Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Who says Romance can’t be found in everyday places?

Four Market-Fresh MM Romances from four well-loved, award-winning MM authors, each set in the supermarket. Follow the characters on a trip down the grocery aisle, where unexpected romance drops right into their baskets.

Whether you're drawn to the charm of modern love or the intrigue of uncanny twists, this anthology promises a fresh and heartwarming reading experience. Dive in and discover that sometimes, love is just an aisle away.

 

The Price of Happiness by Jordan Castillo Price

Between his guitar gig in a local indie band and his cashier gig at the Val-U-Mart, Angus has no time to worry about discount-pricing a vaguely-labeled can at the back of a shelf. But that dollar price is currently all that Newton can afford for today’s grocery haul, which brings him into Angus’ orbit. Can you put a price on happiness? Angus and Newton are about to find out.

 

Demo Day by Clare London

Pips has been having one of those weeks. Possibly a year of them. His bad luck with boyfriends and jobs is legendary, and seems to have followed him into his new role as this week’s Demonstrator at Your Better Buyz.

That is, until the succession of disasters at the demonstration table brings him to the attention of Marcus, the very cute marketing trainee Pips had been trying so hard – on principle - to hate.

 

Lost In by Kim Fielding

Joe Becker can’t find the dental floss. In fact, he can’t find any of the items he’s looking for in the huge, sterile supermarket he’s arrived at. Even with the help of Han, the best customer service rep Joe could ever have imagined, he’s lost in more ways than he can explain. Faced with a crisis between his life to date, and what the future now holds – what’s the chance of a fresh start?

 

Gay Nineties Night at the Pick and Grab by Dev Bentham

Seth mistakenly attends the local supermarket dating social, but quickly realises it’s not exactly his demographic. Luckily Dakota, the attractive manager, is more Seth’s age and type, and there’s no denying the attraction. Together, they watch and navigate the amusing, poignant, and turbulent love stories unfolding for the other customers - from a romantic wrangle over cocktail peanuts to an anguished love waiting from afar - and discover a story for their very own.

 

Book Review

A fantastic anthology, this book features four authors who have brilliant storytelling skills. Combining their talents with a common theme, they’ve put together a creative, fast-paced, entertaining, and refreshing view of meet-cutes and romances at local supermarkets. Who knew it could be so rewarding to shop?

 

The Price of Happiness by Jordan Castillo Price

This was a sweet story with a unique meeting of main characters. When a young math genius, Newton, is down to his last dollar, one he happened to find, he encounters a blue-haired musician, Angus, who is working part time as a clerk at the local grocery store. Angus has marked a can labeled only as “Happiness” down to ninety-nine cents simply because he can’t figure out where to shelve it. Newton purchases it with his dollar and sets off a chain of events that begins a beautiful relationship.

 

After a nice dinner date, the guys open the can, which to their surprise does indeed include happiness for them and a glimpse at their future HEA for readers. I loved the creativity of this story, the witty banter, the whole meet-cute circumstance and the surprise can of happiness. Very nice for so short a story.

 

Demo Day by Clare London

Pips is a disaster in that he can’t seem to hold a job. He either doesn’t fit or doesn’t like the work, or he missteps in some way and ends up unemployed. He’s having the same luck with boyfriends, so when he catches his current one with not one but two guys, he finds himself free for the week instead of going on their planned vacation. Deciding to volunteer for demo days at his current place of employment, a smalltown supermarket, is the best decision he ever makes.

 

Marcus is a marketing trainee from corporate, the sort of “fat cat” disparaged by Pips, loudly, when he meets a disaster at his first demo. Unfortunately, Marcus is there to witness Pips’s opinion of headquarters. It’s a good thing Marcus thinks Pips is adorable and is totally infatuated by the end of the day. These two definitely have a meet-cute and what they find is that they complement each other in many other ways as well. They’re a good team on the job, which their bosses might recognize, but more importantly, a good team for each other.

 

This story was fun and filled with humorous and memorable secondary characters, the sort that make a short story feel complete. Definitely a great addition to the anthology.

 

Lost In by Kim Fielding

This story is not at all what it seems to be when it opens with Joe looking for dental floss in a vast and nearly empty supermarket late one night. The place is filled with just about everything else, including a few aisles of chocolates and a handsome otherworldly clerk named Han. The story takes a paranormal spirit-filled twist as it moves along, and Joe finds much more than he bargained for. Not only does he meet and flirt with Han, he’s given an opportunity to change his life’s direction, a chance for a do-over. Han and Joe are destined to be together as their chemistry shows, but just where exactly will this future together take place? 

 

Kim Fielding brings her own brand of humor and plot twists with a measure of spooky to this story, and, of course, leaves readers pleasurably content with a large dose of speculation as Joe and Han just may find their paths crossing again in a different time and location.

 

Gay Nineties Night at the Pick and Grab by Dev Bentham

When Seth finds out the gay nineties night at the supermarket is not actually a night for gay men to socialize, but instead is a night for senior citizens, he’s disappointed until he meets Dakota, the store manager—the very gay store manager. They hit it off and once Dakota gets some break time, they make time to get to know each other, so to speak. This story is made even better by the host of senior citizens enjoying their “gay nineties” and one particular gay couple who have been estranged for decades. Seth and Dakota work their persuasion magic to get the old guys back together and along the way find that they themselves are perfect for each other.

 

This one was a very nice story by an author I haven’t read yet but will now be seeking out. The characters were memorable, the meet-cute sweet, and their HEA is a real possibility.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by one of the authors for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Anthology/ 4 novellas, 201 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	12-August-2024
Price	$4.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D9353L49