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Signet Valentine Anthologies #4
From the Heart
This charming collection celebrates the most romantic day of the year: Valentine's Day. Here are five delightful short stories filled with spirited ladies, dashing gentlemen, notorious rakes, and scandalous lovers--by Mary Balogh, Anne Barbour, Sandra Heath, Melinda McRae, and Anita Mills. Original Regency Romance.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
210 people want to read
About the author
Mary Balogh
195 books6,369 followersMary Jenkins was born in 1944 in Swansea, Wales, UK. After graduating from university, moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, to teach high school English, on a two-year teaching contract in 1967. She married her Canadian husband, Robert Balogh, and had three children, Jacqueline, Christopher and Sian. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, music and knitting. She also enjoys watching tennis and curling.
Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling 'Slightly' sextet and 'Simply' quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling 'Slightly' sextet and 'Simply' quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 19, 2018
Be my Valentine on 'The Anniversary'.
A sweet touching tale of a marriage gone wrong - right from its inception. Two people who love each other secretly, end up making a mess of something that was so easy and so easily attainable. The H tries to redeem and retrieve what could have been, by reprising their last valentine - but with flowers and romantic wooing instead of amorous ardor.
Their chemistry is strong and their bond stronger especially with James, their much adored son conceived in passion gone wrong.
Review only for 'The Anniversary'.
A sweet touching tale of a marriage gone wrong - right from its inception. Two people who love each other secretly, end up making a mess of something that was so easy and so easily attainable. The H tries to redeem and retrieve what could have been, by reprising their last valentine - but with flowers and romantic wooing instead of amorous ardor.
Their chemistry is strong and their bond stronger especially with James, their much adored son conceived in passion gone wrong.
Review only for 'The Anniversary'.
March 16, 2022
I only read 'The Anniversary' by Mary Balogh. It is definitely a worthy novella. Pain and heartbreak for both MCs due to the less than stellar marriage beginning. It definitely packs an emotional wallop for such a short story.
July 15, 2009
Another anthology with 5 regency stories, I find them the perfect reading material for when you have little time and want something short.
The Anniversary - Mary Balogh
No doubt one of my favourite Balogh short stories, she has a knack for providing us with enough back story and multi dimensional characters even in so few pages and it was a delight to read about a couple, estranged since their wedding, who come together on their second wedding anniversary. Thanks to Balogh wonderful writing one can feel their pain and fears and truly rejoice in the happy ending.
Grade: 5/5
The Wooing of Lord Walford - Anne Barbour
A young gentleman who needs to win a wager convinces one of his oldest friends that she must marry one of his old school mates. He teaches her everything about how to conquer him but in the process realises he loves her too and doesn't want to lose her. This was a funny story even if somewhat predictable.
Grade: 4/5
Cupid's Dart - Melinda McRae
Another friends to lovers story but this one with an older couple who have in the past enjoyed each other's company. The story takes place during a house party thrown to help the hero find a wife but he realises the one he wants is right there. I'm afraid it was my least favourite because it failed to engage me.
Grade: 3/5
Devil's Luck - Anita Mills
A gentleman wins a young woman's hand in marriage in a card game. In reality he has no intention of going through with it but only to teach an old irresponsible father a lesson. But as soon as he meets his prospective bride he is embroiled in the family's affairs and finds he may have struck gold after all. I did enjoy the storytelling very much but felt the ending was a bit rushed.
Grade - 4/5
The Impostor - Sandra Heath
The hero goes to visit his friend's unknown bride as a favour and ends up being confused with him and leading to a big misunderstanding while he and the heroine can't help falling in love. When the truth is revealed she believes herself betrayed and it will take him some effort to conquer her.
Grade: 4/5
Anthology grade: 4/5
The Anniversary - Mary Balogh
No doubt one of my favourite Balogh short stories, she has a knack for providing us with enough back story and multi dimensional characters even in so few pages and it was a delight to read about a couple, estranged since their wedding, who come together on their second wedding anniversary. Thanks to Balogh wonderful writing one can feel their pain and fears and truly rejoice in the happy ending.
