Lonely Hearts, Posy Roberts

Love can sometimes be elusive, fickle, or lost.  It can also be surprising, transformative, and right under your nose.  In a chat room there are five men giving and taking and shunning advice regarding their own search, or avoidance, of a forever kind of love.  Meet Luther and Erik who find more than a quick encounter after a glimpse of a tattoo suggests they might have something in common.  Marc loses everything and while he's reestablishing himself he happens across the defensive, prickly, and utterly captivating Cas who's got both potential and baggage.  A geisha who's more than they appear opens William's heart to a whole new world view and how he views himself.  Shep and Andrew have a brief and enlightening experience on a battlefield only to be separated for over a decade inspiring a deep yearning that just might bring them back together.   “Figure out how you keep screwing up your happily ever after.  Once you know, you’re more likely to find the true thing.”  Each couple goes through something different but the outcome may all end in a happily ever after if they can fix what they keep screwing up.

Bent Arrow:  While I wish I had more from Erik, I loved Luther.  His desire, yearning, and struggle carried the story.  Seeing his feelings and how he came to terms with his sexuality and his feelings for Erik was believable despite the short length of their story.  It was also important for them near the end that they acknowledged their languages of love, both in their appreciation of what they expressed and commitment from that moment on to express in ways to make sure their hearts were heard.

Stroke of Luck:  Big, sweet Marc was interesting.  He felt so deeply and wasn't afraid to express himself, clear misunderstandings about himself, and to lay his cards on the table.  When he becomes overwhelmed, though, is when he has the potential for self-sabotage.  Cas is similar in that he wears his feelings on the surface.  His heart belongs to one person but as he gets to know Marc it becomes quite obvious that there's a major shift in who his most important person is.  Trying to fit everyone into the boxes he wants them to belong in is the wrong thing to do and it almost costs him everyone.  Their reconciliation was simple, no artifice, no posturing or drawing it out, no pointed jabs, just honesty.

Momo, My Everything:  The evolution of William was beautiful.  I loved watching his change.  That he owned his concerns and fear while he made conscious decisions to deny the negative and embrace the positive, to embrace Nate and everything he is.  Nate was quite interesting, such a multifaceted character that gave William the balance he needed.  He was understanding, didn't pressure William, was direct, bright, and so very vibrant.  While the actual discussion regarding homophobia and shaming wasn't had, it was clear by the end that William really did work through it all and that Nate understood his inner turmoil and demonstrated how very perfect they were together.

Love on a Battlefield:  I ached for Andrew so hard.  The story moved along slowly, cautiously, just like Andrew himself.  Every word seemed steeped in sentimentality and self-reflection.  Their ending was very sweet and showed them coming full circle but in a much healthier, freer place and state of mind for the both of them.  They got the happiness they yearned for through honesty and not letting fear steal their chance for a future.

At each interval there was a dialogue in the chat room that brought them all together in the first place and I enjoyed their banter and brief discussions.  It gave cohesion to the whole story, tying all the novellas together with a common thread of fixing what keeps you from your own happily ever after and then reporting back that love is really worth all the effort.  The wrap-up was very cute where all the couples met together to share in the love and happiness they found and the camaraderie that got them there.  Such a great collection of stories.

*$2.99 on Amazon!