It Happened One Night: A Christmas Contemporary Romance Novel

It Happened One #1

by Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Jacquie D'Alessandro

It Happened One Night . . . and nothing was ever the same again!

Once upon a time, four superstar storytellers—New York Times bestselling authors Stephanie Laurens and Mary Balogh, along with Jacquie D'Alessandro and Candice Hern—came up with a delicious idea. What if they each wrote a story about a proper young lady stranded at a remote inn away from society's constraints? What would happen? And how long would it take for her to give in to desire?

In these four amazing tales, four heroines will come face-to-face with the men who got away . . . only to discover that, instead of anger, there is still a passionate connection that cannot be denied. And while each of their lives is quite different, and their pasts utterly unique, they will all make a common discovery—that one night can change everything . . . forever.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Anthologies, Regency, Historical Fiction, Short Stories

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 30, 2008

About the author

Stephanie Laurens was born in Sri Lanka, which was at the time the British colony of Ceylon. When she was 5, her family moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she was raised. After continuing through school and earning a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in Australia, Stephanie and her husband moved to Great Britain, taking one of the last true overland journeys from Katmandu to London.

Once in London, Stephanie and her husband both began work as research scientists in Kent. They lived in an area surrounded by history. Their own cottage was built in the 16th century, while next door were the protected ruins of an early Roman villa, and nearby was a 14th century castle.

After four years in England, Stephanie and her husband returned to Australia, where she continued to work in cancer research, eventually heading her own research laboratory. One evening Stephanie realized that she did not have any more of her favorite romance novels to read. After years of thinking about writing her own novel, during nights and weekends for the next several months, she began crafting her own story. That manuscript, Tangled Reins, was the first of her books to be published. After achieving a level of success with her novels, Stephanie "retired" from scientific research and became a full-time novelist. Her novels are primarily historical romances set in the Regency time period.

Stephanie and her husband live on peaceful acreage on the outskirts of Melbourne. If she isn't writing, she's reading, and if she's not reading, she's tending her garden.

Reviews

[Irina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I've only read two of the four novellas—the ones by Balogh and D'Alessandro. Therefore, my rating is just an average of these two.

I would also like to point out that, despite the picturesque winter landscape on the cover, this is not a holiday/winter anthology. The anthology covers the four seasons and the same topic:

Mary Balogh: “The plot premise is this: A man and a woman, who have neither seen nor heard from each other in ten years, meet again when they find themselves staying at the same inn for a twenty-four hour period. To make the experiment a real one, we did not discuss our stories at all as we wrote them. The only artificial restriction we placed upon them ahead of time was to take different seasons of the year, since there are four of those and four of us.”

Mary Balogh: Spellbound

He would not leave tonight, he knew. It was too soon. And very much too late—in every imaginable way.

This story is about two people, Nora and Richard, who were in love when they were young (18/21). They were separated, and now meet again by chance ten years later. They bear a grudge against each other because of their past, but this encounter enables them to sort things out and put the events in perspective.

I know I'm being a little bit cryptic, but saying more would spoil the novella. The story thrives on gradually unfolding what happened between them back then and why they (claim to) hate each other. Balogh crafted it excellently!

Of course, as is often the case in novellas, everything happens very quickly—one day and one night are enough for them to start a new life together. That's neiter smart nor believable, but it's still lovely to witness.

4 stars


Jacquie D’Alessandro: Only You

“I remember everything, Cassie.” Every touch. Every smile. Every tear. Every heartbreak.

Lady Cassandra and Ethan, a stable boy, were friends when they were children. They were very close, but then Cassandra was married off to an earl far away, and they have never heard from each other again. On her journey back home after her husband's death, she stops at Ethan's inn and decides to spend the night–just to see what he had done in the last ten years and if anything remained from their friendship.

The story and the main characters are decent. Ethan, in particular, suffers from a broken heart and aching longing since he left the estate of Cassie’s father. Even though he tried, he never really moved on from Cassie, who also had a miserable life in the last ten years. Unfortunately, despite liking the novella, it never grabbed me. It was somewhat boring, probably because everything was totally predictable.

3.5 stars

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Oct08

I defy any historical romance reader to pass up an anthology with a writer lineup of Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Jacquie D’Alessandro, & Candice Hern. I certainly couldn’t…and didn’t. When I asked Quentin to let me review this one, I figured I’d have to fight, bribe, or play dirty to get it. But apparently, my stars are in proper alignment or something because when I opened my latest box, there it was.

In this anthology, each writer was given the same plot to use—“A man and a woman, who have neither seen nor heard from each other in ten years, meet again when they find themselves staying at the same inn for a twenty-four hour period.” In addition, each author was given one season of the year and they didn’t talk to each other until their stories were done. In a letter to the readers, the instigator of this anthology, Mary Balogh, asks the readers if this is just the same story told four times or four different stories…

Since you already know the plot, I’ll just give a quick view of how I liked each author’s story!

Stephanie Laurens provided “The Fall of Rogue Gerrard” which has the feel of her earlier novels. The hero’s wicked reputation and the heroine’s independence and headstrong nature are very reminiscent of her first few Cynster novels and I LOVED it. The delicious sexual tension, the strong sexy hero unable to resist his desire, the heroine determined to ‘save’ the hero…just a darn good story.

“Spellbound” by Mary Balogh had a very different feel. Our hero and heroine have the ultimate in misunderstandings and even though her explanation made sense, it was still a bit harder for me to swallow.

I fell in love with “Only You” by Jacquie D’Alessandro. This story was, for me, the most moving of all. Suffering and sacrifice resulting in the understanding that riches and social standing can’t replace the real rewards of true love.

And finally, Candice Hern’s “From This Moment On” wraps up the anthology with a tale of love postponed by circumstance and rekindled later in life. It’s not often you get to read a historical romance with ‘mature’ characters!

All in all, quite a pleasurable read. Laurens and D’Alessandro were my top two and Balogh and Herns came in right behind them. Each of the contributors took the plot in totally different directions that until I started this review, I’d forgotten they were all using the same outline! Just goes to show that these four talented historical authors can certainly provide a blissful break from reality. “It Happened One Night” is a must for any fan of Stephanie Laurens, Jacquie D’Alessandro, Mary Balogh, and Candice Herns.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this was interesting. The idea was basically "what would happen if four authors each wrote a novella with the same theme?". Would they essentially be the same if in every story a couple would meet again by chance after years of separation? So Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Jacquie D'Alessandro, and Candice Hern each wrote such a story, set in a different season, and it's up to the reader to decide... I thought this idea was really cool, and I bought this only because of Mary Balogh, and thought it would be fun to read something by the two authors I didn't know yet (Laurens and Hern).

