Review: Wild Passions edited by SL Armstrong

When K Piet got in touch and asked whether I would consider reviewing this anthology of stories containing anthropomorphic heroes, I have to say I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it.  I get a bit squicky about non-human heroes and have in the past been put off when a hero looks too much like an animal or has features too far removed from human.  However, never let it be said that I won't try anything new, and so I decided to take her up on the offer of this anthology.  I'm glad I did because on the whole all of these stories were very enjoyable and not off-putting at all.

The anthology consists of six stories which are all very different in tone and subject.  As there are so few stories, I'll do a quick round up of what I liked/disliked about each story:

City of Foxes by Cornelia Grey
This story is a futuristic/sci-fi set in an unknown city.  Jake has returned to the city after a long absence - for what reason we never really find out - when he discovers some militia about to abduct a young child of the fox people.  In helping the child escape, Jake is injured and then rescued himself by the leader of the fox people, Liam.  The pair grow close over time but Jake is hiding some secrets and Liam is in danger of losing his leadership because of his friendship with Jake.  What I liked about this one was the world of the fox people and the sadness of their persecution.  Jake and Liam worked as a couple, their romance believeable and the relationship that Jake has with the young fox kid, Kye, added a touch of lighthearted sweetness to the drama of the story.  What didn't work as well is that I was left with a lot of unanswered questions about Jake, especially how and why he his powers, and also the story ends a little suddenly for my taste.  Having said that, the romance was sweetly handled and there are several exciting action scenes which kept me on the edge of my seat.

Trust Me by Elizabeth Hyder
Koit is a half human/Shterpi who is training to be a space pilot at a remote academy.  He's quite happy using his minor empathetic powers to get girls to sleep with him.  His best friend Sera is convinced that he needs to explore the other side of his sexuality and so signs him up to the website SuckAnyCock.com. This leads Koit to having several sexual adventures with men as he attempts to discover whether being bisexual is his thing. There was one major negative to this story and that was the classic example of the Interfering Female Friend to be found in Sera. She thinks that because she is bisexual then Koit is missing out in not trying out men. I found her so irritating that I was literally grinding my teeth whenever she was on the page. I just couldn't see why Koit put up with her or the reason way she is so obsessed with his sexuality - it was creepy.  The positives were that I really, really liked Koit.  His journey of sexual exploration was well written and very believable, and I particularly liked that he's lacking in social graces but is still baffled when some of the men react badly to him. There's a light humour to the writing which worked well with the theme.  If Sera hadn't had so much page time I would have enjoyed this a lot more.

Alpha's Pride by K Piet and SL Armstrong
This was a story set in a world where men and cats/wolfs have mutated to become cat or wolf men - I think, anyway!  Alec is one of the lovers of Nahele, the Alpha in their tribe, but he sees so much that isn't being done well that he decides to challenge Nahele for position, something which could destroy their friendship.  The parts of this story which worked for me was in the character of Alec and his struggles both internally as to whether he should do the right thing and challenge Nahele, and physically after the challenge.  I felt all of his anguish and frustration, especially in trying to be a good leader.  What didn't work as well was the way that the situation was resolved by sex.  One part of the sex was a bit brutal, but actually that was well within character and situation, however, I would have liked to have seen them resolve their differences outside the bedroom.  But that was a minor niggle in a story which was well written with some interesting touches to the setting.

I Do Like the be Beside the Seaside by Wayne Mansfield
Jason moves in with hot new room-mate Panos, who despite the sweltering heat of a Greek (I think it was set in Greece) summer, wears turtleneck tops and long trousers.  After just over a week of getting to know each other, Panos reveals why he has to keep himself covered up all the time. I think this story was supposed to be a bit lighthearted and sexy but it missed the mark for me mainly because I didn't really feel I got to know the characters that well.  Panos' origins are never really explained and Jason is just characterised as a 'nice guy'.  The men fall too quickly for each other, and I found Panos a little difficult to like, even whilst understanding why he was so snappish.  There's a lot of sex which is used mostly for padding, especially the final sex scene and because I hadn't engaged too much with the heroes, I found I wasn't actually that bothered about reading the sex.  Having said that, there were some fun ideas and I thought that the way the men solve their problems was silly enough to make me smile.

Opening Worlds by Cari Z
I have a total girl-crush on Cari Z's stories and so I was really excited when I saw that she'd written one for this anthology.  Once again she didn't fail, and this story was my favourite from the anthology.  It tells of lonely luxury space ship captain, Jason (yes, two stories with a Jason as a hero!), who is a little bit fed up that three Perels are joining his ship on the last leg of their space-tour.  Perels are known for being alluring creatures with the sexual habits of tom cats.  Jason is still nursing a broken heart and prefers not to sleep around so he decides to keep himself as far away from the Perels as possible, something which proves difficult when politeness means that he meets Ferran, one of the Perels who takes an interest in Jason.  There were two things that I particularly liked about the story. The first was the way that Ferran and Jason slowly get to know each other. The dance around their attraction was wonderful to read and all the more satisfying when they give in to their feelings. It was all just so romantic!  The second thing was the world-building which was done so deftly with little incidental details slotted in amongst the larger information about Perel society.  The only niggle that I had was that the ending was just a tad convenient, but I forgave that when the rest of the story had been such a delight to read.

Songs for Guitar and French Harp by Angelia Sparrow
Arthur is the son of a bear construct, a lab created human/bear hybrid.  The primary function of a construct is to be used for whatever purposes the humans deem necessary, whether for lab experimentation, slave labour  or to be used as a sexual toy.  Arthur is lucky, his mama escaped the labs and fell in love with Frank, a blind man.  They've joined the circus circuit where Frank plays his guitar whilst Arthur's mama dances and Arthur sells teddy bear toys which look a bit like he does.  When Arthur sees Gordon, a beautiful lion construct, he is entranced but the road to love is not smooth for these young men.  Out of all the stories in the anthology, the heroes of this one are the most animal-like.  Normally, I would find this off-putting, but actually for most of the story the relationship is that of young love with nothing but cuddles and shared kisses.  The way that the affection that Arthur feels for Gordon is shown was so sweet as was his astonished delight in his new feelings and in nurturing them.  In terms of setting this one, of an alternative universe early 1900's USA, was the most compelling and interesting out of all the stories as the author weaves in the vibrant world of the circus with the sinister dangers for the construct people.  My only niggle was that there was so much detail in the story that it overwhelmed the romance a little, especially as I wanted to know more about Frank, who had all sorts of interesting secrets!

Taking the anthology as a whole, this is certainly well worth reading.  If you've shied away from anthropomorphic heroes in the past, then I would urge you to give this anthology a go because maybe, like me, you'll be surprised at how good writing and interesting plots can overcome any reservations.  I'm recommending this anthology with a grade of 'Very Good' and am looking forward to more new releases from what is turning out to be an inventive and imaginative publisher.

Buy this book HERE.