly bet, mirror demon Llednew determines to steal the life of a lonely young man. But executing his brilliant idea proves to be more difficult than anticpated.
A Spell for Luck by Daria Defore—When he's forced to spend the summer studying magic at his aunt's house, a bored Tom promptly starts looking for any way to escape. He probably shouldn't resort to making a deal with an extremely friendly demon, but he's too curious to say no...
Kneadful Things by Laurin Kelly—When Adam answers an ad for work at a local bakery, he has no idea what he's in for. Despite the storefront's dilapidated condition and isolated location, a steady stream of customers come through hoping to find what they're looking for from Jin, the mysterious owner.
How to Trick a Trickster by Ava Kelly—Eric is a trickster working for the Corps of Undercover Passion Instigators and Distributors. His latest assignment takes him to a bookstore where he has to bring together Ivo Newton and Tom Euler. What he's not supposed to do is fall in love with both his targets.
The Great Coke Robbery by Kashmira Majumdar—Charlie and Jack used to be the best in the business in the heist business. And then Charlie fell in love and settled down. Ten years later, Jack is debt-ridden and down on his luck, and in walks Charlie, proposing to pull off the most outrageous job of their lives.
- GenresFantasy
311 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2018
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 21, 2018
This book was provided for free by the author and Love Bytes in exchange for an honest review.
This review was first posted to Love Bytes: LGBTQ Book Reviews. It has been slightly edited here for content.
Since this is a book with stories by all different authors, I like to review them as separate works first and then see how they all tie together with a common theme at the end.
“Wagered & Won” by Helena Maeve
I was happy to find that the first story in the anthology was F/F. While I liked the general theme of two awesome-in-different-ways ladies getting stuff done and setting off on a life of misdeeds together, there was a lot going on in this story, and it became a little jumbled around the halfway mark. It is steampunk mixed with urban thriller mixed with historical fiction mixed with a little romance, but the story never gained enough traction to be really awesome at any of those.
This story is decent if you like ladies getting their revenge and smooching each other while doing it, but I ended up longing for more characterization and less world-building.
“Toils & Tricks” by Asta Idonea
You can’t have a trick-themed anthology without Loki making at least one appearance, and he definitely didn’t disappoint in this story. It’s a fresh take on Norse mythology in a modern world that holds off on explaining key plot points until you’ve gotten to know the characters and become invested in them.
The questions of mortality and giving up eternal life for love might not be new, but the way Sverrir’s connection with his Icelandic sweetie goes from conniving plot to true love and affection is incredibly romantic.
“Whiskey & Pixie Dust” by L.J. Hamlin
Even in short, sweet stories, there needs to be a conflict—but this story sorely lacked one. The “trick” ended up being something very simple and harmless, making it less of a trick and more of a…wingman move? Friendship quirk? Either way, it didn’t do much for story progression.
I’ve read L.J. Hamlin’s works before, and they are very good about characters communicating and consenting, but there was too much stiff dialogue between Shane and Lot rather than the fun mishaps that could have come from the truth-serum pixie dust. I think they played it too safe with this story. The sweetness and romantic fluff was there, it just needed a boost.
“Sussicran: A Love Story” by Melissa Snowdon
Read the first word in that title backwards and you’ll get an idea of the kind of unique, off-the-walls story this turned out to be. I was no expecting it at all! There’s a quirky, Douglas Adams-like tone to the entire thing, and we’re expected to pick up fast on whatever wackiness is going down with Wendell and his mirror-friend, Llednew.
Though there’s a sweet, PG romance going on, some readers might not take to the weirdness of the whole thing. It definitely sets itself apart from the rest, but it won’t be for everyone.
“A Spell for Luck” by Daria Defore
Now this is when the collection gets really steamy, and it totally pays off. I love the idea of a young witch character who only wants to use his lazy teenage-boy magic to make himself look cuter, and I love that he’s shipped off to the country to learn about his roots. It’s a classic coming-of-age setup with a fresh twist.
But the real awesomeness in this story comes from Tom’s encounters with the “house demon” who wants to experience a real taste of human sexuality. That, combined with Tom’s desire to be totally dominated, turns this fun paranormal story into a scorching kinkfest with genuine romantic discovery. Highly recommended!
“Kneadful Things” by Laurin Kelly
This is such a nice take on a classic myth. It has a lovely HEA ending that makes you fall for these characters as much as they fall for one another. It reads smoothly and has a decent plot. It kept me invested the whole way through—invested in Adam’s loneliness, it Jin’s quiet contemplation. It’s an excellent feat for such a short story!
The only thing that prevented this from being perfect was the actual lack of fooling or tricking. I kept expecting Jin’s previous “customers” to come back because their wishes went awry, but that never happened. Jin was never anything less than genuine with everyone, including Adam, so it was hard to fit this story within the anthology.
“How to Trick a Trickster” by Ava Kelly
This is one of those short stories that would’ve really benefited from being made into a longer work. It’s very hard to write a poly romance with such short perimeters, especially when none of the characters know each other to begin with. Those bonds and relationships need time to be established. I just didn’t fall for Ivo, Tom, and Eric’s relationship as much as I wanted to because I needed to get to know them a little more.
There were some really nice aspects of this story, though, including an awesome GNC character whose identity fit very well into the fantasy elements of the story. I also loved the double-crossing trickery—it definitely delivered on the theme. This isn’t a bad story at all, just one that deserved a longer form.
“The Great Coke Robbery” by Kashmira Majumdar
If the previous story needed a longer form, this one needed a whole novel. Wow, there was a lot going on here! Tons of characters with complicated relationships, a complex heist plot, a reunited romance with lots of history and backstory. Double-crossing and double-agents. Not knowing who to trust. In a novel-length work, I’d love this, but it was just way too much to digest in a short story, and I just couldn’t get invested in the plot.
The romance between Charlie and Jack could be one for the books, but we’re only given slivers of their past and their chemistry together. Majumdar has a gift for characters, that’s for sure—we just deserve more of them in a more condensed plot. The format was really working against this story.
Conclusion
I was excited to dig into this anthology because I love the theme of tricking/fooling, especially in romance. It’s a topic ripe for romantic intrigue, sexual tension, and good storytelling. For the most part, the stories really delivered. The plots in “Toils and Tricks” and “How to Trick a Trickster” kept me guessing, wondering what the characters’ motives were. The twist in “A Spell for Luck” provided excellent erotic material. And even though they became jumbled in the short format, the complex heist and thieving plots in “Wagered & Won” and “The Great Coke Robbery” gave us some good queer thriller stories, which is an often-overlooked genre.
As a whole, I think this is a well-done anthology that really inspired the writers to work with a complex theme. The only limitation came from that complexity, through—when dealing with characters who may not be all that they appear to be, we need time and room to get a feel for them, and sometimes, that intrigue just wasn’t there with the short story format.
Despite these limitations, I really enjoyed the majority of these stories, and I think there will be something here for everyone
This review was first posted to Love Bytes: LGBTQ Book Reviews. It has been slightly edited here for content.
Since this is a book with stories by all different authors, I like to review them as separate works first and then see how they all tie together with a common theme at the end.
“Wagered & Won” by Helena Maeve
I was happy to find that the first story in the anthology was F/F. While I liked the general theme of two awesome-in-different-ways ladies getting stuff done and setting off on a life of misdeeds together, there was a lot going on in this story, and it became a little jumbled around the halfway mark. It is steampunk mixed with urban thriller mixed with historical fiction mixed with a little romance, but the story never gained enough traction to be really awesome at any of those.
This story is decent if you like ladies getting their revenge and smooching each other while doing it, but I ended up longing for more characterization and less world-building.
“Toils & Tricks” by Asta Idonea
You can’t have a trick-themed anthology without Loki making at least one appearance, and he definitely didn’t disappoint in this story. It’s a fresh take on Norse mythology in a modern world that holds off on explaining key plot points until you’ve gotten to know the characters and become invested in them.
The questions of mortality and giving up eternal life for love might not be new, but the way Sverrir’s connection with his Icelandic sweetie goes from conniving plot to true love and affection is incredibly romantic.
