November 6, 2019 – Love is Love Reviews

4 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Likes:

The theme.
Holiday romance.
Found some new authors I can’t wait to read more from.
Variety.

Dislikes:

Not a cohesive anthology.
Quality was all over the place.
Not all the authors have been published outside of the anthology.
Diversity was low.

I’m normally a big fan of books published by Dreamspinner Press, and was looking forward to this ‘not really an anthology’ anthology. I began reading the stories in July, and enjoyed that the theme of the anthology was to have the stories set somewhere warm. It flips the normal view that Christmas should have snow and hot coco, while also making the stories fun to read out of season.

The anthology covers more than just Christmas, but the Christmas romance aspect was still present. Holiday romances are classic, and I was looking forward to lots of fun, fluffy stories. And some were, whether they were about Christmas or not. Other stories, however, were significantly darker than I expected.

I usually don’t mind a dark story – if I’m expecting it. To have them pop up during an anthology was not a good type of surprise. If I were to compare my feelings, it would be like those Harry Potter jellybeans you can buy at the store, where most are normal flavors like buttered popcorn and watermelon, but every once in a while you’ll come across one that tastes like boogers or dirt.

I would have preferred if the feel of the stories was more cohesive. Warm and fuzzy would have been my preference, without violence, angst, or starving children. While most of the stories were what I would consider ‘normal’ romance, there were some outliers. Those outliers weren’t bad. They just felt out of place.

The overall quality of the stories and writing was good. I’m always impressed when an author can create a good story in only a few dozen pages. That the stories varied in length was nice as well. If I was short on time, I could pick something that was only twenty or so pages, and save the ones in the fifties for later.

I found a number of authors I can’t wait to read more from. It’s just too bad that some of those authors have only published the one short story.

The variety of locations was fun to read about. Australia was a popular. Unfortunately, most of the main characters were western. Ethnic and racial diversity was lacking in the anthology overall, with only a handful of stories involving non-white characters, and even fewer of those being the main character.

Despite my complaints, I would absolutely read another Dreamspinner Press Holiday anthology. As long as it had a different theme. I’m a little burnt out on warm Holiday romances right now.

List of stories by rating:

5 star:

Colina de Lavanda by August Li
An Everyday Hero by E.J. Russell
That Turtle Story by C. S. Poe
Holidays Are Where Your Heart Is by Bru Baker
Trapped in the Valley of the Kings by Blue Jones
Purrfect Holiday by Jana Denardo
A Holiday Tradition by Chrissy Munder

4.75 stars:

The Legend of Gentleman John by T.J. Nichols

4.5 stars:

Make a Circle by Elliot Joyce
Exit Through the Gift Shop by Kim Fielding

4 star:

Slow Summer Heat by Renae Kaye
Tulsi Vivah by Anna Kaling
The Last Birthday Party by Mere Rain
Too Hot for Santa by Helena Stone
Summer Santa by Ward Maia
Death to Christmas Sweaters by L.E. Franks
Barbies and Beaches by Asta Idonea

3.5 stars:

The Night Sky Festival by S.A. Stovall
Santa on the Beach by Crystel Greene
Holiday Island by A.D. Ellis

3 stars:

Guess Who’s Coming to Karamu by Cy Blanca
Miracle on Three Kings’ Day by Beth Laycock
Once in a Lifetime by Cassie Decker
Mosquitoes and Mistletoe by Ren Holly

2.75 stars:

Warren’s Peace by Emjay Haze
Season to Shimmer by Kim Katil

2.5 stars:

The Faller by Daniel de Lorne
Haste Ye Back by R. Quincy Cameron

2 stars:

Twenty-Nine Hours to Eternity by Elizabeth Noble

1.5 stars:

Boca Dreams by Scudder James Jr.

4 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. 1st edition. 25 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

Their favorite holiday is going away. Will it take their friendship with it?

Since 1989, the birthday of the Emperor of Japan has been celebrated on December 23rd. But this is the last year; the Emperor is abdicating, and next year there will be no holiday.

For twenty-year-old Akihito, the holiday has always been special. It’s his birthday, too, and a perfect excuse for spending the entire day celebrating across Tokyo with his life-long best friend, Kenji. But now that they will no longer get the day off and will soon face adult responsibilities, will they drift apart? Or if Akihito confesses the secret love he’s held in his heart for years, will their closeness be ruined? One thing is certain: nothing will be same by the end of the day.

A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar

Likes:

Steeped in Japanese culture.
Akihito’s realistic fear of losing Kenji’s friendship.
The way their friendship through the years was told in stories.

Dislikes:

I wanted more description of the setting, food, and characters.
Would have liked a bit of explanation on some of the cultural items.
Wanted the ending to be a little more concrete.

I was excited when I saw a story set in a non-Western country. I am vaguely familiar with Japan, in a ‘yeah, sure, that sounds about right’ kind of way. I honestly have no idea if the author got everything right or not, but it felt realistic to a lay-person like me.

That being said, I would have loved more description. Even though they went to a lot of places they were familiar with, going there for the Emperor’s last birthday should have had Akihito looking around with fresh eyes. Same goes for physical descriptions of both men. I realize that the story is short, and they didn’t stay in one place long, but I still would have liked more.

This goes for the untranslated words as well. I always hate when authors put them into a story without describing them. They can’t expect all their readers to know what the words mean. So do they want the readers to ignore the words and continue, in which case why bother putting them in at all? Or do they except the reader to pause their reading and look them up, thus interrupting the flow of the story?

Akihitos’ fear of losing Kenji if his feelings ever come out felt very realistic. The bit about Akihito having an app on his phone to keep him from drunk dialing was also a great touch. It showed just how fiercely he’d been fighting to keep his feelings locked up tight.

I liked how the history of their friendship was told in stories as the two men reminisced. The way Akihito always instigated the mischief but Kenji followed along without fail. It was a good way to show their history without flashbacks. Plus, it felt very natural. Two drunk friends talking about their past adventures.

My final complaint is the ending. I wanted it to be more concrete. This is definitely a HFN ending. It’s so open ended. Considering that most of the story was filled with Akihito’s worry and longing, I would have liked him to feel happy and content in a big way.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. I would love seeing more stories like this in the future. Non-Western cultures feel very underrepresented in my experience. As do non-white characters. I hope to read more from this author soon.

Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
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4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30

Day: November 6, 2019

Series Review: 2018 Advent Calendar Warmest Wishes

4 out of 5 stars

The Last Birthday Party by Mere Rain

4 out of 5 stars