It’s one of those rare occasions when I’m reviewing an anthology. This time, I’m going to do it a little bit differently: I’m going to start off with my usual format – blurb and basic info – and end with the buy links. The middle is what will change. First, I’m going to tell you my opinion on the anthology as a whole, then I’m going to give you the blurb to each story and share with you – briefly, in a couple of sentences – what I think of each short. Each story will also have its own individual rating.
Let’s get started!
Authors: Lyra Evans, H.L Day, Megs Pritchard, Roberta Blablanski, Sadie Jay, Mel Gough, AJ Sherwood, Crystel Greene, Eliott Griffen, Tanya Chris, R.J. Sorrento, K. Evan Coles, Edie Montreux
Themes and genres: LGBT, MM, Romance, Contemporary, Fantasy/Paranormal, vampires, anthologies
WARNING: Mature Content
Blurb:
Not all vampires are idly rich. Some of them have day jobs. Er, night jobs.
In a world struggling to come to grips with the existence of vampires, where reactions range from
excitement to fear to determined disbelief, these vampires are just trying to make ends meet. Some of them do mundane work—like waiting tables or driving a cab. Others have more prestigious careers in medicine and crime prevention. But what all their jobs have in common is people. Unpredictable, interesting, frustrating, hostile, helpless, tasty people.
Whether they’re pouring drinks, answering phones, hacking into a computer system, or serving up the perfect food/wine pairing, these working stiffs are too busy to fall in love. Or are they?
This International Workers Day, celebrate by sinking your teeth into thirteen awesome stories about
vampires at work. Because even the undead have to earn a living. Proceeds benefit the World Health
Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
What I think about the anthology as a whole:
The world in the stories is similar, but not exactly the same when it comes to how vampires react to the sun, their abilities, etc. I suspect the authors discussed what would be common rules on which to set the stories, but each gave their work a bit of a different flavor.
I enjoyed the similar themes, but also the variations in length, POVs (it’s usually one per story and it’s the vampire’s, but a few show us the human’s perspective on what’s happening), writing styles and also sub-genres.
We have some stories more on the side of sweet romance while others are more erotic; some are random encounters of everyday people, others have their leads fight against higher stakes; some give us a glimpse of the danger vampires could present, others take us down a chilling path into their dark world.
With so much diversity, there will be something for any reader.
My overall rating for the anthology: 4.5/5
My Thoughts and Ratings for Each Story
How To Keep an Author (Alive) by AJ Sherwood
Blurb:
The funny thing about living forever is that you still have bills to pay, which is why Justus is now working for JD Cooper. The man is a writing raconteur—known to craft a mean mystery—but he’s one step away from hoarder level. When Justus takes a job as his housekeeper, he expects eccentricity. But he gets so much more.
My thoughts:
How To Keep an Author (Alive) is a charming short that will elicit a few chuckles from you. I’ve been meaning to check out AJ’s novels for a while now (heard a lot of good things); am I still interested after this read? Yep.
My rating: 5/5
Long Haul by Tanya Chris
Blurb:
When Vlad intervenes to stop a shakedown in progress, he doesn’t plan on keeping the young sex
worker he saves, but Silver has an irresistible tenacity. He also has a little something extra in his
blood—something that drives Vlad wild in both good and bad ways.
My thoughts:
I have already read a couple of things by Tanya (review links at the bottom of the post), so I sort of knew what to expect. Writing style-wise: not a bad read. It didn’t have much of a plot though, just two people meeting, hitting it off, naughty scenes ensue. It reminds me of an extra a writer would gift to their fans, a one-shot response to a question like “So, how did these two side characters meet?”
My rating: 4/5
Overexposed by K. Evan Coles
Blurb:
Crime scene photographer Noah Green may be the only vampire employed by the NYPD’s Crime Scene
Unit, but he keeps his head down and stays focused on the work. While shooting a murder scene one
night, Noah is dismayed to discover he knows the only witness, bakery manager Dan Kaes, a human who has intrigued Noah from their very first meeting. Combining forces with the police to keep their witness safe, Noah welcomes Dan into his home, only to find that keeping him at arm‘s length is harder than he ever imagined.
My thoughts:
This one is longer than the previous two and more plot-oriented. The crime subplot weaves in nicely with the romance and I really enjoyed it, even though there was one thing the perpetrator did that didn’t make sense to me. The only other thing that bothered me was that the ending was left open. When I saw how much – that’s to say, how little – was left of the story, I thought “Hmmm, maybe the author would write some sort of a sequel to this.” And then the story ended with “The End (For now, anyway)” so… Yeah. We might see a continuation of this one and I’d love to read that. If this isn’t the case and it was supposed to be a standalone: I still enjoyed it.
My rating: 5/5
Dial a Vamp by Roberta Blablanski
Blurb:
Wyatt’s life is in a total slump and working as a phone sex operator doesn’t help his frustrations. After a century, being a vampire is getting old and losing its appeal. He feels stuck and aimless, until one phone call changes his immortal life.
My thoughts:
Not bad, but the pacing was a little off for me, a little too quick. The sex talk was also not something that stuck with me.
My rating: 4/5
Off the Menu by R.J. Sorrento
Blurb:
Johnny Russo, a newbie-vampire and chef, refuses to feed from humans. His new job at a Chicago
restaurant is going well until he’s forced to work with Nate Beaumont, a handsome but snobby
sommelier with an intoxicating scent. The tension between them builds for weeks, and Johnny fights the urge to feed. Despite first impressions, they could be good together if Johnny can be himself. But
feeding from Nate might make him feel less than human, and Johnny would be crushed if Nate sees him as a novelty instead of boyfriend material.
