Did you show the authors some love in the reviews posted and that way increase your giveaway options for tomorrow ?

Be on the lookout tomorrow for a little talk with some of the authors and a multiple giveaway 🙂

Welcome to the start of a new feature here at Love Bytes: Anthology Week!

The reviewers of Love Bytes pick an anthology to read during the week, dividing the stories of the anthology and review a story each.

The reviews will be posted Monday to Saturday and the week will end with a guest post or interview on Sunday

(There might even be a chance of a giveaway there)

To start this new feature of we have chosen Campus Cravings

General Blurb:

Welcome to Cathia University, where school is in session! Nine of today’s hottest gay romance authors have crafted brand-new interrelated novellas celebrating everything wonderful about college, including sophisticated professors, sexy teaching assistants, ambitious grad students, and spirited undergraduates, all looking for the same thing: an A+ in true love.

Book 8 :

Reviewed by Elizabetta

TITLE: Switching Leads

SERIES: Campus Cravings Anthology

AUTHOR: Mia Downing

PUBLISHER: C-Squared Publishing

LENGTH: 47 pages

BLURB:  

He’s used to taking the reins…for love will he switch leads? 

Coach John Graham needs a new assistant for Cathia U’s equestrian team. The last person he expects to get the job walks into the barn and stops his heart. How is he supposed to focus on the team when his ex-lover—sexy horse trainer Finn Parker—wants back into his life…and into his bed? 

Campus Cravings blurb:

Welcome to Cathia University, where school is in session! Nine of today’s hottest gay romance authors have crafted brand-new interrelated novellas celebrating everything wonderful about college, with over 200,000 words featuring sophisticated professors, sexy teaching assistants, ambitious grad students, and spirited undergraduates, all looking for the same thing: an A+ in true love.

REVIEW: 

 

There’s something about second chance stories, especially when mistakes were made when very young. Chalk it up to immaturity. John Graham and Finn Parker were competitors on their college equestrian team, barely out of their teens, both of them talented and ambitious. They were also lovers. Finn was the confident leader, a life-in-the-fast-lane charmer, and John was the quiet and serious one, the follower. Their love of the sport brought them together but youthful insecurities and misunderstanding drove them apart, and Finn far away.

Fast forward ten years later and John is now a college equestrian coach and Finn is back in town, saddling up as his assistant. John just can’t get over the anger and betrayal he’s been carrying around for a decade but Finn seems to have changed. Ten years and some growing up will do that. Finn’s gotten a hand on his drinking problem, and he wants to make things up to John. 

So there’s this obvious theme throughout the story as set up by the title. What throws John is that Finn is now willing to follow his lead. Previously cock-sure and take-charge, Finn wants to show John that he has grown; he’s learned a lot more about himself and how to give.

I liked this simple short story despite the predictability. These are misunderstanding and recriminations we’ve seen many times before. But there are some tender, sweet moments between Finn and John. And the little bit of horse work and training thrown in was fun to read, too. 

I was unsure about one thing in Finn’s attitude– that John could be his savior, keep him from falling back into the bottle (“…I knew you’d keep me sober after this. I knew you’d give me focus… you’d be the solution.”). There’s a danger in that kind of thinking, one crutch can easily replace another. But Finn is sincere in his hope.

There is also danger with a short story to do more telling than showing, to move the plot along quickly, and while there’s a bit of that we do learn a lot about Finn and John through their actions. 

John has had his own difficulties; he’s given over his free time and life savings to take care of his mother who is suffering from dementia. He realizes that his time with her is limited. 

“You never know how much time you have before God switches leads on you.”

When faced with the choice of giving Finn another chance, John seems to have also grown through his own adversities and insecurities. It’s that discovery in the two men, that flexibility and understanding could lead to something new and richer between them, that strengthens their story.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon

ARe