Дар любви

Foster Saga #0.5 (Double Exposure)

by Judith McNaught, Джудит Макнот

Нет и не может быть для настоящей женщины дара более драгоценного, чем дар любви. `Первые леди любовного романа` Джудит Макнот и Джуд Деверо и восходящие звезды жанра Кимберли Кейтс, Андреа Кейн и Джудит О`Брайен дарят читательницам пять историй о любви.Любви прекрасной и волшебной, страстной и обжигающей, чувственной и святой. О любви, которая приходит неожиданно, чтобы стать светом во тьме и смыслом жизни...

Genres: Romance, Anthologies, Historical Romance, Christmas, Contemporary Romance, Historical, Contemporary

475 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1995

About the author

You can find Judith McNaught in facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjudith...

Judith McNaught is a #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author, with more than forty million copies of her novels in print, in over eighty countries and more than thirty languages. She was also the first female executive producer at a CBS radio station. McNaught is credited with inventing the modern Regency Historical romance subgenre.

Reviews

[Kristina Birch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology is a yearly tradition for me!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five short stories with two from my favorite romance writers McNaught (Double Exposure) and Deveraux (Just Curious). Just curious is one of my favorites of Deveraux. "I don't believe in miracles" first line from main character Karen. A widow whose lost her spark working as a secretary for a major corp. owned by a Taggert- one of Deveraux reoccuring families. Taggert handsome, cold-hearted whose inability to get a women to sign a pre-nup has given him quite the reputation. Karen finds herself in his office and notices a picture and asks "who is this" and it is a picture of his twin brother (In Deveraux story plot with twins if you can see the difference then you are the one to marry). He gives her a proposition to be his escort to a Christmas wedding for a friend. She thinks its just business but all along he is sure she will be his future wife if only he can show her in the few days the man he really is. Through funny situations Karen discovers a man who captures her curiosities and heart!

[Alishba Asif · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first two short stories many years ago and the other were a happy surprise.
Judith mcnaught is my favourite historical romance writer and I also adored her Remember when book so naturally Corey's book was enjoyed and liked.
Out of all these stories my favourite is the one is by Jude Deveraux. I really liked the spunky character of Karen.
A very good read for oldschool romance lovers!

[Pewter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was a wonderful collection of stories. In order of my preference:

Gabriel's Angel - The story of Tristan and Alaina. Yes, this one is my favorite out of the bunch. I just love the wholesome jubilant atmosphere. The Christmas festivity, gifts, holly and scrumptious things to eat. It read to me like a fairy tale, with Christmas wishes, angels and all things divine. A story of 3 people, with such sad hearts is captured in the moment of celebration, each having to learn so much from the other and be lost in the wonderful magic of love. Tristan was such a sweetheart when he was boy and he was so jaded as a man, waiting all those years to crush the walls of cynicism in him. I'm definitely going to read more of Ms. Kimberly Cates work.

Double Exposure - The story of Spencer and Corey. No stranger to the works of Ms Judith McNaught, I do love her style of story telling. I fell in love with the Fosters when I read Remember when and I remember even how much I was intrigued back then as to how Corey's obsessive crush on Spencer led to such a wonderful ending. I finally got to read their side of the story too. I thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful memories Corey shared with us when they were both younger. I have to say it was a bit dramatic, no scratch that. It was overly dramatic! And a bit crazy and unbelievable. But I've loved these two characters too much to let this bother me. I only wish we'd have a much longer story.

Just Curious - Another wonderful couple. The story of Karen, a young widow who's given up hopes of finding love ever since her husband's death and McAllister Taggert, a man known for his devilish charm and a long line of jilted females as his conquest. Everyone seems to love the boss at the workplace, everyone except Karen who knows what exactly Taggert is - a cold hearted monster, who incapable of loving or sharing anything with another....or so she thought. Until that Christmas, when she finds herself at the receiving end of a very odd proposal. Though I loved their story, the drama level was pretty high in this one too and the unrealistic story about Taggert concocting a whole story and spending money just to try to make a woman fall in love. Very fairy tale like.

