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With or Without #0.5
Hearts from the Ashes
In the city of Asheville, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, six men discover lasting love from the ashes of heartache.
In Eros Rising by Ally Blue, Scott and Keegan have both been hurt by love. Can they overcome their painful pasts and build a future with each other?
There's nothing better than a cup of coffee and your one true love. Gray's in for the surprise of his life when he gets not two, but three for one in Cafe Noctem by Willa Okati.
When werewolves Devlin and Laine meet in With Love by J.L. Langley, it's instant attraction. However, the pack Alpha is determined to take Laine for himself. Can Devlin protect his new found mate and keep them both alive?
Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, violence and hot nekkid man-love.
In Eros Rising by Ally Blue, Scott and Keegan have both been hurt by love. Can they overcome their painful pasts and build a future with each other?
There's nothing better than a cup of coffee and your one true love. Gray's in for the surprise of his life when he gets not two, but three for one in Cafe Noctem by Willa Okati.
When werewolves Devlin and Laine meet in With Love by J.L. Langley, it's instant attraction. However, the pack Alpha is determined to take Laine for himself. Can Devlin protect his new found mate and keep them both alive?
Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, violence and hot nekkid man-love.
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 15, 2010
Hearts from the Ashes is an anthology of stories by three of the best gay romance/erotica authors this reviewer has had the pleasure of reading. I’m not usually one for the romance genre, but the stories enclosed have realistic, well-developed characters that are a pleasure to read about. The graphic sex, while hot, is not the main element of the stories. It comes naturally in the stories based on the characters personalities.
The stories stand alone, but each author entwined elements from the other’s stories. Each story is set in Asheville, NC. (I never knew so much gay action happened in Asheville. I may have to visit there some time to see for myself) Characters and locations from each story are mentioned (or inferred). The way the authors accomplished this is very interesting and shows creativity on their part.
Eros Rising – Scott has been with his boyfriend for too long as he discovers when they go to the town’s sex club Ganymede’s Grotto. Logan, Scott’s boyfriend, wants to have a threesome; Scott doesn’t.
When Logan leaves to go to the bathroom, Scott sits and enjoys the strip show performed by Keegan. Scott instantly falls in love with him. Over the following weeks, Scott spends more time at the club getting to know Keegan. Eventually, their feelings for each other explode to the surface, but Scott can’t do anything until he leaves Logan.
Eventually, Scott and Keegan come together, but they still have to deal with the pain of Keegan’s past; a past of abuse both physical and mental.
Café Noctem – Willa Okati weaves a tale of Cherokee mythology into a story of love, loss and discovery. Grey, Jimmy and Nicholas were best friends for years. Grey and Jimmy became closer as lovers. Jimmy suddenly developed cancer that took his life in a matter of months. Grey was devastated.
Nicholas stood by Grey through his grief. He helped out in Café Noctem (which was owned by Grey and Jimmy) and did all he could to help Grey deal with Jimmy’s death. Eventually, Grey came to love Nicholas and they became partners. The only problem was the specter of Jimmy hung over them.
On the evening of a major celebration, Grey and Nicholas are visited by a mysterious young man in an odd looking mask. In the beginning, it seems he is trying to separate Grey and Nicholas. In the end, he helped to keep them together.
With Love – Devlin is a werewolf. He is moving to Asheville with his business partner from Texas. Soon after his arrival, he is called by Victor, the pack Alpha, to meet about joining the local pack. Devlin drives to the meeting place to find Victor and a few of his Betas abusing another member of the pack. Devlin flies into the middle of the group and easily defeats them all due to his size and strength. Once the assailants are gone, Devlin discovers by scent that the injured one is his mate.
Laine is the pack Omega. He doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut and is a major klutz. After being chased and beaten by Victor and his Betas, Laine wakes up next to Devlin and realizes Devlin is his mate. He fears for himself because of Victor. It seems Victor wants him, but Laine has no interest in him. Devlin vows he will protect Laine and do whatever he has to to protect him.
Victor decides to send a message by sending his Betas to mess up Laine’s flower shop. He even attacks Laine in the men’s room of a restaurant. When that doesn’t work, he kidnaps Laine’s grandmother. This pushes Devlin to the breaking point. With the help of his business partner, Cole, and the former pack leader, Devlin is able to defeat Victor and send him packing, thus becoming the new pack leader.
The secondary characters of the story: Cole, Caroline (Cole’s wife), Beth and Serena (Laine’s co-workers) and Grammy (Laine’s grandmother) add a wonder fully realistic dimension to the story. They are as fleshed-out and three-dimensional as the main characters with fun personalities.
I highly recommend this book to any who like gay romance/erotica. It is well written and a pleasure to read. The stories move quickly and capture your interest. I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading it in one evening.
Hearts from the Ashes
The stories stand alone, but each author entwined elements from the other’s stories. Each story is set in Asheville, NC. (I never knew so much gay action happened in Asheville. I may have to visit there some time to see for myself) Characters and locations from each story are mentioned (or inferred). The way the authors accomplished this is very interesting and shows creativity on their part.
Eros Rising – Scott has been with his boyfriend for too long as he discovers when they go to the town’s sex club Ganymede’s Grotto. Logan, Scott’s boyfriend, wants to have a threesome; Scott doesn’t.
When Logan leaves to go to the bathroom, Scott sits and enjoys the strip show performed by Keegan. Scott instantly falls in love with him. Over the following weeks, Scott spends more time at the club getting to know Keegan. Eventually, their feelings for each other explode to the surface, but Scott can’t do anything until he leaves Logan.
Eventually, Scott and Keegan come together, but they still have to deal with the pain of Keegan’s past; a past of abuse both physical and mental.
Café Noctem – Willa Okati weaves a tale of Cherokee mythology into a story of love, loss and discovery. Grey, Jimmy and Nicholas were best friends for years. Grey and Jimmy became closer as lovers. Jimmy suddenly developed cancer that took his life in a matter of months. Grey was devastated.
Nicholas stood by Grey through his grief. He helped out in Café Noctem (which was owned by Grey and Jimmy) and did all he could to help Grey deal with Jimmy’s death. Eventually, Grey came to love Nicholas and they became partners. The only problem was the specter of Jimmy hung over them.
On the evening of a major celebration, Grey and Nicholas are visited by a mysterious young man in an odd looking mask. In the beginning, it seems he is trying to separate Grey and Nicholas. In the end, he helped to keep them together.
With Love – Devlin is a werewolf. He is moving to Asheville with his business partner from Texas. Soon after his arrival, he is called by Victor, the pack Alpha, to meet about joining the local pack. Devlin drives to the meeting place to find Victor and a few of his Betas abusing another member of the pack. Devlin flies into the middle of the group and easily defeats them all due to his size and strength. Once the assailants are gone, Devlin discovers by scent that the injured one is his mate.
Laine is the pack Omega. He doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut and is a major klutz. After being chased and beaten by Victor and his Betas, Laine wakes up next to Devlin and realizes Devlin is his mate. He fears for himself because of Victor. It seems Victor wants him, but Laine has no interest in him. Devlin vows he will protect Laine and do whatever he has to to protect him.
Victor decides to send a message by sending his Betas to mess up Laine’s flower shop. He even attacks Laine in the men’s room of a restaurant. When that doesn’t work, he kidnaps Laine’s grandmother. This pushes Devlin to the breaking point. With the help of his business partner, Cole, and the former pack leader, Devlin is able to defeat Victor and send him packing, thus becoming the new pack leader.
The secondary characters of the story: Cole, Caroline (Cole’s wife), Beth and Serena (Laine’s co-workers) and Grammy (Laine’s grandmother) add a wonder fully realistic dimension to the story. They are as fleshed-out and three-dimensional as the main characters with fun personalities.
I highly recommend this book to any who like gay romance/erotica. It is well written and a pleasure to read. The stories move quickly and capture your interest. I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading it in one evening.
Hearts from the Ashes
March 10, 2013
SlashReader: And a bit about each individual novella within this work:
Okay that's all I have to say. I admit I was a little more pleased with this than I expected to be after reading the last book. So I guess that's something.
Okay that's all I have to say. I admit I was a little more pleased with this than I expected to be after reading the last book. So I guess that's something.
November 1, 2012
Good writing and 3 enjoyable stories, although I found one rather depressing
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
"Eros Rising" by Ally Blue – 8/10
PROS:
- Explosive, passionate sex scenes; the two characters are half in love by the time they sleep together for the first time, so the sex is intimate and emotional.
