Love is War by D.J. Manly is a series of three short stories written with the assistance and inspiration from none other than Cupid himself.

The first story, Frisk Me, is about Aidan Mackenzie a beat cop who finds his destiny in a young man named Caleb. Aidan first meets Caleb outside a gay bar in a very suspicious circumstance; you see Caleb’s john is refusing to pay for services rendered. Aidan feels a strange bond with Caleb and offers to help him get back on is feet. Could there be a chance for two such different people to find happiness together?

The second story, Straight to the Heart, is about two vampire hunters, one human and one vampire. Matt has always hated vampires ever since one killed his parents, and he was taken in by Matt and trained to slay vampires. Tonight on another slaying mission Matt met vampire, Antonio, who is different from other vampires and very sexy to boot. Matt learns that many things in the world are different than they seem, and even he himself is not what he thinks he is. Can Matt and Antonio find a way to overcome their differences before the killer strikes again?

The third story, Lust is Never Silent, is a story about Stan and his upstairs neighbor who likes to keep things loud and interesting. Stan agreed to take over running his uncle’s apartment house and at the same time write his novel. Unfortunately, the upstairs neighbor keeps very strange hours with a noise level that prevents Stan from sleeping and working. Stan goes to confront him and finds the most handsome, almost naked, man, Chris Cortez, he has ever set eyes on, hands down he beats Stan’s ex by a mile. Stan and Chris are drawn to each other, but is Stan ready to try again with someone as wild and crazy as Chris?

The last story, Sins of the Fathers, is about two men on opposites sides of an interstellar war who find out that love does conquer all. Rory awoke to find himself alone in an enemy space station after a brutal war. After searching for a way out he finds one of the enemy, Levon, injured, but alive. Their people have been at war since before they were born, but in spite of this Levon would have never chosen to kill anyone. Levon had been working towards a peaceful solution to the conflict before he was conscripted. They learn that if they want to survive they need to work together to find a way home. Can Levon and Rory find a way to overcome the prejudices to sees who they are inside?

Ms. Manly has created four individual stories with unique plotlines that quickly grab the reader's interest. I loved how Cupid had his own take on each story and lead into the adjoining story with snippets of information to wet the reader's appetite. In spite of the odds, the characters in each story managed to overcome odds that seem impossible to find a love that can stand the test of time. The setting for each of these stories was different, but they managed to portray the theme that in the end love is what matters. Thanks go to Ms. Manly for another inspiring story.

Reviewed by: Teresa