Myths and Magic: Legends of Love By Anne Regan

Title	:	Myths and Magic: Legends of Love
Author	:	Anne Regan
Rating	:
ISBN	:	-
ISBN-10	:	9781615813735
Language	:	English
Format Type	:	ebook
Number of Pages	:	344
Publication	:	First published October 14, 2010

The 1002nd Arabian Nights Tale – Michael Gouda
Scheherazade tells yet one more story (never before recorded) of a Prince in peril on the high seas who is rescued through the heroic actions of a handsome sailor. Will the tale—and the storyteller—be enough to win the Sultan’s approbation at last?

A Fairy in His Bed – Corinna Silver & Aundrea Singer
When Daniel Tibbits, recently single, unhappy, and in the grip of terminal writer’s block, inherits a teapot from his great aunt, the last thing he expects is for it to contain a fairy named Quinn. After Daniel saves Quinn’s life, Quinn grants him a wish and stays with him as Daniel decides exactly what that wish will be. The problem is that despite Quinn’s best efforts, Daniel doesn’t believe in fairy tales or happy endings.

Kissing the Dragon – Heidi Cullinan
Bao Fischer, born Korean but raised in middle America, can only see his “heritage” as an excuse for people to treat him differently and wants to leave it behind. So why is he dreaming of a dragon every night? The day his dreams start to overlap into the real lives of his overbearing boss and the hot barista at the office coffee stand, Bao needs to figure out what the dragon is trying to tell him before it’s too late to set things right.

Something Pipeth Like a Bird – David Cheater
Bored with tending sheep, young Judean shepherd boy Yosef follows the music coming from a nearby ruin, never expecting to encounter a Djinn. But Masul is nothing like the demons described in Scripture… and Masul finds himself surprised by the Human as well.

Greenleaf’s Blessing – M. King
Rhynn, orphaned as a child and apprenticed to his village’s Herb Mage, is a man whose trade—a potent mix of herbalism and magic—creates distrust even among those who ask for aid. After an unexpected encounter drives away the one person Rhynn considered a friend, he flees into the old forest… only to meet the wood’s guardian spirit, who awakens the dormant power within him.

On Wild Wings – Connie Bailey
Chuneh is a dragon rider, partnered on border patrol with She Who Is Sister to the Sun. Though older, wiser, and mightier than mankind, even the she-dragon cannot explain how a young male has reached Ascension without being sensed by any other dragons. Sadorey is not a typical dragon, as Chuneh is about to learn—to his cost and his delight.

The Sower and the Reaper – Helen Madden
Hosa, from the Red Sky clan, came looking for a God when a meteor storm wiped out his tribe’s crops. Ozzie doesn’t look like any God Hosa has ever heard of, but the only chance to redeem himself and save his tribe from starvation will be if Hosa can convince Ozzie to perform a miracle.

The One – Ariel Tachna
Trapped in human form when an injury prevents him from shifting, Rylan is befriended by Thorin, a man with a dangerous secret. Rylan has a secret of his own—in his other form, as a unicorn, he’s as hunted as Thorin. While Rylan knows he should leave before Thorin discovers the truth, Thorin has an allure that’s almost impossible for Rylan to resist.

Of Genies and Sea Monsters – Scarlet Blackwell
A buyer and seller of gems, Ephram leaves to seek his fortune, only to find riches a poor substitute for his lover, Eber. Desperate to return home despite the sea monster that blocks the way, Ephram enlists the help of a boisterous genie, a mysterious magician, and even his landlord. Only by completing a series of seemingly impossible tasks will Ephram have any chance of being reunited with the man he loves.

The Wild Hunt – Cari Z.
David Evans was five years old when he first witnessed the wild hunt on Halloween night. Fascinated by its magnificent leader, David returns to the same spot year after year, hoping to prove worthy to be chosen by the hunter. But can a mortal ride with the Tylwyth Teg and survive?

The Light of Foreign Places – Rodello Santos & Damon Shaw
Jai is a seducer, winning converts for the Snake Goddess, Striyn. At the holy carnival outside the desert city of Ramsha’hla, Jai meets Duphal, one of the few city dwellers to respond to the carnival’s attractions. Duphal is attracted to Jai, too, even though in his culture, to act on that attraction is punishable by death….

Night and Day – Rowan Speedwell
Nate Pederowski is about as far down as he can go when he’s tipped to a job as a singer in a speakeasy. A veteran of WWI dishonorably discharged for being “queer,” Nate is embittered and lonely. The club’s handsome owner, Rick Bellevue, is wowed by Nate’s voice and offers him the job, and Nate’s life is about to change in ways he can scarcely imagine, let alone believe.

The Flower Boy – Belinda McBride
Starving student Philip Yeoh can barely make ends meet while he attends art school in San Francisco. With his rent coming due, he spends the last of his money on flowers to sell on a busy street corner—a plan that seems to be a failure until an odd, androgynous young man approaches him, also selling flowers. Since Lan looks even more destitute than Philip, the young student buys a handful of flowers from the stranger. Within minutes, Philip’s luck changes, but when he offers to buy the rest of the stranger's flowers, Lan will only accept a kiss in payment—a kiss that literally transports Philip to another world.

Myths and Magic: Legends of Love Reviews

Nikyta

Because this is an anthology, I have decided to write a brief description of the story on here. A more detailed review is posted on my blog, just follow the links. :D

The 1002nd Arabian Nights Tale by Michael Gouda was a short story of a princess retelling a tale from a past time. While a bit confusing at first, it is still enjoyable.

http://ncjenks.wordpress.com/2010/10/...

A Fairy in His Bed by Corinna Silver & Aundrea Singer is about a man named Daniel, who’s dealing with writer’s block, accidentally inheriting a fairy when his aunt dies.

http://ncjenks.wordpress.com/2010/10/...

Kissing the Dragon by Heidi Cullinan is a rather interesting read. About an American Korean, who doesn’t want to be Korean, dreaming dragons, coffee barista’s, and an overly arrogant boss. It’ll give you a few laughs, some aww moments and a definite smile on your face when you’re done.

http://ncjenks.wordpress.com/2010/10/...

Something Pipeth Like a Bird by David Cheater is about a young shepherd meeting a Djinn. When the Djinn loans the shepherd a blanket for the night, they realize all they’ve learned about each other’s species is rather different from what they’re experiencing.

http://ncjenks.wordpress.com/2010/10/...

Greenleaf’s Blessing by M. King is a rather enjoyable story about a boy getting rejected by his best friend and then meeting a man who shows him it isn’t wrong to love other men.

http://ncjenks.wordpress.com/2010/10/...

On Wild Wings by Connie Bailey is about a scout finally finding his soul mate after years of wishing for one. Only to realize his mate is being held captive by a powerful wizard.

http://ncjenks.wordpress.com/2010/10/...

The Sower and the Reaper by Helen Madden is about a boy who goes looking for a God who can make a miracle happen to his starving village but finds the God he’s looking for doesn’t work for free.

http://ncjenks.wordpress.com/2010/10/...

The One by Ariel Tachna is about a black unicorn finding his mate in the one pure man who aids him when injured by hunters.

http://ncjenks.wordpress.com/2010/10/...

Of Genies and Sea Monsters by Scarlet Blackwell features Ephram and his desire to return home to his love. In order to that, he has to find love for a genie, a magician and a sea monster.

http://ncjenks.wordpress.com/2010/10/...

The Wild Hunt by Cari Z. is about a young David first seeing the wild hunt when he was five and the subsequent years after that until he is finally ready to join the wild hunt for life.

http://ncjenks.wordpress.com/2010/10/...

The Light of Foreign Places by Rodello Santos & Damon Shaw is about Jai, a seducer, and Duphal, a general’s son, finding love and then having to escape death to be together.

http://ncjenks.wordpress.com/2010/10/...

Night and Day by Rowan Speedwell - All Nate wants is a job so he can eat and pay rent. When he applies as a singer for a private club he gets way more than he bargained for not just with love but with crazy Gods as well.

http://ncjenks.wordpress.com/2010/10/...

The Flower Boy by Belinda McBride - When Philip meets a young man while selling flowers on the street, he gets transported to another world, experiences love, and returns home to finally meet the father he never knew.

http://ncjenks.wordpress.com/2010/10/...
Jay

Slash Reader: Hey all, I'm going to go ahead and post this while I can remember better the details of the stories contained within this novel--a.e. before I start the next one. I keep thinking when I post reviews for short story anthologies that I don't really do them justice. For me, Myths & Magic was really a mixed bag of tricks. There weren't any stories in here that I would say were poorly written for any reason; however, there were a number of short stories that were simply not my type. The stories in 'Myths & Magic: Legends of Love', contained all sorts of stories, all with a fantasy based. Of course there were a number that I enjoyed more than others. :)

The 1002nd Arabian Nights Tale by Michael Gouda was the first story in the volume. This story was not one of my favorites, I felt like the author was trying a little too hard with some of the prose in the beginning. However, the story plot it's self was funny and quiet amazing. Thus some of the over the top moments, I feel were included on purpose for the sake of humor.

A Fairy in His Bed by Corinna Silver & Aundrea Singer was a lot of fun. This story featured a down and out writer who's boyfriend left because he could be with 'a male cat lady'. The story really kicks off when he gets a tea pot that he inherits from a dead English relative. But, the tea pot comes with something that is totally unexpected.

Kissing the Dragon by Heidi Cullinan was the story of a young Korean boy who was adopted by American parents at birth. Essentially he wants nothing to do with his heritage and would prefer to be a normal white boy. Thrown into another world with his crush and he must learn to accept himself and who he is... if he can't do that, then they will both probably die.

Something Pipeth Like a Bird by David Cheater is set in a middle eastern world and is about a young Shepard boy. One night while watching his sheep he hears a beautiful music played by one of the Djinn.

Greenleaf’s Blessing by M. King was one of my favorite stories in this volume. There was a very almost innocent feel to this story about a young herbalist's apprentice. After an uncertain set of events beside the pond, he ends up lost in the forest where he meets the heart of the greenwood.

On Wild Wings by Connie Bailey a story of magic, shape shifters and dragons. I had no idea what to expect out of this story from page to page. On the whole it really kept me on my seat as I tried to figure out what was going to happen to the main character as he meets the other half of his heart only to find that he's imprisoned by an evil sorcerer.

The Sower and the Reaper by Helen Madden was one of those stories that you come away from uncertain whether you love it or you hate it. God's have been created by scientists to help the world. Due to the fact that the scientists couldn't fix the problems with the world. The story it's self takes place a long time after this and revolves around one of the 'gods' and the young boy who seeks his help.

The One by Ariel Tachna's story was okay but I in truth found her handling of the 'soul mates' notion rather cliche. It was not a bad story it was just very a 'romance', without a lot else. That being said, I did like the way she changed the mythology of the unicorn and worked with it to create the story.

Of Genies and Sea Monsters by Scarlet Blackwell was a wide sort of adventure and was my least favorite story in the book. It is not a bad story but it is one of those crazy little stories that is just wild and full of comic stupidity. On I, simply do not enjoy this kind of work but it was fun.

The Wild Hunt by Cari Z. was by far my favorite story. I had a little trouble with her handling of the character as a young child. For a four year old he was very grown up. I think that the story would have benefited a lot if it had picked up with David being slightly older. However, I still really loved the story of the boy and his yearly meetings with the King of the Wild Hunt and all that entails.

The Light of Foreign Places by Rodello Santos & Damon Shaw was a story about a boy who lives on the back of a snake. The city on the back of the snake travels to different cities where a festival is held. Of course the story is about a city and meeting a special boy there and what happens.

Night and Day by Rowan Speedwell, this story was one that I both enjoyed and disliked. I disliked it because it was written from an odd point of view and thus took some getting used to. The use of 'you', instead of I, he, she, etc. It read sort of like a choose your own adventure novel. However, the plot, the characters and the story its self was interesting. A down and out war hero goes knocking on the door of a bar looking for a job. What he gets is not at all what he expects... The mix of modern'ish time period, fantasy and mythology in this story was very nice.

The Flower Boy by Belinda McBride was a cute little story about a boy of Chinese decent and how he meets the god of flower sellers and beggars.

Alright, so there you have it. A little bit about each of the stories. On the whole I enjoyed this collection and the few that I didn't--reasons noted above--well, they were still decent stories. Cheers!
blub

There were quite a few stories in this book I just couldn't get through or had no interest in reading. When I first started I was afraid that there wouldn't be any story I liked in the anthology. Out of the 13 stories, only 5 stories really caught my attention and made this a worthwhile read for me.
Experiment BL626

CAUTION: Spoilers

The 1002nd Arabian Nights Tale
2/5. Fantasy. So Princess Sceherazade was a guy...and Sultan Shariyar realized his homosexuality after executing wife after wife until he married a wife—the "Princess"— who was a really a guy after "she" told a homoerotic story. What? O.o

A Fairy in His Bed
2/5. Urban Fantasy. I didn't get it, what's with Daniel thinking Quinn's a slave? Did it ever occur Daniel to just ask Quinn point-blank if Quinn wanted to stay with Daniel out Quinn's own free-will?

Kissing the Dragon
1/5. Urban Fantasy. Didn't care for Bao at all. You would think I would relate to him considering somewhat similar childhood experience, but unlike him I don't hate my own heritage...I'm just indifferent to it. =P It's a big difference. LOL. Beside that, I detest protag who have low self-esteem. Only thing I like about this story was Abner.

Something Pipeth Like a Bird
2/5. Fantasy. Humorous story. Would have liked it if there was a graphic sex scene... because I'm a perv? =d

Greenleaf's Blessing
1/5. Fantasy. Though this story ended up on a HFN note, somehow it felt more like a set up to a really tragic story, i.e. like this was the prologue of a really long and convulated story.

On Wild Wings
2/5. Fantasy. A simple Disney-esue story.

The Sower and the Reaper
1/5. Sci-Fi. Kinky. Not a romance. Did the scientists who made Ozzie a god knew Ozzie would need to shag one of his worshippers so that Ozzie can use his godly power to its full extent? Anyway, this was a bittersweet story.

The One
2/5. A nice story but the ending was somewhat unsatisfying because it left a small possibility that the couple might not escape the hunters. I would have like it to end when Rylan and Thorin found their sanctuary, build a home, and cuddled in bed together.

Of Genies and Monsters
3/5. A very funny story. I can actually imagine a novel of a sequel to this story.

The Wild Hunt
2/5. A sweet story but it ended on a bittersweet note even though it was HEA. I dislike the riding into the sunset ending, and in this story it was riding into the midnight ending.

The Light of Foreign Places
1/5. Fantasy. Where did the couple ended up? I didn't get this story, and didn't like either character really.. =/

Night and Day
2/5. Urban Fantasy. I would have like this story except it was written in the 2nd POV which was irritating. I like the world-building in the story, reminded me of mainstream UF novels. I like how the author set up the Greek pantheon to be forgotten gods and now rendered as only supernatural beings, though still powerful, living among humankind.

The Flower Boy
3/5. Urban Fantasy. Not a romance. So frigging rare to see Urban Fantasy utilizing eastern mythology. Ugg. Point to this story for having something fresh. Kissing the Dragon doesn't count 'cause I didn't like it. I rarely like bittersweet stories but this one is done right. The sex scene was written so beautifully that it took me a while to realize that Lan didn't have to shag Philip for Philip to reunite with his father. Maybe it was payment for granting Philip's wish? Eh, whatever, it's a nice story. Gentle sex with a hot-looking god is not such a bad way to pay.