The Fall of Rogue Gerrard by Stephanie Laurens
I have never read anything by this author. I might check out one of her full-length stories (recs welcome), but this novella didn't convince me. It was just too short to connect to either of the characters for me, and I didn't really buy the hero's love. Robert "Ro"/"Rogue" Gerrard fell in love with Lydia Makepeace when they were 24 and 16 respectively, but because he was so "young", he got scared and ran off to become a Rake. Only then he got bored with that lifestyle and went back to being a nice guy, letting people believe he was still living up to his sordid reputation because hey, at least that way no matchmaking mama would set her sights on him as a prospective son-in-law. Apparently he has been in love with Lydia ever since, but never did anything about it. When they meet again by chance and he just has to help her break in to someone's house to retrieve something that could ruin her sister, he actually takes her virginity right there on the window seat in someone else's library. With a house full of guests just outside. No thank you, not my idea of romance. ~ 2 stars

Spellbound by Mary Balogh
Well this was just... I hate to say this because I LOVE Mary Balogh, but this story was my least favorite of the bunch. The "hero" said some pretty awful things, and the heroine was a bit too stupid and spineless for my taste. Richard Kemp, Lord Bourne, started out as a secretary to Nora Ryder's father. They fell in love and eloped when they were 18, only to be separated by an incensed family. They bought off the people involved in the marriage, beat Richard to a bloody pulp, and dragged Nora back to London. He tried to get in touch with her, but the family prevented it, leaving both to believe the other had abandoned them. Years later, they still hate each other's guts, so when they are stranded in an inn because of a torrential downpour, he "magnanimously" announces Nora as his wife so she an have a place to stay. He informs her she can either go along with this or pretend to be his servant, and find "whatever piece of floor best suites her for a bed". I felt like I was more irate at that than the heroine... Add to that the fact that he"could not begin to count all the sex partners he had" between his first time with the heroine and the present time (all in a desperate attempt to forget the one woman he ever loved of course), and I was pretty much pissed. After that I only skimmed the reconciliation. ~ 1 star

Only You by Jacquie D'Alessandro
My favorite novella of the bunch, even though the second half was mostly over-the-top drama that served as the excuse for the upper-class heroine to end up with a former stable boy in my opinion.
Cassandra Haywood, a Viscount's daughter, grew up with Ethan Baxter, the stable boy, being her only friend. Friendship soon turned into something more for Ethan, but he never said anything because she was so out of his reach. As soon as she is old enough, Cassandra is married of to Viscount Westmore. After his death, she stops by the inn Ethan now runs on her way back to her parents. I loved their reunion. Their bottled-up feelings were excellently portrayed, and I loved the way they reconnected. But then there was the Drama. It turns out, Cassandra was basically a prisoner throughout her entire marriage, forbidden to go anywhere alone, cut of from contact with even her servants, having to endure her husband impregnate mistress after mistress, and beaten whenever she failed to get him an heir. I'm sorry, but that is just TOO MUCH for a novella for me! How am I supposed to believe that a woman would just magically heal from all that abuse just because she reconnects with the right guy? The emotional and physical scars of that don't just go away in a few days. I would've much preferred this to be a full-length book were all those issues could've been dealt with appropriately and not just in a hurry to wrap up a novella. ~ 4 stars

From this moment on by Candice Hern
I have heard good things about this author from a friend, and I will definitely check out more of her books. I really liked this one, compared with the rest it was fairly drama-free, but that had more to do with the characters being the oldest couple of the bunch (they were, imagine this, both well into their 40s). Samuel Pellow and Wilma "Willie" Jepp grew up in a small village in Cornwall. They fell in love in their teens, but soon after he was captured by a press gang and forced to join the Navy. After her mother discovered Wilma was pregnant, she threw her out of her house and she took off with a painter whose muse she had become and ultimately ended up as a exclusive prostitute who married her latest protector, a Duke no less, with whom she had genuinely fallen in love. Sam and Wilhelmina, as she now calls herself, meet a few times over the years, but something always gets in the way. In the end, after both of them are widowed, they both meet at an inn were they finally become reacquainted. I really liked that both of them were more mature, that they dealt with their issues and moved on. I liked that both of them had their losses but didn't dwell too much on them. Other than the fact that the hero had the annoying habit of calling her "Willie" and "my girl" (which made him sound so... old...), I have absolutely no complaints about this one :) ~ 4 stars

All in all, this was an OK read for me.

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a whole year to finish this anthology

[Megzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

reread in 2017. 3.5 stars

I wish authors would just stay with sexual chemistry instead of the actual act in short stories.
Common theme: Stranded in an inn and spending the night together.

[Gilgamesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly the senior and popular authors in this anthology Laurens and Balogh failed to deliver and the last two lesser know authors wrote really beautifully imaginative tales....it is interesting that they all are second chance stories...because one night stand with stranger didn't happen to respectable ladies of this era. I really enjoyed the last two stories.

[Izzie (semi-hiatus) McFussy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was one five star story among the four, Spellbound, by Mary Balogh.

There's a recurring issue with second chance stories--how to handle the backstory. How did they know each other, and what broke them up? Whether it is disguised as dialogue or straight out unalleviated introspection, it can swiftly bog down a romance. Although well written, the other three hit the same speed bump, preventing them from rising above 2.5 to 3.5 stars. Spellbound had a surprising reveal, and unwound like a mystery. It kept me glued to every word. Not only that, but the angst was heartbreakingly delicious. I also loved how the couple's day together was magical, almost like a condensed courtship.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am an odd one and I do not like Stephanie Lauren's writing style, therefore, I did not get past 3 pages into hers so I cannot in all fairness give it a rating.

As for Mary Balogh, I have not read much by her, but I plan to read A Summer to Remember soon. This novella had such a distasteful beginning that I thought that no matter how she ended it, I would not believe it. The hero was a pretty epic jerk-his line of "sleep on the floor or be my servant" did it for me.

Next was Jacquie D'Alessandro's Only You. I have never read her work before, but I plan to now! I absolutely adored this novella. It was heartbreaking and beautiful. I would buy this book just so I could read this story over and over again. Not a plot line you read much and not one I thought I would buy into (different social classes-heroine from upper), but living in a cottage by the sea with the hero sounded just perfect by the end :). 5 stars.

Finally, the reason I picked up this book was when I found out that Candice Hern's novella was about the infamous Wilhelmina from the Merry Widows trilogy. I was pretty let down by this story. I liked parts of it in that it was about mature characters recognizing and actually talking about their past mistakes that kept them apart, but at the same time, the hero's constant use of the heroine's old nickname, Willie (yuck!) and "my girl" just made them sound like they were either 80 years old or talking about a horse, neither of which is appealing in a romance novel. For those who enjoyed the Merry Widows trilogy, give it a try; everyone else, you may not enjoy this one. 3 stars.

[Sruthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I am going to read more of Stephanie Laurens.
Other three stories were just mediocre.

[kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

First: I get that Stephanie Laurens is like a ~Big Deal author or whatever, but I'm getting really done with anthologies that are like "TITLE, by STEPHANIE LAURENS (...& these Other Authors)" and then in the back there's her full bibliography spanning 10 pages with FULL COLOR IMAGES of all her book covers, but then the Other Authors gets a page that says "Other Works by Author". Like, gross.

I've yet to check out a single anthology because her name is on the cover. It's always been because of one of the Other Authors. JUST SAYING. ALSO BALOGH WAS THE ONE TO COME UP WITH THE IDEA AND YET SOME HOW LAURENS GETS TOP BILLING??

Gross.


The Fall of Rogue Gerrard, Stephanie Laurens
Forgettable? I read this this morning and I'm already having difficulties pinning it down? OK, after reading a blurb (or two): Lydia Makepeace's ~crazy brash sister wrote an indiscreet letter to a former flame! So Lydia's going to track it down--now with the help of her once bff/flame Ro (short for ROGUE, HOW CUTE, AMIRITE)! He sneaks her into this other dude's house dressed up as a courtesan; they get the letter back; and then he proceeds to deflower her ON A WINDOW SEAT in this OTHER DUDE'S LIBRARY. And then they go at it again back at the Inn before her family shows up and RUINS EVERYTHING.

Ultimately left me rolling my eyes. I've read like 4 books by Laurens and I'm already annoyed silly by the hero's nicknames. 2 stars.