“Whiskey & Pixie Dust” by L.J. Hamlin
Even in short, sweet stories, there needs to be a conflict—but this story sorely lacked one. The “trick” ended up being something very simple and harmless, making it less of a trick and more of a…wingman move? Friendship quirk? Either way, it didn’t do much for story progression.
I’ve read L.J. Hamlin’s works before, and they are very good about characters communicating and consenting, but there was too much stiff dialogue between Shane and Lot rather than the fun mishaps that could have come from the truth-serum pixie dust. I think they played it too safe with this story. The sweetness and romantic fluff was there, it just needed a boost.
“Sussicran: A Love Story” by Melissa Snowdon
Read the first word in that title backwards and you’ll get an idea of the kind of unique, off-the-walls story this turned out to be. I was no expecting it at all! There’s a quirky, Douglas Adams-like tone to the entire thing, and we’re expected to pick up fast on whatever wackiness is going down with Wendell and his mirror-friend, Llednew.
Though there’s a sweet, PG romance going on, some readers might not take to the weirdness of the whole thing. It definitely sets itself apart from the rest, but it won’t be for everyone.
“A Spell for Luck” by Daria Defore
Now this is when the collection gets really steamy, and it totally pays off. I love the idea of a young witch character who only wants to use his lazy teenage-boy magic to make himself look cuter, and I love that he’s shipped off to the country to learn about his roots. It’s a classic coming-of-age setup with a fresh twist.
But the real awesomeness in this story comes from Tom’s encounters with the “house demon” who wants to experience a real taste of human sexuality. That, combined with Tom’s desire to be totally dominated, turns this fun paranormal story into a scorching kinkfest with genuine romantic discovery. Highly recommended!
“Kneadful Things” by Laurin Kelly
This is such a nice take on a classic myth. It has a lovely HEA ending that makes you fall for these characters as much as they fall for one another. It reads smoothly and has a decent plot. It kept me invested the whole way through—invested in Adam’s loneliness, it Jin’s quiet contemplation. It’s an excellent feat for such a short story!
The only thing that prevented this from being perfect was the actual lack of fooling or tricking. I kept expecting Jin’s previous “customers” to come back because their wishes went awry, but that never happened. Jin was never anything less than genuine with everyone, including Adam, so it was hard to fit this story within the anthology.
“How to Trick a Trickster” by Ava Kelly
This is one of those short stories that would’ve really benefited from being made into a longer work. It’s very hard to write a poly romance with such short perimeters, especially when none of the characters know each other to begin with. Those bonds and relationships need time to be established. I just didn’t fall for Ivo, Tom, and Eric’s relationship as much as I wanted to because I needed to get to know them a little more.
There were some really nice aspects of this story, though, including an awesome GNC character whose identity fit very well into the fantasy elements of the story. I also loved the double-crossing trickery—it definitely delivered on the theme. This isn’t a bad story at all, just one that deserved a longer form.
“The Great Coke Robbery” by Kashmira Majumdar
If the previous story needed a longer form, this one needed a whole novel. Wow, there was a lot going on here! Tons of characters with complicated relationships, a complex heist plot, a reunited romance with lots of history and backstory. Double-crossing and double-agents. Not knowing who to trust. In a novel-length work, I’d love this, but it was just way too much to digest in a short story, and I just couldn’t get invested in the plot.
The romance between Charlie and Jack could be one for the books, but we’re only given slivers of their past and their chemistry together. Majumdar has a gift for characters, that’s for sure—we just deserve more of them in a more condensed plot. The format was really working against this story.
Conclusion
I was excited to dig into this anthology because I love the theme of tricking/fooling, especially in romance. It’s a topic ripe for romantic intrigue, sexual tension, and good storytelling. For the most part, the stories really delivered. The plots in “Toils and Tricks” and “How to Trick a Trickster” kept me guessing, wondering what the characters’ motives were. The twist in “A Spell for Luck” provided excellent erotic material. And even though they became jumbled in the short format, the complex heist and thieving plots in “Wagered & Won” and “The Great Coke Robbery” gave us some good queer thriller stories, which is an often-overlooked genre.
As a whole, I think this is a well-done anthology that really inspired the writers to work with a complex theme. The only limitation came from that complexity, through—when dealing with characters who may not be all that they appear to be, we need time and room to get a feel for them, and sometimes, that intrigue just wasn’t there with the short story format.
Despite these limitations, I really enjoyed the majority of these stories, and I think there will be something here for everyone
November 8, 2018
As with all anthologies, this collections had a few stories in it that weren't to my personal taste but, by and large, it was a stellar representation of tricksters in queer literature.
I'm always a big fan of an anthology that starts off with a f/f story, and this one did that with Helena Maeve's steampunk "Wagered and Won". I loved both Kathra and Cecily, although it was only Kathra's PoV that the story was told in. The story could have benefited from being a bit longer, but it got across the budding attraction between the two main characters and I kinda love how their bonding activity was getting revenge on each others' people.
Possibly it's no surprise to anyone that I also loved the polyamorous story in this collection. "How to Trick a Trickster" by Ava Kelly was a story with a matchmaker who ended up falling for the two people he was meant to make fall in love with each other. It had a very snarky person, a schmoopy cutie and of course the matchmaker himself. The shared PoV of this one worked really well.
We actually had two matchmaker stories in this one, now that I think of it, the other one being “Whiskey & Pixie Dust” by L.J. Hamlin, that had a demon matchmaker setting up a witch and a demigod by way of the pixie dust listed in the title. The matchmaker in this case definitely is not beloved of the other two characters, in a story that basically works as an analogue to drink spiking.
Demons were a common theme in this anthology. The most memorable perhaps is the erotic short from Daria Defore. "A Spell for Luck" is a delightful romp set in the same world as her longer story Sparkwood. It's another one that I would have loved to see fleshed out into a longer novella.
Finally, my last favourite of this collection was “Kneadful Things” by Laurin Kelly. This was an absolutely beautiful story about a man who answers an ad on Craigslist and ends up working for a person who isn't exactly human, but is able to grant wishes. The description of Jin's physical body when not glamoured was wonderful, as was the unique way in which he gets gratification with his partner.
I'm always a big fan of an anthology that starts off with a f/f story, and this one did that with Helena Maeve's steampunk "Wagered and Won". I loved both Kathra and Cecily, although it was only Kathra's PoV that the story was told in. The story could have benefited from being a bit longer, but it got across the budding attraction between the two main characters and I kinda love how their bonding activity was getting revenge on each others' people.
Possibly it's no surprise to anyone that I also loved the polyamorous story in this collection. "How to Trick a Trickster" by Ava Kelly was a story with a matchmaker who ended up falling for the two people he was meant to make fall in love with each other. It had a very snarky person, a schmoopy cutie and of course the matchmaker himself. The shared PoV of this one worked really well.
We actually had two matchmaker stories in this one, now that I think of it, the other one being “Whiskey & Pixie Dust” by L.J. Hamlin, that had a demon matchmaker setting up a witch and a demigod by way of the pixie dust listed in the title. The matchmaker in this case definitely is not beloved of the other two characters, in a story that basically works as an analogue to drink spiking.
Demons were a common theme in this anthology. The most memorable perhaps is the erotic short from Daria Defore. "A Spell for Luck" is a delightful romp set in the same world as her longer story Sparkwood. It's another one that I would have loved to see fleshed out into a longer novella.
Finally, my last favourite of this collection was “Kneadful Things” by Laurin Kelly. This was an absolutely beautiful story about a man who answers an ad on Craigslist and ends up working for a person who isn't exactly human, but is able to grant wishes. The description of Jin's physical body when not glamoured was wonderful, as was the unique way in which he gets gratification with his partner.
April 8, 2018
*I received an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review*
My average rating of all the stories in this anthology is a little under 3.5 stars.
My favorite story was by far ‘How to Trick a Trickster’ by Ava Kelly. Honorable mentions are ‘Wagered & Won’ by Helena Maeve for being the only f/f story in this collection and ‘Sussicran: A Love Story’ by Melissa Snowdon.