- Likeable characters. Scott is honorable and reserved and Keegan is fiery and unafraid of voicing his opinions.
CONS:
- The story’s main conflict is resolved a little too quickly considering the emotional trauma in one character’s background.
- Some tense/uncomfortable moments that result from one character’s not understanding the BDSM lifestyle (but this is NOT a BDSM story; Scott and Keegan are pretty vanilla).
"Café Noctem" by Willa Okati – 5/10
PROS:
- One sex scene that is really hot--slow and intimate.
- Sweet ending. (see cons below also)
CONS:
- Depressing. Both characters are mourning the loss of a man who was a friend to both of them and the lover of one of them. The majority of my unease from the story stems from this: it felt to me as though one guy was still very much in love with his deceased lover and didn’t have it in him to give his current partner what he deserved.
- One of the characters says something in the wake of an amazing, passionate session of sex that is so hurtful it literally made me a little sick to my stomach, and I put the book down for days and almost didn’t finish the story. Because of this, I couldn’t make myself completely buy into the happy ending.
"With Love" by J.L. Langley – 7/10
PROS:
- I like the idea of mates recognizing what they are to each other from the start. It gets rid of insecurities, uncertainty, etc. (see cons below also)
- One of the characters is adorable. I had this silly grin on my face the majority of the time I was reading because I found his personality so infectious.
- Several really likeable, fun supporting characters.
CONS:
- Although I enjoy the ease with which the characters become comfortable with each other, it’s also a little disconcerting how quickly they move in together and start thinking of each other as life partners. Before they know each other’s last names, even.
- The final fight between good and evil is over almost as soon as it begins and is thus quite anti-climactic. It lasts for a couple of pages, tops.
Overall comments: All three stories are written very well; these three writers are some of the better I’ve encountered in this genre. The stories are light and fluffy (with the exception of the depressing subject matter of Okati’s), but overall I think this is a good read.
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
"Eros Rising" by Ally Blue – 8/10
PROS:
- Explosive, passionate sex scenes; the two characters are half in love by the time they sleep together for the first time, so the sex is intimate and emotional.
- Likeable characters. Scott is honorable and reserved and Keegan is fiery and unafraid of voicing his opinions.
CONS:
- The story’s main conflict is resolved a little too quickly considering the emotional trauma in one character’s background.
- Some tense/uncomfortable moments that result from one character’s not understanding the BDSM lifestyle (but this is NOT a BDSM story; Scott and Keegan are pretty vanilla).
"Café Noctem" by Willa Okati – 5/10
PROS:
- One sex scene that is really hot--slow and intimate.
- Sweet ending. (see cons below also)
CONS:
- Depressing. Both characters are mourning the loss of a man who was a friend to both of them and the lover of one of them. The majority of my unease from the story stems from this: it felt to me as though one guy was still very much in love with his deceased lover and didn’t have it in him to give his current partner what he deserved.
- One of the characters says something in the wake of an amazing, passionate session of sex that is so hurtful it literally made me a little sick to my stomach, and I put the book down for days and almost didn’t finish the story. Because of this, I couldn’t make myself completely buy into the happy ending.
"With Love" by J.L. Langley – 7/10
PROS:
- I like the idea of mates recognizing what they are to each other from the start. It gets rid of insecurities, uncertainty, etc. (see cons below also)
- One of the characters is adorable. I had this silly grin on my face the majority of the time I was reading because I found his personality so infectious.
- Several really likeable, fun supporting characters.
CONS:
- Although I enjoy the ease with which the characters become comfortable with each other, it’s also a little disconcerting how quickly they move in together and start thinking of each other as life partners. Before they know each other’s last names, even.
- The final fight between good and evil is over almost as soon as it begins and is thus quite anti-climactic. It lasts for a couple of pages, tops.
Overall comments: All three stories are written very well; these three writers are some of the better I’ve encountered in this genre. The stories are light and fluffy (with the exception of the depressing subject matter of Okati’s), but overall I think this is a good read.
