Heart2Heart: A Charity Anthology Volume 2

Forget Paris, R.G. Alexander:

Forced to organize the anniversary charity event in Toronto instead of his dreamed-of moment in Paris, Martin is undeniably testy.  Despite the bluster, short temper, and sniping he captures the attention of Luke, the very helpful and very attractive bartender.  After accepting an offer to experience a bit more of Toronto before Martin has to leave, he discovers that there might be something more to Toronto for him than Paris...but his little adventure is just beginning.  The start of Martin and Luke's story has an interesting beginning and goes from mopey to sexy very quickly.  We'll get to see their "conclusion" at the end of the anthology...

Los Angeles, A.E. Wasp:

Kurtis and Zane are very cute together.  I accepted the characters without in-depth background or well-established motives because their hearts were so very obvious.  They also didn't play games.  The honesty and desire for depth and something lasting was very clear from the get-go.  At first meeting they were adorable, from Kurt's lack of smooth to Zane's upfront honesty.  I will say that the back and forth between present and Kurt's flashback-ish moments was a bit difficult to get into at first, but it grew on me and became a nice change from the story line progression normally used.  While the end came a little too soon for me, there was such a great connection between Kurt and one of his patients in addition to what he was building with Zane that the sentiment and intimation of something long-lasting and expanding was fantastic.  I just really wanted more.  3.5 stars.

(ARC of this book was provided by this author)

Cincinnati, Aimee Nicole Walker:

This story was merely okay for me.  It wasn't as transformative as I hoped.  We get to know Evan through Lucas' eyes and the picture isn't exactly pretty despite their long-lasting friendship.  Evan is sweet, kind, but a playboy and Luke is a late-blooming virgin in love with Evan, his best friend.  A lot of time was spent defining stereotypes which felt like a waste of page space since we're all pretty well aware of the myriad of stereotypes ascribed to gay men.  It didn't enhance the story or Luke's situation at all.  Why were they best friends?  Why are we just told that Evan did a lot of proving to Luke but we didn't get to see any of that at all when the main thing we know about Evan was that he willingly bedded a lot of women prior to the big revelation moment?  Without the actual evolution of their relationship the sweetness of the epilogue is lackluster and more like a gloss-over with an overview.  2 stars. 

Oakland, Alexa Land:

Rick and Ryan's first meeting was definitely less than stellar and first impressions are difficult to change.  At their second meeting, though, it doesn't take long for their situation to bring out the best and the damaged parts of them and both men end up yearning for more.  Their separation was predictable based on what we learn in a letter but it's the way Rick goes about seeking a reunion with Ryan that has me falling for him so hard.  Their reunion was cute and while it was an HFN it held so much promise.  3.5 stars.

Cape Town, Alison Hendricks:

This story had a really great start.  We really got to know both men very well right away which laid out their biggest individual vulnerabilities and insecurities.  It ended quite abruptly though.  With a vague mention of more but a sweet sense of hope to accompany it I can't say it was unsatisfying, but I can't say it was the best point to end on either.  The dual POV was nice but I might have been willing to sacrifice that for more of a story than a super nice first date with vague mentions of maybes and possiblys regarding career and romance.  Mitchell and Lucas had a ton of potential with such a great set-up that the story just seemed too short.  It was nice but I just wanted more.  3.5 stars.

Boston, Annabella Michaels:

Harry and Milo were surprisingly awesome.  I was immediately interested and then when they really meet for the first time I became enchanted.  The surprise was both in their abilities and warmth for one another and I couldn't get enough.  The ending felt natural for a segue between the end of their date and a hint toward their future.  I genuinely liked both men but more in a general sense that they were both very good men and almost made for one another.  I'd love to see this couple in a longer story.  3.5 stars.

Athens, Charlie Cochet:

Nico was an archaeologist lamenting his unknown nemesis only to find out that his nemesis could very well be his forever love.  Aedan is a thief pursuing something he's willing to let Nico do all the work to acquire and yet there's something that makes him second-guess his life's profession.  There was more a sense of yearning than actual conflict between these men and with all the sexual chemistry added to that it was difficult for me to sink deep into their story.  The resolution was nice, not a lot of a plan for the career move or repercussions of defiance, but the gesture toward a happy future together was a good one.  I liked that both men were changed by their encounter before they were reunited.  3 stars.

Denver, E. Davies:

Jaden and Henry were so real and honest.  I enjoyed the honesty and forthright nature of both men especially concerning Henry's revelation.  That questions and desires could be discussed and shared went a long way to making their relationship believable.  We really got to know both men well by the end, enough to know that they truly fit and complemented one another.  It was fantastic that there was no magic cure at the end, but that the progress was there and it felt organic and real.  4.5 stars.

Melbourne, Eden Finley:

The individual motivations in this story was quite different from the others we've read thus far and I have to say I really liked the direction it took.  The sniping between Marty and Luce was more amusing than grating and they were very sexy together.  Their dynamic was slightly unexpected and really hot.  Their story's "end" was very cute and had loads of potential.  4 stars.

San Francisco, Hailey Turner:

Right from the beginning I felt like I was there with them.  From a cute beginning to great characters to a nice ending that was very light-hearted and hopeful, I enjoyed reading this one.  The donuts meeting their doom was funny and the best part was the consumption the next morning.  Eliot's love of sweets and Bernard's love of rum give a quirky-cute vibe to both men that make them memorable.  3 stars.

"Cavities are an acceptable risk for deliciousness."

Scotland, K.M. Neuhold:

Maverick was much more of a free spirit than Tucker but both men seemed to genuinely fit together.  They were good characters that I truly liked.  Specifically, which character ended up making the life change felt natural and believable for their personalities and inner wants despite the practicalities.  Those were skipped in favor of story length giving us another HFN rather than an HEA, but it was their intimacy progression that felt the most fitting for the story.  It wasn't rushed and it was more subtle while still maintaining the spice.  3.5 stars.

Washington, Lucy Lennox:

I really, really liked these men.  Cam and Josh were amusing and caring, very warm right from the start.  Their sexual chemistry was there also but it felt more comfortable than incendiary.  They were awkward at times yet so honest and sweet.  Tender and flirty and all the things.  The ending was a good combination of sexy and sweet and with only three sentences we're shown how they tied together for now and forever.  4.5 stars.

New Orleans, Macy Blake:

Antonio and Paxton's beginning was quite awkward.  I almost cringed when Antonio shot off at the mouth, but the immediacy of the making-nice to apologize was really good.  My initial impressions of the men were that Antonio was shallow and arrogant but for his family while Paxton was a downer and pessimistic.  Those impressions quickly changed, though, and their interactions felt much more fluid and interesting.  While I'm not exactly sure how much I liked the cousin's visit I won't deny that it was pretty sweet and gave a sense of the family's inclusion of Paxton going a long way to making me believe that their romance would become pretty solid.  3 stars.

Toronto, Max Walker:

The drama here was much bigger than the story length could accommodate.  It felt contrived.  Between Brody's family tragedy and mascot trouble to the poaching it felt like there was way too much to resolve in such a short time.  Not enough attention was given to the couple.  Jordan and Brody's connection was definitely there but I didn't find the humor to be, well, humorous, and their interactions felt more awkward than anything.  The dinner scene was nice and while the setting was a bit more fantasy than I expected, it was trying to fit in all that crazy that made it less special than it could have been.  Aside from everyone and everything feeling like it was all trying too hard, there was potential there between Jordan and Brody that I would have liked more of.  2 stars.

Boston, May Archer:

An unfortunate first impression gives way to something more, something deeper, something neither Taika nor Ethan ever expected.  I kind of liked their awkward start because while their contention felt juvenile (age-wise) with their temperaments and reactions, it felt relatable.  Their back-and-forth was highly amusing, especially their ridiculously cute texting and their confessions were beyond adorable because they were so heartfelt coming from men who were pretty untried in the serious-relationship department.  Their dynamic for being together and making things work out was very right for the characters.  And that epilogue?  Cute and much appreciated.  4 stars.

Baltimore, Ruthie Luhnow:

I was slow to warm up to both Michael and Adam.  Michael never really grew true confidence outside of the sexy times.  It was as if Adam had the potential to bring it out in him, but I'm not convinced that it'll last and encourage Michael to want to make individual changes to grow as a person.  Adam seemed to tap into something softer and a small change that could lead to something more between them was there, the seed just needed germination.  By the end I was kind of on the fence about the two both individually and together, but they were still intriguing enough that I hoped they'd get everything they needed and would find a way to make a future between them work.  2.5 stars.

Atlanta, Sloane Kennedy:

I was a little apprehensive as to where this story was going when we first meet Ryan and Knox.  There was a little awkwardness but Knox endeared me to him straight away.  It's clear at the outset that there are some really big issues in both of their pasts that both align and could keep them apart.  There was a lot of healing, sweetness, and tenderness between the two men (and I'm always a sucker for a big, bad, tatted hottie that's a giant marshmallow inside).  The big reveal was all kinds of awkward despite the good intentions and I'm not sure if I liked how that all played out.  The sentiments and sentimentality was there from the instigator, it was just cringey-awkward as all get out.  The ending was sweet with a hope for more.  3 stars.

Oh...Canada, R.G. Alexander:
Martin and Luke find their first connection is definitely the type to last longer than Martin's business trip.  But it's also clear that lots of sex didn't cure his neuroses completely.  Luke's humorous take on the level of bluntness necessary to get through to Martin really saved both their romance as well as the written story.  I kind of liked the men, more Luke than Martin, but their final "scene" was where it brought their initial meeting and the entire anthology full-circle.  The guest-list additions were awkward at best; tossing a mention of other couples invited to the event last-minute despite not really being near them in location nor were they even formerly acquainted was more out of place than the author intended, I feel.  Overall the happiness was there even if we didn't really get a chance to see how they progressed outside of the overview we got as an explanation for why Martin extended his trip.  3 stars.

**I have to admit that I was generous with these star ratings most of the time because I felt it was my own dislike of an HFN ending rather than something that felt like a solid potential for an HEA that affected my feelings for the stories.  Once I realized all of them would be HFN's, despite being surprised by a couple epilogues, I tried to not be so upset by that.  Some stories caught me off guard with their lack of depth and ability to grasp and keep my attention because many of the authors are ones I enjoy.  So make of that what you will...Volume 1 was FAR better than volume 2.

*$4.99 on Amazon!

*All proceeds from the sale of Heart2Heart Vol. 2

are going to the authors' favorite charities

which include:

Trans Lifeline

Rainbow Railroad

The Ali Forney Center