That being said, I was kinda disappointed that there was only one f/f story out of eight overall. There were, however, a poly relationship and the genderqueer characters, which I really liked.
The thing that really bothered me about this collection, though was the human/non-human-creature sex that happened in two of the stories because that was just all kinds of weird and disturbing to me. Like, I’m fine with it as long as they are both at least human-shaped, but as soon as there are claws and several mouths (*cough* A Spell for Luck *cough*) I’m out.
All in all, I really liked most of the stories, but I certainly could have gone without reading about the monster sex.
My average rating of all the stories in this anthology is a little under 3.5 stars.
My favorite story was by far ‘How to Trick a Trickster’ by Ava Kelly. Honorable mentions are ‘Wagered & Won’ by Helena Maeve for being the only f/f story in this collection and ‘Sussicran: A Love Story’ by Melissa Snowdon.
That being said, I was kinda disappointed that there was only one f/f story out of eight overall. There were, however, a poly relationship and the genderqueer characters, which I really liked.
The thing that really bothered me about this collection, though was the human/non-human-creature sex that happened in two of the stories because that was just all kinds of weird and disturbing to me. Like, I’m fine with it as long as they are both at least human-shaped, but as soon as there are claws and several mouths (*cough* A Spell for Luck *cough*) I’m out.
All in all, I really liked most of the stories, but I certainly could have gone without reading about the monster sex.
June 18, 2018
The Daria Defore and Laurin Kelly stories were 5 star; the rest of the collection is not quite as good.
July 17, 2018
As is always the case with collections of short stories, some caught my attention more than others.
Wagered & Won by Helena Maeve
I want more of this story. Helena did an impressive job of getting character background and development into a short story and I would love to read more of their adventures.
Toils & Tricks by Asta Idonea
This was just fun. I was expecting some of the twists, but still enjoyed reading them and the characters were enjoyable. The modern day Norse gods angle was fun.
Whiskey & Pixie Dust by L.J. Hamlin
This one just didn't hit for me. It had potential, but it felt like it needed a few more passes from an editor to clean up all the dialogue.
Sussicran: A Love Story by Melissa Snowdon
Odd, but in a good way. It was very different from the other stories, but I liked it.
A Spell for Luck by Daria Defore
Quite steamy! The main character and his desire to do magic only to look cute amused me greatly.
Kneadful Things by Laurin Kelly
I really liked this. The descriptions of the food were mouth watering, and the slow built of the relationship between Adam and Jin was delightful.
How to Trick a Trickster by Ava Kelly
Very cute. I was impressed by how well Ava pulled together three characters into a poly relationship in such a short story. I think I would have liked it even more if it had been expanded into a longer story, but still lovely.
The Great Coke Robbery by Kashmira Majumdar
This definitely would have been better as a longer story. The basic plot was really interesting, but it felt cramped by the short format and it took me a while to get into and to remember who was who.
Wagered & Won by Helena Maeve
I want more of this story. Helena did an impressive job of getting character background and development into a short story and I would love to read more of their adventures.
Toils & Tricks by Asta Idonea
This was just fun. I was expecting some of the twists, but still enjoyed reading them and the characters were enjoyable. The modern day Norse gods angle was fun.
Whiskey & Pixie Dust by L.J. Hamlin
This one just didn't hit for me. It had potential, but it felt like it needed a few more passes from an editor to clean up all the dialogue.
Sussicran: A Love Story by Melissa Snowdon
Odd, but in a good way. It was very different from the other stories, but I liked it.
A Spell for Luck by Daria Defore
Quite steamy! The main character and his desire to do magic only to look cute amused me greatly.
Kneadful Things by Laurin Kelly
I really liked this. The descriptions of the food were mouth watering, and the slow built of the relationship between Adam and Jin was delightful.
How to Trick a Trickster by Ava Kelly
Very cute. I was impressed by how well Ava pulled together three characters into a poly relationship in such a short story. I think I would have liked it even more if it had been expanded into a longer story, but still lovely.
The Great Coke Robbery by Kashmira Majumdar
This definitely would have been better as a longer story. The basic plot was really interesting, but it felt cramped by the short format and it took me a while to get into and to remember who was who.
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