August 3, 2011
I picked up this book because I'm a big fan of Ally Blue and Willa Okati; I didn't expect my favorite story to be JL Langley's "With Love!" Her story of two werewolves had a fresh take; an alpha and an omega fall in love. Yes, Laney is very much like an uke in a traditional yaoi story - but, I like yaoi. He is a little effeminate, which may seem stereotypical, but there are men like this. Certainly not all gay men, or even all "bottoms." This is a fantasy romance after all. Laney's clumsiness is a little over the top, but his relationship with Dev is sweet and hot. I would have liked the characters to be more developed, but this is a short story. Langley sets the stage for her "With or Without" werewolf series, which gets more depth in the next two novels. Langley’s writing was so good, I immediately ordered her novel "The Tin Star" (also excellent!)
"Eros Rising" by Ally Blue was also enjoyable. Scott is hanging onto a dysfunctional relationship with Logan--until he sees "Eros" stripping at a club. But, Eros has horrors in his own past. Will they get their happy ending? (of course!) And also some hot sex to boot!
My least favorite story was Willa Okati's. It WAS very well-written with detailed Native American mythology woven into it. Gray is hanging onto the memory of his dead lover Jimmy, despite being involved with Nicholas. I didn't like the story because I spent most of it feeling sorry for Nicholas. Gray was so insensitive, I had trouble liking the character. At one point, he even calls Nicholas "Jimmy" while making love. Since this was a short story, there wasn't as much sex, so having it ruined like that was a let down. With a little magic, Jimmy shows Gray and Nicholas how special their love is, but it was too little too late for me. Willa Okati is a very good author, I just didn't care for this offering. I highly recommend this anthology to fans of M/M romance.
"Eros Rising" by Ally Blue was also enjoyable. Scott is hanging onto a dysfunctional relationship with Logan--until he sees "Eros" stripping at a club. But, Eros has horrors in his own past. Will they get their happy ending? (of course!) And also some hot sex to boot!
My least favorite story was Willa Okati's. It WAS very well-written with detailed Native American mythology woven into it. Gray is hanging onto the memory of his dead lover Jimmy, despite being involved with Nicholas. I didn't like the story because I spent most of it feeling sorry for Nicholas. Gray was so insensitive, I had trouble liking the character. At one point, he even calls Nicholas "Jimmy" while making love. Since this was a short story, there wasn't as much sex, so having it ruined like that was a let down. With a little magic, Jimmy shows Gray and Nicholas how special their love is, but it was too little too late for me. Willa Okati is a very good author, I just didn't care for this offering. I highly recommend this anthology to fans of M/M romance.
June 10, 2009
**SPOILER ALERT**
I really enjoyed this anthology and usually I am very ehhhh about anthologies because I feel the writing isnt great and the stories are too short to make you feel for and care about the characters. But these are all great.
Eros Rising by Ally Blue was a great story. a little cliche but well done-even more than some of her longer work. I find her shorter novellas to soemtimes be better on target than her novels.
The JL Langley story is good; def read the two full length novels-WITH CAUTION and WITHOUT RESRVATIONS.
**SPOILER**
Willa Okati; What can I say..BRILLIANT writer. Really wonderful writing and character building in a small format. Love the Native American folklore thrown in...all great things. What I didn't love was one of the characters; Gray is hanging onto the memory of his dead lover Jimmy, despite being involved with Nicholas. Gray for most of the story is a horse's ass quite frankly; VERY insensitive starting with the cemetary scene and continuing on to call Nicholas "Jimmy" while making love. OUCH.
It was never addressed and although the ending is of course happy, that REALLY ruined the story for me a bit because it seemed to be a device used for dramatics but was abandoned ratehr then felt out because of the short length of the story-not realistic at all.
Overall though, highly reccomended.
I really enjoyed this anthology and usually I am very ehhhh about anthologies because I feel the writing isnt great and the stories are too short to make you feel for and care about the characters. But these are all great.
Eros Rising by Ally Blue was a great story. a little cliche but well done-even more than some of her longer work. I find her shorter novellas to soemtimes be better on target than her novels.
The JL Langley story is good; def read the two full length novels-WITH CAUTION and WITHOUT RESRVATIONS.
**SPOILER**
Willa Okati; What can I say..BRILLIANT writer. Really wonderful writing and character building in a small format. Love the Native American folklore thrown in...all great things. What I didn't love was one of the characters; Gray is hanging onto the memory of his dead lover Jimmy, despite being involved with Nicholas. Gray for most of the story is a horse's ass quite frankly; VERY insensitive starting with the cemetary scene and continuing on to call Nicholas "Jimmy" while making love. OUCH.
It was never addressed and although the ending is of course happy, that REALLY ruined the story for me a bit because it seemed to be a device used for dramatics but was abandoned ratehr then felt out because of the short length of the story-not realistic at all.
Overall though, highly reccomended.
July 19, 2010
I actually read "With Love" by J. L. Langley, purchased as an ebook, but Shelfari doesn't recognize it as a separate book.
The story was not nearly as good as the other two full-length novels in the With/Without series. The "endearing traits" of the omega male were annoying and I wanted to slap him. I did like the new characters and pack that were presented in the story and I hope we'll see them again in the full-length books (except please tone down Lainey!) It was an okay story - not recommended unless you are reading the series.
The story was not nearly as good as the other two full-length novels in the With/Without series. The "endearing traits" of the omega male were annoying and I wanted to slap him. I did like the new characters and pack that were presented in the story and I hope we'll see them again in the full-length books (except please tone down Lainey!) It was an okay story - not recommended unless you are reading the series.
February 8, 2011
Only reason I gave this 4 stars is because it was too damn short!! Should have been made into a whole book.
These two were perfectly matched, I thought. A strong, sexy alpha male paired w/ a funny, quirky, equally sexy male.
LOVED the secondary characters and their books were wonderfully, fantastic! Great storyline, the sex was freakin HOT AS HELL and this series is definitly a keeper in my library.........
These two were perfectly matched, I thought. A strong, sexy alpha male paired w/ a funny, quirky, equally sexy male.
LOVED the secondary characters and their books were wonderfully, fantastic! Great storyline, the sex was freakin HOT AS HELL and this series is definitly a keeper in my library.........
December 21, 2011
I think this anthology is worth the money just for the second story by Willa Okati. It's so brilliant and emotional. It's a vibrant tale with a rich character list. Though I thought one of the main characters wasn't fleshed out, the other was so beautifully done that I could enjoy the story through his eyes.
I loved her take on my culture and people. I am Cheyenne (and also Cree) so I enjoyed it. I get very frustrated with AmIndian stories usually, but I thought this one was very good.
I loved her take on my culture and people. I am Cheyenne (and also Cree) so I enjoyed it. I get very frustrated with AmIndian stories usually, but I thought this one was very good.
April 17, 2022
On 09/09/09 I read the story Cafe' Noctem from the anthology HEARTS FROM THE ASHES. Some parts of the story I didn't like the ghost parts that strove to drive the couple apart, otherwise I enjoyed this story. I like how the author writes, but the mixing in of the old stories and legends was a bit annoying. Coffee house/ grieving / new love / memorial / jealousy / mistakes / mischievous spirit
January 19, 2009
Unlike most anthologies with multiple authors, I enjoyed all three stories. While I loved the stories by Ally Blue and JL Langley, Willa Okata's I would have to rate as really liked, but overall the entire book gets a loved it.
November 18, 2009
Three stories that take place in the same town.
1) Eros Rising: Sweet love story.
2) Cafe Noctem: Very weird. Didn't like it.
3) With Love: Loved the werewolf aspect, but one of the characters got on my nerves, which spoiled the story for me.
Gave the book away after reading.
1) Eros Rising: Sweet love story.
2) Cafe Noctem: Very weird. Didn't like it.
3) With Love: Loved the werewolf aspect, but one of the characters got on my nerves, which spoiled the story for me.
Gave the book away after reading.
Read
August 24, 2011Liked the stories take place in the same town, Asheville and each story mentions the property of one of the others--the club, the cafe, the flower shop.
picked it up for the JL Langley story now I have to find works by her co-authors.
picked it up for the JL Langley story now I have to find works by her co-authors.
Read
October 7, 2008Hearts from the Ashes by Ally Blue (2007)
March 5, 2010
I liked all the stories in this anthology. With Love is my favorite but it may not be for everyone. I have a very soft spot for shape shifters.
July 11, 2010
I really enjoyed Ally Blue's story. Willa Okati's story didn't really appeal to me. I will read the Langley story at another time, as I have the ebook.
February 20, 2016
A collection of 3 stories all of which are good stores.
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