Grade: 5/5
The Wooing of Lord Walford - Anne Barbour
A young gentleman who needs to win a wager convinces one of his oldest friends that she must marry one of his old school mates. He teaches her everything about how to conquer him but in the process realises he loves her too and doesn't want to lose her. This was a funny story even if somewhat predictable.
Grade: 4/5
Cupid's Dart - Melinda McRae
Another friends to lovers story but this one with an older couple who have in the past enjoyed each other's company. The story takes place during a house party thrown to help the hero find a wife but he realises the one he wants is right there. I'm afraid it was my least favourite because it failed to engage me.
Grade: 3/5
Devil's Luck - Anita Mills
A gentleman wins a young woman's hand in marriage in a card game. In reality he has no intention of going through with it but only to teach an old irresponsible father a lesson. But as soon as he meets his prospective bride he is embroiled in the family's affairs and finds he may have struck gold after all. I did enjoy the storytelling very much but felt the ending was a bit rushed.
Grade - 4/5
The Impostor - Sandra Heath
The hero goes to visit his friend's unknown bride as a favour and ends up being confused with him and leading to a big misunderstanding while he and the heroine can't help falling in love. When the truth is revealed she believes herself betrayed and it will take him some effort to conquer her.
Grade: 4/5
Anthology grade: 4/5
February 16, 2014
“The Anniversary” is the story of a young wife and mother, estranged from her dashing husband. The darkest of Balogh’s Valentine stories, Balogh shows that love doesn’t always follow a straight and narrow path, although the rewards can be great if and when lovers take a leap of faith. Taken from a review at Heroes and Heartbreakers: http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com...
Appearances can be deceiving. What do we make of a young wife, still a nursing mother, whose request to attend a Valentine’s Day house party is refused by her absent husband Hugh, who says he’s coming home to spend Valentine’s Day with her? The selfish cur, or the despicable scoundrel; those epithets all sound good. But Amy, the Countess of Reardon, does not indulge in self-pity. She allows her maid to dress her so that she looks her best, even though she is conflicted about seeing her husband again.
A faithless husband, who had married her almost a year before and not bedded her on her wedding night or any night since, who had brought her here on her wedding day and left the same evening to return to London? Who had been home only once since for those three silent weeks? Who had now forbidden her attendance at the only Valentine’s party of her life? Had she dressed like this for him? She hated him.
A wife who hates her husband and a husband who dreads seeing his estranged wife—can this marriage be saved? The Earl of Reardon admits to himself that returning home for Valentine’s Day is “the hardest thing he had done in his life.” He had been back home once before, for the birth of their child. He stayed for three weeks afterward but returned to London after the christening. Hugh is wracked by guilt, for he believes that he raped Amy, on Valentine’s Day a year earlier, setting in motion a child and a hasty marriage.
And now he was to set eyes on her again. And to work something out with her. Something that would make her life seem a little less like imprisonment in the country. Something that would make his own life a little more bearable—something that would give him just one good night’s sleep again.
Let’s be clear—“a single drunken encounter—they had both been drunk—had had consequences.” No communication since their abrupt marriage, massive guilt on both their parts, psychological and physical distance: their only place of amity is a mutual love of their baby James. James is the light of Amy’s life.
Hugh, holding his son after two months separation is overwhelmed: “How could one look at a baby’s hands, he wondered, and not believe in God? It was a thought that took him completely by surprise.” Hugh realizes that somehow he is going to have to turn back the clock. A year earlier he had wooed a young girl, taken “her away from a party she had no business attending right into the bed in which he had taken his pleasure with countless courtesans and mistresses.” It is past time for new memories to be created.
Balogh deftly weaves scenes from the night that James was conceived into the narrative, bringing complexity to the actions and memories of the evening. Amy “had been drunk but not insensible” and as we learn, she had been in love with the dashing earl from the moment she first laid eyes on him in London. A mad crush culminated in a magical night, where she “enjoyed every moment of the intimate play of their bodies.” A year later two stiff people awkwardly share a formal dinner and make conversation. Hugh asks about his son,
She licked her lips. “He likes to sleep on his stomach,” she said, “with his legs drawn up beneath him. He looks most peculiar. He was a very unhappy baby before I discovered that.”
“I sleep on my stomach,” he said.
She almost laughed and then did. Her laughter sounded nervous and quite out of place.
There are more surprises in store for Amy. After dinner Hugh asks her to play the piano and sing, saying she “used to have a lovely contralto voice.” How does he know that? Had he ever noticed before “her bold drunk person had taken his eye at the opera house?” Balogh takes us behind the scenes with this information—we realize that both Amy and Hugh had watched each other avidly for a year before their intimate encounter. At the end of the evening Hugh slides Amy’s wedding ring off her fourth finger.
“That, I believe,” he said very softly, “was an encumbrance. Apart from the fact that we share a son, we have no ties that merit the ring, do we?”
He tells Amy that tomorrow, Valentine’s Day, she will be his valentine. What a risk Hugh takes. How much easier it would be to develop a formal, mannerly modus operandi, as a guide to their future lives. But he wants more than coexistence. A man with a plan needs co-conspirators and Hugh has three, his cook, butler, and gardener.
When he asks, “How does one woo a young maiden on Valentine’s Day?” the cook sums it up with “You be nice to her, that’s what.” The gardener says that roses are magic, “Better than di’monds, m’lord.” The butler says music, suggesting a talented local pianist and violinist play for the couple. Candlelight, dancing, a romantic party for two—and a Valentine’s Day that starts with the earl serving morning chocolate to his wife as she awakens, a nod to the tradition that a young woman will fall in love with the first man that she sees on Valentine’s morning.
Something else is awakening in Amy, her “woman’s needs.” She admits to herself that she wants more in her life than just a relationship with her baby. It doesn’t hurt that her husband, dressed in riding gear, is gorgeous. But Amy wants more than a second seduction; she wants “pure, wonderful, chivalrous romance.” Hugh also wants a “day of fantasy” but in order to see each other with fresh, forgiving eyes, frank conversation has to be embraced as well.
When Hugh admits to Amy that she is a millstone around his neck, understandably she feels rejected and angry. But it’s springtime, they’re young and resilient, willing to risk all to have the marriage they both want. Tired of being excluded, Hugh joins his wife in the nursery while she nurses his son. Throughout the day they smile, talk, argue, reflect and slowly develop a tentative intimacy. Finally Amy cannot control her passionate desire to embrace what happened between them a year earlier.
“I will not have it said ever again that my son was conceived in ugliness. He was conceived in beauty. I don’t care who you were or are or how carelessly you seduced me—though no seduction was necessary…It was beautiful, what happened…It was the most wonderful experience of my life, and I am glad James came of it.”
Hugh is thunderstruck not by her words but her passionate anger, when she reclaims her memories, unlocks his own, and he remembers whispering “I love you.” Fast forward to a new Valentine’s Day evening, one filled with roses, music, dancing, and love. The earl tells his wife that “there are two men in your life, not just one” and whisks her into a romantic waltz. Before the evening ends he admits that he had loved her “secretly and unwillingly” for a year before they met by accident in the opera house. He tells her there has been no other woman in his life since their marriage.
“I want you tonight and every night. I want to live with you every day and sleep with you every night. I want to be a father to my son—to our son—and to any future sons or daughters we may be blessed with. I want a marriage with you, Amy. I will settle for nothing less.”
And of course Hugh asks Amy to marry him again and slides her wedding ring back onto her finger, saying, “With this ring I thee wed, my dearest love. Because I love you. For all time.”
Appearances can be deceiving. What do we make of a young wife, still a nursing mother, whose request to attend a Valentine’s Day house party is refused by her absent husband Hugh, who says he’s coming home to spend Valentine’s Day with her? The selfish cur, or the despicable scoundrel; those epithets all sound good. But Amy, the Countess of Reardon, does not indulge in self-pity. She allows her maid to dress her so that she looks her best, even though she is conflicted about seeing her husband again.
A faithless husband, who had married her almost a year before and not bedded her on her wedding night or any night since, who had brought her here on her wedding day and left the same evening to return to London? Who had been home only once since for those three silent weeks? Who had now forbidden her attendance at the only Valentine’s party of her life? Had she dressed like this for him? She hated him.
A wife who hates her husband and a husband who dreads seeing his estranged wife—can this marriage be saved? The Earl of Reardon admits to himself that returning home for Valentine’s Day is “the hardest thing he had done in his life.” He had been back home once before, for the birth of their child. He stayed for three weeks afterward but returned to London after the christening. Hugh is wracked by guilt, for he believes that he raped Amy, on Valentine’s Day a year earlier, setting in motion a child and a hasty marriage.
And now he was to set eyes on her again. And to work something out with her. Something that would make her life seem a little less like imprisonment in the country. Something that would make his own life a little more bearable—something that would give him just one good night’s sleep again.
Let’s be clear—“a single drunken encounter—they had both been drunk—had had consequences.” No communication since their abrupt marriage, massive guilt on both their parts, psychological and physical distance: their only place of amity is a mutual love of their baby James. James is the light of Amy’s life.
Hugh, holding his son after two months separation is overwhelmed: “How could one look at a baby’s hands, he wondered, and not believe in God? It was a thought that took him completely by surprise.” Hugh realizes that somehow he is going to have to turn back the clock. A year earlier he had wooed a young girl, taken “her away from a party she had no business attending right into the bed in which he had taken his pleasure with countless courtesans and mistresses.” It is past time for new memories to be created.
Balogh deftly weaves scenes from the night that James was conceived into the narrative, bringing complexity to the actions and memories of the evening. Amy “had been drunk but not insensible” and as we learn, she had been in love with the dashing earl from the moment she first laid eyes on him in London. A mad crush culminated in a magical night, where she “enjoyed every moment of the intimate play of their bodies.” A year later two stiff people awkwardly share a formal dinner and make conversation. Hugh asks about his son,
She licked her lips. “He likes to sleep on his stomach,” she said, “with his legs drawn up beneath him. He looks most peculiar. He was a very unhappy baby before I discovered that.”
“I sleep on my stomach,” he said.
She almost laughed and then did. Her laughter sounded nervous and quite out of place.
There are more surprises in store for Amy. After dinner Hugh asks her to play the piano and sing, saying she “used to have a lovely contralto voice.” How does he know that? Had he ever noticed before “her bold drunk person had taken his eye at the opera house?” Balogh takes us behind the scenes with this information—we realize that both Amy and Hugh had watched each other avidly for a year before their intimate encounter. At the end of the evening Hugh slides Amy’s wedding ring off her fourth finger.
“That, I believe,” he said very softly, “was an encumbrance. Apart from the fact that we share a son, we have no ties that merit the ring, do we?”
He tells Amy that tomorrow, Valentine’s Day, she will be his valentine. What a risk Hugh takes. How much easier it would be to develop a formal, mannerly modus operandi, as a guide to their future lives. But he wants more than coexistence. A man with a plan needs co-conspirators and Hugh has three, his cook, butler, and gardener.
When he asks, “How does one woo a young maiden on Valentine’s Day?” the cook sums it up with “You be nice to her, that’s what.” The gardener says that roses are magic, “Better than di’monds, m’lord.” The butler says music, suggesting a talented local pianist and violinist play for the couple. Candlelight, dancing, a romantic party for two—and a Valentine’s Day that starts with the earl serving morning chocolate to his wife as she awakens, a nod to the tradition that a young woman will fall in love with the first man that she sees on Valentine’s morning.
Something else is awakening in Amy, her “woman’s needs.” She admits to herself that she wants more in her life than just a relationship with her baby. It doesn’t hurt that her husband, dressed in riding gear, is gorgeous. But Amy wants more than a second seduction; she wants “pure, wonderful, chivalrous romance.” Hugh also wants a “day of fantasy” but in order to see each other with fresh, forgiving eyes, frank conversation has to be embraced as well.
When Hugh admits to Amy that she is a millstone around his neck, understandably she feels rejected and angry. But it’s springtime, they’re young and resilient, willing to risk all to have the marriage they both want. Tired of being excluded, Hugh joins his wife in the nursery while she nurses his son. Throughout the day they smile, talk, argue, reflect and slowly develop a tentative intimacy. Finally Amy cannot control her passionate desire to embrace what happened between them a year earlier.
“I will not have it said ever again that my son was conceived in ugliness. He was conceived in beauty. I don’t care who you were or are or how carelessly you seduced me—though no seduction was necessary…It was beautiful, what happened…It was the most wonderful experience of my life, and I am glad James came of it.”
Hugh is thunderstruck not by her words but her passionate anger, when she reclaims her memories, unlocks his own, and he remembers whispering “I love you.” Fast forward to a new Valentine’s Day evening, one filled with roses, music, dancing, and love. The earl tells his wife that “there are two men in your life, not just one” and whisks her into a romantic waltz. Before the evening ends he admits that he had loved her “secretly and unwillingly” for a year before they met by accident in the opera house. He tells her there has been no other woman in his life since their marriage.
“I want you tonight and every night. I want to live with you every day and sleep with you every night. I want to be a father to my son—to our son—and to any future sons or daughters we may be blessed with. I want a marriage with you, Amy. I will settle for nothing less.”
And of course Hugh asks Amy to marry him again and slides her wedding ring back onto her finger, saying, “With this ring I thee wed, my dearest love. Because I love you. For all time.”
May 9, 2016
A better than average collection of short stories.
August 11, 2020
Having fewer than 100 pages for each story must be a trial for an author. People are used to fleshed-out characters, understandable motivations, and believable actions -- all in a single story. I try not to compare an author's short stories with the regular-lengthed ones written. I purchased this anthology because I've read (and liked) books by Balough and Heath.
The Anniversary (Mary Balogh) --This reminded me of THE SECRET PEARL by this author. Because of a mistake they made, Hugh, Earl of Reardon has a wife and a new child. Hugh was a noted rake who'd never considered marriage. However, on the anniversary of 'their mistake,' he returns to Reardon Hall, hoping to make amends. He realizes he loves both his wife and his child and wants to be part of their lives. But the couple is severely estranged. Each person is deeply hurt by the other's past actions. Is there any hope? Well-written and believable.
The Wooing of Lord Walford (Anne Barbour) -- Charlie, the second son, needs money and has an opportunity to earn 12 thousand pounds by getting his best friend, Sally, to marry his close friend. Years ago, 12 friends put money together and decided to give it to the last one of their set to marry. There are only 2 left, Charlie and his best friend, Lord Walford. What's delightful about this story is that it moves naturally and everyone is quite likable.
Cupid's Dart (Melinda McRae) -- Unfortunately, the publishers placed this story just after the previous one and they are similar in some ways. Sebastian Cole has been snared into his sister-in-law's trap of a Valentine party for several couples. He hastily invites one of his dearest friends, Wilhelmina Lady Taunton, to the party, to protect him from attempts to marry him off. Willi and Sebastian used to be lovers but mutually decided that they'd prefer to keep their close personal relationship (and abandon the affair). This is a pleasant read; just not great.
Devil's Luck (Anita Mills) -- This story presumes that the reader can believe a father would put the future of one of his daughters into a poker pot because he'd already lost $2 thousand pounds. He rushes home and shares the bad news; none of his 3 daughters wants to marry Lord Trevaney because he is a noted rake and unfeeling person. However, the middle daughter, Melisande, loses the contest with the short straw. She meets the lord and makes a feeble offer; Lord Trevaney kisses her and refuses. He tells her he just wanted to teach her father a lesson; he wasn't interested in marriage to any of the girls.
