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Silver Belles: An Over-40 Holiday Anthology
Five stories of mature men and women from all walks of life finding love in the cold days of winter.
"The Christmas Pony" by Sarah M. Anderson:
What's Alice supposed to do with a pony? The teacher only knows the animal was left on her porch right before Christmas. Then handsome Animal Control Officer Kirk Douglas shows up, asking questions that Alice prefers not to answer. But even the mystery surrounding the animal's origins can't stop the holiday spark that ignites between Alice and Kirk. Can their attraction survive ugly-sweater parties, well-meaning relatives and the Christmas pony?
"Midnight Clear" by Ros Clarke
A year ago, Alison had it all: a husband, a family, and a purpose in life. But now, following a painful divorce, everything's changed. She doesn't know where her life is going, and her faith is as wobbly as her lopsided Christmas tree.
When she's bowled over by an enthusiastic Irish setter in the park, and the rather gorgeous older man on the end of his lead, she's not expecting more than a quick coffee and the mud brushed off her coat. Certainly not a Christmas like she's never had before, full of peace, joy, and maybe even love?
"Sparks" by Laura K. Curtis
Kate Bellows has no room for weakness if she's going to pull JanCo Moving out of the hole its in and create a solid career for herself. Her carefully-laid plans, however, are no match for the fire that burns her house to the ground. With few options, she accepts an offer to spend Christmas with the volunteer firefighter who'd injured himself trying to save her house.
But there are two major problems with staying in Adam Miller's spare room over the holidays. First, he works and JanCo and there's a good chance she will have to fire him. Second, he's entirely too attractive, and Kate Bellows has neither time nor taste for romance.
"The Longest Night" by Yasmine Galenorn
The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year, and the past few years have been dark for Merilee Johansson. After an acerbic divorce, Merilee moved to Starwood, a small mountain town devoted to the arts. Here, she hopes to heal from the wounds life has left on her heart and her self-esteem. What she doesn't expect is for Chris Hunter to enter her life, bringing the promise of love on the darkest night of the year.
"A Taste of Blessings" by Suleikha Snyder
For Tiya Chatterjee, coming home for one of her community's most joyous celebrations, Durga Puja, means coming home to her mom's disapproval, nosy aunties...and a crush on a man who shouldn't even be on her radar.
For divorced father-of-two Arnav Biswas, the three-day festival is a chance to keep his culture alive for his kids -- not an opportunity to flirt with a beautiful woman who isn't meant for him.
Fortunately, fate has other plans for Arnav and Tiya, who must learn that giving thanks to a powerful goddess means acknowledging the unstoppable power of love.
"The Christmas Pony" by Sarah M. Anderson:
What's Alice supposed to do with a pony? The teacher only knows the animal was left on her porch right before Christmas. Then handsome Animal Control Officer Kirk Douglas shows up, asking questions that Alice prefers not to answer. But even the mystery surrounding the animal's origins can't stop the holiday spark that ignites between Alice and Kirk. Can their attraction survive ugly-sweater parties, well-meaning relatives and the Christmas pony?
"Midnight Clear" by Ros Clarke
A year ago, Alison had it all: a husband, a family, and a purpose in life. But now, following a painful divorce, everything's changed. She doesn't know where her life is going, and her faith is as wobbly as her lopsided Christmas tree.
When she's bowled over by an enthusiastic Irish setter in the park, and the rather gorgeous older man on the end of his lead, she's not expecting more than a quick coffee and the mud brushed off her coat. Certainly not a Christmas like she's never had before, full of peace, joy, and maybe even love?
"Sparks" by Laura K. Curtis
Kate Bellows has no room for weakness if she's going to pull JanCo Moving out of the hole its in and create a solid career for herself. Her carefully-laid plans, however, are no match for the fire that burns her house to the ground. With few options, she accepts an offer to spend Christmas with the volunteer firefighter who'd injured himself trying to save her house.
But there are two major problems with staying in Adam Miller's spare room over the holidays. First, he works and JanCo and there's a good chance she will have to fire him. Second, he's entirely too attractive, and Kate Bellows has neither time nor taste for romance.