Yuletide Treasure - Two very unlikely characters Brigitte and Eric bound together by fate and the lovely little Noelle, Eric's unmanageable 4 year old niece. I really liked the first half of the story, it was wonderful to read about the little girl who wanted nothing more than some love and affection from her brooding uncle. And Eric, with all his demons and the guilt he lives with. I felt for these two people, who've been shunned from society for no apparent reason. Then Brigitte enters their life and the bond she makes with Noelle is beautiful to watch. I just felt the relationship between Eric and Brigitte was rushed. Things happened way too fast, at least on Eric's end since Brigitte was already in love with him for a long time. But overall, it was a sweet tale.

Five Golden Rings - Brought me back to a modern day classroom where Emma taught. For some reason this one didn't interest me too much. For one, I really don't like time travel unless it's some wonderfully magnificent, mesmerizing tale. So, I skimmed though it just enough to know what happens in the end.

[Sabīne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beidzot manās rokās nonāca grāmata ar vairākiem īsiem romantiskiem stāstiem, kas ir tieši tik gari, cik man patiktos lasīt.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Double Exposure - Judith McNaught
Corey Foster & Spencer Addison... today Corey is a well known photographer of the magazine Beautiful Living, showcasing her mother & grandmother's Foster Way of entertainment... Spencer is a successful businessman... 15 years ago Corey had a tremendous crush on the older Spencer - and he tolerated her attentions & enjoyed the time with her loving family - a memorable scene when she is 17, and wants him to kiss her - and she makes up a story about kissing boys, and wanting to know when to stop - and she gouds him into kissing her, and he starts to get carried away, and is ashamed of himself - but neither forgot the kiss... until he 'broke her heart', and Corey gave him up... now his little half sister is getting married, and they want Beautiful Living to showcase the wedding, so the family is going to his east coast home to set up & photograph... and Corey is wary of Spencer - Spencer realizes he loves Corey... and manipulates things so that they are married in his sister's stead (she ran off with the busboy to elope)... and he makes it right a month later, when he gets her to come to his grandmother's house to sign something, and instead she finds Christmas - which is when she had wanted to be married - and she finally trusts in his love for her....

Just Curious by Jude Deveraux
MacAlister Taggart and Karen Lawrence... Karen - 30 years old, well loved, but lost her husband to an accident... she lost the hardware business she shared with her husband, and 2 years later, and she wants a baby... she works in the typing pool for the Taggart corp... MacAlister, jilted at the alter 3 years earlier, engaged many times - he has pre nup agreements that leave nothing for the women, and they break the engagement... Karen doesn't think much of MacAlister - she types his work (helping out the elderly supervisor)...

but it is christmas, and she's sad, and she finishes up the typing while the others are partying... and she indulges herself with a look in the bosses' office... and when startled when he shows up, she drops a picture... she asks who the family member is as she didn't recognize him, but then leaves his office sure she has lost her job... and then he asks for her help... he's gathered as much informaiton about her as he can - he has fallen in love (for the first time), and she knew the picture of his twin was not of him (Taggarts marry the woman who can tell them apart)... he was scheduled to be in the wedding party of a friend, and coerces them - he tells Karen that he needs someone to stand in for one of the bridesmaids, that the woman who jilted him will be there, and that he will pay her to join him for the weekend ... she asks for his sperm in a cup as payment... and then he bamboozles her... with his family, with his generosity, by listening and funding her business plans, etc... and convinces her to marry him ahhhhhh

Gabriel's Angel - Kimberly Cates
Alaina MacShane and Tristan Ramsey... Alaina, poor - trying to sell music sheets & her father will drink away any money she brings home... 10 year old Tristan, a merchant's son, a warm happy family... Christmas Day... Alaina sees two men taking a pony down the street - and she can't help but follow... and when they leave him outside, she approaches and touches the horse... and young Tristan runs out, excited, and is generous - sharing the moment with Alaina, and giving her his Christmas guinea coin... she runs off, but returns when they go back into the house to watch them through the window... and she finds hope and knowledge that there is more... and she returns every christmas, soaking up his family's love & fun... until he marries - and she watches him with his dainty wife, and only returns 7 years later, when she is getting ready to go to America...( she has worked hard, holding onto her virginity, finding education, and working in a millinery shop and saving every penny).

and what she finds breaks her heart... Tristan's wife is dead, Tristin is holding himself separate from his son, and his son is so sad... and she hears him make a Christmas wish - to give all of his wishes so that his father would smile again...

and Alaina decides to bring christmas cheer... she breaks in to decorate... and he catches her (literally, as she falls off the chair)... and Gabriel knows she is the angel he had been asking for...

and reluctantly, Tristan opens his heart, forgives himself, reaches out to his son, rediscovers his art and loves... and Alaina learns the truth of his wife's sucking the life out him due to her insecurities and jealousies - and they find love in each other's arms - in spite of their different stations... and he is going back to his art... a tear jerker, as Gabriels little heart so much wants his father's happiness, to the sacrifice of his own... and his joy as Alaina and his father share Christmas with him. ahhhh

Yuletide Treasure - Andrea Kane
Eric Bromleigh - rich, left at a young age to raise his little sister -perhaps her inate character, perhaps his spoiling, perhaps both, but she turned out to be a selfcentered, uncaring b---- - and she left him at the age of 18 when he was 'poor' (relatively speaking), returned to give birth on Christmas day, and left 3 months later, dying of influenza before the year was out... and hurt, and afraid he would ruin Noelle, he sequestered himself in his mansion, and farmed Noelle out to the parish families - and unfortunately, in 4 years, and 16 families later, smart, insecure, lonely Noelle is too much of a handful... when the last family returns her, Eric goes to the parish priest and tells him he needs a nanny to come raise Noelle and keep her away from him... the priest says it would not be right to have an unmarried woman living with them - so he says he'll marry her...

and the priests granddaughter (just 19) - and the local schoolteacher shows up, rescues Noelle from being hurt by a carriage as she tried to rescue her stuffed kitty... and Brigette has just the right touch of firmness, pleasentness, and humor to deal with Noelle - and accepts Eric's offer... she has been watching him for her whole life, and feels he is her calling... and he spends many days watching them from his window... and after a month, Brigette goes to him to insist on a birthday party - and they have sex - and he pushes her away... but her presence, but also through Noelle's manipulations (falling into the lake, needind rescueing) and her gentleness, he comes to forgive himself and open himself up to love - just in time for Christmas... ahhhh

Five Golden Rings - Judith O'Brien
Emma Graham - 5 years a teacher, satisfied with her average looks and her average life... this year she has a young, shy, new student - Asa - and she has not been able to get a hold of his dad to get some background... the class is performing 12 days of christmas, and she asks each member of the class to bring in a prop, and Asa is asked to bring in 5 rings - she tells him 5 shower rings would be fine, and she'd help him paint them... he brings in shower rings, as well as a real ring - a well worn ring, where the inscription is worn... she tries to get a hold of dad again... and takes the ring home ... and that night she slips the ring onto her finger, and wakes up in Indiana 150 years earlier - married to a handsome man, a brilliant lawyer, whose grandmother was Indian,so he faces prejudice, and he champions the underserved... he takes his wife (Emma?) from Philadelphia to Indiana, and their 1 year old son dies... Emma has been bedridden for months... until our Emma steps into her - and knows some things if she doesn't think about it... and she responds to her husband, who has been caring for her the best he can... and he is happy... and she manipulates it to be the schoolteacher... and they have sex... and after a week, happily settleing in to bed, she wants to look at the rings' inscription, and she wakes up in her own bed... and she goes to school, and Asa's father shows up... and it is Michael - and he had the same dream - and she tells her she lost the ring, and he tells her they are a set and are back together... and Asa smiles... hmmmmm

[elstaffe · Rating 2 out of 5]

3, 1.5, 2, 3, 1.5 stars averages to 2.2 stars. Ah, well. Pretty silverwork on the paperback cover!

Double Exposure (Judith McNaught): 3 stars. I really liked the first part of this story (to the point that I was worried I was going to have to keep this book and not give it away after I finished reading it), but then the last third walked over the edge into neh for me.