Charlotte has silently been betrothed to someone who actually is a fortune hunter, but of course, she won't believe it. She runs away with him one night and Melisande gives chase. She runs into Lord Trevaney and he helps her snag Charlotte. When the betrothed finds out Charlotte has no money, he demands he's been tricked and withdraws the offer. Then the girl's father arrives and there is total chaos. Actually, I liked this story; it was original and unique.
The Imposter (Sandra Heath) -- This is a story of mistaken identity but it was too short to be realistic. Francis Vining, a philanderer, wants Felix Vestey to stop by his intended's manor and tell her (Jane Martin) that he has been detained (he's actually on his way to Bath to chase an actress). When Felix gets there, he falls in love instantly with Jane and assumes Francis' role. Of course, Jane falls for him instantly too (Jane sent a miniature to Francis, and Felix has seen it, so he knows who she is but she has not received a miniature from Francis and does not know what he looks like).
The order of the stories as I liked them (fave to least): Barbour, Balogh, Mills, McRae, Heath.
The Anniversary (Mary Balogh) --This reminded me of THE SECRET PEARL by this author. Because of a mistake they made, Hugh, Earl of Reardon has a wife and a new child. Hugh was a noted rake who'd never considered marriage. However, on the anniversary of 'their mistake,' he returns to Reardon Hall, hoping to make amends. He realizes he loves both his wife and his child and wants to be part of their lives. But the couple is severely estranged. Each person is deeply hurt by the other's past actions. Is there any hope? Well-written and believable.
The Wooing of Lord Walford (Anne Barbour) -- Charlie, the second son, needs money and has an opportunity to earn 12 thousand pounds by getting his best friend, Sally, to marry his close friend. Years ago, 12 friends put money together and decided to give it to the last one of their set to marry. There are only 2 left, Charlie and his best friend, Lord Walford. What's delightful about this story is that it moves naturally and everyone is quite likable.
Cupid's Dart (Melinda McRae) -- Unfortunately, the publishers placed this story just after the previous one and they are similar in some ways. Sebastian Cole has been snared into his sister-in-law's trap of a Valentine party for several couples. He hastily invites one of his dearest friends, Wilhelmina Lady Taunton, to the party, to protect him from attempts to marry him off. Willi and Sebastian used to be lovers but mutually decided that they'd prefer to keep their close personal relationship (and abandon the affair). This is a pleasant read; just not great.
Devil's Luck (Anita Mills) -- This story presumes that the reader can believe a father would put the future of one of his daughters into a poker pot because he'd already lost $2 thousand pounds. He rushes home and shares the bad news; none of his 3 daughters wants to marry Lord Trevaney because he is a noted rake and unfeeling person. However, the middle daughter, Melisande, loses the contest with the short straw. She meets the lord and makes a feeble offer; Lord Trevaney kisses her and refuses. He tells her he just wanted to teach her father a lesson; he wasn't interested in marriage to any of the girls.
Charlotte has silently been betrothed to someone who actually is a fortune hunter, but of course, she won't believe it. She runs away with him one night and Melisande gives chase. She runs into Lord Trevaney and he helps her snag Charlotte. When the betrothed finds out Charlotte has no money, he demands he's been tricked and withdraws the offer. Then the girl's father arrives and there is total chaos. Actually, I liked this story; it was original and unique.
The Imposter (Sandra Heath) -- This is a story of mistaken identity but it was too short to be realistic. Francis Vining, a philanderer, wants Felix Vestey to stop by his intended's manor and tell her (Jane Martin) that he has been detained (he's actually on his way to Bath to chase an actress). When Felix gets there, he falls in love instantly with Jane and assumes Francis' role. Of course, Jane falls for him instantly too (Jane sent a miniature to Francis, and Felix has seen it, so he knows who she is but she has not received a miniature from Francis and does not know what he looks like).
The order of the stories as I liked them (fave to least): Barbour, Balogh, Mills, McRae, Heath.
reprint
April 12, 2020Own/read Balogh The Anniversary rereleased in ebook A Rogues Downfall
The Anniversary - Mary Balogh
The Wooing of Lord Walford - Anne Barbour
Cupid's Dart - Melinda McRae
Devil's Luck - Anita Mills
The Impostor - Sandra Heath
The Anniversary - Mary Balogh
The Wooing of Lord Walford - Anne Barbour
Cupid's Dart - Melinda McRae
Devil's Luck - Anita Mills
The Impostor - Sandra Heath
March 30, 2023
I have not read above mentioned authors but I picked this one ONLY for the short story, Anniversary by Mary Balogh. She managed to tell an emotionally-charged Marriage-in-trouble(?) Story in just 50-60 pages.
But, I wanted more....just 10-20 pages or maybe a full lenght angsty-novel. And, I think now I have understood the appeal of Marriage in trouble as a trope.
But, I wanted more....just 10-20 pages or maybe a full lenght angsty-novel. And, I think now I have understood the appeal of Marriage in trouble as a trope.
August 28, 2019
Rating is only for Mary Balogh's Anniversary.
April 14, 2023
Only read the Anniversary by Mary Balogh
April 3, 2020
Balogh - "The Anniversary"
November 8, 2012
Recommend!
I don't normally read anthologies...some stories are too short. I want them to go on and on and on. I elected to read this one because I wanted to see how Seb Cole fared, one of Melinda McRae's characters who made a cameo appearance in several of her books. He fared really well. He fell in love with a good friend and former lover, another continuing character. She was surprised as was he. Cupid's Dart was a good short story; that was all the story Seb and Willi needed.
As a bonus, The Anniversary, a Mary Balogh story, was included. I have read all of her books and some short stories. I had not read this one and was no disappointed. I classify Ms. Balogh right up there with Georgette Heyer.
The Wooing of Lord Walford by Anne Barbour, Devil's Luck by Anita Mills, and The Imposter by Sandra Heath were also good short stories once I got into the 'short story' mode. I had never read any books/stories by this authors, but thought they were worthy!
Recommend!
I don't normally read anthologies...some stories are too short. I want them to go on and on and on. I elected to read this one because I wanted to see how Seb Cole fared, one of Melinda McRae's characters who made a cameo appearance in several of her books. He fared really well. He fell in love with a good friend and former lover, another continuing character. She was surprised as was he. Cupid's Dart was a good short story; that was all the story Seb and Willi needed.
As a bonus, The Anniversary, a Mary Balogh story, was included. I have read all of her books and some short stories. I had not read this one and was no disappointed. I classify Ms. Balogh right up there with Georgette Heyer.
The Wooing of Lord Walford by Anne Barbour, Devil's Luck by Anita Mills, and The Imposter by Sandra Heath were also good short stories once I got into the 'short story' mode. I had never read any books/stories by this authors, but thought they were worthy!
Recommend!
February 23, 2014
**Rating is only for Balogh's Anniversary.**
I'm not a fan of second-chance-at-love stories, but this was rather good.
I'm glad that H/h parted only for a year, instead of 10 years, as some writers like to do it.
Of course the problems could be avoided with better communication, but hey, we wouldn't have a story then.
I'm not a fan of second-chance-at-love stories, but this was rather good.
I'm glad that H/h parted only for a year, instead of 10 years, as some writers like to do it.
Of course the problems could be avoided with better communication, but hey, we wouldn't have a story then.
March 9, 2014
I've only so far read the story by Mary Balogh, The Anniversary, which is the reason I bought this book. This story is exactly why Balogh is one of my favourite, if not favourite, authors. Her writing really is magical.
January 1, 2010
Into the book bus with this one!
April 1, 2011
Rating based only on Mary Balogh's story, which is one of my top favourites of hers. It just grabs me by the heart-strings every time I read it.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews