Currently reading
Lovescape an anthology by Anne Avery, Phoebe Conn, Sandra Hill,and Dara Joy.
This is a collection of four romance stories, and for the most part I liked them.
"A Dance on the Edge" by Anne Avery was my favorite, because it dealt with a couple's developing relationship through a series of emails back and forth. Both have secrets that bring them a lot of pain, and I thought Avery dealt with the issues present in online relationships wonderfully.
"Toss the Bouquet" by Phoebe Conn was my least favorite story. Regan is a florist whose fiance has canceled his vacation with her at the last minute. Arriving at the beach house where she is to spend the week, she accidentally runs into Marco Tomasi, an Italian bicycle racer. Sparks fly, and Regan has the most wonderful week of her life. Unfortunately, Regan's a shrewish, braindead heroine archetype, and Marco was just too good to be true and I honestly didn't see the chemistry at all.
"Heart Cravings" by Sandra Hill is the longest story in the book. Nick DiCello is finally being served a divorce from his wife, Paula. Determined to win her back, he goes out of his way to fulfill a number of sexual fantasies he suspects she has, thanks to the advice of a fortune teller. This story is hillariously funny in places, and it becomes obvious that Nick and Paula's problem isn't their sex life, it's their lack of communication with each other.
"My One" by Dara Joy is a reworking of the tale of Tristan and Isolda. Trystan is an interstellar patroller. Lois Ed has just been dumped by her predictably jerky boyfriend who cleaned out her bank account. She sends out a call to the cosmos for help, and Trystan answers. Given the shortness of this story, there wasn't time for me to get really annoyed with either Trystan or Lois. In fact, Trystan is, in typical Dara Joy fashion, an utter dreamboat.
Next up, I'm making my way through Christine Feehan's Dark Prince . Even though I am assured it's not at all my thing, which it isn't. Oh, well... At least there will be snark.
Edited for grades: This is the gold standard by which I judge all romance anthologies, since it was my first. Given that I liked three out of the four stories, we'll give this a B.
This is a collection of four romance stories, and for the most part I liked them.
"A Dance on the Edge" by Anne Avery was my favorite, because it dealt with a couple's developing relationship through a series of emails back and forth. Both have secrets that bring them a lot of pain, and I thought Avery dealt with the issues present in online relationships wonderfully.
"Toss the Bouquet" by Phoebe Conn was my least favorite story. Regan is a florist whose fiance has canceled his vacation with her at the last minute. Arriving at the beach house where she is to spend the week, she accidentally runs into Marco Tomasi, an Italian bicycle racer. Sparks fly, and Regan has the most wonderful week of her life. Unfortunately, Regan's a shrewish, braindead heroine archetype, and Marco was just too good to be true and I honestly didn't see the chemistry at all.
"Heart Cravings" by Sandra Hill is the longest story in the book. Nick DiCello is finally being served a divorce from his wife, Paula. Determined to win her back, he goes out of his way to fulfill a number of sexual fantasies he suspects she has, thanks to the advice of a fortune teller. This story is hillariously funny in places, and it becomes obvious that Nick and Paula's problem isn't their sex life, it's their lack of communication with each other.
"My One" by Dara Joy is a reworking of the tale of Tristan and Isolda. Trystan is an interstellar patroller. Lois Ed has just been dumped by her predictably jerky boyfriend who cleaned out her bank account. She sends out a call to the cosmos for help, and Trystan answers. Given the shortness of this story, there wasn't time for me to get really annoyed with either Trystan or Lois. In fact, Trystan is, in typical Dara Joy fashion, an utter dreamboat.
Next up, I'm making my way through Christine Feehan's Dark Prince . Even though I am assured it's not at all my thing, which it isn't. Oh, well... At least there will be snark.
Edited for grades: This is the gold standard by which I judge all romance anthologies, since it was my first. Given that I liked three out of the four stories, we'll give this a B.