Overall 3.5 stars

This is a rare thing, an anthology which I have liked all the stories in. Some more than other ones, that's a matter of taste. But everyone with a really good quality threshold IMHO.

Summer Hire by Chrissy Munder - 3,5 stars
Cute

Lost and Found on Lindisfarne by JL Merrow - 3,5 stars
Charming

Salt ’n’ Vinegar by Clare London - 3 stars
Lightly sad

Werewolves of Venice Beach by Lou Harper - 3 stars
Very good and dissimilar characters

By Quarry Lake by Josephine Myles - 4 stars
Sweet. ( )

Lost & Found on Lindisfarne - Adorable. Castles, Viking re-enactors, a child that acts like a child, a deadlocked hippy, and monk-licking. All written with the author's familiar humour. Loved it.

Lost & Found on Lindisfarne - Adorable. Castles, Viking re-enactors, a child that acts like a child, a deadlocked hippy, and monk-licking. All written with the author's familiar humour. Loved it.

This is a refreshing, fun, and very summer-y anthology of entertaining stories that made me smile. All of them are set in the UK, and they all conveyed a feeling of lightness and enjoyment - even the one I kept expecting to take a darker turn. It didn't, and I loved that.

Summer Hire by Chrissy Munder captivated me right from the start. I mean, a story with a first sentence that reads "Jim Carlson had nothing against porn." is bound to be funny, right? Well, that or seriously hot. Turns out it is a bit of both and I loved exploring Jim's struggles to keep reality and his very hot fantasies separate. Until they merge - and the real fun starts!

Lost and Found on Lindisfarne by JL Merrow is a very cute story about a father who takes his twelve-year-old daughter to a historic faire and encounters an extremely hot Viking. I loved the verbal play between Chris, the father, and Ian, who impersonates a berserker Viking, as much as the historical detail, and the slowly unfolding romance between the men.

Salt 'n' Vinegar by Clare London takes place in the seaside town of Brighton, and is the story of Joe, who has a summer job in a typically British Fish 'n Chips shop, and Steven, the hottest guy Joe has ever encountered. Their developing romance is passionate, but the question is if it can last beyond the summer...

Werewolves of Venice Beach by Lou Harper is the story I kept expecting to turn darker. What - with "werewolf" in the title it is bound to be about paranormal creatures, right? Little did I know what turn Lou Harper's mind would take in this story, and, without revealing anything more, let me just say this is not a dark story at all and turned out to be one of my favorites! Not that I have anything against werewolves, but they just wouldn't fit in this delightful collection!

By Quarter Lake by Josephine Miles features on of my favorite themes: a reunion! Tommy, who ran away to university to try to pretend he was neither gay nor attracted to Rob, returns to his home town. He wonders if Rob even remembers him. Now that he is ready for more, he is not at all sure Rob will even talk to him. The hesitant "getting to know each other all over again" vibes were expertly handled and, needless to say, I loved how things turn out. ( )

Overall I'd give this one 3.5 stars.

Individual ratings under the spoiler tag;



Summer Hire By Chrissy Munder - 3.5 stars. Very cute and sweet read about a former bad boy turned good and his summer hire. Good chemistry and HEA ending.

Lost And Found On Landisfarne by JL Merrow - 4 stars. I loved this. The Viking actor and the single dad. Sweet and sexy good times.

Salt and Vinegar by Clare London - 2 stars. This was my least favorite story. I was expecting sweet summer loving, and instead got a boatload of issues, angst, and abuse. Which I could of worked with, but the story ended on a maybe HFN. Maybe.

Werewolves of Venice Beach by Lou Harper - 3 stars. This one was tough for me to rate. I liked the plot and most of the quirky characters. (and the 'twist' of the name) But I really just didn't like one of the MC's. He seems to shamelessly use people and never really redeemed himself by the end of the story.

By Quarry Lake by Josephine Myles - 2.5 stars. Childhood friends meet up again when one moves home. This one didn't grab me like the first two, but it was sweet. ( )