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*Please note all my reviews have been cross posted to the relevant stories as well* Bill's Christmas Gift - comicfan This made me smile and cry at the same time. It was in part a wonderful story of how Bill finds he has more friends and family than he thought he had. The other part that made it sad for me was not only was the love of his life dead, but Jonny didn't get the chance to meet his nephew and the other members of his family that still cared. A wonderfully written piece, from one of my favourite authors. Boxed In: A Christmas Story - Headstall Loved it! Clint was actually very sweet in his own way, even when he wasn't talking. Daddy Issues - Sasha Distan An interesting take on the Egyptian Gods. Faeries Anonymous - Valkyrie I want more! I loved it, but I wanted to know more about all the characters. I think Val's got the beginning of a great series here. Family Matters - Sasha Distan Nice short story. I liked the way it jumped between the past and the present. Although Jamie and Blaine are going to find their love life seriously dented once there's a baby around. Finding Refuge - Headstall A sweet story. I wanted to get hold of the father and Cletus. The father to give him a taste of the 'medicine' he gave his son. And Cletus to shake some sense into him. He should have realized what he had before it was too late. Maelstrom - Valkyrie This story was thought provoking. My first reaction to Val's question was NO! Once a drunk abuser, always a drunk abuser. BUT! That was a knee jerk reaction and I decided to sleep on it. I thought about people I knew where something had happened to chance their attitudes/behavior. I thought about myself and how my attitude/behaviour had changed over the years depending on what happened to me. So, do I think people can change? YES! But, I would wary of someone who has a violent past. Stepping Through the Mirror - Headstall invisible and forgotten. I wanted to shake Blake's parents. They remembered he had this 'art thing' but the other siblings were more important. No chld is more important than another. I felt for Blake's trust issues when Ryan tried flirting with him. And lastly I cheered when they left together for their happy ever after. The Legend of Treehaven Woods - Valkyrie I liked this one but I wanted more. I wanted to know more about the legends surrounding the woods. I wanted to know more about the community. And I definitely wanted to see more of the blooming romance between Matthew and Kater. Trade Deals - Sasha Distan I like how Anubis told the rude person to walk and took the others on the barge. I also liked how Set had to beg for help from the one God he seemed to really hate. I think the ending was my favourite bit though. Anubis seemed to have grown up and fallen in love. It was a sweet ending. Voli Me Tangare - aditus *Tissue Warning* I can't imagine never being with the one I love, and yet being linked to his mind always. Only having small things to remember him by. Living on the hope that one day we will be together again. A great story, but very sad as well. Waiter, Waiter - ME All comments are gratefully received. Overall I loved all the stories in this anthology, all for different reasons. I had fun participating for the first time, and have had even more fun reading and reviewing all the other entries. My thanks go to everyone involved with this anthology and I look forward to the next one.

It's time to take a look at another story. This week, Timothy M has provided us with a review of Confounded by Andr0gene. This is actually one of my favorite stories by Andr0gene and I've re-read it a few times. I hope that you enjoy it as much as Timothy and I did. Confounded by Andr0gene Promising Author Reviewer: Timothy M. Status: Complete Word Count: 24,632 What happens when a self-confident, possessive but caring man with a huge capacity for love and sex falls head over heels in love with a sarcastic, prickly and skeptical guy who isn’t used to showing his feelings and has no intention of getting involved with his boss? Yup, you’ve guessed it: Sparks fly! Nobody does this scenario better than Andr0gene, and my favorite story is Confounded I (together with the even better, but as yet Incomplete sequel Confounded II). Meet Mitchell and Taylan who might be said to embody the concept ‘Opposites attract.’ They spend the early part of the story teasing and arguing, while being hopelessly drawn to each other. Fireworks are probably more accurate than sparks, and whirlwind romance and seduction could be other good descriptions for Confounded. The story switches from one POV to the other, and while this may be confusing in some stories, it works well here. We start off with Mitchell explaining his interest in Taylan and go on to chuckle about Taylan‘s mistaken belief that his boss is straight and married. Of course, he’s somewhat excused, because Mitchell does have a son, Kit, who plays a huge role in his life as well as in the story. In addition, Kit is the main character in the sequel, even though we also learn more about the volatile, but fun relationship of the two adults. It’s kind of hard to pin down why I appreciate the way Confounded is written. But the dialogue and the internal comments from both men make me laugh, and I have several favorite scenes and phrases I like to revisit. The McDonalds breakfast, the game store visit, the ‘sexual preferences’ talk, and of course the initial scene where Taylan tries to brush Mitchell off. The latter features these typical reactions of Taylan towards his boss: He glanced sideways with those slate-grey eyes of his. At the moment, there was a curious look in them, but for some reason, I got the weird thought that they could become stormy if he was angered enough. *** That was the damn problem with him; he was an asshole, yes, but a damn attractive one. Well, that's in the eye of the beholder, isn't it? This beholder thought he was; I couldn't deny that he was attractive. *** "We had a server crash today because someone was downloading heavily. De mail server bottomed out." Almost immediately, his eyes went, tada; stormy. Uh-oh, not good. "Who?" Came the curtly asked question through clenched teeth. "That's what I'm trying to find out," I replied shortly, "so...if you don't mind? Sir?" The situation deteriorates from there, and while Mitchell may be domineering and determined, he has more than met his match in Taylan. There is tearful drama, but it’s fun and heartwarming, and I couldn’t help cheering Mitchell on in his pursuit of Taylan. I also felt proud of Taylan for knowing when to fight and when to fold and accept the inevitable. You might be surprised at what it took. Please give Confounded a try, and if we’re enough readers yelling for ‘More!’ I’m sure Andr0gene will finish the sequel. Part 2 is already more than twice the length of Part 1 and has even more fun, drama, tears, and romance. Don’t hesitate to read both, because the main issues of the sequel have been resolved, and we’re simply waiting for the mop-up. Or even better: for Andr0gene to be inspired to unfold new scenarios featuring the awesome, huggable guys of Confounded. There is a story topic, but it's been inactive since 2011 http://www.gayauthor...ded#entry292373, but the sequel has a story discussion topic which has been more recently active: http://www.gayauthor...ounded-part-ii/.