"As her collection of his pictures grew, she started a special scrap book and kept it under her bed, and when that was filled, she started another, and then another." (23) man why are teens such creeps

"At noon, she saw him coming down a crowded hallway near his study with a sheaf of papers in his hand that he appeared to be engrossed in reading. Without looking up, he nodded to a houseguest and moved around three servants. As he passed Corey, seemingly without seeing her, he made a sharp turn and walked straight into her; backing her through an open doorway and straight into a closet, closing its door behind them. While she was still sputtering, he dropped the papers, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her senseless." (71-72) I nonironically love this image

Just Curious (Jude Deveraux): 1.5 rounds up to 2 stars. Deveraux is just not for me.

"'No one understands. Ray and I were more than just married, we were partners. We were equals; we shared everything. Ray asked my opinion about everything, from the business to the color of his socks. He made me feel useful.'" (112) woman.

"Whatever she thought of how he treated women in his personal life, Taggert was always respectful to his employees. And no matter how hard a woman worked to compromise him, he didn't fall for it. Two years ago when a secretary said he'd made a pass at her, everyone laughed at her so hard, she found another job three weeks later." (131) yeeeeesh yikes

Gabriel's Angel (Kimberly Cates): 2 stars.

"Constellations nestled in the heavens in half-finished portraits of scorpions and lions and myth-veiled heroes, the winter night so still Alaina was certain she could hear Gabriel's angels whispering to the moon." (254) yes the notoriously crystal-clear skies of Victorian London

Yuletide Treasure (Andrea Kane): 3 stars

Five Golden Rings (Judith O'Brien): 1.5 rounds up to 2 stars. No, thank you. Only gets above a 1 because of the Sunbeam moment.

"'My father smokes a funny-looking pipe at night.'
Sunbeam's father, a former roadie for the Grateful Dead, now a Wall Street banker, also wore tie-dyed underwear, according to his daughter, and had been arrested in college. Sunbeam brought in his mug shots for show-and-tell." (365) Sunbeam is the best character in this story.

"'This dish'—Emma pointed with her wooden spoon—'it's beautiful. You painted it?'
Rebecca nodded.
'Just the other day. It's my newest one.'
Emma finished her meal in appreciative silence." (385) delicious, delicious fresh lead paint

"You see, the schoolmaster did not just run off. He ran off with one of his pupils.'
'You're kidding??'
'Nope.'
'How old was the student?'
Michael took another pull on the pipe.
'I suppose the pupil was about seventeen.'
'Well, I guess that's old enough. I mean, she probably knew what she was doing
and all. How old was the schoolmaster?'
'Henry? I reckon Henry was twenty-five or twenty-six.'
'Well, that's not so bad, Michael.'" (394) INCORRECT, school teacher from 1995

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed all the stories in this book. Double Exposure was the least holidayish to me, but a good read. I enjoyed revisiting characters I had met in her other books. Just Curious is a wealthy arrogant male with a rep for using woman, andsecretary who despises, yet begins to see the good in him. Gabriel's Angel was probably my favorite, a poor child spends her youth spying in the windows of the house of the boy who had been kind to him. She finds out he has changed dramatically and sets about finding her old generous acquaintance. Yuletide Teasure is about a wealthy man who lost his sister and became a recluse. He pawns his sister's daughter off on all the neighbors to raise since he does not want her. Can the rectors daughter save both the daughter and the brother from themselves. Finally Five Golden Rings is the shortest. A school teacher time travels or dreams? Can dreams really come true? I would have liked this one to be a little longer. A little more about the present.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend gave me this book as a young teenager and I reread it multiple times over the next few years, but this is the first time I've read it in probably a decade. There's a few things that notably mark the book as a product of the '90s and a couple problematic points, but overall I still really enjoyed it. Each story had a nice dose of angst, maybe a little humour, and ended with love triumphing. Plus each is a holiday tale, which prompted this reread.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Christmastime so I'm being generous with my ratings (more than usual)
Double Exposure by Judith McNaught 4.5/5. Second time reading this and still love it.
Just Curious by Jude Deveraux 4/5 I just wished it was longer.
Gabriel's Angel by Kimberly Cates 3/5
Yuletide Treasure by Andrea Kane 4.5/5 always count me in for a sunshine-meets-grumpy story.
Five Golden Rings by Judith O'Brien 3.5/5 again, good plot but i wish the story was longer especially for a fantasy-themed like this one.

[Elizabeth Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this anthology for a challenge. These stories were written and first published in 1995, and that is obvious in the plot and character development. All of the stories are romances, and two of the stories have more sexual description than I like. Yes, I know that I can skip those paragraphs, or pages, but I think that sexual descriptions detract from the story instead of adding to it. Some of the stories had humorous elements, but on the whole I was disappointed.

[Shouty · Rating 5 out of 5]

DOUBLE EXPOSURE: I ALWAYS WANTED COREY'S STORY AND I LOVE HOW LOVESICK SHE WAS FOR HIM AS A TEEN; JUST CURIOUS: MY FAVORITE OF THE BUNCH, KAREN YOU ARE A QUEEN FOR CHANGING "MISERABLY JILTED" TO "MAGNIFICENTLY JETTISONED" AND I THINK OF YOU WHENEVER MY FACE IS SHINY AND MY HAIR LANK; GABRIEL'S ANGEL: ALMOST MAKES MY TEETH HURT WITH HOW SWEET IT IS BUT A PERFECT CHRISTMAS FAIRY TALE; YULETIDE TREASURE: THAT KID IS 3 GOING ON 4 GOING ON 34 I STG; FIVE GOLDEN RINGS: *HAHA* WHAT

[Margaret Fraleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains 5 stories - each by a different author.

Jude Deveraus, Kimberley Cates, Andrea Kane, Judith O'Brien and Judith McNaught.

Each story is about love and miracles. Each similar but uniquely different.

Loved the stories.

[Debra Firestone · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Gift of Love: Just Curious I give 3 stars, it didn't really capture my interest.

The rest of the stories I give four stars. Some, I would have loved to see fleshed out as full stories instead of just novellas.

[Jessy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read "Just Curious" only.

[Tessa123 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read: Double Exposure Only

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely book of short love stories!

[Tricia Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read “Just Curious” first... great storyline with witty characters... looking forward to reading the rest of the stories if they are even half as entertaining as “Just curious”

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall decent Christmas anthology. I liked them all except the writing in Gabriel's Angel. It was so flowery it was nauseating (I liked the storyline, though).

[Susan Hylton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five short stories , each about 100 pages long. Set at Christmas. Escapism , yes. Improbable, also yes. But isn’t love improbable? My favorite? Five Golden Rings .

[S · Rating 1 out of 5]

Short stories.

[Anne Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had love stories that were supposed to be Christmas related. I made a review of all the stories.
Double Exposure has the main character, Corey, finally being married to Spencer, a childhood crush. He stood her up at the senior Christmas dance, never hearing from him again until years later when Corey is photographing a wedding on his property in Newport, RI. I could have done without Corey's whining about how she was "tricked" into marrying Spencer, but the perfect Christmas setting Spencer sets up was a nice way to make her "forgive" him.
Just Curious has the main character being Karen, a widow, and the main man, Mac, was engaged several times. But this story ended up being 'perfect' anyway. It just got out of hand when Mac falls in love with Karen 'at first sight' and even though Mac was Karen's boss, and she didn't care for him, she falls in love with him within a day.
Gabriel's Angel is the third story where it's the same disappointment on the part of the author to have the main male character, in this case Tristan, a widower/previously married. Anything wrong with writing a story about first love? Even though we find out later that Tristan's marriage wasn't the greatest, it still felt like the elephant in the room, along with Alaina's feelings that she could never have Tristan, him being a rich businessman, and she a poor ballad seller's daughter. I did not enjoy this historical romantic fiction. It seemed drawn out, going on and on about Tristan's deceased first wife and how he was never a good father to his son, Gabriel. I liked the idea of Gabriel having an angel, and a Christmas theme, but again, love happened too quickly, and the whining too frequently. Did it bother anyone else that no one bathes?
Yuletide Treasure finally has Eric, the main man, never being married. But I'm getting tired of every main man being wealthy beyond belief. This was a cute story set in the 1800s about Eric, who marries Brigitte, the vicar's granddaughter, because he needs a governess for his niece. He doesn't want people to think more badly of him when he has a woman living in his castle. Eric is bitter over thinking he was a failure raising his sister, and when she ran away she got influenza, which she died from. But Brigitte soon makes him forget his troubles, and he falls in love with her, just like Brigitte who was (surprise) in love with Eric all her life.
Five Golden Rings turned out to be my favorite story, even though I got a little disappointed with the far fetched events. Emma is brought back in time due to a ring found in one of her students bags. It turns out the love of her life back in the 1800s is actually her student's father in the present. But the usual...the father's wife died and his son, new to the school, had social problems that need to be addressed.

[Michelle ✧✦serieslover✦✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Double Exposure
Spencer Spence Addison and Caroline Corey Foster
3.5/5 Stars

Double Exposure is the first book of Foster series by Judith McNaught. It was also part of the anthology, A Gift of Love.

Favorite Quotes
“I wanted you to kiss me, so I invented Doug Johnson and used him as an excuse. I wanted you to take me to the Christmas formal, so I used Doug’s name again. The only reason I dated boys was so that I’d know to act on a date with you, when you asked me... It was you. It was always you. From the night I met you at the luau until a week after the dance, when you didn’t call to apologize or explain, it was only you.” -Corey

“Corey, Would you care to explain to me why I seem to lose my mind the moment I touch you?” -Spence
“We are both clearly insane.” -Corey

“I believed in him. I admired and respected him. And I did it for all the right reasons, even then. I didn’t care that he was a football hero at college, or what kind of car he had. I wanted to make him happy, and he always seemed to enjoy being with me, so I truly believed I could. I used to lie in bed at night, imagining that I was going to have his baby, and that he was asleep beside me with his arms around me, and that he was happy about the baby. It was one of my favorite fantasies, out of about ten thousand fantasies. If all those things add up to love, then yes, I did love him. And I’ll tell you a secret, I have never felt that way about anyone else since.” -Corey

“That’s the only way I can handle them at all. The truth is, if I spend too much time weighing alternatives, balancing the risk against the gain, I become paralyzed with uncertainty, and I end up making no decision at all. My judgment is best when I rely on impulse and instinct.” -Corey

“Corey, shut up and listen to me. I invented all that about the book. I’m in love with you.” -Spence

[Kathy Davie · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of the stories revolve around love and Christmas.

Judith McNaught's "Double Exposure" (the first in the Foster Sisters series, falls in the middle of the second book of the Foster Sisters series — it'll make sense when you read it! Corey has put her childhood love for Spencer Addison out of her mind after his thoughtless act until she encounters him at a Foster Ideal wedding where the shoe is suddenly on the other foot.

Lovely story with a fun twist.

Jude Deveraux's "Just Curious" was cute and sweet when it turns out the shoe is also on another foot as Karen learns the whole truth about her boss, M(alignant) J(erk) Taggert. Even a day later, I'm still rather bemused by Taggert's actions...

Kimberly Cates' "Gabriel's Angel" had good intentions with a good historical storyline. If only she hadn't distracted me so badly with her complete ignorance of the time period's culture and mores.

Andrea Kane's "Yuletide Treasure" was a cute historical romance with a lot of holes. The major plot revolved around his dead sister's daughter who had to be brought to realize what a treasure she was.

Holes-wise, please...what servants wouldn't have realized the truth of his sister's character, and if he lost all his money, what did his sister plan to travel and live on when she took off? And he farms the kid out on his neighbors for four years??

Obviously, Kane got money to produce a story and it didn't matter how well it was done.

Judith O'Brien's "Five Golden Rings" was so incredibly sweet. I cried at the almost-end, and I still wonder how it did end for the first Emma and Michael.

How lucky can two people get? I do want to read more of her work.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copyrighted 1995 - 2 contemporary & 2 regency type Christmas stories & 1 that is half & half (a paranormal!).

Judith McNaught - 2 stars. Very boring contemporary story that just drags on & on. The first 6 chapters are the female lead acting like an adolescent stalker. By chapter 7 it gets a little better, but still snore worthy.

Jude Deveraux - 4 stars. Ok, I know this contemporary story is really contrived, but I liked it anyway! The Taggert hero in this story actually acts like a hero (for a change!).