"The Longest Night" by Yasmine Galenorn
The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year, and the past few years have been dark for Merilee Johansson. After an acerbic divorce, Merilee moved to Starwood, a small mountain town devoted to the arts. Here, she hopes to heal from the wounds life has left on her heart and her self-esteem. What she doesn't expect is for Chris Hunter to enter her life, bringing the promise of love on the darkest night of the year.
"A Taste of Blessings" by Suleikha Snyder
For Tiya Chatterjee, coming home for one of her community's most joyous celebrations, Durga Puja, means coming home to her mom's disapproval, nosy aunties...and a crush on a man who shouldn't even be on her radar.
For divorced father-of-two Arnav Biswas, the three-day festival is a chance to keep his culture alive for his kids -- not an opportunity to flirt with a beautiful woman who isn't meant for him.
Fortunately, fate has other plans for Arnav and Tiya, who must learn that giving thanks to a powerful goddess means acknowledging the unstoppable power of love.
306 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2016
3 people are currently reading
408 people want to read
About the author
Sarah M. Anderson
381 books398 followersWith over 1.2 million copies published in over twenty-one countries, Sarah M. Anderson has published over 45 books. Sarah's book A Man of Privilege won a RT Book Reviews 2012 Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award. The Nanny Plan was a 2016 RITA® winner for Best Contemporary: Short. Additionally, Sarah has given workshops at national and regional conferences, taught craft classes online, spoken at libraries and book clubs, and published articles in the Romance Writers Report.
When she’s not walking her rescue dogs, reading or crafting, Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary people, all of which is surprisingly well-tolerated by her wonderful family. Find out more about Sarah’s books at www.sarahmanderson.com and sign up for the new-release newsletter at http://bit.ly/sarahalerts.
When she’s not walking her rescue dogs, reading or crafting, Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary people, all of which is surprisingly well-tolerated by her wonderful family. Find out more about Sarah’s books at www.sarahmanderson.com and sign up for the new-release newsletter at http://bit.ly/sarahalerts.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 20, 2025
This was a really strong anthology. The Anderson story hits romantic comedy notes. The Clarke story is a well-done, surprising inspirational inclusion. The Curtis story has a great sense of place and I loved the volunteer firefighter angle. The Galenorn features a practicing pagan heroine and the Winter Solstice - the talk of "fate" is really not my jam, but the story is well executed overall. The Snyder story features the Bengali Hindu holiday of Durga Puja with forbidden romance vibes and some amusingly sly humor. The anthology now appears to be out of print with only the Anderson and Galenorn stories available separately (at the time of this review). A strong B grade from me.
December 19, 2016
Read the adorable story by Ros. Loved it! Will read the others soon...
December 5, 2016
Great collection of romances that feature couples all over 40.
“The Christmas Pony” by Sarah M. Anderson
Alice is a 50 year old school teacher who goes above and beyond for her students. She's helped many kids through out the years but when a father of one her 5th graders show's up on her doorstep with a pony saying she has to take it she's left speechless. If that wasn't strange enough right after an Animal Control Officer shows up at her door informing her it against the law to have a farm animal in a residential neighborhood. Officer Kirk Douglas is a 40 year old divorcee who'd given up on finding love. These two prove that age is just a number when it comes to sexual attraction.
“Midnight Clear” by Ros Clarke
Alison had been married to a vicar for most of her adult life was left fighting depression and her faith after finding out about his unfaithfulness through out their whole marriage. Having to relocate to England with her two teenage sons to be near her mother who is in a home doesnt help. While out on a walk trying to calm her mind she is knocked over by a overly friendly dog right into the mud. The dog's owner Peter, who is also a vicar, ends up helping Alison with her anger with God and to learn to let go of the past. Even though this one had religious themes it wasnt overwhelming. It was actually a nice read about a woman that lost her faith in many things slowly work through her issues. It also starts a beautiful friendship with the future potential of a romance.
“The Christmas Pony” by Sarah M. Anderson
Alice is a 50 year old school teacher who goes above and beyond for her students. She's helped many kids through out the years but when a father of one her 5th graders show's up on her doorstep with a pony saying she has to take it she's left speechless. If that wasn't strange enough right after an Animal Control Officer shows up at her door informing her it against the law to have a farm animal in a residential neighborhood. Officer Kirk Douglas is a 40 year old divorcee who'd given up on finding love. These two prove that age is just a number when it comes to sexual attraction.