Spellbound, Mary Balogh
Nora, an unemployed companion, is on her way back to London when she runs into Richard Kemp, the Baron of Bourne, who saves her from being thrown out of the Inn they're at by telling the proprietor that she's his wife...which she might actually be because 10 years ago, they'd eloped to Scotland together! Five chapters of tense stand-offs later, and they're reconciled to live HAPPY EVERY AFTER TOGETHER.

Better. Balogh's ability to inject TONE into her prose makes the beginning bits of this hard to get through because there's just so much pain and sorrow and anger rolled into every line. But as the knot of what really happened the night of their elopement and subsequent separation gets teased apart, it's hard not to root for them to figure their shit out. 3.75 stars


Only You, Jacquie D'Alessandro
Cassie is widowed! A Countess! Daughter of a Viscount! Beautiful! And so on her way home, she swings by the Inn owned by her former bff, Ethan Baxter, who also used to be a stablehand at her dad's place! They discuss their various pains and sorrows and then have sex before Cassie GIVES UP EVERYTHING to live happy ever after with Ethan at his Inn.

A mess of one-upping one another with how ~hard it was being apart? Although I do appreciate the fact that the attraction between them was never really...acknowledged? More on that at the bottom of the review. 2.5 stars


From This Moment On, Candice Hern
Willie is ~so old (over 40! SCANDALOUS). Also, a former courtesan! And artist's muse! And Captain Sam is her First Love! And in the Navy! AND ALSO OLD!!! They meet up for the first time in 10 years and reminisce about all the ~missed opportunities they had throughout their OH-SO-LONG LIVES?? and decide FUCK IT, LET'S BONE. They live happy ever after, eventually.

First: I LOVED that the heroine and hero weren't the traditional ages: BEST. However, I felt like the narrative kind of...knew that and like, drove the point home a little heavy-handedly? All the references to how beautiful the heroine was, considering her age! And just. WHATEVER. That said, this story was pretty much entirely about the reminiscing, leaving barely any room for chemistry or emotions. Just...lots of talking about the past. 2.5 stars



OVERALL: 1. I really don't like the "haven't seen each other in XX years!" plot twist. I just--really don't. I thought Spellbound did the best of the bunch, by introducing outside elements/people that intentionally broke the hero/heroine apart (even though it was almost over the top evil?). For me, having a hero (or heroine) ~disappear for XX years just tells me that the hero (or heroine) isn't worthy. And absolutely that sort of development can be earned, but I don't think that it resolves itself well into "reunited lovers" without A LOT of groveling and proving of one's self--ESPECIALLY if there has been some sort of acknowledgement of the feelings between the two (Laurens, Balogh, Hern).

[Andree · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I feel like mostly a lot of these were kind of forgettable? Not bad, just not really good either, so I didn't feel like rating it three stars.

I finished this last night, and I had to take a moment to remember the four stories.

1. The first one (Stephanie Laurens) is kind of fun, though the male protagonist is nicknamed Ro, short for Rogue, and that gets annoying fast. Particularly as sometimes it feels like it might also be his actual first name, given that the female protagonist calls him that, and they've known each other since childhood, and surely he wasn't actually a Rogue when she first knew him... (just remembered this is apparently a prophetic nickname from a nurse...???). Also, as I said in my status update, I am so not into, "We must sneak into this house of ill repute and crazy sex parties for PLOT REASONS;" it is not my thing. Also, while I don't think your first time having sex needs to be all candles and rose petals, a seduction on a window seat in a study at said house of the crazy parties is also HARDLY IDEAL, particularly as the scumbag owner of the house is there for the lead up, in the sense that they were making out to disguise her identity and their true purpose for being there. I also could have done without the family walking into their room the morning after sleeping together for the second time.

That said, I do enjoy the personality of the female protagonist, and have realized that her sister is the protagonist of one of the stories in the other of these compilations that I have read (that one is better guys). She is fun. I wanted to like this, but it didn't quite get there.

2. The Mary Balogh. It's easily my favourite. I think I may be a sucker for old loves parting due to misunderstanding, and then meeting again through coincidence, and it working out. It's a bit underdeveloped, but it's a novella, and it mostly works. I do like the slow reveal of what actually happened. And it's a misunderstanding that's totally understandable from both perspectives, which is rare, and always nice when you find it. I also like that it's May Day. That is also fun. Also it turns out to be a case of actually!not!Fake!Married (because they have been married ALL ALONG). Which is great.

3. Okay, this one is pretty good. I do like the ideas it deals with, the tackling of class differences, and how it deals with infertility, and that it points out a thing that is often glossed over in historical romances (the women often being treated as property/bargaining chips). But I don't know, the female protagonist's family is too extreme, in some ways. She manages to climb out of an abusive situation fairly quickly. In many ways it sort of feels too easy. It's not terrible, but I wouldn't say it's great, in other words.

4. This one didn't quite work for me. It's people meeting again after about twenty years apart, and very different lives. I mean, I appreciate that it's not your typical protagonists. They're not the typical wealthy aristocrats a lot of these stories are about. But I don't know, something was missing for me. Perhaps actual relationship development in the modern day (it's a lot of reminiscing). I did enjoy that carriage wheels were repeatedly deliberately destroyed to delay people (in one case involving a loose pig). That is always fun. But I know I'm not going to remember it.

[Desi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leído en Nov 2010

Me gustó la historia de Mary Balogh le doy 4 estrellas

Argumento:
Nora Ryder acaba de dejar su trabajo como dama de compañía de una horrenda mujer quien nunca se molestó en pagarla durante los seis meses que estuvo empleada. Pero Nora es una superviviente, y usa la mayoría de sus restantes ahorros para comprar un billete para la diligencia a Londres y encontrar un mejor empleo. Desafortunadamente, llega a la aldea próxima para descubrir que la diligencia se ha retrasado, gracias a una desastrosa colisión con un carruaje. Apenas tiene suficiente dinero para una taza de té, mucho menos para una habitación en la posada, pero recibe la sorpresa de su vida cuando se encuentra con Richard Kemp, quien lacónicamente informa al mesonero que Nora está durmiendo en su habitación… como su esposa.
Esto no es una mentira, no exactamente. Una década antes, Nora era la mimada hija de un aristócrata y Richard el secretario de su padre, quienes juntos se fugaron a Escocia solo para ser atrapados por el padre de Nora y separados a la fuerza, la prueba de sus nupcias ocultada y destruida. Ahora, por supuesto, sus posiciones han sido humillantemente invertidas: no mucho después de su fallida fuga, la fortuna de Nora fue dilapidada por la afición de su padre al juego, y Richard tomó posesión de un adinerado título. Los recuerdos son amargos por ambos lados, sin embargo, al reencontrarse, tienen que convivir por un día y una noche , y lo hacen a la luz de la feria del pueblo y de una danza de cintas. ¿Serán veinticuatro horas suficiente tiempo para borrar años de ira y dolor?

leído en junio 2012
**le doy 2.5 estrellas a este relato

La Caida de Rogue Gerrard - Stephanie Laurens

¿Y si una joven decente se queda atrapada en una posada lejos de las restricciones de la sociedad? ¿Qué sucedería? ¿Y cuánto tardaría en sucumbir al deseo? En este asombroso relato, nuestra heroína se enfrentará con el hombre del que huye… y descubre que, en lugar de ira, continúa habiendo una apasionada conexión que no puede negar. Y realizará un descubrimiento: que una noche puede cambiarlo todo… para siempre.

