Reviewed by Cheryl K
TITLE; Heart2Heart: A Paranormal Charity Anthology Collection, Volume 7 (Heart2Heart Volume 7)
SERIES: Heart2Heart: A Charity Anthology
AUTHOR:
Eliot Grayson, Grae Bryan, Kiki Clark, Lark Taylor, Macy Blake, Mika Nix, Tavia Lark, Taylor Rylan
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 500 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 2, 2024
BLURB:
Once upon a time, a bunch of authors wondered… what would happen if Heart2Heart, the mystical matchmaking app adored across the supernatural world, brought in an absolute legend to help them find true love?
This Valentine’s Day, the sunshiny necromancer, the lonely vampire, and the nonbinary dragon will put their trust in H2H and a certain cheeky cherub of romance. Will Cupid’s arrows strike true?
As always, all proceeds from this anthology will benefit LGBTQ+ charities to ensure that love in all its incarnations will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year!
Stories included in this collection are:
You Can’t Spell Necromancer Without Romance, by Alice Winters
Hot Date, by Eliot Grayson
Sweet Treats, by Grae Bryan
Looking 4 Furever, by Kiki Clark
Locked in Love, by Lark Taylor
Love Me Love My Dogs, by Macy Blake
Not So Cupid, by Mika Nix
Starry Night, by Pandora Pine
The Hidden God of Open Doors, by Tavia Lark
Love Under the Sea, by Taylor Rylan
REVIEW:
Welcome to part two of my two-part review of this fantastic paranormal version of the Heart2Heart anthology. After being approached by Pandora Pine to review a couple of the stories in this anthology, I decided I wanted to give the other authors their due, so I ended up with a two-part review.
Without further ado, here is my review of the other 8 submissions to this wonderful anthology. If you are not familiar with this anthology, please read all the way to the end of the reviews, for a little bit about the mission of the Heart2Heart Anthology project.
Hot Date, by Eliot Grayson (4.25)
Ok, first off, I’ve not had the pleasure of reading anything by Eliot Grayson. But can I say this story was just perfect, sexy and cute all at the same time. Cupid decides it is a good idea to match David and Xan together. But really should you be matched with a sexy demon if you’re a human. I think yes. These two were wonderfully written and this story was hot as… well you get the point.
Sweet Treats, by Grae Bryan (4.25)
Grae is another author, I had not had the pleasure of reading yet. I do have one of their books in my TBR, so after reading this lovely short, I will be moving it up the list. Cupid’s task is to match Perri up with his mate. Enter Tobias, a rather buttoned up accountant type. But whatever you do, don’t give Perri caffeine, as he’s a pixie. These two are so adorable together. I love how Grae went with opposites attract approach to this story. It was perfect.
Looking 4 Furever, by Kiki Clark (4.5)
Hmmm, a human and a Lynx shifter… Cupid you are one sly devil. Rance has been mooning over Dean for ages now and finally gets his wish. Having Cupid find his perfect match. I found this shifter story to be sweet and not over the top with the insta love, because really, they’d known each other for a few months before Cupid took aim (metaphorically) at these two. I enjoy Kiki’s stories and this one was no exception.
Locked in Love, by Lark Taylor (4.25)
Lark is also another author I have not read before. Which is part what draws me to these anthologies, you never know when you’ll find a new author to embrace. In another opposites attract theme; we have Cupid matching a Water mage with a Vampire. Didn’t see that one coming. But what I loved was how self-deprecating Lochlan. He matches so well with Ash our less than confident vampire. This one was so much fun to read. Hats off to Lark for creating a wonderfully crafted story.
Love Me Love My Dogs, by Macy Blake (5)
This was such a fun story from Macy. Wolf and dragon shifters are some of my favorite pairs. George and Braxton are so cute. From the worldbuilding, to the prose and the character descriptions I was immediately immersed in this story and world. And seriously who doesn’t love dogs. Especially a French bulldog, named Gaston (Gassy for short). Macy embraced the fun backdrop of a farmer’s market for George and Braxton’s meet cute. But I think it was the rescue that sealed the deal. Good job Cupid.
Not So Cupid, by Mika Nix (5)
Let’s talk about more demigods and Cupid’s helping hand. Can you really trust your big brother Cupid to find your perfect match? Ruairi thinks it is a dubious outcome at best. Enter Weston, the human, Cupid has matched his brother with. This was such a wonderfully unique play on the Cupid theme. Worldbuilding was awesome – let’s meet at a Valentine’s Day event with a Love sucks theme. With Cupid involved anything goes. This was fun, sweet story that brought all the feels.
The Hidden God of Open Doors, by Tavia Lark (5)
Talk about a unique take on the Cupid H2H app setup. Rune and Raider are quick to connect through the apps chat function. The twist is Rune is trapped inside a room with no way out. He’s been left devoid of friends, family and love for a very long time. Raider becomes determined to rescue Rune from his paranormal trap. Who says the written word can’t create a perfect love match. I was intrigued from the beginning, rooting for these to come together in the real world.
Love Under the Sea, by Taylor Rylan (5)
In the last story of the anthology, we meet Silver and Charlie. Talk about a unique pairing – Gorilla shifter and a Koala shifter. This was my first introduction to Taylor Rylan, and it was brilliant. From the premise to the meet cute to the insta love, not to mention the worldbuilding and character building. All around this was a huge hit with me. That mischievous Cupid aimed high and knocked this perfect mate match out of the park (or zoo in this case).
I want to say that each and every author in this anthology knocked it out of the park. All the creativity and diverse pairings is just stellar. I highly recommend these stories and hope you will rush out to get this anthology from your favorite book purchasing site.
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For those of you that are not familiar with Heart2Heart Anthology – here is a just a little bit about what this anthology has done since its inception.
A LETTER FROM THE H2H TEAM
Can you believe that Heart2Heart has now published eight collections across seven volumes, and donated more than $175,000 to LGBTQ+ charities worldwide? We never imagined something that started as a fun little “what if” project among friends would grow to be such an incredible book-community effort, making real impact in the lives of LGBTQ+ people. Words cannot express how grateful we are to everyone who’s been a part of H2H over the years. Thank you! With this collection of stories, we’re proud to support the work of the following organizations. To their volunteers, directors, teams, and communities, thank you for all you do.
ARCH: archguelph.ca
Ten Oaks Project: tenoaksproject.org
Friends of Ruby: friendsofruby.ca
We encourage you to learn more about the work they do and show your support in any way you’re able.
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