This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Mansoor Ahmed for Readers' Favorite
Splendor: An Anthology of Love in All Its Forms by the Writing Heights Writers Association is a collection—72 pieces in total—that really pushes back against the clichéd "happily ever after" trope. It is a collection of short stories, essays, and poetry that shows love in some unexpected places. You will read some delightful, smaller moments, like the teens in "Flour Child" bonding over a bag of flour, alongside much darker or more complex stuff. I loved how the collection jumps from things like the strange devotion in "In Our Nature" to the really difficult, honest process of leaving an abusive relationship in "If I Could Wish for Anything Else." It covers everything from sci-fi connections with robots to the kind of enduring family bonds that are complicated and exhausting.
As a reader, I was amazed by the Writing Heights Writers Association’s anthology. There are no jarring shifts in quality, and the writing throughout the book is remarkably consistent. I found myself really moved by the characters, like the widow in "Gift Shop Owner" or the adult children navigating the role reversal of caring for their parents in "Learning Love." The recurring themes of resilience and choosing yourself without becoming doubtful really hit home for me. If you’re the kind of reader who appreciates small, quiet moments that carry a lot of weight, this collection is incredibly satisfying. Splendor: An Anthology of Love in All Its Forms is an honest, sometimes painful, but ultimately beautiful look at what it actually means to care for someone. I loved every piece in it.