[Aneca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology has an interesting premise, all the stories feature couples that are known to each other but have been separated for 10 years. They now meet for just one night at an inn and that’s all the time they have to deal with their differences.

The Fall of Rogue Gerrard by Stephanie Laurens
This was my least favorite story. I found no chemistry between the main characters, didn’t feel there was enough development for them for them immediately proceed to the bedroom area. They also weren’t very interesting characters so…
Grade: C-

Spellbound by Mary Balogh
My favorite. Balogh brings two people together makes them talk about what separate them 10 years ago, of what they have been doing ever since and we can’t help but believe them when they realize their feelings for each other are still there.
Grade: A

Only You by Jacquie D'Alessandro
This story was not bad but it seemed too unbelievable that the heroine had suffered so much, that the stable boy that was once her friend is still in love with her and that in the end she decides to go to him and work with him in the inn.
Grade: C+

From This Moment On by Candice Hern
I had high expectations for Wilhelmina story and although it was bad it also wasn’t as good as I hoped. Her character in the other books seemed to have more depth than what she reveals here. She meets a childhood friend and they talk about everything that happened to them and their young love and both needing forgiveness for past deeds. That seemed a bit forced especially because Wilhelmina always seemed to be the kind of woman who wasn’t apologizing for doing what needed to be done to survive.
Grade: B-

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don't read short stories but Mary Balogh wrote one of the stories in this book so I picked it up. I liked the MB story, but my favorite story was the one by Candice Hern. The two lovers meet at an inn by chance. I liked that they were both in their early 40s. That is not common in the romance genre. They had both been virgins when they first made love when he was 18 and she was 16. They were separated shortly after and she thought he was dead. Her mother threw her out of the house and she became a highly paid courtesan. When he appeared five years later he was enraged at her chosen life style. Now 25 years later they have a chance to resolve many misunderstandings and maybe find the love they once had.

[Shivi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas some not so good

I really liked books 2 and 4 ( by Mary Balogh and Candice Hern) book 3 was ok, i didn’t like Stephanie Laurens’ story - i haven’t really liked any of her books so far so I think I just don’t like her writing in general.

Detailed reviews:

Story by Stephanie Laurens - hero runs from heroine after one kiss because he is afraid of the depth of his feelings for her. 2 stars. it made no sense that the hero just ran away after one kiss and didn’t return until a chance meeting after ten years even though both leads had stayed single AND the hero was done playing the field after the first 4 years. The whole story seemed super contrived and just about sex. I didn’t really see much of any character development on either lead. I will admit I haven’t yet found a book by Stephanie Laurens where I could appreciate the plot - so maybe I’m just very biased.

Story by Mary Balogh - 4stars. Young lovers/newlyweds separated by heroines greedy family. I loved this story - it’s my favorite of the four but I’m VERY partial to Balogh’s writing in general. I completely bought the love story here but the misunderstandings were a little too contrived to last 10 years - it was a good story all the same. Other reviewers have taken offense to the hero’s rude words but I think they are a mark of deep hurt, anger and passion. It would be weird to have someone be polite when their heart is broken and they still love this person. In my opinion this story would’ve been better if it had just been a book instead of a short story and if the time in between the misunderstandings and the resolution had been like 6 months instead of 10 years. It’s too too hard to believe that neither of the two leads tried to get in touch with the other in person in all that time even though they both were deeply in love.

Story by Jacqueline.. - 3 stars. Heroine is from the aristocracy and hero is a stable boy - class separates them. It was a good idea and the ten year gap between when the leads meet made sense but the story felt rushed and not well written. There was absolutely no need for Delia’s character and the heroine’s father talking about getting her married off within a day of her return even though they’d have to wait 10 months anyway was just super unbelievable. IMO there was no need to make the father such a huge villain - the class differences between the leads would’ve been enough on their own.

Story by Candice Hern - 4 stars. Hero and heroine were each other’s first love but get separated by life’s unpredictable cruel ways. I think this was the most well thought out plot. The ten year gap between when the leads meet made sense and the story was well thought out and well written. So why is Balogh’s still my favorite? I don’t know for sure but it could be that there was more passion and angst in Balogh’s story. This one seemed less passionate - perhaps because the characters are older. I still loved the story and it made sense in a way that none of the other stories did so I’m gonna try and find more books by this author.

I’m definitely going to read the it happened one season next. :)

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology of 4 Regency type stories. All set in different seasons, but each having the same theme : 10 years have passed since the couple have seen each other & they meet again through fate at a roadside inn. Normally, 10 years is way too long IMO for 2 lovers to be apart & it makes me impatient. It works for me with 3 of the stories. There is sex in all of them.

Stephanie Laurens - 2 stars. The only turkey of the bunch, I can't believe they gave her top billing! This story is set in Winter. The male lead (not the hero!) finds himself stranded by an ice storm at a remote inn. Long ago his nurse called him "Rogue". He decided it was prophetic & had planned to live his life as one. When he was 22 he discovered he was in love with 16 year old Lydia. What else could he do but walk away from love? His whole life was planned out as a man whore & by God that's what he had to be! Of course he's been an angel for 6 years, but everyone still thinks he's a man whore. Lydia is from an "eccentric" family & is a spinster. From what I can make out from this story, "eccentric" means you are very intelligent, but have no common sense. Lydia must do a break & enter to retrieve an incriminating love letter written by her sister from a hardened rake. Don't ask why the sister isn't doing it, it's a long boring story. Sometimes, especially if I dislike the story, I wonder how many STDs the male lead has. This is one of those stories. After all those orgies, which we are reminded that Rogue took part in ad naueseum, he should have at least 3 or 4!

Mary Balogh - 4 stars. This story is set in Spring. Nora walks away from her job as a companion & finds herself stranded at an inn. Richard was pulling away from the inn, when his curricle was broadsided by the stagecoach pulling in. When they meet, you can tell there's a lot of baggage (emotional) between them. Actually, they are married, when she was 18 & I think he was 20. MB tells a story so well. You're draw into it from the start & the revelations come in just right. I loved it!

Jacquie D'Alessandro - 3 stars. This story is set in Summer. I like JD's novels. I have quite a few of them. This is a nice, but not realistic story of a Countess & an inn keeper. They knew each other since they were children, but she married at 18 & he went off to war. Now she's widowed, & he's still single. Guess what happens? :)

Candice Hern - 5 stars. This story is set in Autumn. Normally, I dislike a story where 25 (!) years have passed & the heroine is a former member of the demimonde. I have to tell you, this story is bittersweet & everything about it is just right! By the end, you're cheering. Enjoy!

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read the Mary Balogh story....SPELLBOUND. It was a sweet story and they both had to realize that what they thought happened didn't. They both (H and h) thought that the other desserted them 10 yrs before on their wedding night. Her father and brother came and grabbed her up from a her hasty wedding in Scotland. They told her to go up to her room and pack and leave with them. She did it thinking her new husband would stop them from taking her away. Well..she didn't know that her father and brother beat the crap out of the guy (Richard). It took him 2 days to get the strength up to follow them. Then he tried to see her and ask her to come back to him and marry him again in England but she never replied. That's because she NeVer recieved those requests from him. Her brother and father were a big pain and caused all the troubles she later faced. It ends very nicely....on a Big MAY DAY celebration.

[Sm · Rating 2 out of 5]

four short stories by four different authors

DNF: The Fall of Rogue Gerrard by Stephanie Laurens - I couldn't get into this one about Ro/Rogue/Robert (32) (one nickname seems to be enough, Rogue and Ro? seemed a little overkill for a short story) and Lydia (26), childhood friends, who haven't seen each other in ten years
they ended up kissing when she was 16 and he 22, he realized he'd found the one, which sent him into a cliched panic, causing him to turn chicken and ran away, thereafter pursuing his nickname and being a complete rogue. though apparently the roguishness only lasted four years and he's spent the most recent six being a philanthropist
Lydia is on a mission to steal back a letter her sister Tab/Tabitha wrote when the sister was 17 and fancied herself to be in love to be with someone affectionately known as the "spineless wonder" (at least eight years after the letter), but who has since turned into a bluestocking preaching that women didn't need men. so the letter would "ruin" the sister if publicized. anyway, the sister apparently asked for the letter back, but the receiver used it to write an IOU to the host of orgies, so Lydia tries to steal the letter while said host is in the midst of an orgy getaway
anyway, Lydia runs into Ro at this inn near the orgy mansion, to which Ro, of course, is invited, and I couldn't get beyond Loc 592 - just felt like the story dragged on
I skipped to the end and turns out she's been in love with him for forever and he's been in love with her since they first kissed when he was 22 (instead of telling her that, he turned into a creeper, admiring her from afar)
"Very few people forgot Rogue Gerrard" (why? what made him so unforgettable?)
"She was going to make him wring the story from her, cryptic utterance by veiled truth" (this is pretty much how I felt reading the story and why I ended up stopping at )
"For your information, there is no such thing as being 'one step away from an orgy.' You either have an orgy, or you don't - there are no shades of gray when it comes to orgies." (HA!)
"I need to eat. My brain works much better when I feed it" (same)

Spellbound by Mary Balogh - Nora and Richard (Lord Bourne) were young lovers who ran away to get married, but were immediately broken up by Nora's father and brother who saw Richard, who'd been a secretary to Nora's father and not a Lord at that time, as of a lower class. they meet again, fortunes much reversed. Nora's poor and Bourne gained a title and money, and realize that her father and brother kept Bourne away and that she was too young/weak to stand up to them, stand up for true love. for being all jaded, Bourne's been going around for ten years talking about his reclusive wife and she entered the working world instead of trying to marry. he realizes that she didn't know that her father and brother kept him away and she comes to realize that she should've been stronger and held her ground. though, then, they both come to realize that things might not have ended HEA for them even if they had managed to stay together, and that, as painful as it's been, perhaps it did work out for the best that they met again ten years later
"Old adages had an annoying habit of being right"
"We none of us know what is in store for us in life, we have to grow in whichever direction life takes us"
"Hideous beyond belief. Wonderful beyond imaging. Young love ought never to be underestimated"
"Money made it go away. Money can accomplish many things"
"'I am going," she said. It was beginning to sound lame, even to her own ears. If she meant it, why was she not already long gone?" (always wonder about this with authors, don't have your character repeating themselves, either do it or don't)
"The human heart was an incomprehensible thing"
"How soon had hope died?" (oh! heart gasp when he comes to this realization)
"Once in a long while, life offered up a moment, sometimes even a whole day, of vivid and unexpected pleasure, and Nora had learned that such offerings must be grasped and lived for all they were worth lest they be lost forever"
"Would it have stood the test of time? There was no way of knowing, was there?"
"Stay with me. Stay for the rest of your life"

Only You by Jacquie D'Alessandro - about Cassandra and Ethan, another forbidden romance, she had horrible parents who resented her for not being a boy, and ended up marrying a horrid man who beat her, and Ethan was the stable boy who went off to war, then became a proprietor of an inn near her parents' home. Thankfully, he's smart and comes after her.
this was just okay, some little zings, but not quite the level of Balogh

From This Moment On by Candice Hern - Captain Sam/Samuel and Willie/Wilhelmina, they were young lovers, he was poor, she did a little better, but not by much. they were supposed to marry, but his boat turned up empty and they thought he'd died at sea. turns out he was just forced into the navy, but he rose through the ranks. she'd been pregnant and her religious mother kicked her out. she ended up becoming a muse to an artist, then his mistress, then a courtesan, who managed to marry a duke and become more respectable. over the years, they'd crossed paths because he sought her out - first, angry that she'd sold herself instead of waiting for him (her mother disposed of his letters to her) and second, to gloat that he'd married well and begot a son. they meet again when he's on the way to propose to the daughter of some connection or another.
I wanted to like this one, but he just came off as a complete a-hole. she didn't ask for any of that, didn't realize he was alive, and did the best that she could. seems like that's all she did and he just horrible to her, over and over again, without once trying to understand why.
this was one where I would've been totally okay if she ended up with someone else, someone that would treat her well and not jump to judgey conclusions

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each story in this anthology has the same basic plot: Hero and heroine who haven't seen each other in 10 years, accidentally meet at a country inn.

This book actually took me a long time to read. I just couldn't get interested in these stories which were mediocre at best. The best for me was Mary Balogh's story of two young lovers separated (by her father) when they were young, now finding each other due to a carriage accident. Neither Laurens or D'Allesandro's stories showed us anything new. Candice Hern is a new author for me. The story was about an older couple (40's). The problem was they spent most of the story reminiscing about their various meetings throughout the years. I just wanted to say "Stop talking and get on with it". My rating: 3 Stars.

[Andrea Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology. All good authors and good stories. Based on the same trope: A couple separated 10 years ago, running into each other accidentally at a wayside inn and being stuck together one night to make everything right.

[Matilda BGR · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really worth it.

Each story has the same premise: A man and a woman who have not seen each other in 10 years meet again at an inn, where they spend the night together.

The details are different in each story:

In the first one (Laurens), the man and woman have not seen each other since she was 16 and he was 22; they are in the same social class, and had been longtime friends. They kissed (10 years ago) and he freaked out since he was not ready to settle down. He runs away from her and they lose touch. Fast-forward, he's 32, she's 26, and neither has married. They end up at an orgy? and she has to dress like a slut in order to fit in although no one sees her except the orgy's host (who, presumably, might not pay attention to what she is wearing)? and so they have sex and then go back to the hotel where they had been staying and have sex again, and then he has to convince her to marry him. The end. It was an OK story except for the silly set up with the orgy ... I don't know why they just couldn't have run into each other and realized they still loved each other. Would have taken out the chance to dress her like a slut and have sex on a window seat, I guess. ALSO, why didn't he find her earlier? How long was it going to take for him to realize that he wanted to be with her? Nothing was preventing him from courting her YEARS earlier.

The second one (Balogh) was my favorite, which seems to be an unpopular opinion with other reviewers: 10 years ago, the man and woman were very young; she was the daughter of a wealthy man and he was the wealthy man's secretary. The very young people elope to Scotland and have quick, bad sex (consummating the marriage) but her father and brother find them and split them up. She never knows that her father and brother beat the crap out of her new husband and then destroyed all the letters Husband eventually sent to her; she wonders why she never heard from him or why he never came to get her. Husband can't understand why she didn't defend him (he realizes much later that she WAS very young) and why she never answered his letters (not considering that the messages had been stolen). So now she is poverty-stricken -- her father lost all his money, she never married, and she's been struggling for years as a lady's companion. Husband surprisingly inherited a barony and is quite wealthy. He isn't sure if his Scottish marriage was actually legal; he's never married but has lied to London society by telling them that his wife is a recluse who stays home on their country estate. So now it's 10 years later and he finds her alone and broke at an inn, and immediately tells the staff that she is his wife. They spend the day at a May Day fair as a married couple and end up sleeping together, of course, when they talk about everything that went wrong 10 years ago. He convinces her to stay with him as his wife. The end.

The third and fourth stories I didn't enjoy much at all ... By the time I got to them, the idea of reading another story with the same premise had lost its appeal.

The third story ( D'Alessandro) is about a wealthy widow who deliberately comes to an inn owned by her first (and only) love, who had been a stablehand when they were children and first loved each other. He's convinced they'll never be together because of their class difference. This has both a very porny-"bow-chicka-wow-wow" sex scene AND a lot of info about a sadistic, abusive now-dead husband, to say nothing of her horrible parents, and it's just too fucking much. Ugh.

The fourth story (Hern) is about a man (Sam) and woman (Willie) now in their 40s. They had been in love as poor teenagers in a Cornish fishing village. When he is a very young man, before they have a chance to marry (though her mother had opposed the match), Sam is kidnapped by the British navy and forced to serve; Willie and the rest of the village assume he is drowned and dead when his little fishing boat washes ashore without him in it. Heartbroken, she ends up becoming a courtesan and then a duchess. (After having lots of other protectors, she ultimately ends up being a duke's mistress; when the duke's wife died, he married her.) Now the duke is dead, she's a duchess, Sam is a retired sea captain, and they run into each other at an inn. They end up repeating over and over and over again about how things have unfolded over the past 20+ years. (They have seen each other a couple of times; the first time, like five or so years after he had been conscripted into the navy. He barged into the theater box where she was holding court as a sought-after doxy. She is shocked that he is alive -- NO KIDDING -- but he expresses his disgust with the life she is living. The second time they see each other -- 10 years prior -- it's another brief meeting when he tells her that he is married and has a son. ?? Umm, OK, thanks for the update.) Now he's a widower, she's a widow, they still love each other, they sleep together, she thinks they'll never be together since he'll never forgive her for being a courtesan, and he convinces her to marry him. The end.

I am sorry to admit that I really couldn't enjoy this because Willie was a courtesan. Hard to buy their love story.

[Pere Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baile de compromiso de Mary Balogh, una historia cortita pero muy tierna.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

It Happened One Night is a four stories about four couples who haven’t seen each other in a long time (like ten years-ish) and they spend one night together, one beautiful, incredible night together, and then they go off on their happily ever afters. I quite like the premise of the stories, and all of the authors coming together to create the same thing, but different couples? I love that. So for this review, I’m going to break the stories down, because the titles sound like D&D stories, honestly.

The Fall of Rouge Gerrard: This story was written by Stephanie Laurens, and shockingly, no acid damage or people dying happened in the making of this story. Basically this one is about a man named Gerrard who all around England is called the Rouge Gerrard. He stops at an country inn to rest for a night, when he sees Lydia Makepeace there. Why was Lydia Makepeace there? Well, she’s trying to get into someone’s house to retrieve a letter for her sister. Well of course he had to go to protect her, to make sure no one finds out about them, and they sneak in (Lydia pretending to be a courtesan) and they go into the office to look around. They found it before the owner of the house showed up, but at least they made out before the spice happened. At the end, they went back to the inn and made love again, and the next morning Lydia’s sister and their parents appeared, and oh boy, was Lydia embarrassed. But at the end, after trying to get Ro to not marry her….her parents and sister is just like, ‘It took y’all THIS long to get together? THIS LONG?!” but at the end, Lydia said yes, and the story throughout the ton of how the Rouge Gerrard fell.

Spellbound: Now this story is one hell of a mess. Picture it: you’re sitting in the inn, having a drink, and your partner, whom you haven’t seen in a LONG time, walks in and they’re penniless, don’t even have no money, and they’re basically about to be turned away when you get up and walk up to that inn keeper, and you say bravely, having NO IDEA what or why or HOW this happened, but you say, as clear as day, ‘That’s my partner/wife/husband.’ Well that’s what happened when Richard Kemp saw his wife Nora walking in the inn and was about to be turned around. Holy hell this is a second chance story, and it was pretty good. Nora was shocked to see said husband, because she remembered her father saying that she’s not married to this man anymore. But she finds out that she was actually still his wife after everything her father had done to them, and after that, they ran off and lived happily ever after.

Only You (cw: abuse): This one might have to be one my favorites, because it’s about old friends who hasn’t seen each other in a long time, and they spent the whole day together. They learn a lot about each other-Cassandra is a survivor of abuse, both physical and mental abuse, and she’d never had a night of romance, where she can experience someone truly making love, asking questions like, “Is this what ecstasy feels like?” or “Is this what real happiness feel like?” and I ended up crying. Because no one should go through what she went though. She even told Ethan that her husband thought coming to her was a chore, and when she couldn’t conceive, he basically cheated on her and had gotten so many of his mistresses pregnant, and I think he flaunted them in front of her, making her feel worse. And Ethan-sweet, inn owning Ethan. He actually had a life after Cassandra’s father threw him out and gave him the scar. He went to the war to stop Napoleon, he took the inn off the hands off an old friend, and he stood up to Cassandra’s father who was going to slap her. But honestly, this was a sweet story and I’m glad it was written.

From This Moment On: How to sum up this story...let’s say Victor and Nikki (yep, I know who that is thanks to my grandmama) haven’t seen each other in ten years. They see each other again, and Nikki plans all these funny things (breaking a wheel twice, second time letting the pigs run through and stomping on the wheel) just so they can spend one last day together. Well all of that happened and more-with Wilhelmina and Sam. This must be one of my favorite stories of all time throughout this book, because it’s about a second chance romance. I liked how Willie had fears about Sam’s feelings because she’s a demimonde/courtesan, and she turned him down after their night of passion. Sam, confused as hell, tried to tell her that it wasn't the case, but she didn’t want to hear it. Then at the end, while going their separate ways, somehow Willie’s horse got lame because of the horseshoes...that Sam rigged himself. And, like all the stories, they rode off to their happily ever after.

I’ve read this book a long time ago, like back in middle/high school, and I haven’t thought about this book until now, and I’m so glad that I read it now, because these stories, though different, were pretty damned good, just like the first time I read it when I was in middle/high school.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of novellas written by four romance authors, all with the same basic premise, but with none of the writers knowing anything about what others had written aside from the prompt. The idea was to see if one prompt would lead to the same story or not and leaving the readers to be the judge. The prompt was that the hero and heroine would meet each other unexpectedly for the first time in ten years and would be stuck in an inn together for 24 hours.

"The Fall of Rogue Gerrard" by Stephanie Laurens.
A very solid first story. I've not read any Stephanie Laurens before, but I know from reading others' reviews of this collection that this story is pretty typical of her writing. For some, that meant that they hated this story and others that they loved it. I enjoyed this one. The hero wasn't anything new in terms of characterization, but the chemistry was definitely there with his childhood love interest and it made their dynamic really fun. This is one of the sexier entries in the collection, and while I enjoyed that aspect of it, the first love scene between the two main leads does happen in very uncomfortable settings and makes it seedier than it needed to be.

"Spellbound" by Mary Balogh
I had read this premise from Balogh before in various works. I do think this is best rendition of that particular theme in her writing, however. It's a story wherein two people who had eloped together in their youth and married in Scotland were quickly torn apart afterward and left wondering for a full decade if their marriage had been valid. So when they meet again in an inn ten years later, there is still that question hanging over their heads and a lot of resentment and distrust between the two because each felt that the other had abandoned them after their wedding night, due to the machinations of other people in their lives. It's a bit unbelievable that two headstrong people wouldn't think to look into this question at all over ten years, but I enjoyed the emotional journey of our two leads, and of the various renditions Balogh has done with this theme, I do think this is one of the two couples that I think would be happy together going forward.

"Only You" by Jacquie D'Alessandro
In this one, the two leads didn't have a romantic past, but instead had been childhood best friends. The woman went on to marry a rich man (per the dictates of her family) and the man bought an inn in a town two hours away from the estate and tried to move on with his life (having carried a silent torch for the leading lady for his entire life.) After the rich woman's husband (who was secretly a jerk who physically abused his wife after a few years of marriage wherein she failed to get pregnant) dies, she stops by the inn on the return home, in the hope of reconnecting with her childhood friend. She instead is forced to realize that not only was he in love with her the whole time, but she may have felt the same the entire time as well. It's very sweet and speaks a lot about trauma and the cycle of abuse and the importance of having at least one person who will be your rock in those situations, no matter what happens. Easily the most Romantic of the stories involved.

"From this Moment On" by Candice Hern
The second chance love story of the bunch. The main couple is in their forties, (which is a refreshing change for a romance story), and over the course of 24 hours a series of secrets is divulged about what caused their 25 year separation and the death of their adolescent relationship. I wasn't as emotionally connected with this story as I could have been, but I was intellectually interested the entire time. It did feel like it stretched on a bit, but not egregiously so.

[Lady E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Verdict: A set of four short stories all with the same premise: after not seeing one another for 10 years, a man and woman unexpectedly meet when staying at an inn for a day. Each offers a different twist and are consistently good.


The Fall of Rogue Gerrard by Stephanie Laurens

Heroine: Lydia Constance Makepeace, 26.

Hero: Robert Gerrard, 32. Nicknames: Rogue and Ro. Viscount Gerrard.

Date: unknown

Overview: Ro seeks out an inn to stay at due to a storm. As he is removing his wet clothes in the parlor while waiting for his room to be readied, Lydia walks in. As young adults they were friends and he also had a crush on her. He learns that Lydia is staying at the inn while trying to retrieve an incriminating letter from a nearby estate. Ro knows the owner of the estate and insists on helping her, especially due to the fact that a house party of an indecent nature is taking place there.

Steam-level: steamy and explicit

Rating: 3 stars



Spellbound by Mary Balogh

Heroine: Nora Ryder, 28.

Hero: Richard Kemp, 31. Baron Bourne. Had been her father’s secretary ten years prior.

Date: unknown

Overview: Nora, having left a job as a lady’s companion after not being paid, finds herself stranded in a small town without money due to a stagecoach accident. Richard was driving the curricle that the stagecoach was in the accident with and is stranded as well. He tells the inn employee that Nora is his wife so she can stay in his room without scandal. They spend the day learning the truth of what happened 10 years prior, neither knowing the full story.

Steam-level: moderately steamy and moderately explicit

Rating: 4 stars



Only You by Jacque D’Alessandro

Heroine: Cassandra Heywood, age unknown (late 20s?). Widowed Countess of Westmore. Daughter of Viscount

Hero: Ethan Baxter, 30? Started out as a stable boy on Cassie’s father’s estate. Now owns an inn.

Date: unknown

Overview: Following the death of her husband, Cassie is returning to her parents’ home because her husband left her without financial means. On the way she stops at the inn owned by her childhood friend, Ethan. After a pleasant day reminiscing and a night satisfying their curiosity, Cassie returns home to learn her father intends to arrange another loveless marriage for her as soon as her mourning period is over.

Steam-level: steamy and explicit

Rating: 4 stars



From This Moment by Candice Hern

Heroine: Wilhelmina, 41. Nickname: Willie. Widowed Duchess of Hertford. Born: Wilma Jepp, a blacksmith’s daughter

Hero: Captain Samuel Pellow, 43. Nickname: Sam. An orphan who had supported himself as a fisherman from the age of 12.

Date: 1814

Overview: Willie seeks shelter at an inn in a rainstorm only to find Sam there. They haven’t seen each other in 10 years, but share a history of more than 25 years. They were each other’s first love. They spend the day talking and learning about their lives, each having risen to a measure of respectability via an unlikely path.

Steam-level: some steam and mildly explicit

Rating: 3 stars

[Greselley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second chance romance might be a good topic for novellas. The romance would not seem hurried and forced due to the limited pages because the author might say that the feelings and chemistry between the characters are already present but has long gone dormant until the unexpected reunion. But it would still be hard to achieve that. Readers should not feel like the author forced the characters to say the three words because it is nearly at the end of the story.

The Fall of Rogue Gerrard by Stephanie Laurens

The start was really interesting and made you excited for the next pages. Lydia Constance Makepeace the reserved, sensible spinster among her eccentric family and Robert Gerrard, a rake, gamester and gazetted libertine. It might be one of, if not, the most used characters in Hr novels but we totally shipped books with this kind of concept. The chemistry between them is off the charts. It was good except the forced ending. I was not satisfied with the conclusion of their story.

Spellbound by Mary Balogh

The story of this book has more depth than the first one. The daughter of a wealthy man and his secretary eloped to Scotland and married there but her father and brother dragged her back to London hiding all the evidence of the marriage and convincing her it was not valid. Ten years later, she is penniless recently resigned as lady companion and he is a lord. Animosity and longing sorrounds their reunion. There was not much chemistry but the ending was not abrupt.

Only You by Jacquie D'Alessandro

Jacquie D'Alessandro is one of my favorite HR authors and I am always looking at her profile looking for new books from her. It saddens me that she did not write any new ones. I guess I should not be surprised that she is able to offer so much more to her readers than most of the novellas out there. The deep longing and chemistry between Cassie and Ethan would make you swooned. That moment where they first look at each other after ten years apart, the pause where they slowly take in every different yet familiar parts of each other. Oh my, I held my breath for a while. Everything about story is perfect. You wish you could have a book solely about them.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

These four novellas all follow the theme of a chance one night meeting for four couples that have been parted for ten years. The stories are well written and very entertaining. Each author has done a wonderful job of creating a unique to them story and even though the premise is the same, the end result is distinct. A wonderful second chance anthology!

The first novella “The Fall of Rogue Gerrard” by Stephanie Laurens was a fast and fun read with heat, romance and humour. The hero and heroine have not met for 10 years but both still feel the pull of attraction and genuine affection if either would admit it. Luckily circumstances allow for the expression of their love and the rest as they say is history.

Spellbound by Mary Blough: I thoroughly enjoyed this story - the heartbreak, the misunderstandings, the passion and ultimately the love. Nora & Richard are both older and wiser when they meet again precipitously after 10 years, both stranded at an inn on May Day. The author brought the day to life and even in the constraints of a novella managed to explain both Nora & Richards lives and past history.

The third book in the anthology, Only You” by Jacquie D’Alessandro, is a heart wrenching class difference romance that pulled me in right from the start. The new to me author has written a moving story that captured my imagination, and my heart. I will be checking out other books by D’Alessandro.

Candice Hern’s “From This Moment On” Is the last novella in the anthology. Another new to me author, this story focused on a second chance romance for an older more mature couple, Wilhelmina and Sam, who fell in love as teenagers before they were separated by tragic circumstances. Wilhelmina took a different path in life than Sam felt he could respect and the consequence of that action had kept them apart for decades. The author spends most of the story explaining both the circumstances that led to their initial parting and the choices that were made that followed. I enjoyed the story and the strong characters but would have loved some additional current day romance to that that was portrayed. All in all, though, a heartfelt story and an author that I will follow.

[UberApril · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fall of Rogue Gerrard by Stephanie Laurens
This was adorable!! Love story between childhood friends. Lydia and Robert in February!! The lovers are staying at the same inn. Robert was going into town for business when the foul weather delayed his travel. Lydia was on a mission to retrieve her younger sister's love letter. The man Tabitha wrote the love letter to was going to return it however stopped at a gambling hall and wrote his vowels on it for the creditor. Anyways Robert was invited to the creditor's four day orgy and both Lydia and Robert took that opportunity to reconnect and find the letter. 4 stars

Spellbound by Mary Balogh
Nora and Richard in May!! They first met when he was a poor secretary to her father then eloped to Scotland for a quickie. Unfortunately her family found out and separated the young lovers. Ten years later they're in the same inn but she's now the poor soul. I was irritated that her brother never mentioned his role in the lovers' separation!! 3 stars

Only You by Jacquie D'Alessandro
Cassandra and Ethan. I'm not sure but I think it was summer-ish. Her abusive husband finally passed away after 10 miserable years of marriage. The asshole's brother was the heir so she was evicted and on her way back home when she stopped at Ethan's inn. I'm a sucker for childhood besties and I was pleased she decided to break away from society!! 4 stars

From This Moment On by Candice Hern
Wilhelmina and Samuel in October. Based on the dedication alone, I'd hazard to guess Willie is a minor character in a series by this author. Due to circumstances Willie became a courtesan and Sam rose in ranks of the navy. They had four or five run ins in the last 25 years so from the time they were 18/19 until now at 43/44. The last time was 10 years ago when she was newly married to her Duke and Sam was going to offer his protection. Awkward!! 3 stars

[☂ · Rating 3 out of 5]

❤❤❤

"What would happen if four authors were each to write a novella for an anthology and...all had to use the same plot premises?" That the challenge and It Happened One Night is the result.

*If you liked this book seek out It Happened One Season.


The Fall of Rogue Gerrard by Stephanie Laurens

On a mission to steal back her sister's compromising letter, Lydia Makepeace plans to sneak into the home of a reputed libertine and orgy enthusiast Stephan Barham. Unmarried at 26, Lydia no longer worries about her reputation or of making a good match. Though her reputation is impeccable she thinks that if she does get caught no one would believe such accusations. But her childhood summer companion, Robert "Rogue" Gerrard, Fifth Viscount Gerrard knows exactly what kind of man Barham is as he's attended his events before. There's no way he's letting innocent Lydia anywhere near that house. And even though they haven't seen one another for 10 years, when a then 22 year old Ro ran from feelings he had for 16 year old Lydia, he still feels responsible for her and plans to take over the task of retrieval. (Lydia's sister, Tabitha, gets her own story in It Happened One Season, linked above.)

This one had some slow moments and the fact that the hero and heroine's background was fairly limited made for the fairly limited connection. Though there was nothing outwardly wrong with the story it wasn't amazing to me. It had some good moments, a bold heroine, a fun connection between the H and h, though not deep and a inventive sex scene that you don't see much in Regency romance.

Spellbound by Mary Balogh

Eighteen and forced into a match with a 60+ year old, a union secured to pay off her father's debts, Nora Ryder convinces her father's secretary, and her first love, Richard Kemp to run off with her and marry in Scotland. Her brother and father arrive after the wedding night and demand Nora pack and return home. Her defiant stance ends there and much to her sadness Richard doesn't come after her. Six month later, Richard unexpectedly inherits a Barony and is now Lord Bourne. Nora's prospects diminished she receives a letter from Richard asking for her hand in marriage. She rejects his cold offer, much to her father's dismay and interprets the letter as a slight to her father and a sign that Richard never loved her. Ten years later she's a struggling lady's companion who is down to her last coins and out of work. She secures passage to London but is stranded at an inn when the stagecoach sustains damage in a collision with none other than Lord Bourne. Unsure of how she'll manage food and shelter for the night she is surprised when Richard announces to the innkeeper that she is his wife and as such will stay with him.

I thought this story intriguing with the 'are they/aren't they' marriage angle. It was a little slow moving as much time was spent at a May Day fair, but no less entertaining once you start reading the background of the last decade.


Only You by Jacquie D'Alessandro

Cassie, a viscounts daughter, and Ethan, their stable boy became friends the instant they met at ages 5 and 6 respectively. They were never lacking in laughter, embraces, companionship and support when together. As they matured Cassie confided in Ethan and talked of her big dreams for her Season and eventually her wedding to Duke Westmore. Meanwhile, Ethan, knowing he could never have her, painstakingly tried to hide his growing affection for Cassie. Then a fortnight before her wedding Ethan abandons her and his job, leaving a note saying he'd found lucrative work elsewhere. Cassie was crushed but went about her duty to her father and married. Ten years later, after the death of her husband, Cassie is returning to the childhood home but has worked up the courage to stop for the night at an inn she was told Ethan now owns. With many secrets and much damage to overcome these two childhood friends have one day try to mend all that's been broken.

Jacquie D'Alessandro wrote one of my favorite short stories so far and she's the reason I sought out this book. This story had such sadness and longing and passion and good stuff. It took a little too long to get to it but I liked it no less for the pace. Another good story from one author who I think will end up being among my faves.

From This Moment On by Candice Hern

This story is a departure from nearly all others I've read. The story is 25 years in the making when 16 year old Wilma Jepp loses the 18 year old love of her young life, Sam Pellow. A series of sad events befall the grieving Willie and ultimately lead her to the life as a highly selective courtesan and eventually a Duchess. Five years into her new career she discovers that her Sam is alive but after an uncomfortable confrontation she knows the Sam despises what she's become. Awkward encounters between the pair persist throughout points in their lives where they are both attached in various ways. Until on day, 25 years later they are both stranded at the same inn, older, wiser and single but still with some issues that need resolved.

I liked that this novella dealt with a 40+ year old H/h. That's quite a switch for (1) the women being outside the 18-24 range (and 25-33 but then we're dealing with "spinsters") and (2) for the man and women to both be nearly the same age and over 40. That being said, there was some magic lost from this story and I'm not sure if the emphasis on just how old 40 was (in 1814) was the issue or if it was the aged courtesan that did it. I'll confess that the courtesan story lines aren't my favorite but I'm ashamed to admit that it might have been the "older" courtesan that I didn't like most. Maybe when I'm 40 I'll read this again and love it. At any rate I didn't think this was bad story. It was emotional and funny, if a bit slow. I think in comparison it simply wasn't the best of the bunch but by no means inadequate.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthology of novellas includes:
The Fall of Rogue Gerrard by Stephanie Laurens
Spellbound by Mary Balogh
Only You by Jacquie D'Alessandro
From This Moment On by Candice Hern

They all have the same trope of second chance romance, the H/h cross paths at an inn and are 'stuck' there overnight for some reason. They have all been separated for 10+ years.

The Fall of Rogue Gerrard by Stephanie Laurens - childhood friends, they kissed once and he ran off scared that 'she's the one'. They have an adventure together doing some light B&E.

Spellbound by Mary Balogh - they ran away to get married as teens but her father separated them. Lots of hurt feelings.

Only You by Jacquie D'Alessandro - she had a terrible marriage and is finally free when her spouse dies, she finds her childhood love at the inn he owns. He's always loved her but doesn't think he's good enough to be with a lady.

From This Moment On by Candice Hern - teenage sweethearts separated when he's conscripted into the navy and she believes he's dead. She becomes an infamous courtesan and he HATES IT when he finds out. They were both married and windowed.