Romance

In romances I do not usually expect in-depth discussions of current political or social problems. Some elements may be necessary, but not so much as to overshadow the romance. Still I was curious when opening Hot Desert Nights to what extent the authors permit realities of the present relationship between Western and Arab countries to…

Kick Ass is an anthology of four novellas about supposedly kickass heroines. As is usually the case, some of these women live up to their billing better than others.

Is the anthology market getting a bit saturated? I’m starting to think so, because even though the stories here are pleasing enough (with the exception of the final entry that is the best of the bunch), Man Of My Dreams is ultimately so slight that it feels almost weightless. Is it good for a few…

The title of this book is slightly misleading; the heroes are a carpenter, a painter, and…er…a ghost. The plots involve renovating an old house, renovating a castle, and…ah…a haunted house. The heroines are an Atlanta marketing executive returning to her small Georgia hometown, a New York designer returning to her Texas hometown, and…um…a happy temp…

Christmas is the time of year when a lot of us get a little sentimental and if you’ve been looking for a well-written collection of stories that unabashedly celebrates what many of us love about the holiday season, then this is a book you may well want to check out. With four Regency entries (all…

When I buy an anthology it’s usually for one or two authors whom I know, and I hope the ones I’m not familiar with aren’t too bad. Since this is the fifth book in the Once Upon series I’m pretty familiar with all the authors involved and have certain expectations. Yet, I found my expectations…

Star authors and friends Connie Brockway and Christina Dodd had a cute idea: why not write a book together? Once Upon a Pillow differs from most anthologies in that all the stories are directly linked – they’re the tales of the Masterson family, English nobility known throughout the generations for their legendary bed, which is…

Delighted is this year’s erotic romance anthology from Brava, and like most anthologies it’s a mixed bag. The quality of the stories ranges from pretty readable to over-the-top and unintentionally hilarious. But while I was diverted, distracted, even at times disbelieving and disgusted, I wouldn’t really say that I was delighted with the end result.

As if the title weren’t direct enough, one look at the cover of Fantasy (a pair of legs clad in embroidered black stockings with stiletto ankle-strap shoes) and it’s obvious what to expect from the stories inside. But what you might not expect is the sheer variety of fantasies these authors manage to cover, ranging…

The stories in A Mother’s Way are all over the map in terms of setting and quality. They range from medieval to modern, reality-based to fantastic, and very, very good to mind-numbingly bad. The one common factor is that each plot features a mother match-making for her daughter. If, like me, you tend to resent…