Gingerbread Hearts edited by Judy Underwood

Gingerbread Hearts
edited by Judy Underwood
Pages: 108
Date: November 2012
Publisher: Ylva Publishing
Series: None

Review
Rating: Overall: 4.025
Read: November 3 to 4 2016

Holiday Outing by Alison Grey
Coming Out, Family, Slice of Life, no romance

A woman of 25 has known for a while that she's a lesbian, has even had two girlfriends by this point, but has yet to come out to her family. Her sister talks her into doing so.

Certain amount of humor. Certain amount of . . . timing.

Rating: 3.5

November 3 2016

It’s in the Pudding by Emma Weimann
Family, Dentist, 'Romance'

A woman hasn't had a relationship in 2 years. She thinks she might want one now. It's Christmas time and it's traditional that the person who finds the almond in the almond pudding can make a wish and 'it will come true'. So, the woman wants that almond. There's this wish she's going to make (involving finding someone for herself). She finds the almond. And breaks her tooth on the almond. And so has to go to the dentist on Christmas day (or is it the day before? I forget now).

Rating: 4.12

November 3 2016

Devgo by Corinna Behrens
Dog, Scrooge, bisexual, no romance

Businesswoman tosses and turns in her bed Christmas Eve. Bells ring that it's midnight. Brightness fills room. Businesswoman blinks. Looks over, sees mini devil on her window sill. *reader thinks to self: ah yes, so this is a Scrooge story*

hehe. Woman barks questions at the tiny devil. Devil just blink at her lazily. Woman becomes annoyed by the non-response. heh.

Ah, the title of the story corresponds to the mini-devil's name (*reader in thought: new thought, not scrooge retelling*).

This is confusing. The woman is acting like it's just normal to have a tiny devil appear. And to yell at it. Then be confused when it doesn't make an appointment instead of just show up. Yes, confused is right word. Confusing.

Okay, so - Devgo works for both God and the Devil when they don't know where to send someone. Of everything I read so far, that's the most confusing part. No, not what you might think - the part where they wouldn't know where to send this specific person. Everything points towards a specific direction. Nothing seems to point the other way. So, what's the confusion for God and the devil? hmms. oooh! heh. Of course. Shesh, I should stop with rambling during stories. Of course, when I do that, my reviews end up being like two words long. Which is probably better, but still. Right, so here the 'confusion' is the part wherein neither God nor the Devil want this woman to be joining them. Ah. heh. Another theme I've heard before.

And . . . the reoccurring problem with this collection of stories continues. These stories are just way too short. They are just snippets for the most part. Not full short stories. Ah well.

Rating: 3.43

November 3 2016

A Magical Christmas by RJ Nolan
Family, kids, multiple parents, bisexual, dog, romance, Annoying ex(es)

A woman with kids learns that her ex-husband has, once again, bailed on taking the kids for a weekend. And so her plans with her lover have been ruined.

Story from the point of view of both Kris, and Erin (Erin being the 'a woman' above).

It's funny, in its way, but the fact that every story before this one in the collection had nothing even approaching 'erotica' makes the bits here annoying. This is the fourth story and now people are going to start fondling each other and stuff? mmphs. Yeah, I'm actually kind of annoyed. I know I already said that but . . . something.

heh. So, a departure from the earlier stories - a bit of eroticism (very very tiny bit, more visible due to the complete lack in the earlier stories than for any other reason), and a fuller story than the others. Less of 'just a snippet'.

Rating: 3.7

The Christmas Grump by Jae
Security guard - mall, kid

Hmm. Story starting out with a vague feeling of 'I've been here before' (story-wise).

And . . . yes, I've read this before. At least I think I have. Darn. This is at least the second time I've excitedly started in on a Jae story . . . only to realize that I'd already read it - last time it was, I think 'Morning After' which I had read when I read the book 'Depature from the Script' (if I have the titles right). Here the title of the story is the same. Just two different short story collections. This one and 'Love Beneath the Christmas Tree.' And looking at that collection - the next Jae story is also in that collection. So, it's as if there are no Jae stories in this collection - no new ones. I feel annoyed by that fact. I'd be even more annoyed if I hadn't gotten this collection here for free (just like I had gotten that 'Morning After' short story for free as well).

Well, guess I'll have a reread or two then. I mean, it has been 2 years since I read that other collection.

So, since I didn't write anything for that other collection -

This story stars Rachel, a security guard at a mall at Christmas time. She's grumpy because of all the arrests she's been having to make. While she's running around attending to 'incidents' she keeps spotting a specific boy all by himself in a toy store in the exact same spot, day after day. Near lego toys. Starring at them. If this was a story in one of the other collections I read recently, I'd know instantly what was going on (that or if I hadn't read this before) - ghost! But no, this is a Christmas collection, not one of my Halloween collections.

mmphs. How annoying. Apparently I got something in both of my eyes at the same time. They are both wet and stuff. No idea how that could have happened.

Rating: 4.8

Kissing Ms. Santa Claus by Jae
Family, kid

Ah, now I know why both stories are in both collections (as opposed to just one) - the two stories are connected. Rachel and Lilian (who I didn't even mention - mother of that boy who was looking at legos - Tyler) reappear in this story here. A year after the earlier story. And Christmas again.

Rating: 4.6

Overall
Holiday Outing by Alison Grey - 3.5
It’s in the Pudding by Emma Weimann - 4.12
Devgo by Corinna Behrens - 3.43
A Magical Christmas by RJ Nolan - 3.7
The Christmas Grump by Jae - 4.8
Kissing Ms. Santa Claus by Jae - 4.6

Total overall rating: 4.025