Lilibet Bombshell's Reviews > Popped: A Charity Anthology

What was the last anthology you read?

Popped is one of the strongest romance anthologies I’ve read in quite awhile, full of great first-time stories from some of my favorite LGBTQ indie romance authors working right now. Some dip into these authors’ existing universes and some look like they could be the start of something special all on their own in the future (I’m looking at you, Lily and Cora!).

My rating of this anthology isn’t rooted in anything more substantial than the quality of the anthology as a whole. I’m not looking to nitpick short stories included in a charity anthology that’s meant to go to a good cause. These authors donated their time, effort, and IP to this project, and others donated production materials and labor to put this all together. It’s an honorable project and I don’t think subjecting it to extended scrutinization is a worthy endeavor.

That being said, I’m going to go over the stories I loved best and tell you what I loved about them!

🩶 Picking You, by T. Ashleigh 🩶
🍒 Chaos human MMC
💣 Boarding school boy MMC
🍒 Size difference
💣 Fantastic dialogue
🍒 Spilling your life’s tea to strangers

🩶 Cherry Picking, by Becca Jackson 🩶
🍒 Hockey player, frat boy MMC
💣 Hockey fan MMC
🍒 Need to pop your cherry? There’s an app for that!
💣 Competitive jello run
🍒 That feeling when someone just clicks
💣 Finding the Richard Gere to your Julia Roberts

🩶 Until We Kiss, by Loren Leigh 🩶
🍒 Island vacation
💣 Friends to lovers
🍒 Depression rep
💣 Golden retriever MMC
🍒 Animal facts
💣 Fantastic dialogue
🍒 Angst
💣 Only one bed

🩶 Demon in the Sheets, by Lily Mayne 🩶
🍒 Clueless, bi-curious MMC
💣 Demon MMC
🍒 One cheating ex
💣 One meddling co-worker with a grimoire
🍒 “Hey, summon a demon for revenge, it’ll be fun,” said no one, ever
💣 “Everyone knows true bros spoon sometimes.”
🍒 Bro dare code
💣 Telling little old ladies your romance woe story
🍒 Demons don’t just sit around waiting to be summoned, you know?
💣 Pretty panties
🍒 Fantastic chemistry, spice, and dialogue
💣 Would pay for a full novel of it

🩶 Rookie Moves, by Jodi Oliver 🩶
🍒 Hockey romance
💣 Closeted hockey player prodigy headed to the NHL
🍒 Openly bisexual hockey player not going pro
💣 We all need at least one person
🍒 You’re my person
💣 Fantastic spice. So hot

🩶 Smoke and Holes, by Cora Rose 🩶
🍒 Same universe as Demon in the Sheets
💣 Happens at the same time as Demon in the Sheets
🍒 Happens in the same HOUSE as Demon in the sheets (it’s the roommate)
💣 Lily & Cora are trying to slay us with spicy demon hotness
🍒 Tutor & tutee
💣 Got penetrated by a candlestick: does this count as losing my virginity?
🍒 “Like can you check and see if my butthole looks okay?”
💣 Weird sexual revelations in a toilet stall
🍒 Tutee asks tutor for advice on what he can safely stick up his bum
💣 “I’m nervous I’ll do something wrong.”
🍒 Dirty filthy hot

All of the stories in this anthology are great, these are just the ones I liked the most. You won't be disappointed!

I was provided a copy of this title by the authors. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Anthology/Gay Romance/LGBTQ Romance/MM Romance