Kimberly Cates - 1 star. To say this regency story is contrived & trite is an understatement. I didn't believe any of it would happen in a million years! Also featuring an adolescent stalker.

Andrea Kane - 4 stars. A Christmas favorite! I know it's probably as contrived as the other 2 stories I dissed, but I really like this one. This story is actually Victorian, 1860 is the year it starts. The child in the story is a soon to be 4 year old, yet she acts & talks like she's 8 or 9. I don't really think an Earl would marry the vicar's daughter, no matter how convienent, but I still think it's a good story (sue me :) ).

Judith O'Brien - 5 stars. Another favorite I re-read every year. A contemporary school teacher gives her class an assignment involving the 12 days of Christmas. One of her students brings in a real gold ring. Taking it home for safekeeping, she tries it on & falls asleep. She wakes up in a 1832 Indiana settlement. She's married to the town lawyer, & her baby recently died. She's trying to live her life again & I don't want to give away the whole story. It's a gem!

Sorry I used the word contrived too much :)

[Mel Schanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just Curious - 4 stars for captivating my attention and the heroine, Karen, not being some flaky nitwit. Mac is interesting. Liked his hopeless romantic side. I just wish the book didn't end where it did. Makes me want to write more of the story myself.

Double Exposure - 3 stars, I wish Cory wouldn't have been so whiny. I get it, she's still heartbroken about being stood up as a teenager in love, but c'mon, she's a grown woman now. Get over it.

Gabriel's Angel - 3.5 stars. Wish there would have been a lot more to this book. Cute story.

Five Golden Rings - 4 stars. This story was too short also. Loved the time travel.

Yuletide Treasure - 4.5 stars. This story was probably the star of the book. I honestly wish the author would've chosen to write this story as a full novel instead. Good ideas. Good characters. Plenty of room for drama, more destruction and antics by Noelle (The 9 yr old trapped in a 4 yr old's body????) more time for the love to grow between the main characters and more minor characters (i.e. the Parrish Minister, manor staff, possibly friends for Noelle?) I just there was more!!! But, I really enjoyed it anyway.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jude Deveraux's Change of Heart was not quite. Great storyline with a unique approach that was rather tritely written.

Judith McNaught's Miracles (Westmoreland, 4) was sweet although its title's pertinence was stuck on at the very end...could have done better by incorporating the miracle concept somewhere else in the story as well.

Jill Barnett's Daniel and the Angel was a treat! Novel concept that was handled very well. I must check out more of her books!

Arnette Lamb's Hark! The Herald was good with a unique heroine with a matching hero although there was a subtle underlayer of cliche. Still, I want to explore more of Lamb's writing.

[Talkit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judith McNaught's story I would give 4 Stars. Contemporary story

Jude Deveraux's story I would give 3 Stars. Contemporary story (a lot like the old 1980's Harlequin

Kimberly Cates story I would give 4 Stars for Christmas themed story. It would make a wonderful Hallmark movie. Historical story.

Judith Obrien's story I would give 2 Stars. The story felt rushed about half the way through. Historical story.

Andrea Kane's story I would give 2 1/2 stars, but that has a lot to do with that I don't care for time travel themes. That said I enjoyed all of it not dealing with going back and forth in time.

[Bookabulary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for Double Exposure

I first read about Spence and Cory in Remember When and I loved them there and it wasn't even their book. It's the JM magic at work--making us fall in love and swoony at secondary characters!

This was a great read about second chances with just the right amount of fun and romance. This was a light read and unlike other times when I wish this couple got more than a novella, I will not complain about that here. I guess it's all because I have already read about just how good Spence and Cory are together in Remember When.

PS--Spence is a Westmoreland descendant! Woot!

[Stacy Ziegler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these stories. The majority of the stories were historical romance which I really like. The first two stories "Double Exposure" and "Just Curious" were not quite as believable as the others. You didn't get a chance to see the characters fall in love. It was almost instantaneous. All five of the stories could have been longer. Despite this, I found myself liking each story more than the one before it. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like some nice short stories (70-100 pgs each) that leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling.