Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Candy Hearts: An LGBTQIA2S+ Charity Anthology Volume 1 (Part 1)
AUTHORS: Becca Seymour, Beck Grey, Bix Barrow,
Chantal Mer, D.K. Sutton, Finn Dixon, Lee Blair
PUSLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 1179
RELEASE DATE: February 1, 2024
BLURB:
What’s sweeter than a low angst queer romance at Valentine’s Day? How about sixteen of them brought together in one anthology to help support a good cause?
Each novella in the Candy Hearts Anthology is overflowing with red-hot romance and all the good feels. And this time around, every story has a secret—a secret admirer.
The Candy Hearts Anthology will be available for a limited time, and all proceeds will benefit the Transgender Law Center and the National Center for Transgender Equality.
Participating authors in this inaugural volume are:
Becca Seymour
Beck Grey
Bix Barrow
Chantal Mer
D.K. Sutton
Finn Dixon
Lee Blair
Linden Bell
‘Nathan Burgoine
Nic Starr
Rain Carrington
Riley Long
Stella Rainbow
Susan Scott Shelley
Toby Wise
Victoria Gillilan
REVIEW:
Cupcake Crushes by Becca Seymour – 4.25 stars
This is a very sweet story of two guys who are friends. Boyd is a teacher and Finnegan is a nurse. They are part of a larger friends group. Boyd has a crush on Finnegan, but Finnegan had a long term boyfriend. They are both single now and Finnegan has signed up for a dating app that Boyd has well maybe tweaked his account so that they match 😉
Turns out the Finnegan has a crush on Boyd too. While he matches and has been talking to a guy over the app, he confesses that he has feelings for one of his friends and he wants to pursue that so he’s not going to stay on the app. Boyd is disappointed, but convinces Finnegan to stay on the app long enough to help him with a secret admirer idea he has to get the attention of his friend.
Of course you know how this turns out 🙂 When the stuff they’ve discussed shows up at Boyd’s school, well clearly he is the friend. It’s adorable and sweet and they decide to go for it. Just a very romantic and sweet (in every way – i.e. the title of this story 😉 ).
Bee Mine, Valentine by Beck Gray – 4.25 stars
Gus is a first grade teacher and he’s getting ready for Valentine’s Day. Jeremy is his new neighbor. Gus’s dog Chip loved the lady who used to live in Jeremy’s house so he is always trying to get into the backyard as they share a fence there. Jeremy has returned to the area taking an accounting job at a local college and he’s now close enough to his parents without them being in his back pocket. He’s ready for a commitment and he’s looking for a guy just like Gus.
Chip instigates a lot of Gus and Jeremy’s interaction since he’s always running to Jeremy when he and Gus are on their walks. He also escapes his own yard regularly to get to Jeremy. Jeremy doesn’t mind at all. He loves dogs and he’s more than a little enamored with Gus. Gus is sweet and smart and adorable and well pushes every single one of Jeremy’s buttons.
Gus is worried that his dog and his life are a bit much for Jeremy. But everything that happens seems to bring them closer. He likes kids and dogs and he makes it clear that he likes Gus a lot. They have a wonder Valentines Day – both with family and without 😀
This is a super cute and romantic tale of a surprising secret admirer that brings to guys who are perfect for each other together at the right time.
Voices Harry by Bix Barrow – 4.25 stars
Harry Wright is an audio book narrator. He loves his job but isn’t a fan of marketing/social media aspects, so he has a team to help him manage and navigate that arena.
Mitchell is a graphic artist who has a channel where he does crocheting – hence his handle Mitchelthehooker 😉 He has recently lost one of his cats. His other cat is a huge fan of Harry’s voice narration. When Harry’s friend has the idea that he should record something to help Mitchell’s remaining cat out of his depression, against his better judgement he does it. And he actually feels good about it. Couldn’t have anything to do with how attractive he finds Mitchell could it?
They connect over the cat clip, but then they accidentally meet in real live – except that Harry pretends to be someone else 🙂 And hence a comedy of errors ensues.
I laughed out loud too many times with this story. There is also a teeny bit of a crossover for fan’s of the author’s Bent Oak Texas series. I loved Harry and his awkwardness and Mitchell and his cat were so adorable. A really sweet secret admirer story that I think everyone will enjoy.
RATING: 
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