Review: It Was Always You – An Anthology for a Great Cause

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Title: It Was Always You

Authors: Cardeno C., Ella Frank, Riley Hart, Lane Hayes, Christina Lee, Felice Stevens, and N.R. Walker

Publisher: Self-Published

Length: Novel

Category: Contemporary, Anthology

At a Glance: I highly recommend this anthology both for the stories contained within its pages and the charity the proceeds are going to support. Go buy it. Now.

Reviewed By: Carrie

Blurb: What do you do when everything you’ve ever wanted was right there all along?

Join these bestselling M/M authors as they bring you tales of love, lust, and laughter…between friends.
Featuring seven brand new novellas, each answering the question—what happens when the one meant for you was right there all along?

The book will be available for a LIMITED TIME only!

All money and proceeds for this anthology will be donated to the charity One.n.Ten.

Please join us, if you are able, in helping these LGBT youth by buying back to school and camp items on One-n-Ten’s Amazon wish lists and sharing the link

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Review: At first I was trying to write a blurb about each of these short stories for this review…. Then I decided that no one wants to read a review that is longer than the actual book. Because yes, I could gush that long and that hard. When I saw this anthology would contain a collection of stories under a heading that I particularly enjoy, friends-to-lovers, I couldn’t resist…and when I read the list of authors, I yelled “SOLD”. Now, ordinarily I would go down the list and let you know which were my favorites and which didn’t work so well for me, but I’m not gonna do that this time because all of these stories are fantastic, well written, and fun to read. And, all the proceeds benefit the deserving LGBTQ youth organization One.n.Ten.

You will feel incredibly satisfied at the end of each story; nothing is left hanging or unexplored. Each author stays true to their writing style, and I appreciated that, as they are each such established and accomplished writers in the M/M genre.

In Cardeno C’s story Rough Edges, we are taught that love conquers everything life can throw at us and soothes the rough edges left behind when life isn’t easy.

Conner and Tyler in Ella Frank’s contemporary story Unexpected Turn are a lesson in the courage that is needed to step out on a limb of faith and set fire to the sparks of attraction that two old friends have for each other.

Dare You To is Riley Hart’s short about two guys who have lived next door to each other for six years. Will they each take the dare and admit how they feel for each other? This is a short but heartwarming story of loss and healing and finding their HEA.

Leaning Into Love by Lane Hayes is the first in her new series set in San Francisco, and about the group of friends introduced in this short story—after this short THAT is something I am definitely looking forward to. Eric and Zane are accomplished men, just the kind Lane Hayes likes to write about, and how they find their way together is impressive.

The Sweetest Goodbye is an incredibly poignant story by Christina Lee. You will cry. BUCKETS. Be warned. This is the story of Billie and Dylan, who were first mentioned in her book The Deepest Blue, a part of the Roadmap to Your Heart series. Oh heavens, the feels. This story is amazing and is pure Christina Lee, who writes grassroots Americana so well.

Please Don’t Go by Felice Stevens is about Danny and Paul, two men who met every summer at camp and promised to always be there for each other. Felice Stevens likes to give her men a little angst in their lives, and this one is no different, but they all end in a satisfying HEA after vaulting those emotional hurdles.

And finally we have N.R. Walker and Perfect Catch. Troy and Cal have known each other since 8th grade. For one reason or another, they have never crossed over the line to anything sexual but have each felt the attraction for years. The timing has just never felt right. Now, it’s their opportunity to turn to each other and solidify what has been between them for years. This is all romance, folks, with fishing trips and making love in the rain. It was the perfect cherry of a story to end this anthology with.

I highly recommend this anthology both for the stories contained within its pages and the charity the proceeds are going to support. Go buy it. Now. Or you may miss it as it will only be available until the end of 2016.

TNA_Signature_Carrie

You can buy It Was Always You here:
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