Cruising Anthology by L.D. Blakeley, Michaela Cole, Matthew Dante, Jeris Jean, S. Legend, Duckie Mack, Garry Michael, Michael Robert, and Harper Robson.

 

From the Cruising blurb:

Skimpy swimwear? Check. Shenanigans on the ship? Check. Nine exclusive steamy and sweet mm romance stories? You better believe it!

Cruising is an MM anthology featuring nine brand new, vacation-themed short stories ranging from friends-to-lovers rom coms to steamy billionaires and rockstar spice.

Authors included in the anthology are: L.D. Blakeley, Michaela Cole, Matthew Dante, Jeris Jean, S. Legend, Duckie Mack, Garry Michael, Michael Robert, and Harper Robson.

Heather's Review:

Wow - the Cruising anthology really does have it all - from sweet second chance romances to Domestic Discipline, parents who announce they've been in a polycule relationship for fifteen years and strangers who sit next to each other on a plane and bond over turbulence...

What I will say is that I would have liked to have a short blurb at the beginning of each story with a little bit of what to expect, because the stories are in alphabetical order by author and it made me feel a little like a ping pong ball, switching from sweet to kinky, to steamy and back... while I did enjoy all of the stories, I probably would have read them in a different order...

That being said, you get a lot of bang for your buck and I definitely recommend grabbing this anthology - you won't be sorry!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Sarah C's Review:

I read the entire Cruising anthology and I absolutely loved it. This book has every kind of trope you can imagine: friends to lovers, strangers to lovers, age gaps, enemies/rivals to lovers, MMM, Daddy/boy, Rockstar/bodyguard -- even a conman and his mark. Of course, with an anthology, you find that there are some that don't really do it for you, but I found myself hooked even on the stories that I didn't care as much for.

I think my favorites were the Duckie Mack (which is who I got the ARC from), Jeris Jean, and Harper Robson. Harper Robson is a new to me author and I'm about to venture onto Amazon to check out their backlist. While these three were my favorites, I could probably rave about each of the stories in the novel.

Hell, there were a few that I wish we had more of - particularly the Garry Michael short My (Un) Lucky Charm. The way that book ended had me bated and wanting more of the story to see what happened AFTER everything.

The angst and steam levels varied from story to story, as did the POVs.

Honestly, this book has a little something for everyone and is just an amazing summer read. I highly recommend it!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Janet's Review:

This was a seriously fantastic stories by a diverse group of talented authors. Each author brought a different version of a cruise romance to the table. Each story was fantastic in its own rights, and I struggle to give each of them their own separate star. 

With that being said I’m going to put an average of 5 stars, only one or two I would have given a 4/4.5 with the majority being a 5.

Each of the stories were sooo freakin good! Rockstars, forced proximity, co-workers, age-gap, boss/employee, polyamory, childhood friends to lovers and even con artist! 

Please don’t ask me to pick a favorite because each author brought a great story forth and I loved them all!!

Rating: 5 Stars

Amy_tbs' Review:

Cruising was one of the hottest releases this year with some of the best MM authors out there and they did not disappoint this was an absolute blast and i had so much fun reading it. With an amazing selection of Novellas and a galore of different tropes to suit anybody's needs. From Insta-Love, Enemies to Lovers, Age Gap, Boss/Employee, Poly, Rockstar, Friends to Lovers and so many more....

Cruising is a well crafted Anthology made up of 9 stories that is perfect for summer/beach reads or if you're are just in the mood for some short, steamy but sweet fun!

Rating: 5 Stars

Angel's Review:

What Happens in Niagra Falls by L.D. Blakeley is a cute summer read. Who wouldn't want to fall in love during a cruise? I thought this was funny,cute , detailed and really well written. Perfect for summer! 5 stars. 

Till Dock do us part by Michaela Cole was not my cup of tea.. The story starts out with Pierson and Xander in a intimate scene. I wasn't prepared for there to be knife play in this, I really think that there should be a heads up about that. I don't particularly enjoy reading about knife play or dom/sub relationships. I had a difficult time finishing this one but pushed through. Overall 3.5. 

The Devil Wears Pink by Matthew Dante was a bit of a miss for me. I didn't like how the story was written, or the characters to be honest. They were just one dimensional, the story did get better the more it went on but I am still not a fan.  

Rating: 3. 

All Hands On Deck by Jeris Jean has been my favorite so far. I loved the surprise trip both families surprised their sons with. And the poly relationship between both sets of parents. Something else I loved? The characters! I fell in love with Mateo and Colby, watching them come back together after 6 years apart was so sweet and spicy. This was really well written and all of the characters added something to the storyline. Plus it's a funny read as well. 

5 out of 5

Help Me, Zaddy by S. Legend is a daddy/boy story. Now for me personally, I'm not a fan of that trope so I didn't really enjoy this one as much. But! I can acknowledge the fact that the characters and the story were really well written. So while this isn't my cup of tea it was still good.   3.5

Tricked At Sea by Duckie Mack had me smiling with only a couple pages. This story starts out with puppies being  born. I mean... Who doesn't like puppies? Then! Then the main character listens to Crow's Nest. That's a reference to her Love Bank series. That just makes me happy seeing references like that. 

I loved Trick and LeeLee, they were so cute and adorable. Not to mention they compliment each other so well, they just work good together. The overall story was excellent, the part where they got to hold a sloth made me want to "aww" out loud. Duckie knows how to make characters/stories that you can't help but fall in love with. 

5 out of 5 stars! 

My (Un) Lucky Charm by Garry Michael was a good premise but it fell flat for me. I understand that all of these are short stories, however, I think the characters in this were rushed. Them getting together was rushed. They met on a plane, then hung out on their cruise and then intimate scenes. I personally didn't enjoy this story I just couldn't get onboard with the characters. Rating: 3.

The Butler by Michael Robert was interesting.. This was another story I just couldn't get into. I think for people who love the daddy/boy trope and age gap would love this story, however, I am not a fan of the daddy/boy trope. That's just my preference. I think this was well written and you can tell there was a lot of thought put into this. It just wasn't for me, unfortunately. 3.5 

Making Waves by Harper Robson was a wonderful way to end this great collection of summer stories! I loved how Penn slowly started to share his true self with Hunter. And I also loved how Hunter was so amazed by Penn, he was also supportive of Penn's idea to open "The Open Door". This story was cute, sweet, and had all the heat to add to the sizzling summer. A solid 5. 

Overall, I loved some stories and I didn't love others. That's just how it goes sometimes but I still loved reading all of the different authors takes on summer cruise love stories. I highly recommend this anthology to anyone who wants an excellent read on a summer day. 

Rating: 4 Stars

Cruising is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription