An anthology of original stories inspired by the music of The Beatles.Universal. Romantic. Experimental. Timeless. Emotional. Fearless.Twelve short stories that all share a chord.All proceeds will benefit the World Literacy Foundation, a global non-profit organization working to ensure that every young individual regardless of geographic location has the opportunity to acquire literacy and … literacy and reading skills to reach their full potential.
Foreword by Sylvain Reynard.
Paperback writers featured:
Beck Anderson
Kris Babe
MJ Grace
Rumer Haven
Shari Ivey
Effie Kammenou
Jennifer Locklear
Morgan Locklear
Sydney Logan
Melanie Moreland
Susan K. Swords
Aubree Valentine
more
I haven’t had a chance to read all of the stories contained in this collection but I intend to do so a little nibble at a time between lengthier reads. The following is my review for THE TASTE OF YOU by Melanie Moreland.
This was a cute, sweet and steamy novella that romance foodies are going to gobble up!
When Julia barely touches her food at the exclusive restaurant, the chef takes it personally. Before she knows it, she’s being challenged to sample food that is not processed or sold in a box. And she’s sampling it straight from the chef’s hand.
Due to the length, we don’t get a lot of time to get to know Byron and Julia, but what we have is enough to show they are perfect together. Byron was so formal and a bit arrogant but all he wanted was to take care of Julia. I loved how he was all in from the very beginning. Julia had me laughing and smiling with her responses to Byron’s challenge as well as other incidents I don’t want to spoil.
This is just a super cute read that had some sizzling moments and plenty of humor.
The proceeds from the sale of this anthology are going to the World Literacy Foundation. That alone is reason enough to one-click.
This is a review of Fidelity by Jennifer & Morgan Locklear and a Taste of You by Melanie Moreland.
Fidelity
Berlin 1961, 2 young lovers, Kurt & Sophia lose their virginity the night Berlin is separated, Berliner Maurer. Without warning they are torn apart, one on each side of the wall. 3 years later we return to Kurt working hard & living in the West but devastated, Sophia is in the East unknown to us. A record shop, singles by The Beatles and a covert plan bring Kurt back to Sophia, but what of their future.
This is a lovely story of lost love, with a smidge of intrigue & angst, and a twist at the end you won’t see coming.
Taste of You
A friend in need of a companion for her anniversary meal when her husband is called away last minute. Julia agrees. Reluctant, however, as she had never eaten anywhere as fancy or pretentious. As she says herself, she eats only for fuel.
One disgruntled chef and a conservation in the restaurant car park, Julia finds herself in his private office on the way to the education of a lifetime. Will the education be ‘passable’.
‘Please, I won’t bite. I just want to hold your hand’ but will chef Byron Lord ever let go.
Review in return for an ARC from the author, but I’ve also purchased myself.
Two things I love- books (obviously) and The Beatles. So when I saw that this anthology was coming, with stories inspired by the Fab Four, I knew I had to read it. And what a delight it was. Now while I haven’t read all of the stories within yet, the ones I did were good and left me wanting more!
****
Venture Capital by Kris Babe
What a sad and melancholy little story. My heart just hurt for Lori and her company. I loved the snippets of the fun, vibrant place it was. What a mess it turned into when too many big shots got in the way. Despite the downward spiral Lori never lost the tune that was in her heart.
Fidelity by Morgan & Jennifer Locklear
Talk about heart wrenching. This short story really pulled at my emotions. I was transported back in time and I was so uncomfortable. I can’t even imagine living through what Kurt and Sophie did.
The constant fear and worry. The unknown. A little mystery. A lot of danger. And even more love. A timeless love that circumstance and distance couldn’t change. The lengths Kurt went to for Sophie blew my mind and melted my heart. I only wish this had been longer because there was a lot jam packed into a few short chapters and there were things I wanted to know the answer to.
Covert Assignment by Aubree Valentine
I liked the premise behind this book. A rising star in need of security, the man sent to protect her…Even forced into a less than ideal situation, they were able to stay level headed and calm. Let me just say Cody and Stacey Mae had chemistry in spades. I wish they had acted on it because I could cut that tension with a spoon.