My thoughts:
This is one of those short stories that read very draft-like. That’s to say, the author was so careful to keep things short, that, while the story has a beginning and an ending, it seems like it hasn’t reached its final stage (thus, draft-like). I would’ve liked more details and descriptions.
My rating: 3.5/5
Fangs for the Memories by Sadie Jay
Blurb:
Rollie Brown was 20 years old when he staked his vampire boyfriend. Now, fifteen years later, he’s
discovered Alex is alive, bartending, and more forgiving than Rollie deserves. They might have a second chance at love—but first they have to rescue Rollie’s wayward ex.
My thoughts:
Sweet is the word that I’d use to describe this story. I enjoyed the fact that we got to be in the human character’s head.
My rating: 4/5
Call My Number by Megs Pritchard
Blurb:
He always calls when I’m working. He has my direct number too. We both know why he does, but he
knows I won’t accept his obvious invitation… until I do. How will he react, my sweet human, when his
vampire comes calling?
My thoughts:
I’m lost. At first it seemed like the main characters didn’t know each other, but then it turned out they knew each other for years. That revelation makes the way the first chapter is written seem weird.
My rating: 3.5/5
Bad Blood by Lyra Evans
Blurb:
Dr. Alek Matsouka and Dr. James Crawford have been at each other’s throats since the first night of their ER residency. And not in the way that gets Alek fed. He doesn’t know why Crawford is so hostile—whether he’s an anti-Vampire bigot or just hates that Alek is the better doctor—but Alek does like to provoke the arrogant prick. When their competitive antics get the better of them one night and a case takes a dangerous turn, both doctors will have to face the truth of their bad blood—or risk their careers.
My thoughts:
We open at a hectic night in the hospital and disease and injury might make the beginning unpleasant for some readers. Now that that’s out of the way: this is one of my favorite stories in the anthology. I liked the characters and the tension between them.
My rating: 5/5
Graveyard Cops by Crystel Greene
Blurb:
Police officer Jesse Hendricks, twenty-one since 1900 and hating being a vampire, is secretly in love with his patrol partner Angelico “Lico” DiMarco. Chronically upbeat Lico doesn’t believe in anything supernatural, thankfully, but he keeps teasing Jesse for his vampire-like reserve, pallor, and beauty in the most annoying of ways. Then, one fateful night, Jesse is injured with a silver blade and needs to feed to survive. Lico steps up and saves him—body and soul.
My thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well, although I was puzzled by what happened on the drive to the crime scene. The way the two cops interacted and how many things they did/talked about didn’t make sense time- and tone-wise (it was a short drive and their emotions didn’t match the situation), but what came after that: yep, I enjoyed it.
My rating: 5/5
Quality Assured by Edie Montreux
Blurb:
Quality Analyst Kellan Ford doesn’t know what to expect when Medicorp overnight representative Derek Houston’s calls aren’t recording properly. Kellan’s side-by-side evaluation turns into an early- morning field trip and changes everything Kellan knows about vampires. Is he doomed to die at the hands of vampires like his sister did, or can Derek offer him a new lease on life?
My thoughts:
Not a bad story, but the author stresses upon an environmental message quite heavily. While I agree with the message (we’re killing our planet and you know, it’s our home and we need it) it made the story seem as more of an agenda to spread the message than a romance story, even though we do get romance.
My rating: 4/5
Fire and Ice Cold Skin by Mel Gough
Blurb:
When a firefighter takes pity on a gorgeous young man who has been made homeless by a blaze, he has no idea who he’s invited into his home—and soon into his heart.
My thoughts:
Fire and Ice Cold Skin is another favorite of mine. If I have to complain, there was one comment the firefighter made after their first time together that seemed a little too lukewarm for the situation and had me lifting my brows and saying “Really? That’s what you are going to say?”. Yeah, I know this is nitpicking, but sometimes it’s that one small detail that’s off that sticks with you.
My rating: 5/5
Life Hacks by Eliott Griffen
Blurb:
Josh is a corporate big shot, living the life he thought he wanted. Vin is a vampire on the hunt, with zero self-confidence and a truckload of regrets. Living on opposite sides of the equation, they have nothing in common, until one day their lives collide in the worlds of ones and zeros.
My thoughts:
This is another story that I think would’ve benefited by a slightly slower pace. Also, it requires a large dose of suspension of disbelief about how law enforcement works. The last scene at the office was a little too melodramatic for me.
My rating: 4.5/5
Bad Decision by H.L Day
Blurb:
A stranger searching for a night of ecstasy with a vampire. A cabbie with the irrational urge to stop him from making the worst decision of his life. The next few hours could be lifechanging for both men.
My thoughts:
Have you ever read a book and once you see how little you have left of it, you are reluctant to keep reading because you don’t want it to end? I experienced that with this story. What a way to end the anthology!
My rating: 5/5
Where you can buy the anthology:
Add Working Stiffs to your Goodreads shelf
Other books by these authors that I’ve reviewed:
- Manners & Mannerisms by Tanya Chris (standalone | Adult MM Regency Romance, Historical Fiction | Mature Content)
- You, Me & Her by Tanya Chris (standalone | M/M/F Contemporary Romance, poly | Mature Content)
- Aiming High by Tanya Chris (standalone | MM Contemporary Sports Romance, the Olympics | Mature Content)
Interviews with the authors:
Dilyana's World 
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