Overall...
2/5 for the anthology. Read it once, and don't care to read it again.
Ami

4.5 stars -- The rating and review is only for Scarlet Blackwell's "Of Genies and Sea Monsters".

Ephram has been away from his lover for a year. He is terribly lonely and dying to return to the arm of his lover, Eber. To return home, there are sea monsters that block and nobody want to help him crossing the ocean. Desperate, he enlists help from a magician who gives him a lamp with genie who will grant his wish. However, the genie asks Ephram a favor before he is willing to grant Ephram's wishes. This brings Ephram to several (almost impossible) tasks to help the genies, magicians, and even in the end, the sea monsters itself, to find love, before he himself can return home.

OMG, this story is HILARIOUS. It's like watching a comedic episode of Xena or Hercules, when a mere human must help genies and magicians with love tasks. It was screwball comedy at its best -- the dialogs are AMUSINGLY funny and you can't help to feel pity for poor Ephram who is out of his league trying to help the creatures. Like this ...

"I'm sorry?" came an icy voice. "Foul? I've been voted most beautiful creature in the wold five years running by the Monsters, Ghouls, and Associated Beings society!"

*LOL* The characters are so entertaining (a genie who loves watermelon and a perk for filthy words!), I laughed outloud several times during the novella. But when Ephram finally reaches home, I am all teary eyed because it is so sweet.

TWO THUMBS UP for this novella, Ms. Blackwell. It's probably one of my favorites from you
Charles

I loved every single story in this anthology.

My favorite is Something Pipeth Like a Bird, which ends with "but that's another story"--which I sincerely hope it is a promise from the author, David Cheater. I cannot wait to read more about Yosef and Masul, or any other Judean tales Mr. Cheater may write. Yes, the POV handling is unusual, and the story is not at all explicit, but it is beautiful, and like any good tale, leaves the reader wanting more.

My second favorite is Greenleaf's Blessing. Without giving any spoilers, I wouldn't know how to describe why I love the story so much, but I do.

I don't even remember why I took a chance on this book, but I am very glad that I did.
BTina

The 1002nd Arabian Nights Tale by Michael Gouda - 2.2 stars
A Fairy in His Bed by Corinna Silver & Aundrea Singer
Kissing the Dragon by Heidi Cullinan - 2.5 stars
Something Pipeth Like a Bird by David Cheater - 3.2 stars
Greenleaf’s Blessing by M. King - 3.5 stars
On Wild Wings by Connie Bailey - 3.3 stars
The Sower and the Reaper by Helen Madden - 4 stars
The One by Ariel Tachna - 3 stars
Of Genies and Sea Monsters by Scarlet Blackwell - 3.5 stars
The Wild Hunt by Cari Z. - 3.5 stars
The Light of Foreign Places by Rodello Santos & Damon Shaw 3.4 stars
Night and Day by Rowan Speedwell - 3 stars
The Flower Boy by Belinda McBride - 3.6 sars
Neyjour

The 1002nd Arabian Nights Tale by Michael Gouda: ★★
[historical fantasy]

A Fairy in His Bed by Corinna Silver & Aundrea Singer: ★★★
[modern urban fantasy]

Kissing the Dragon by Heidi Cullinan: ★★★
[modern urban fantasy]

Something Pipeth Like a Bird by David Cheater: ★★
[historical fantasy]

Average Rating = 2.5 (rounded up to 3-stars)
Vincent Diamond

A strong anthology with several standout stories. This has a nice variety of voice, point-of-views, and legends as a basis for the story. Most have happy endings, and are, after all, true romances. A solid recommendation.
Katie

See Experiment BL626's review. I agree with every word he said.
Indigo

3.5*
Teddy

Enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. I was expecting fluff but was surprised by the quality of the stories, I especially liked the sci-fi bent of The Sower and the Reaper.
Abi Walton

this anthology was okay I just wanted more about mythology as a whole and too me it fell flat.

Myths and Magic: Legends of Love Reviews

Releated on Myths and Magic: Legends of Love