Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: Wish Come True
AUTHOR: Keira Andrews, Joanna Chambers, Amy Jo Cousins, Megan Erickson, Suki Fleet, Kaje Harper and Anyta Sunday
PUBLISHER: Boys in our Books
LENGTH: 136,780 Words
BLURB:
First love. Young love. Holiday love…
Wish Come True is a collection of contemporary, new adult, holiday short stories by some of our favorite authors!
Included in this anthology:
“A Very English Christmas” by Keira Andrews
“Mr. Perfect’s Christmas” by Joanna Chambers
“The Christmas Ship” by Amy Jo Cousins
“That Thing” by Megan Erickson
“Just Like Heaven” by Suki Fleet
“Not Your Grandfather’s Magic” by Kaje Harper
“Bottle Boys” by Anyta Sunday
Proceeds will be donated to Lost-N-Found Youth , an Atlanta-based nonprofit corporation whose mission is to take homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths to age 26 off the street and transition them into more permanent housing.
REVIEW:
A Very English Christmas by Keira Andrews
Isaac and David have created a new life together outside the Amish world. Living “English,” they’ve left behind the rigid, isolated community where they discovered their forbidden love. Staying with Isaac’s older brother in San Francisco, they yearn for a home—and bed—of their very own. As they experience the bright lights and merry carols of modern Christmas for the first time, can they make their holiday wishes come true?
This was just kind of adorable. I grew up seeing the Amish around but never really thought about what things would be like for them if they decided to leave that way of life. I also just loved how Isaac and David were each determined to give each other the perfect Christmas even though they agreed not to buy anything. My only complaint was that this was a sequel to “A Forbidden Rumspringa” and I didn’t know that ahead of time; it would help to understand what’s going on a bit better if you read that one first. This was still a nice start to the anthology, however.
rating 3.5 hearts
Mr Perfect’s Christmas by Joanna Chambers
Sam Warren’s new job hasn’t been going so well so the last thing he’s in the mood for is the obligatory office Christmas party, particularly since Nick Foster’s going to be there. Nick–the guy whose shoes Sam has been trying to fill–seems to take very opportunity to point out where Sam’s going wrong. But when Sam receives an unexpected Secret Santa gift at the party, he’s forced to question his assumptions about his rival. Could it be that he’s been misinterpreting Nick’s actions all along? And is it possible that his reluctant attraction to Nick is reciprocated?
I loved this! I couldn’t help but empathize with Sam feeling like a fish out of water and I think most everyone has felt they failed to live up to someone else’s expectations at one point or another in their lives. Nick was a genuinely nice guy but it just seemed as though he couldn’t help but say everything except what he meant to say; I liked that he kept trying though. When Sam finally bought a clue, however, it was such a great moment and the ending was just perfect. 😀 I enjoyed the story from start to finish and really wish it could’ve been longer.
rating 4.5 hearts
The Christmas Ship by Amy Jo Cousins
When a twink who’s finally ready to grow up accidentally catfishes a college football player headed to the NFL, it’s going to take a lot of honesty and all the faith they can muster in their own One True Pairing to set this Christmas ship sailing.
This one was okay; I didn’t really believe the connection between the two main characters as much as I would’ve liked . The chat dialogue interspersed with the rest of the story also threw me off a bit as I kept thinking it was happening real time when it was actually another flashback moment to previous interactions. About half way through the story there also came a point that I thought was the ending because it seemed perfect to me but then the story continued on…it almost felt like a little too much at that point. *shrugs* It wasn’t bad but I just didn’t care for it as much.
rating 3 hearts
That Thing by Megan Erickson
Helping his wedding planner sister work an event is not Devin Master’s idea of what he wants to do on his winter break from college. But saying no to his sister isn’t in his wheelhouse, which is why he finds himself embedded in a drama-filled wedding. His first task? Babysit the “troublesome” best man.
Adrian Alvarez wants to do just about anything on New Year’s Eve except attending his best friend’s wedding. Ever since Adrian came out, he’s been shunned in his hometown. By everyone but his best friend, Tony. Which is why he finds himself trudging through the airport to fulfill his best man duties. He doesn’t expect to find out his ride to the hotel is a hot blond with a cocky grin.
Devin can’t get involved with a member of the wedding party, or his sister will kill him, and Adrian just wants to lay low and not draw attention to himself. But neither can resist the chemistry between them and they have to decide if they are willing to ignite or let their attraction fizzle out.
Another little gem; I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did. Adrian is grouchy but also a really sweet guy under the gruff exterior and Devin is a natural when it comes to dealing with trouble, be it guests or a bad situation. The chemistry was easy to see and the connection between them was believable. I think what I liked best, however, was that, even when the wedding was over, the rest of the story was still just as enjoyable and the ending was perfect. I didn’t get as much of a Christmas vibe with this one though but that was okay.
rating 4 hearts
Just Like Heaven by Suki Fleet
One rainy night in December, David helps a busker with pretty eyes get his stolen money back. He doesn’t imagine the strong attraction he feels is mutual. But after overcoming his shyness, David discovers Jess is definitely interested.
Jess just isn’t interested in anything but a one night stand. Or maybe two. Falling for David is definitely not part of his plan. But when David gets trapped in a snowstorm the night before Christmas Eve, Jess realises a night or two is never going to be enough.
For a short story this had what felt like too much sex in it. Jess doesn’t do more than one off’s but there’s something about David he just can’t resist, which is fairly obvious since, as I said, there was just SO MUCH sex. Both characters were supposed to be shy but I never really got that vibe from either of them to be honest and I just didn’t feel anything between them aside from a healthy dose of lust. It was an okay story, I guess, but at a certain point I just wanted to be done with it.
rating 3 hearts
Not Your Grandfather’s Magic by Kaje Harper
A month away from Zeb Crowe’s twenty-first birthday — just a month before the ceremony that will awaken his psychic heritage — Zeb’s grandfather predicts cryptically, “Hold your mind and heart ready, and something good will come to you.” Shortly afterward, Zeb meets Matt, a smart, gawky, unexpectedly appealing guy who might warm the lonely corners of his heart. But is Matt really the “something good” his grandfather predicted? And is it fair to get close to him, when very soon Zeb’s whole life will change? If Zeb’s dad wasn’t missing, or his grandfather wasn’t such an enigmatic old bastard, his path to love, or power, would be so much clearer.
I expected something a lot more ‘magical’ than this turned out to be but it was still a good story. Matt was sweet and I thought his protectiveness of his grandmother was nice, even if he went about it the wrong way. Zeb wasn’t what I was expecting but I really liked him; he sees something in Matt that others are apparently overlooking and kind of makes it his mission to get Matt to feel better about himself. The part at the end with Zeb’s grandfather was a total surprise to me but really brought home what kind of guy Matt is and why he’s so good for Zeb. I enjoyed this, especially the ending.
rating 4 hearts
Bottle Boys by Anyta Sunday
Benjamin Otto is a bottle of liquid luck. Good looks. Good brain. Whatever the challenge: good odds. Except, what happens when those odds change?
Dad’s had enough bankrolling Ben and requests him to get a job. The challenge: make enough money to finance Christmas or face telling his little brother the holidays are dead.
Then there’s Sebastian. The guy from his politics class who is always coming in second after him. The guy who steals Ben’s idea to collect bottles for quick cash. The guy who makes Ben wonder if any amount of luck will be enough to win him what he really wants…
Until this story, I thought I had already decided what my favorite was out of this anthology but this blew that decision out of the water. THIS was what I wanted in a Christmas story and it was a fantastic way to end the book. When Ben decides to collect bottles for cash, he’s only thinking of how quickly he can get the money and be done but when he realizes that there are other people worse off than he is, he changes his tune. I just loved how you could see Ben’s view of things change over the course of the story; his determination to help Sebastian while still providing a good Christmas for his brother just gave me all the feels. My only complaint is not getting to see his brother’s reaction to his not so secret gift but other than that, this was perfect.
rating 5 hearts
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