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I very much enjoyed this themed collection of stories, especially as the "trio" covered straight, gay and lesbian romances. Three cheers for that!
"Promised Land" by Rose Lerner was a terrific read with two endearing MCs. I loved all the detail of their Jewish lives and practices, and how these created both common ground and friction between them. I was relieved by (and positively cheered!) the avoidance of tired old tropes re a woman disguised and working as a man, e.g. they knew each other right away. It all felt so fresh and fascinating.
The only thing that peeved me (and this is me being very picky) is that it was presented in the context of the main characters writing down their memories of Hamilton for his widow's benefit. But then the story itself was told in the usual third-person prose. It wasn't an epistle or a first-person account, which makes a mockery of the context. However! It was also much more readable this way, so I guess I just wish the context itself had been handled differently.
All in all, this was top stuff!
"In Pursuit Of . . ." by Courtney Milan was absolutely charming! Another two endearing MCs, a mixed race relationship, and some very funny moments. And the cheese... oh, the cheese... it was a third character in its own right. I loved this story.
"That Could Be Enough" by Alyssa Cole was wonderful once it settled down. The initial meeting was just too OTT for me, too florid. I don't at all mind a relationship that begins with a mutual attraction / falling in love, when the relationship is then developed realistically / organically over time. However this initial attraction was way overblown.
Once we're past that, however, the story and the characters settle into themselves, and it all becomes delightful and intriguing. I loved that one character, being a dressmaker, expressed herself in appropriate metaphors, e.g. "The pattern in Andromeda’s head took on a form that she couldn’t resist—oddly enough, it was precisely Mercy’s measure." Perhaps more could have been made of that. What I loved most was that the MCs were both black women intent on making their own ways in the world, whether successfully or not, and that they loved that about each other.
Despite my quibbles, I love that this volume exists with its multifarious inclusiveness, and I also loved its setting in the era when the idealistic / hopeful project of America was being born; hence a happy 5 star rating!
Amazon US link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075MS6JWF
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