I will say that I found the way this one ended was a bit abrupt. I feel like the big dilemma was building to something and then- whoop- over. Oh well.
****
I can’t wait to dive back into this fun and heartfelt anthology and then put my Beatles albums on.
Such a unique, beautifully written anthology.
Go get this book because it is for a good cause and profits of this book go to The World Literacy Foundation.
I enjoyed all the stories and the words were felt through the pages as I read.
Many wonderful characters that are memorable and will capture your heart.
Go One Click it!
**ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review***
4.5 popped!
Take a bunch of talented authors, throw in a Beatles Theme and you get a wonderful eclectic group of stories that makes for a perfect summer read! Each story is unique, but they all have ties to the songs of the Fab Four. There’s a little something for everyone and the proceeds all go to charity, which makes this a win/win for me!
AMAZING!! Paperback Writes Anthology is just amazing! I was so intrigued by the concept and I completely fell in love! FIVE STARS (for EVERY story in this)!!
This anthology is blowing me away, I am loving the stories, so far I have read Fidelity, Tinderella, The Taste of You and Hey You, definitely an anthology you will want to read. Also all sales go to support The World Literacy Foundation.
This review is only for Fidelity by Jennifer Locklear and for The Taste of You by Melanie Moreland. I did not read the other books. I enjoyed both of these books. They were both addictive and heartwarming! The romance was intense, sweet and steamy!” “There’s plenty of laughter and fireworks to make these two books much-loved stories.
Reading this anthology was an unique experience. The romance and the friendship in these heartwarming compilation, combined with the amazing vibe that only can be added by The Beatles music, was something precious and unforgettable.
My first time listening The Beatles music was when I was a kid. My dad was a huge fan, and with the time I became one as well. I have so many memories associated with their music. I know every song by heart, I recognize every feeling, the joy, the sadness, the hope, the playfulness… and I felt all those things while reading the stories in this anthology. It was a different and interesting way to experiment music, through the stories, because every single one of them has certain musicality (that romantic vibe that has nothing to do with the relationships described but with the feelings they evoque) and I loved that.
Traveling through different times and places with these characters was beautiful, and the cause supported with the profits is equally special, so my recommendation is for you to give a try to this book as soon as it’s published. P.S.: Pay special attention to Fidelity and Tinderella, two of my favorite stories.
11 stories from 12 amazing Authors they will all touch your heart & soul & spark memories
Fidelity is a refreshing original story from the minds of the very creative duo Jennifer & Morgan Locklear. I could not put this story down and not only did I read it in the same day, reread it 3 times within a couple of hours. It’s August 1961, Kurt & his girlfriend Sophia decided after 1 yr & 10 months to give themselves to each other, they were making plans for their future. Little did they know after they kissed goodnight life would never be the same for anyone. They would not see each other again until March 1964. Come on this Journey filled will suspense, danger and music & learn how the Beatles brought them back together. I’m looking forward to reading the other 10 stories from the other authors who are apart of this Amazing Anthology. You don’t want to miss out on this great summer read & at the same time 100% of your purchased goes to support The World Literacy Foundation. Thank you so much for sharing your talents!
This anthology is pure gold! Imagine if 12 of your favorite romance authors write 11 novellas about love and the Beatles. Well, you don’t have to imagine anymore! It’s here and the stories are so good you’ll want to re-read them over and over again.
I’m going to review Melanie Moreland’s The Taste of You. This novella was so good the only complaint I had was I wanted it to be longer! Julia is a student who works multiple jobs to make ends meet. She rents a room in a crabby woman’s home who doesn’t allow her kitchen privileges and has never eaten anything other than fast food or prepackaged. She meets Byron Lord, Chef and Owner of Lord’s Creations, an exclusive restaurant that takes months to get a reservation at, after criticizing his food. She entrances him and becomes a personal challenge to introduces her taste buds to flavor, ALL KINDS! While listening to the Beatles music and testing her palate, it’s amazing what magic can happen!
I loved this sweet, lovely story! Like I said earlier, these two characters wrapped around my heart right at the start and I didn’t want to let them go! I am looking forward to devouring all the stories in this book and will be adding on to this review! Don’t delay! Grab this gem up now!!
This review is for Melanie Moreland’s The Taste of You. Melanie’s stories always draw me in, it never fails but they do. She has left me once again wanting more and more.
Paperback Writers Anthology is a collection of eleven short stories by eleven amazing authors. Each story is inspired by a song by the group, The Beatles. So far, I have only read two of these stories, Don’t Want to Leave Her Now by Effie Kammenou and The Taste of You by Melanie Moreland. I loved them both and hope to be able to read and review more of them soon!
DON’T WANT TO LEAVE HER NOW BY EFFIE KAMMENOU
This was such a beautiful tale of two souls that instantly connected at birth, but were torn apart. One was left on earth, the other to look after her.
Noelle first meets Raphael when she was just fifteen years old. Unbeknownst to her, her life is about ready to change and their short interaction would stay with her. Then ten years later when again, her life is at its lowest, a man enters her life. His friendship would strengthen her and help her deal with her pain. But he remained a mystery to her. He never shared any details of his life with her where she told him everything. Her feelings towards him were changing from friendship to more. But then, he shares something with her that changes everything. She doesn’t know whether to believe him or to question his sanity.
This was such a sweet story. I kind of thought of it as a bit mystical. Over Noelle’s life she had lost everyone that was important to her. But she was never really alone. She just hadn’t realized it. I loved the way the author ended this in the epilogue.
THE TASTE OF YOU BY MELANIE MORELAND
I love Melanie’s books so I was excited about this one. This is a sweet and steamy story about a chef who is instantly enamored with a woman who doesn’t have the least amount of interest in food. So he takes it upon himself to both teach her to love food, and to win her heart.
Julia Watson is a full time student while holding down two jobs to support herself. She barely has time to eat and when she does, it’s for sustenance only. A quick trip to McDonalds is her normal food choice. On a night out with her girl friend, they go to a fancy restaurant since the chef is a personal friend of Julia’s friend. But for her, the food was just okay since it doesn’t matter to her one way or another. First, the chef is insulted, until he gets a look at her and he instantly falls. He knows he has to spend time with this woman and get to know her and what better way than to teach her about food. To find out what her likes and dislikes are, and show her how to appreciate food the way he does.
Byron Lord is good at what he does, and that’s to cook. When he meets Julia, all he wants to do is cook for her. It’s how he can care for her in his own way. Byron took things slow with Julia. He became her friend first, and slowly won over her heart. He was most definitely a sexy, alpha man who liked being in charge.
I love foodie romances and this was perfect. It was short in pages but not short in content. I loved it!
Thank you Jennifer Locklear and The Next Step PR for an advanced copy.*
*All opinions expressed are my own.*
*Review*
Paperback Writers Anthology
Fidelity By:
Jennifer and Morgan Locklear
First, I should tell you that Paperback Writers is one of my favorite songs. I was singing it in my head the entire time I was reading.
I read Fidelity, which is only one of the short stories in the anthology. The story centers around a pair of lovers literally separated by the Berlin Wall. Many accounts say that this wall seemed to construct itself overnight. And, whichever side you were on, regardless of where your family, etc. were, you stayed there. Two young lovers endure this separation. Their story is broken into sections, each with a Beatles song as the title. It’s a clever and unique idea that totally works. With a bit of luck, these two find ways to be together, but it’s extremely dangerous. If you get caught, you die. I feel for these characters. Our heroine really got a bad deal when the wall went up. She lost everyone and gained something unexpected. Such a difficult, exhausting and lonely situation! The guy she loves has it slightly better, but he takes the huge risk of crossing over by nefarious avenues to visit her. The feeling of paranoia is breathing down his neck constantly. I was on the edge of my seat reading this story, waiting for the bad guys to show up. Did the lovers escape? Were they captured? I offer no spoilers. Read this fantastic story for yourself and find out! I’m excited to read the rest of the anthology because I loved Fidelity. It’s captivating with all the feels.
Great collection of 12 short stories that combine the love of Beatles music and real life romance. All created by fabulous authors there are a few that stood out and i will highlight:
Melanie Moreland – The taste of You – Wonderful love hate relationship between a high powered chef and the small but equally as powerful woman who stops him in his tracks and shows him what love really feels like.
Effie Kammenou – Don’t Want to Leave Her Now – Two babies born together in the hospital at the same time – one survives and one does not but they are connected together for life. Love, hope, dreams and fantasy bring this story to life.
Sydney Logan – Hey You – Poem and verse that was so emotionally driven I read it numerous times. Beautifully written journey traveling through the time in a relationship. Beginning to end of life cycle of love.
This was a wonderful anthology that will make you feel “Glad All Over.” Each of the stories is based on a Beatles song. Some of the authors work lyrics and/or song titles into their stories and some use the lyrics of a song as a theme or the plot. When put “All Together Now,” the result is an extremely diverse and highly entertaining anthology. “Don’t Let Me Down,” please go to my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews to find out which stories I liked the most, then “Run For Your Life” to pick up your own copy! This review was written based on a complimentary pre-release digital ARC. “The End.”
Don’t want to leave her now:
An original story from the 90’s inspired by music from the Beatles. Souls will keep helping each other even if they’re not in this world or the next.
Sweet characters captured my attention since the first page. We can feel the love in the writing. Although there were issues like in every ordinary family, I believe everyone was trying their best.
Beautifully written, something you must read.
On to the next story.
Leaving a review as long as I finish the next
Paperback Writers is one of the best anthologies I’ve read so far! Without offending the other anthologies I have read. But I do not lie, it is the pure truth because this anthology, apart from being created under a charitable cause: the funds collected with its sales, directed to the World Literacy Foundation: “WLF envisions a world in which any person can read and write, a world in which there is free access to education for all”, this anthology also based on the existence of the band The Beatles within life itself, so it turns out to be a compilation formed by stories of HIGH RANGE, all special and well developed that make me think that I have read ONCE different books … Yes, books, thanks to the weight of their content, research and a unique wisdom, that is, each participating author here explains to the reader that It’s quite professional, BIG, perhaps the best of its kind.
So, why not better read a little my opinion on each of the stories of Paperback Writers? Nothing extensive, no analysis too deep… Rather, to read opinions that were written just after finishing their reading, taken from the depths of my soul. So… go ahead!
Don’t want to leave her now by Effie Kammenou.
The gentleness of his expressive eyes. The lush waves of his hair as it grazed his shoulders. His large hands flooding warmth into hers as he held them. It was an image of a modern-day god, recreated from her perception of him through the careful strokes of a pencil.
I remember staying in suspense while reading this story, looking at the ceiling or walls of my room with the intention of stopping for a while to gauge the feelings it generated. It is too beautiful, a BRIGHT story that is worth gold, a special beginning for this anthology.
Black Road by Beck Anderson.
“Graham, I would kiss you if you took me out again”
It is a very interesting story, with symbolisms based on its colors and tastes, highlighted in a golden age and important for the world of music and the most special passions. The protagonists intrigued me a lot and I must say that I was fascinated by their genuine way of loving each other. It has an ending that breaks paradigms. So, watch out.
Indestructible by Sheri Ivey.
People, especially children, who were gifted in such ways, scared others. As always, people who are different cause fear.
Deamons loved fear. They relished things out of the ordinary and unusual.
Powerful! It is a story that automatically after finishing it, you want to continue reading it. Here, you can see the true power that has the musical essence of The Beatles over humans, angels, dragons and above all things: demons. It is a fantastic story that is worth applauding and narrated in a simple and special way.
Venture Capital by Kris Babe.
But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you…
I must confess that I wanted to keep reading because this story is so cool… It is a measured story, full of nostalgia and great feelings for the great changes, all mixed with the importance of music for the characters exposed here. I recommend it, good story.
Fidelity by Morgan & Jennifer Loklear.
“Turn around”. Kurt did as he was asked. “Nothing changes” the Russian said and poked the pistol hard into Kurt’s belly.
“Okay” Kurt said. “But if nothing changes, then you can’t shoot me”.
Wow! It is the kind of stories that must become a great film script, take to the big screen so that it has all the success that, in my personal opinion it deserves, can have and achieve. Excellent work, excellent narrative, dialogues, thematic… A story that made me devour it for his ingenuity and spectacularity. Applause!
“Nothing gives us freedom… Freedom must be taken. Fought for if necessary”.
Covert Assignment by Aubree Valentine.
One day. One day, she’ll be mine.
I LOVED IT! In fact, I would very much like to read a continuation of this story. Further, I could read a whole book with these characters, with which you can play a lot. It was a story that made me sing and live closely in a few and well explained lines that live the music stars. Cool.
P.D: I loved Cole and I think I have a crush with him and Stacey together.
Tinderella by MJ Grace.
She wanted it. She got it. Does she have a fairy godmother flicking her magic wand?
It depends… Her magic is known as American Express.
This is one of the best romantic comedies I’ve read for a long time and not only for its theme, but for the way it was told. Although all the girls in this realm of romance have ever bathed in the magic of fairy tales, I can assure you that if fairy tales were like this story, they would be even better than they already are!
Yeiii, I loved it and by the way, it will make you laugh a lot.
The taste of you by Melanie Moreland.
“The rule, Byron. Remember the rule. We share… everything”.
A masterpiece! I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this story and as always: I ended up in love with the characters. It is narrated in a very original way. Cool! Too cool.
“You, Byron. I like how you taste. It’s… addictive”.
Hey you by Sidney Logan.
Yeah you.
Time flies.
Our Little girl’s in college now, and she’s dating a boy who isn’t nearly good enough for her.
But she loves him.
I know she does, because it’s written all over her face.
Lucky for him, I can see it all over his face, too.
A letter-poem that I assure you will put your chicken skins. Your emotional charge is so high that it could be the most intense and precious love letter you have ever read. Pay attention to its progress and you will see how it tells you a story that, in its normal situation, takes on particularity thanks to the level of veneration and love of the writer. That will please you.
This bird has flown by Susan K. Swords.
“Maybe I wouldn’t have been that good for you”
“No… You always were. Always”
“Back then, maybe. That guy? He was good for you for a while. You always had the strength and the smarts to go it alone. You just didn’t want to”.
“The time with you were some of the best years of my life, Stephen… Don’t you dare minimize it”.
What could I say about this story? With each of them I think about how great these writers are. But this particular story is quite interesting, heartbreaker, hopeful… I don’t know what else to say beyond feeling completely flattered to read it. Amazing, exciting, precisely beautiful. Wow…
Big and black the clouds may be
Time will pass away
If you put your trust in me
I’ll make bright your day
Revolve her by Rumer Heaven.
Ellie doesn’t know what it’d be like to be dead. But she does know how it feels to be sad, and right now she doesn’t understand why she doesn’t. Feel sad. Doesn’t feel… anything.
I think that with this story the anthology closes with a flourish. It is a story quite out of the ordinary, intertwining a number of sensations and meanings from a literary fiction, to life itself. It is a fantastic, heavy, strange and intelligent plot that cannot go unnoticed by anyone. It’s a surprise story, I liked it.
“…We think everyone learns all the answers after we die, that if we’re a person of peace we’ll rest in peace, but it’s sadly not every soul’s journey. Not right away”
Thank you for reading, commenting, sharing, buying the anthology and collaborating. Do not forget the stars but the most important thing: Do good, always good.
Now, let’s keep listening to The Beatles
Jennifer Locklear delivers a beautifully written story, heartfelt and inspiring. A must read for all.