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Mystery Date
Flirt with the unknown in 17 unusual tales of blind dates...
When people embark on blind dates, they never quite know what they will find-and the dates in these mostly modern- day urban tales go far beyond the usual expectations.
Here, these 17 romantic hopefuls encounter surprise first dates with the likes of Zeus and William Shakespeare; Medusa wreaks havoc upon Internet predators; a woman is cursed to see the truth about her dates after drinking a little wine; and more.
All of these very different dates begin with the hope that romance will result. Some will find a happily ever after, while for others there will be no "ever after" at all...
When people embark on blind dates, they never quite know what they will find-and the dates in these mostly modern- day urban tales go far beyond the usual expectations.
Here, these 17 romantic hopefuls encounter surprise first dates with the likes of Zeus and William Shakespeare; Medusa wreaks havoc upon Internet predators; a woman is cursed to see the truth about her dates after drinking a little wine; and more.
All of these very different dates begin with the hope that romance will result. Some will find a happily ever after, while for others there will be no "ever after" at all...
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 5, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 20, 2008
I have one more story to finish, but I've really enjoyed this. Only a few of said mystery dates are horrifying, most are amusing. Imagine on-line dating with gods and monsters, outwitting a giant snake, meeting a truly foxy guy, dating dead movie stars, and a favorite board game that starts coming true. I don't want to spoil any surprises, so just give it a try.
June 23, 2008
Library Speak: This book was catalogued as a romance. It doesn't fit the genre at all-def more a fantasy.
March 12, 2012
My story, 'The Urbane Fox' is included in this collection. It's a story about sewing and shapeshifting. The five star rating is for the other great stories in this book.
October 23, 2011
Quirky short story collection, featuring gods, goddesses, fae, and all sorts of unexpected dates.
April 26, 2017
This was a volume of short stories, mostly entertaining/escapist, about first dates that do not turn out as expected. The stories are mostly pleasant - well-written although there were a number of trivial errors that should have been picked up by the editor.
The quality of the stories seemed to decline the more I read of the volume, until the final two were of dubious quality - with the final story apparently simply knocked off, without much explanation - a very far-fetched conceit, I guess the writer figures the reader will simply indulge or enjoy the fantasy.
The stories didn't veer into overt smut - which I personally dislike - but nonetheless contained enough romantic interest to be page-turners mostly, as protagonists, mostly female, dealt with unfamiliar circumstances of first dates (some of which were indeed bizarre). A cute story was narrated in the form of email exchanges between girl friends communicating on business email accounts. The first story was a "winner" with game pieces eerily coming to life in the form of various tradesmen or other characters appearing at the door of a house a couple of sisters were renovating. "Subtle Interpretations" by Ms. Rusch was pretty good, evocative at setting the scene in Paris at the time of the second world war. "Under my Skin" by Ms. Duane was an elaborate, convincing fantasy set in NY, also capturing atmosphere/attitudes/psychology of characters expertly/convincingly. "The Mansion of Ghoulish Delight" was rather disturbing, but well-written - more in the horror/fantasy genre. "Anne of the One Gable" by Ms. Rabe was a pleasant, if eerie, fantasy about entering a nether zone by way of a Ouija board & dating the "spirits" of long-gone movie stars.. strange. "Motivational Speaker" was a charming fantasy, I guess one of the better stories. "The Love Prince" was somewhat ridiculous/incomprehensible. "With Admiration" was well-written but also somewhat ridiculous. "The Urbane Fox" by Ms. Bedford included a lot of outlandish fantasy but still was satisfying/interesting. "Dessert" by Ms. Haag was a bit disturbing, sort of left the reader hanging, as to whether the heroine's apprehensions about her date were warranted. The last two stories weren't really that great - the penultimate story was actually trashy, I'm surprised it made it into the volume, and the last story, as I mentioned above, seemed like the author didn't put much thought into it etc.
For escapist short stories, I guess the book is OK, as long as the reader doesn't expect too much. Most of the tales were workmanlike and well-crafted. I guess they "deliver" insofar as the reader is inserted into the world of people going on first dates, and can vicariously experience or imagine the trepidation or "mystery" of meeting people for the first time and so forth, almost like a movie allows the viewer to momentarily experience or imagine they are experiencing exciting unfamiliar circumstances. There was nothing particularly edifying about the volume, but as escapist fiction, I guess I would say it was OK.
The quality of the stories seemed to decline the more I read of the volume, until the final two were of dubious quality - with the final story apparently simply knocked off, without much explanation - a very far-fetched conceit, I guess the writer figures the reader will simply indulge or enjoy the fantasy.
The stories didn't veer into overt smut - which I personally dislike - but nonetheless contained enough romantic interest to be page-turners mostly, as protagonists, mostly female, dealt with unfamiliar circumstances of first dates (some of which were indeed bizarre). A cute story was narrated in the form of email exchanges between girl friends communicating on business email accounts. The first story was a "winner" with game pieces eerily coming to life in the form of various tradesmen or other characters appearing at the door of a house a couple of sisters were renovating. "Subtle Interpretations" by Ms. Rusch was pretty good, evocative at setting the scene in Paris at the time of the second world war. "Under my Skin" by Ms. Duane was an elaborate, convincing fantasy set in NY, also capturing atmosphere/attitudes/psychology of characters expertly/convincingly. "The Mansion of Ghoulish Delight" was rather disturbing, but well-written - more in the horror/fantasy genre. "Anne of the One Gable" by Ms. Rabe was a pleasant, if eerie, fantasy about entering a nether zone by way of a Ouija board & dating the "spirits" of long-gone movie stars.. strange. "Motivational Speaker" was a charming fantasy, I guess one of the better stories. "The Love Prince" was somewhat ridiculous/incomprehensible. "With Admiration" was well-written but also somewhat ridiculous. "The Urbane Fox" by Ms. Bedford included a lot of outlandish fantasy but still was satisfying/interesting. "Dessert" by Ms. Haag was a bit disturbing, sort of left the reader hanging, as to whether the heroine's apprehensions about her date were warranted. The last two stories weren't really that great - the penultimate story was actually trashy, I'm surprised it made it into the volume, and the last story, as I mentioned above, seemed like the author didn't put much thought into it etc.
For escapist short stories, I guess the book is OK, as long as the reader doesn't expect too much. Most of the tales were workmanlike and well-crafted. I guess they "deliver" insofar as the reader is inserted into the world of people going on first dates, and can vicariously experience or imagine the trepidation or "mystery" of meeting people for the first time and so forth, almost like a movie allows the viewer to momentarily experience or imagine they are experiencing exciting unfamiliar circumstances. There was nothing particularly edifying about the volume, but as escapist fiction, I guess I would say it was OK.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews