Kiss, Kiss! Stories of Love and Cake MM Romance Anthology
LE Franks Books
August 27, 2020
220
Tortured pasts. Hopeful hearts. Seven unforgettable adventures of men loving men and their stunning journeys towards a happily ever after.
Affection never comes easy, but it’s always worth the ride. Whether it’s a sensual blindfolded taste-test, a whirlwind Christmas courtship, or a squirrel shifter rescuing a naturalist, romance can stir the unlikeliest of souls. And now these handsome hunks from all walks of life are about to land the man of their dreams…
From heartbreaking revelations to out-of-this-world affairs, join a diverse cast of leading men as they fight closed minds, conflicted desires, and overwhelming passion. From zany flash fiction to thoughtful novellas, this creative collection of short works celebrates love in all its wondrous forms.
Will these gorgeous guys find their homes in each other’s arms?
Kiss, Kiss! Stories of Love and Cake is an exquisite anthology of gay romance snapshots. If you like memorable characters, jaw-dropping surprises, and beautiful connections, then you’ll adore LE Franks’ passionate tales.
Reviewed by Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Seven stories all by the same author and all about men finding love. The stories are a combination of novellas, flash fiction and short stories and I will say just enough about each story to whet your appetite hopefully giving you a reason to read this book.
Birthday Cake: 5*****Stars A Short Story
It is Marcus’ thirtieth birthday, his lover Jordan is away on assignment and has been gone four weeks. No one in his office even acknowledged his birthday and his friends all but ignored it. Needless to say this was not turning out to be a joyful birthday and the weather is just adding to the gloom. So upset that when he manages to get inside the apartment he is in a rush to remove his clothes, but we all know wet clothes don’t remove so easily. Frustrated he bangs his head into the front door and then feels warm hands touching his body. Four weeks without his lover has just set his brain into overtime and everything Jordan does leads Marcus to believe he is breaking up with him. This will be a birthday he won’t forget, food, champagne and birthday cake is just a tip of the iceberg but is it a birthday treat or a goodbye treat.
After: 5*****Stars Flash Fiction
My first flash fiction story and what a story it was. A love so bright until after……….
Snowglobe: 5*****Stars Short Story
A beautiful story about falling in love, a story about an unexpected love and two men whose lives are anything but normal. Kris has Tourette syndrome but yet owns a Christmas shop that he fills with his handmade snow globes. He relocated from LA to Minnesota where his neighbors were thrilled to have a famous artist in their midst until said artist turned out to be gay and with Tourette’s. Suddenly he was someone no one wanted to have anything to do with. Tyr, a young man who has taken on the care of his ailing uncle and his cousin Bun who suffered brain damage at birth. Their first meeting was a mess and Kris suffered a case of brain freeze. A man who doesn’t fit everyone’s normal, another man who has his hands full caring for his family both needing love but is love possible with so much baggage between them.
Deck the Palms: 4****Stars A Christmas Romance
Chess and Benjamin have been having a sexual relationship only Benjamin wants it to be exclusive and Chess is a man who likes casual. Benjamin knows that they are travelling down separate paths and if he keeps seeing Chess it will eventually lead to a broken heart. A Christmas trip they were going on to Aspen was a no win trip for Benjamin, Chess would do his usual flirting and touching and when they returned home it would be over so he found a way to cancel his part. Coming to the rescue is family who would have thought that family could possibly be the catalyst to a HEA. There was one sentence in the story that I truly had never heard before and found it to be short and positively true, love means never having to call 911.
Of Nuts and Men: 5*****Stars – Shifter Romance
Sawyer is out camping when he is chased by a mountain lion. Sawyer is convinced that he is the lions next meal or snack and climbs as high as he can up a tree. The mountain lion leaves after marking his territory leaving Sawyer stranded because as he rushed up to safety he managed to break the branches necessary for his escape. Being stuck in a tree is nothing compared to what he faces when a cute little squirrel decides to visit him. Jamie is a squirrel shifter living with mountain lions. He is a foster kid and the others in the family do everything they can to play tricks on him. With no other choice Jaime has to reveal himself and what happens from then on is just too cute.
How Humanity Survived a Fisting by the Titans: 3***Stars Flash story
I missed the meaning behind this story which doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Take this as a challenge to see if you can see what I missed.
Last First Kiss: 5*****Stars – Short Story
This was a story that was heartbreaking, a story of loss, a story of running rather than facing the truth. Henry Keller, Danny Anderson and Jeremiah (J) have been friends since second grade and in senior year of high school J finally came to realize that he was gay but hid it from his two friends for fear of losing them. We live in a world where communication is becoming a dead art, texting rather than speaking is the new norm and so much pain could be erased if we only learn to face our fears and communicate. It is Danny’s funeral and a gun put an end to his life bringing Henry and J back together again after years apart. All it took for J to run was seeing a kiss, a kiss that was misinterpreted and which just caused pain instead of joy. All the emotions are present, anger, sadness and, well that is for you to find out for yourself.
A wonderful anthology filled with all manner of love stories, short stories, novellas, flash stories, angels, shifters the stories ran the gamut and each one a journey towards love.