As the subtitle of this anthology well explain, this is a collection of yaoi stories, so I will not spend time underlying story per story that they are more or less inspired by the common yaoi themes, pretty boys, seme and uke, not always consensual sex and so on… because of course they are.

Your Fantasy or Mine by A. Steele: Kevin and Seth are co-workers and best friends, only that Kevin is straight and Seth is gay, and Set has a big crush on Kevin and Kevin… well Kevin doesn’t know exactly what he has for Seth. This is a gay for you theme, other than a yaoi theme represented by Seth being Korean and very pretty and very gay. Kevin instead is all American boy and skirt-chaser and has no problem to admit that he likes Seth, but he doesn’t like that Seth has a penis. He even arrives to find a woman that is an exact replica of Seth, minus the penis. After some months of this pushing and pulling, Seth is tired and he does a careless move, so careless that Kevin will experience way more of what he would like about the gay sex (and here is the non con sex). I have to admit that, even if I usually don’t like the non con-almost raping sex scene, this one was well plotted and described, and there is more than one proof that, even if Kevin was not of the mind to experience it, he was along for the ride when he found himself in the middle of it (even if it was Seth that was actually in the middle…).

Amorela Veritath by Eon de Beaumont: the story started quite in a serious way and I was almost thinking, oh well, yet again a fantasy, I don’t like so much fantasy… but then it suddently turned into a joyous farce on everything that is myths and legends. The magical Unicorn is a young, and pretty, and gay boy who was raised by a Dragon. When his foster mother passes away, she tells him to go and search for an Hero, and when the Unicorn asks where to find one, she said a tavern would be the most likely place. Only that the only available Hero is an apprentice accountant that wants to change his life, and he actually doesn’t believe the young boy with a small unicorn on his forehead is a real unicorn. From the moment they start their special quest to find other Unicorns, the two young men will meet Vampires, Gryphons, Harpies, Assassins and also a Prince Toad. And in the meantime, they will manage also to explore each other in any possible way, and well, in this case I should warn the reader that the Unicorn doesn’t exactly represent virginity…

Bitter Fruit by Imari Jade: I’m not sure I fully liked this one, but that is a problem of mine with bisexual men. The story is set in Japan and it’s one of the most classic of the yaoi subtheme, the young pretty boy with the face of an angel who will become a pop star. The man who discovers him is also the one falling in love, and the love is mutual, but there are two little problem: the older man is not sure to be able to renounce to women (even if is main concern apparently is that he likes breasts, and men don’t have them) and the younger man is not sure he is gay, because he has never had sex nor with women or men. One night where it’s impossible to understand who is the seducer and who the prey, both men will find out that they are plenty of able to satisfy each other, in any possible role, but this is not an happily ever after ending, this is only the beginning of a path where both of them will make a lot of mistakes, but at least the sex is always good.

The Daemon Within by BJ Franklin: like the story before, also this one is set in Japan, and again the main characters are a classic of the yaoi theme, beautiful male model young boys with almost feminine looks. Only that, these young boys are not your ordinary pretty men, they are demons in human body, half-brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of evil and dangerous creatures… and as such they live like careless teenagers. They share an home together, they eat, love and f**k together, and even the villains are beautiful, and apparently not so dangerous. Reading this last story sometime I had the feeling I was playing some videogame, and even when the characters were in danger, I was thinking, well, if I reach the game over, there will be always another life, will not?

I think that the common trait of all these stories was to be more funny than anything else, they pushed quite a lot on the lightness button, and after all, I prefer them like that; if I have to choose, I think my favorite was “Amorela Veritath”, and that is strange, since usually I’m not a big fan of fantasy setting.

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