Hot Comfort

Title: Hot Comfort
Authors: (anthology) Maura Anderson, Luisa Prieto, Jet Mykles, Kimberly Gardner
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: Contemporary M/M
Length: Novel (400 pages)
Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

THE BLURB

Blazing hot stories to warm the cold days from four authors who know how to turn up the heat! Join manlove authors Maura Anderson, Kimberly Gardner, Jet Mykles and Luisa Prieto for toasty romantic tales to comfort and inspire a little bedtime snacking!

 THE REVIEW

The first thing you need to know about this anthology is that the stories have been published before, and three of them have been reviewed previously on this site in more depth. The above blurb doesn’t reveal much more than the names of the authors so I have provided blurbs for each story in addition to the reviews.

Cooking with Ergot by Luisa Prieto – 4.75 stars out of 5

The Blurb

Dominic is a witch, Carter is a descendant of infamous witch hunters. When Carter’s cousin attacks him in a parking lot, Dominic comes to his aid. Just what can the two men expect from one another, especially when Cousin Simon is determined to eliminate another witch from the world?

The Review

This book is magical from the first page in more ways than one. The author, Luisa Prieto, sucks the reader in with her prose and dialogue and the two protagonists are both beta characters, with Carter being almost naive in spite of his family background. The scenes in the book take place mostly in Dominic’s house where Blaise, the familiar, reigns supreme. Some parts of the story are hysterical as Blaise wages war with Carter, in a nice way, because he doesn’t trust him. The other element that’s woven into the fabric of the story is the food. Oh my! The recipes. Since Dominic is the host of a cooking show and Carter also knows his way around the kitchen they manage to cook up some tasty treats both in and out of the kitchen.

Cooking with Ergot is well plotted, with terrific secondary characters including Carter’s crazy cousin Simon and Dominic’s brother Justin. There is a fair amount of action, danger and threats to both Dominic’s and Carter’s life which make the story exciting, and the magical elements add another dimension.

This writer has a unique voice and style of writing and she creates creepy story elements out of shadows. She strikes the right balance between being funny, romantic and sinister. If you met the main characters you would think of them as low key, certainly not flamboyant witches, until the magic enchants you. The sex was great but even in bed there were funny aspects to the lovemaking.

Altogether a terrific read. If you like fantasies you will love Cooking With Ergot.

Devon Cream by Jet Mykles – 3.75 stars

The Blurb

When Steven helps his neighbor Devon move into the studio apartment upstairs, he can’t help but drool. And that’s all. Devon is straight and totally off limits. Knowing, though, doesn’t stop the desire Steven fights every time the two men are together, which is a lot since Steven has decided to take Devon under his wing until the young man can get his life together

The Review

This is a sweet romance with emphasis on the word “sweet”. The story doesn’t have quite the “bite” that I’m accustomed to from Jet Mykles and while there is nothing wrong with it, the plot is fairly predictable and there was really no BIG MOMENT to grab me. At times I found the next door neighbour Patty to be controlling and a bit of a pain and I wished that Steven would tell her to butt out more often, but in the end she redeemed herself. However, I couldn’t rationalize Devon’s explanation of his sudden switch from straight to gay when he thought that Steven might have been stepping out on him. Also, his character changed from loving “puppy” to aggressive wolf during the latter half of the book which left me wondering which was the real Devon.

Devon Cream is a nice summer read with likable characters and I think you will enjoy it if you’re looking for something light. Even though I have only rated it 3.75 stars, the book has quite a bit going for it and Jet Mykles is, if nothing else, an excellent writer.

Giving Thanks by Maura Anderson 4.5 stars out of 5

The Blurb

It’s another Thanksgiving for lovers Derek and Troy. Another holiday to pretend they are merely platonic roommates in the chaos of Derek’s family celebration. When Derek snaps after one too many confrontations and admits he’s gay, his father disowns him on the spot. It’s going to be a quiet Thanksgiving…or is it?

The Review

This is Maura Anderson’s first M/M story and I think it was a very good debut for her in a different genre. The characters were well developed and three dimensional and the author didn’t shy away from the intimate sex scenes which were warm and loving in addition to being very hot. Ms Anderson obviously has a lot of experience, due to her many het romance books, in making sure that her protagonists are real.

This is the first book that I have read from Ms Anderson and I was impressed. Giving Thanks is a “feel good” story – it’s about Thanksgiving after all, but the author didn’t just phone in the story – she took the time to introduce some complexities into it and gave us a picture of a loving family headed up by a very strong mother who dealt quite effectively with her bigoted husband who was still living in an era where being gay was considered reprehensible. The story was funny and heartwarming and filled with lots of delicious food. I could smell the aromas wafting into the book – either this author really loves food or she’s trying to make gluttons of her readers. I hope that this is not Ms Anderson’s only venture into the M/M genre because she seems to have an instinctive touch for creating realistic gay male characters that are not caricatures.

My only regret was that I could not live in Troy’s and Derek’s world a little longer.

Bittersweet by Maura Anderson 4 stars out of 5

The Blurb

Erotic chocolatier Brandon makes all sorts of tempting and tasty creations that celebrate love and sex. Too bad he’s given up on finding love for himself after his last lover told him he wasn’t worthy of a real relationship just before he dumped him.

When David picks up an order of chocolates for his best friend’s wedding, he wonders if the muscular, tattooed Brandon will taste sweet or bittersweet… After David finds out that Brandon is gay, he needs to step up and let the sexy chocolatier know he’s interested, but can he screw up the courage to do it?

The Review

Even though Brandon makes sweet creations for his clients he’s not into sweetness and light for himself, having had a bad experience with his previous lover. He definitely doesn’t like men in suits and if they try to get to know him better he thinks they are slumming. His attitude has put off many potential lovers before they even have  chance to ask him out. The newest “suit” is David who thinks that Brandon is really hot, but Brandon doesn’t want any part of David, even though he is very attracted to him.

Things come to a head with David who gives Brandon an ultimatum and he has to decide whether he will let a bad experience colour his love life forever. 

I think you will like David and Brandon who are a fun couple, and Brandon’s creations kick start their romance

 The Shape of a Heart by Kimberly Gardner  4 stars out of 5

 Still grieving his partner’s death after two years, Zach Jensen takes solace in his work and his memories. But when his sexy new employee offers more than just help with the inventory, Zach is forced to face the fact that the past is cold comfort.Keith Hart is used to life on the run, treating each new place as no more than a temporary stop. Until he meets the man with the hole in his heart. Against his judgment, Keith reaches out to Zach while a dark menace from the past reaches out for Keith.

Will the threat prove to great? Or can they come together and win their future in the shape of a heart?

The Review 

 Zach has not moved on with life since his partner Jay died. They had been together for 10 years and the hurt was just as fresh as yesterday. Then Rhoda, Jay’s sister and now his partner, hired Keith Harte who reminded Zach too much of Jay. At first he demanded that she fire Keith because he couldn’t bear being attracted to someone else, but soon Keith worms his way into Zach’s heart with his baking, cooking and most of all, his body.

But there’s a dark cloud hanging over them and the threat of a stalker who could tear them apart. When Zach realizes that he could lose Keith he rushes to the rescue but will he be too late? 

At first I didn’t really like Zach’s character because he was a bit ornery but he soon warmed up under Keith’s engaging personality. Keith was the stand-out in this book for me and although I thought his stalker was a bit of a red herring, who was at best one dimensional, I really liked the story.

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The theme of this anthology is food in all its different forms and passion is ignited through various concoctions. The characters are all well drawn and appealing and the stories are a wonderful tribute to the culinary arts as well as the romance that weaves its way throughout these 5 tales ignited by the smells and tastes of one special sense.

This is a terrific anthology even if you have read 1 or 2 of the stories. Definitely recommended!