Review of Desire Me Again, BVS’s newest anthology!

I adored this book! I’m giving Desire Me Again a 5-star rating. It’s sometimes hard to put together a great anthology collection, but overall, the stories in Desire Me Again are superb! I am, of course, not reviewing my own story, but I hope readers like it!

Renewing Forever
Virginia Wallace
David, all human, is married to Jillian, all wolf-shifter, but lately he’s been unsettled. He moved from his home in upstate New York thinking Virginia would be sunnier in the winter, he gave up his beloved Camara for a station wagon when they started a family, and now Jillian seems to be moody all the time. He’s pretty convinced she’s going to leave him. He hopes she and her family don’t eat him in the process. I really liked this story. It’s about a human/shifter marriage but it’s really a treatise on marriage itself—especially a blended or mix-marriage. Insecurity, doubts, fears, they all play a part in this story. As they do in real life. Kudos, Virginia, for this second chance between a married couple who find what it means to love forever!

Temperance
Gibby Campbell
Dominant Pete took a chance with his tarot-reading submissive, Lexie, years before and lost her. Now, long after she’d given up on seeing Pete again, the King of Swords keeps popping out of her tarot deck. The card symbolizes change. Sure enough, like the card, Pete pops back into her life. He’s successful—as is she—and seems to have matured. But can Lexie trust that a second chance will mean Pete will take better care of her heart? I loved the slight paranormal aspect of this story and the twist that using tarot cards adds. Gibby knows her stuff—both in reading the cards and writing a wonderful story that explores the D/s world.

Lost and Found: A Soldier’s Return
R.M. Olivia
Kasey is a wife who’s unsure if she wants her husband to come home from Afghanistan. Oh, she wants him alive and well, but maybe not at home with her and their two daughters. He’s been gone two years on his deployment, and part of that time he was MIA. Before he left the last time, he’d displayed horrifying behavior of PTSD—locking himself in their bedroom with his pistol. But he refused to get help. She doesn’t know now who might be coming home. Add to it, their daughters are young and demanding (as children are), and her mother-in-law has been living with them to help out with the girls. It’s no wonder Kasey needs a time-out. This tender story struck home with me as a Navy brat who saw first-hand the trials military families often face with long separations and then the coming home, which always changes things. Add the horrors of war, and a second chance at a loving relationship is harder. Well done, R.M.!

A Convict’s Prayer
Jan Selbourne
This story will blow you away, especially since it’s based on one of Jan’s ancestors!
In 1841, Eleanor Craddock is transported from Ireland to Van Dieman’s Land (now Tasmania) for the crime of stealing 10 sovereigns. Her children were starving and what’s a desperate mother who can’t find work to do? For that, she was stripped from her family and home. For some, transportation was a death sentence. For others, it’s a second chance. Which will it be for Eleanor? Jan brings this tale to life with her great writing and attention to historical accuracy. It’s a touching story that shows how hope can change one’s life. I loved it!

The Hand-cuff Proposal
Patricia Elliott
Long-time friends Jason and Cora share a house. Well, it’s actually Jason’s house. He’s a cop and can better afford to offer Cora a place to stay. Cora waitresses—normally. Just that day she lost her job. Then she came home to find that Jason had eaten her last ice cream drumstick (yum! I like them, too!). Bad things come in threes, so what else is about to happen? Jason and Cora have both developed feelings for the other way beyond BFFs, but neither is willing to take the chance of losing their friendship to bring up the matter. Until Cora lands on a plan. When looking for work, she finds an ad for a local strip joint. She can take a job there, wait for Jason to stop by on his rounds, be swept home in a wave of male protective traits and then swept into bed. It’s a great plan, right? What was that about bad things coming in threes…? This second chance will take a bit of work. Patricia really brings these characters to life. I couldn’t help but feel for them while they tried to feel their way to each other. And watching Cora work through her plan? I just wanted to nudge her around the strip joint and to some nice, family diner.

Flight to the Stars
Zia Westfield
Talon is a man under a curse. He has a connection to a falcon, but is unable to shift, something that tears at his soul. Plus, his family is under a curse. For the last five generations, the oldest son has died on his 30^th birthday. Talon’s birthday is that weekend. An emergency among the paranormal entities has brought Talon back together with his former love, Vega. With her talents, Talon hopes to find the source of the trouble and end it. Trouble is, nine years ago, Talon turned his back on her and walked away. He didn’t want her to have to face the consequences of his curse. Now, however, with only a day left, he wants a second chance to spend every moment in her arms. I loved this story! With the combination of a crisis and mystery, and the clock ticking, plus some nice comedic moments, this is a fine tale and great writing.

Together at Last
Carol Schoenig
Seconds after she hears barking, Grace is pushed into the freezing lake by a huge dog. Fortunately, the dog’s owner jumps in to save her. Battling hypothermia, they both nearly drown before Joe drags Grace from the lake and breathes life back into her. Not knowing what else to do, he carries Grace to his truck and takes her to his grandfather’s house, where he warms her before the fire and then hands her over to the care of his grandfather. When Grace opens her eyes, she thinks she’s seeing a ghost. Ian stars back—the first time she’d seen him in years. She’d been in high school and he in college when they broke up in a violent encounter. Since then, they’d married others and raised children. Are there too many years between them to find a second chance? This is a sweet and warm story that proves that where’s there’s true love, there’s always a way.

Xposé
Annabel Allen
I liked this title because it represents two things in the story: Xposé as the swinger club’s dungeon and exposé as a reporter.
Arianna is a member of a swingers’ club but we find out at the beginning that she has a reason for it beyond the erotic adventure. When Arianna is invited to join Master K in the dungeon, she thinks she’s going to find the answer to why several women have disappeared from the club and make her bones as a reporter. Instead, she gets the shock of her life when Master K turns out to be her high school love, Koran. He sure didn’t have all those defined abs in high school, or really the ability to make her want to climb him like an animal longing to have wild monkey sex. She also didn’t expect to be one of the women being snatched from the club! If something good doesn’t happen soon, she and Koran will miss their second chance! I liked that Annabel had Ava Goode and Reichen make cameo appearances in this story. Well done, well-written story with mystery and a bit of BDSM!

The Holiday Mermaid
Alice Renaud
Adam is stunned when a gorgeous, bikini-clad wonder comes up to him on the beach and invites him to take her for a drink. That moment leads to a month of heaven, and then he wakes one morning to find her gone. Now, at Christmas, Rowena has returned. She hasn’t been able to forget him, despite knowing that love between a mermaid and a human can’t be. When Adam finds her, she’s injured. He cares for her and they rediscover their love. But let’s face it, love is hard enough to negotiate without throwing in the complication of a different species! She has to return to the Morvann Islands once more, to ask for advice and help, but then she hopes to come back to Adam for good. Can they find their way to a second chance? This delightful story is the end to Alice’s Sea of Love series. I’ve enjoyed each and every book, and this story of a mermaid finding love while on holiday is a fitting tribute and great ending!

As I said at the beginning, I enjoyed all of the stories in this 5-star collection, Desire Me Again. BVS puts together wonderful anthologies, from the fabulous covers (by Jessica Greeley) to the compilations themselves. I’m proud and honored to be among the authors selected for these books.