Short stories are not enough to develop emotional connections.Luring Lucy by Lori FosterAll Lucy was looking for when she went to her vacation home was in innocent fling to quell the yearning she had felt since her husband died four years ago. She never expected her longtime friend Bram to lure her into a love affair so hot.Cooper’s Fall by Lora LeighFormer ranger turned bar owner Ethan Cooper never expected to get an eyeful of prim Miss Sarah Fox from his attic window one hot summer afternoon. But now his blood is on fire for the delicious little minx.The Edge of Sin by Cheyenne McCrayZane Steele lives a life of extraordinary danger as a government agent and has never let anyone get too close. Then he sees the one woman who changes his life forever.Wanted: A Real Man by Heidi BettsClaire left her high school sweetheart Linc, in search of a better life. Ten years later she needs his help as a U.S. Marshal to find her missing daughter…Linc's daughter. Reeling with the knowledge of a daughter he’s never known, Linc sets out to claim what’s his. "Real Men Last All Night" Anthology 4 1/2 stars. Overall a very good anthology. "Cooper's Fall" by Lora Leigh. My rating: 3 1/2 - 4 starsGood story with intriguing characters. The good girl virgin Sarah and the bad boy bar owner Ethan. She lusts for him and decides to go for it. His resistance doesn't last long and their romance is hot and sweet.*****Spoiler*****The only negative is the author decided to give the leads a previous encounter in the past (which only one of them remembers) tied to the heroines background which seemed far-fetched. It didn't seem to add to the story.It's possible these characters may be connected to another series by the author in which case it would make more sense. However, it wasn't enough to ruin the story for me and I would read it again."Luring Lucy" by Lori Foster. My rating 3 1/2 - 4 starsI had read one other story by Lori Foster which didn't impress me so I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this short story.Lucy, a widow, decides to head to her her summer lake house to have fling. Bram, her husbands best friend (who loves her from afar) realizes why she's gone to the lake house and decides if she wants a fling, it's damn well going to be with him!I loved how he pursued her relentlessly and let her know from the start he wanted HER. A little bit of conflict but no annoying "big misunderstanding". Great second-chance story."The Edge of Sin" by Cheyenne McCray. My rating 5 stars.I loved this story! If you look at my ratings I rarely give 5 stars but this story rocked. The lead character is the brother of Lexi Steele, McCray's heroine in another series (which I have not read). From the first scene where Willow & Zane meet it's like spontaneous combustion. I loved their chemistry and even though their romance moved at warp speed it felt natural. For a short story the characters were well fleshed out and even the suspense sub-plot worked.Mostly, I really liked both characters. So often I find one of the leads (usually the heroine) to be annoying or lacking, not so in this story. I've read some of Cheyenne McCrays Ellora's Cave offerings and have liked them but this is my favorite by her."Wanted: A Real Man" by Heidi Betts. My rating 2 stars.The author can write but the heroine ruined it for me. She is everything I can't stand in a heroine.*****Spoilers*****Claire didn't want to give up her dreams and stay in a small town so she dumps her hometown boyfriend Linc and runs off to the big city. 10 years later she's divorcing her rich husband and turns to Linc to help her find her daughter whom her husband has taken and is threatening never let Claire see again.Early on you find out that Linc is actually the father of Claire's daughter. I HATE the secret baby plot device. There was no good reason for Claire to have never told Linc about his child. He, of course is angry but gets over it fast because he still loves her so much.The worst part is Claire never really apologizes for her deception and she even admits that her husband has been a good father and loves her daughter very much. Then she gets to tell her daughter that the man she loves is not her father and TA DA! Here's a new daddy for you.I felt Claire should have had to grovel and I felt she was completely unworthy of the hero.*****End Spoilers*****
Four short stories1. Cooper's Fall by Lora Leigh - I've been reading some less than good Bound Hearts books so I wasn't expecting much and ended up really liking it. Sarah met Ethan by chance years before but was so fascinated that she ended moving next door to him waiting for him to notice her. Two years later after seeing her nude sunbathing, he finally notices her. There's a mystery regarding her past that comes into play. Very good story.2. Luring Lucy by Lori Foster - Bram has always been in love with Lucy even before she married his best friend. 20 years later, Lucy is a widow after a horrible split from her husband. After Bram finds out that Lucy's finally ready to move on with some anonymous sex, Bram freaks out and drives as fast as he can to catch up with her. Very sweet, romantic, sexy story.3. The Edge of Sin by Cheyenne McCray - I've not cared for the two full length novels by this author so had no idea how I would like the short story. It was actually really great. Zane sees Willow in a park and is instantly drawn to her. They find out they know some of the same people. There's an attempted kidnapping and someone gets shot. I really liked both characters and enjoyed this story.4. Wanted: A Real Man by Heidi Betts - Claire left Linc when they were in high school to go to California from Pennsylvania not knowing she was pregnant at the time. She married someone for convenience and out of fear not wanting to return home and not knowing how to support her daughter. 10 years later she's getting a divorce and her ex-husband-to-be kidnaps her daughter. She goes back to Linc who's a Federal Marshall to get her daughter back and they reconnect although at first Linc hates her because she left without really saying why and broke his heart. Very good story. This is the second short story I've read by Heidi Betts and enjoyed them both a lot. Her full length books are about women in a knitting club - which made me put the book back when I found it in a used book store. But after really enjoying both of her short stories, if it's still there I've going to buy it. I would recommend this book. For an anthology, this is one of the most well written I've read - even with the horrible title.
—casd
Cheyenne hooked me from page one with the ice cream scene. As I was reading it, I had a hankering to make a trip to the local ice cream parlor. The restaurant sexcapade was funny and sexy. I like how C.M. stated the bathroom was clean. It would have to be squeaky clean for me to get busy in one. :)The rest of the short story was just as hot and didn't lack in funny moments. There was a brief encounter with some bad guys but that was quickly wrapped up and the story ended on a funny/sweet moment.
—shammma
Really liked Cooper's Fall by Lora Leigh, and Luring Lucy by Lori Foster
—janausi
4
—saju