“Midnight Clear” by Ros Clarke
Alison had been married to a vicar for most of her adult life was left fighting depression and her faith after finding out about his unfaithfulness through out their whole marriage. Having to relocate to England with her two teenage sons to be near her mother who is in a home doesnt help. While out on a walk trying to calm her mind she is knocked over by a overly friendly dog right into the mud. The dog's owner Peter, who is also a vicar, ends up helping Alison with her anger with God and to learn to let go of the past. Even though this one had religious themes it wasnt overwhelming. It was actually a nice read about a woman that lost her faith in many things slowly work through her issues. It also starts a beautiful friendship with the future potential of a romance.
December 17, 2017
4.5 stars
This review is for the last two stories only. (They are all I read!) If I read the others I will update the review.
The Longest Night, 4 stars
I really liked The Longest Night, a pagan m/f romance centered around the winter solstice. The hero is a sweetheart, and really respectful of the heroine's feelings and autonomy, which is a far cry from her ex husband, who was a controlling jerk (and I would say abusive too, though the text doesn't use that word). I loved that it was so deeply pagan, and that it was about Marilee reclaiming her life, her art, and her spiritual practice after an awful marriage messed her up. She got an arc, and he really didn't, and that worked, given the length.
A Taste of Blessings by Suleikha Snyder, 5 stars
I loved A Taste of Blessings by Suleikha Snyder, an age gap romance centered around Durga Puja. It was just wonderful. Complex nuanced compelling characterization and conflict, deeply drawn cultural context, great secondary characters, lovely humor, and I fell so damn hard for the heroine. The heat and chemistry between the MCs sizzled, so much UST, and no sex on the page. The collection is worth buying just for this story, which has jumped to the top as my favorite story by this author (who I really enjoy). It's an incredibly satisfying romance, and I highly recommend it.
Trigger Warnings:
This review is for the last two stories only. (They are all I read!) If I read the others I will update the review.
The Longest Night, 4 stars
I really liked The Longest Night, a pagan m/f romance centered around the winter solstice. The hero is a sweetheart, and really respectful of the heroine's feelings and autonomy, which is a far cry from her ex husband, who was a controlling jerk (and I would say abusive too, though the text doesn't use that word). I loved that it was so deeply pagan, and that it was about Marilee reclaiming her life, her art, and her spiritual practice after an awful marriage messed her up. She got an arc, and he really didn't, and that worked, given the length.
A Taste of Blessings by Suleikha Snyder, 5 stars
I loved A Taste of Blessings by Suleikha Snyder, an age gap romance centered around Durga Puja. It was just wonderful. Complex nuanced compelling characterization and conflict, deeply drawn cultural context, great secondary characters, lovely humor, and I fell so damn hard for the heroine. The heat and chemistry between the MCs sizzled, so much UST, and no sex on the page. The collection is worth buying just for this story, which has jumped to the top as my favorite story by this author (who I really enjoy). It's an incredibly satisfying romance, and I highly recommend it.
Trigger Warnings:
February 5, 2022
I received this book as a gift when it was released, with no expectation of a review, though I knew I wanted to review it at some point in time. I reviewed it on the blog but never posted here.
What initially caught my interest about this book was that it's about 'older' couples, people 40 or older. Now, in the real world. that's middle age but in romanceland, that's practically ancient. Its rare for women over 30, much less 40, to see themselves as main characters in romances. (It's become a bit more common since I wrote this review) The anthology offered up a nice range of ages from 40 up to 60, both the men and the women. Some of the leads are childless, some have children, some are divorced (interestingly, no widowers or widows) and a couple have never been married.
The other appealing factor for me was that not all of the stories are Christmas stories; there's a Winter Solstice story and, a new to me holiday, a Durga Puja story. I love learning about other holidays so that was a plus for me.
All of the stories tied in with the themes of the book and I enjoyed all but one of the stories. Curtis is the only author here I've read before but I'd heard of the other authors. Also, the sex varies from non-existent to off the page to steamy.
The Longest Night by Yasmine Galenorn - A sweet, low-key, conflict free romance. Nice to see a Winter Solstice celebration instead of the usual Christmas celebration, and to see it treated as normal and not unusual. 3 stars
Sparks by Laura K. Curtis - A lovely romance between two adults, both divorced, who also happen to work at the same company. Also, smexy fireman! Real problems, sweet romance, wonderful characters, and a nice small-town feel. 3.5 stars
The Christmas Pony by Sarah M. Anderson -Sweet, slightly sappy, cute, and funny. I learned something new in this story too as I'd never heard of a Quarter Pony. I had to look it up to see if it was real (it is). 3 stars
Midnight Clear by Ros Clarke - I think this just might be my favorite. Sweet, sweet story that's not sappy and with a delightful older couple. My church is looking for a new minister, I wonder if Peter would convert? Also, this was the only story not set in the US. 4 stars
A Taste of Blessings by Suleikha Snyder - Slow, slow, slooooooow. I dozed off numerous times while reading it. The build up to the romance was much too long with seemingly insurmountable challenges and then POOF! those challenges fall away, just not believable. 2 stars
What initially caught my interest about this book was that it's about 'older' couples, people 40 or older. Now, in the real world. that's middle age but in romanceland, that's practically ancient. Its rare for women over 30, much less 40, to see themselves as main characters in romances. (It's become a bit more common since I wrote this review) The anthology offered up a nice range of ages from 40 up to 60, both the men and the women. Some of the leads are childless, some have children, some are divorced (interestingly, no widowers or widows) and a couple have never been married.
The other appealing factor for me was that not all of the stories are Christmas stories; there's a Winter Solstice story and, a new to me holiday, a Durga Puja story. I love learning about other holidays so that was a plus for me.
All of the stories tied in with the themes of the book and I enjoyed all but one of the stories. Curtis is the only author here I've read before but I'd heard of the other authors. Also, the sex varies from non-existent to off the page to steamy.
The Longest Night by Yasmine Galenorn - A sweet, low-key, conflict free romance. Nice to see a Winter Solstice celebration instead of the usual Christmas celebration, and to see it treated as normal and not unusual. 3 stars
Sparks by Laura K. Curtis - A lovely romance between two adults, both divorced, who also happen to work at the same company. Also, smexy fireman! Real problems, sweet romance, wonderful characters, and a nice small-town feel. 3.5 stars
The Christmas Pony by Sarah M. Anderson -Sweet, slightly sappy, cute, and funny. I learned something new in this story too as I'd never heard of a Quarter Pony. I had to look it up to see if it was real (it is). 3 stars
Midnight Clear by Ros Clarke - I think this just might be my favorite. Sweet, sweet story that's not sappy and with a delightful older couple. My church is looking for a new minister, I wonder if Peter would convert? Also, this was the only story not set in the US. 4 stars
A Taste of Blessings by Suleikha Snyder - Slow, slow, slooooooow. I dozed off numerous times while reading it. The build up to the romance was much too long with seemingly insurmountable challenges and then POOF! those challenges fall away, just not believable. 2 stars
December 20, 2017
This is a great collection of holiday stories with heroes and heroines who are a little older than the average romance couple. That just means they know what they want this time around! It's great to see older couples get their happily-ever-afters. The stories are fairly short and easy-to-read in the busy holiday season or any time of year.
"The Christmas Pony" is a fun story about two people who meet under crazy circumstances. What do you do when a pony shows up on your porch under suspicious circumstances, followed shortly by a handsome animal control officer hot on the trail of said pony? "Midnight Clear" is more melancholy, but it is very sweet when the two characters get together. In "Sparks", the heroine is pretty sure this will be the worst Christmas ever, but maybe an IT whiz volunteer fireman can salvage the holiday. "The Longest Night" celebrates a woman who is trying to get back in touch with who she really is after a disappointing marriage and divorce. Small-town life in the mountains and a hunky IT guy (what is it with those IT guys?) may help her find happiness again. "A Taste of Blessings" follows a woman of Indian Hindu heritage as she returns to her parents' home in Ohio for one of the major festivals of the year. Despite her successful career in Chicago, she's pretty much passed into spinsterhood, at least according to the customs of her family. If only the one man she's ever really been interested in wasn't the one man who would cause a scandal in her community if she acted on her feelings.
"The Christmas Pony" is a fun story about two people who meet under crazy circumstances. What do you do when a pony shows up on your porch under suspicious circumstances, followed shortly by a handsome animal control officer hot on the trail of said pony? "Midnight Clear" is more melancholy, but it is very sweet when the two characters get together. In "Sparks", the heroine is pretty sure this will be the worst Christmas ever, but maybe an IT whiz volunteer fireman can salvage the holiday. "The Longest Night" celebrates a woman who is trying to get back in touch with who she really is after a disappointing marriage and divorce. Small-town life in the mountains and a hunky IT guy (what is it with those IT guys?) may help her find happiness again. "A Taste of Blessings" follows a woman of Indian Hindu heritage as she returns to her parents' home in Ohio for one of the major festivals of the year. Despite her successful career in Chicago, she's pretty much passed into spinsterhood, at least according to the customs of her family. If only the one man she's ever really been interested in wasn't the one man who would cause a scandal in her community if she acted on her feelings.
January 1, 2018
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection, not just because I liked the stories themselves but because I love the concept of having more diversity in romance protagonists' age (and I say this as someone in her twenties who has plenty of heroes and heroine her age to read about).
"The Christmas Pony" was by far my favorite of the bunch, with a fun meet-cute setup, lots of humor, and a compelling conflict. I will definitely be looking for more of Sarah Anderson's work.
"Midnight Clear" was a more meditative and thoughtful read. It's much more slow-burn, and I wouldn't be satisfied if I'd read it as a stand-alone. But I love me a vicar hero and I really appreciated the discussion of religion that ensued.
"Sparks" was a very cute workplace romance with enjoyably competent protagonists.
"The Longest Night" was definitely my least favorite; as a Christian I was very uncomfortable with the portrayal of paganism as a religion.
"A Taste of Blessings" was another stand-out story very different from the others--it's even set at a different time from the wintry stories preceding it, as I believe the story mentioned it was happening soon after Halloween. Snyder brings us into a tight-knit Bengali community in the US and does a wonderful job introducing outsiders into this festival as well as all the class and social dynamics of the community.
"The Christmas Pony" was by far my favorite of the bunch, with a fun meet-cute setup, lots of humor, and a compelling conflict. I will definitely be looking for more of Sarah Anderson's work.
"Midnight Clear" was a more meditative and thoughtful read. It's much more slow-burn, and I wouldn't be satisfied if I'd read it as a stand-alone. But I love me a vicar hero and I really appreciated the discussion of religion that ensued.
"Sparks" was a very cute workplace romance with enjoyably competent protagonists.
"The Longest Night" was definitely my least favorite; as a Christian I was very uncomfortable with the portrayal of paganism as a religion.
"A Taste of Blessings" was another stand-out story very different from the others--it's even set at a different time from the wintry stories preceding it, as I believe the story mentioned it was happening soon after Halloween. Snyder brings us into a tight-knit Bengali community in the US and does a wonderful job introducing outsiders into this festival as well as all the class and social dynamics of the community.
December 19, 2016
I was ready for a holiday reading binge, and this fit the bill. Though the stories are short, it was perfect for this busy time of year. Each story had an older hero/heroine, and this was a plus! We need more writers to write seasoned romances with characters who are older, have baggage, aren't a perfect Barbie doll, and have been around the block so to speak. Their emotions are far more complex and makes for a wonderful story.
Each of the stories in this anthology had a unique premise. I especially enjoyed Midnight Clear for its characters--one in particular, a clergyman, and A Taste of Blessings because of the cultural aspects. I never would have chosen a story like this, but I'm so happy this was included. Wonderful! A unique and interesting storyline.
All of the stories are heartwarming and fun to read, and they were perfect for an evening read. Enjoyed it very much.
Each of the stories in this anthology had a unique premise. I especially enjoyed Midnight Clear for its characters--one in particular, a clergyman, and A Taste of Blessings because of the cultural aspects. I never would have chosen a story like this, but I'm so happy this was included. Wonderful! A unique and interesting storyline.
All of the stories are heartwarming and fun to read, and they were perfect for an evening read. Enjoyed it very much.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews