Fringe Benefits

Title: Fringe Benefits

Author: KIL Kenny, James Buchanan, Zoe Nichols and CB Potts

Publisher: Torquere Press

Publisher URL: http://www.torquerebooks.com/

ISBN: 978-1-60370-602-5

Genre: M/M Contemporary

Nymph Rating: 4 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Caen Nymph

Accessibility Beta by Kil Kenny (4 Nymphs)
JJ meets the stunning and gorgeous Tory, a senior salesman in the company they work. JJ has a one-night stand with Tory, which leads to Tory thinking there is more that could be had with the other man. But JJ battles with his own emotions and demons in this tense tale.
Accessibility Beta has a lot of back story on the jobs both JJ and Tory carry out. Whilst some may find this aspect intrusive to the relationship aspect; I found the detailing both well-researched and fascinating. Sometimes I did feel the author delved too much in the character’s location. JJ is a confusing character, and he takes his merry time to make up his mind in this story. However his emotions were portrayed realistically in my eyes. Tory is such a unique character and like JJ I was drawn to him. The erotic nature of this story was superb – it’s been a long while since I’ve truly enjoyed the erotic aspect of a story, and I think it has more to do with the meaning behind the scene itself, that made the overall enjoyment that much higher. Accessibility Beta is a great contribution to the anthology.

Just Business by James Buchanan (5 Nymphs)
Treat has been in a slump ever since his girlfriend left him. So when he meets Zeal by chance, the man leaves a lingering impression on him. But unable to make a move, Treat finds himself in the arms of another man (or so he thinks) – but his thoughts are never far from Zeal’s.
I don’t know who picked the stories for this anthology, but they picked another scorching one here. I don’t like to continually emphasise about the sexual aspect of a story, because a story should be so much more than the sex. But dear me, Just Business had me fanning myself, another superb erotic scene that had meaning and relevance. I have to admit the characters names made me giggle. It took me awhile to get my head around the names such as ‘Treat’ and ‘Zeal’ because it made my mind go to a sci-fi setting. The characters were excellent and the premise lovely and well-executed. There was a lot of passion and tension in this wonderful story. The sexiness these characters eluded, just makes me want to read more about them – and the great thing about the way this story is written, is it starts as a beginning, which can lead into more stories about Treat and Zeal. Or so one could only hope.

Wunderkind by Zoe Nichols (3.5 Nymphs)
Vincent is the CEO of a large textbook manufacture and a workaholic. He hires JD to help design a CD-ROM but both men fall into a lustful trap. Vincent makes it clear this is only a fling, but JD does the unexpected and falls for his boss. Whilst JD’s sexual life is getting complicated, his home life is getting worse. But will Vincent be there for him when the cards fall down?
Wunderkind took awhile to get into the story; I didn’t warm up to the characters immediately as they didn’t leap of the ‘pages’ for me. Though the good thing about this story is there is a lot of angst and heartache. I didn’t necessarily believe in Vincent’s and JD’s relationship in this story. The ending confused me, and it was just too neatly tied in the end.

When the Cat’s Away by CB Potts (3.5 Nymphs)
Brad has been propositioned by his boss; become his willing whore or lose his job. So Bradley does what he has to do. But when his boss becomes dangerous and violent, Morgan the janitor is on hand to save Bradley.
A very uncomfortable read describes When the Cat’s Away. There is a lot of humiliation that Bradley faces in this story, but the author handles it well. The story moves at a fast pace and there isn’t a word wasted. The ending was a surprise but it was also refreshing.

Fringe Benefits is a very good anthology, filled with steamy and original storytelling. All the stories held a unique out look at the anthologies theme at hand, and the author’s did a wonderful job complying that into their stories.