This anthology covers a very broad range of stories--including some that would be called horror, some that are pure science fiction, and many that are simply dark. For better or for worse, there's also a very broad range of quality. There are classic ghost and horror stories by the likes of Edith Wharton and H.P. Lovecraft, work by more modern masters like Bradbury and Sturgeon, and some surprising gems by unknown authors. Of course, there are also some stories born in college writing workshops and over-the-transom submissions that obviously impressed the editor for some reason. Still, as anthologies of this kind go, I found this one very enjoyable. Don't let the subtitle fool you, though. While many of the stories concern romance of one kind or another, many others are simply about friendships or partnerships, with no romance involved. (And there's nothing here that would fall into the Anne Rice style "erotic horror/gothic romance" category.) This was actually a fantastic bedside book, and I nibbled at it for two months. The stories (and a few scattered poems) are short, so if you don't like one, it's easy to get the taste of it out of your mouth. And there are certainly more gems here than clods of dirt. ( )