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Worst Valentine's Day Ever: A Lonely Hearts Romance Anthology
Eleven stories of Valentine's singles. Eleven tales of Cupid, catastrophe, and maybe even love…
For these heroes and heroines, romance is hardly the first thing on their minds. But no matter how they fight it, Cupid refuses to relent. From struggling singles to second-chance romance to enemies turned much, much more, these lightning strikes of love will add a spark of hope to your holiday.
Worst Valentine’s Day Ever: A Lonely Hearts Romance Anthology is a collection of 11 stories featuring characters who seem destined for Valentine's disasters. If you like laugh-out-loud rom coms, terrible dates gone right, and gorgeous happily-ever-afters, then you’ll love this adorable anthology.
The latest installment in the celebrated Worst Holiday Ever series, Worst Valentine's Day Ever is as honest as it is hopeful about romance. It ain't all hearts and roses; but these eleven tales of triumph will leave your faith in Valentine's Day—and in love—restored.
For these heroes and heroines, romance is hardly the first thing on their minds. But no matter how they fight it, Cupid refuses to relent. From struggling singles to second-chance romance to enemies turned much, much more, these lightning strikes of love will add a spark of hope to your holiday.
Worst Valentine’s Day Ever: A Lonely Hearts Romance Anthology is a collection of 11 stories featuring characters who seem destined for Valentine's disasters. If you like laugh-out-loud rom coms, terrible dates gone right, and gorgeous happily-ever-afters, then you’ll love this adorable anthology.
The latest installment in the celebrated Worst Holiday Ever series, Worst Valentine's Day Ever is as honest as it is hopeful about romance. It ain't all hearts and roses; but these eleven tales of triumph will leave your faith in Valentine's Day—and in love—restored.
- GenresAnthologies
300 pages, ebook
Published January 21, 2019
29 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Kilby Blades
29 books514 followersKilby Blades is a USA Today Bestselling author of Romance and Women's Fiction. Her debut novel, "Snapdragon", was a HOLT Medallion finalist, a Publisher's Weekly BookLife Prize Semi-Finalist, and an IPPY Award medalist. Kilby was honored with an RSJ Emma Award for Best Debut Author in 2018, and has been lauded by critics for "easing feminism and equality into her novels" (IndieReader) and "writing characters who complement each other like a fine wine does a good meal" (Publisher's Weekly).
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 27, 2019
This is a diverse collection of feel good love themed and what could go wrong typically does go wrong short stories.
I skipped the shifter story because I just don’t like them. The others were great.
They are well written and there is something for everyone.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book for Hidden Gems
I skipped the shifter story because I just don’t like them. The others were great.
They are well written and there is something for everyone.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book for Hidden Gems
January 25, 2019
Some 🏁winners, but story quality varies greatly😐
January 23, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
😊😕😐😚😏😟😧After reading the majority of the collection, I found the quality of the stories varied quite a bit, from 2 🌟stars to 4 🌟stars ➕plus. Asking For a Friend, about a single mother widow looking through a dating site for companionship, and Chasing the Night, about a MD and a policeman on the verge of divorce, were the 👍best of the bunch. Both second chance romances had some realism and interesting characters.
Some others had issues, like the ridiculous plot in Cupid's Revenge; the sappy cuteness of the youngest nephew in the MM story Valentine's Day From Hell; and the depressing desperation of the divorced mother heroine in Heartbreak in High Gear (though the last did have a nice, ironic twist at the very end). Shifter romance A Wolf at the Wedding started out well, with some zany humor at a country club wedding, and was generally fine until it abruptly ended with no resolution!
The heat level on these stories was mild to warm, the plots were varied and I suppose most romance readers will find at least a few gems in the collection. I was not familiar with any but one of the authors and found a few that I will be looking out for in the future.:-)
I read a complimentary advance copy of the anthology; this is my voluntary and honest review.
January 23, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
😊😕😐😚😏😟😧After reading the majority of the collection, I found the quality of the stories varied quite a bit, from 2 🌟stars to 4 🌟stars ➕plus. Asking For a Friend, about a single mother widow looking through a dating site for companionship, and Chasing the Night, about a MD and a policeman on the verge of divorce, were the 👍best of the bunch. Both second chance romances had some realism and interesting characters.
Some others had issues, like the ridiculous plot in Cupid's Revenge; the sappy cuteness of the youngest nephew in the MM story Valentine's Day From Hell; and the depressing desperation of the divorced mother heroine in Heartbreak in High Gear (though the last did have a nice, ironic twist at the very end). Shifter romance A Wolf at the Wedding started out well, with some zany humor at a country club wedding, and was generally fine until it abruptly ended with no resolution!
The heat level on these stories was mild to warm, the plots were varied and I suppose most romance readers will find at least a few gems in the collection. I was not familiar with any but one of the authors and found a few that I will be looking out for in the future.:-)
I read a complimentary advance copy of the anthology; this is my voluntary and honest review.
March 25, 2019
4.5 Stars
I originally received an advanced copy of this anthology, but that copy was missing the story by one of my newly minted favorite authors, Kilby Blades. Instead, I downloaded the book through KU so that I wouldn't miss her inclusion. The Worst Valentines' Day Ever was a diverse set of short stories/novellas covering a number of romance sub-genres. Although I skipped a couple of the stories with PNR elements, it was worth picking up for all of those that I did read. Below is a sampling of my top favorites from the collection.
PERFECT ODDS by LG O'Connor-
This was my favorite from the entire anthology. I loved it. It had an original setting to not one, but two friends-to-lovers romances. One of them (I believe) being a prequel to a potentially quirky and fun new rom-com series with some real poignancy.
RIGHT-HAND MAN by Kilby Blades-
I picked up the anthology for this author and she didn't disappoint. Right Hand Man was a sweetly romantic tale with a highly capable heroine. I only wish that we had more time and dialogue with Cal.
CHASING THE NIGHT by Deb Lee-
Chasing the Night was a sweet, fun, and tender romance with a surprising reveal in the first few moments. I loved it. This one had a few noticeable grammatical errors, but I won't hold it against it. After reading this story, I'm excited to read this author's debut full-length romance.
While there was one story I didn't really care for, it didn't detract from all those that I did. Overall, a collection worth reading for the number of exceptional stories that were included.
I originally received an advanced copy of this anthology, but that copy was missing the story by one of my newly minted favorite authors, Kilby Blades. Instead, I downloaded the book through KU so that I wouldn't miss her inclusion. The Worst Valentines' Day Ever was a diverse set of short stories/novellas covering a number of romance sub-genres. Although I skipped a couple of the stories with PNR elements, it was worth picking up for all of those that I did read. Below is a sampling of my top favorites from the collection.
PERFECT ODDS by LG O'Connor-
This was my favorite from the entire anthology. I loved it. It had an original setting to not one, but two friends-to-lovers romances. One of them (I believe) being a prequel to a potentially quirky and fun new rom-com series with some real poignancy.
RIGHT-HAND MAN by Kilby Blades-
I picked up the anthology for this author and she didn't disappoint. Right Hand Man was a sweetly romantic tale with a highly capable heroine. I only wish that we had more time and dialogue with Cal.
CHASING THE NIGHT by Deb Lee-
Chasing the Night was a sweet, fun, and tender romance with a surprising reveal in the first few moments. I loved it. This one had a few noticeable grammatical errors, but I won't hold it against it. After reading this story, I'm excited to read this author's debut full-length romance.
While there was one story I didn't really care for, it didn't detract from all those that I did. Overall, a collection worth reading for the number of exceptional stories that were included.
January 29, 2019
Potpourri of Short Stories
I borrowed this book from KU because Kilby Blades is an author I follow. Her books never disappoint and I did enjoy her story here, as well.
Of the other theme-based stories in this anthology, there were several I enjoyed and will look into reading more from these authors. I found several that also included some good wit and humorous character repartee, which I always appreciate, as well. Finally, there were a couple that were from subgenres I don't usually enjoy reading. Rather than not giving them a chance at all, I skimmed through them. I wasn't converted but they weren't bad. All told this anthology is definitely worth your time if you're looking for a bunch of short, relatively light reads.
I'm not generally much of an anthology or short story reader though. I prefer the depth and development of characters and storylines that you almost never find in short stories. And anthologies, even those containing full length books, almost always include several that are trying to force you to buy additional books by ending with cliffhangers of one sort or another. Now I don't mind cliffhangers or books that are more than one volume, when I choose them knowingly and voluntarily. But I strongly resent feeling I've been duped into purchasing additional books in this way. No matter how much I've liked that author (up to the point when realization strikes) or want to know what happens next, I will never buy the next book or read that author again, unless I can get the rest through KU. And even then, my resentment of not being forewarned will usually linger and may affect my future reading choices from that author. I do understand that this is how authors attract us to continue reading their stories and I'm more than willing to read and purchase from authors I like. But I absolutely want a heads up, in advance of beginning a story, that it's not a standalone. For what it's worth, other than one of the subgenre stories I don't usually read, these are all standalone stories. So no duping from this anthology. And for that I thank these authors.
I borrowed this book from KU because Kilby Blades is an author I follow. Her books never disappoint and I did enjoy her story here, as well.
Of the other theme-based stories in this anthology, there were several I enjoyed and will look into reading more from these authors. I found several that also included some good wit and humorous character repartee, which I always appreciate, as well. Finally, there were a couple that were from subgenres I don't usually enjoy reading. Rather than not giving them a chance at all, I skimmed through them. I wasn't converted but they weren't bad. All told this anthology is definitely worth your time if you're looking for a bunch of short, relatively light reads.
I'm not generally much of an anthology or short story reader though. I prefer the depth and development of characters and storylines that you almost never find in short stories. And anthologies, even those containing full length books, almost always include several that are trying to force you to buy additional books by ending with cliffhangers of one sort or another. Now I don't mind cliffhangers or books that are more than one volume, when I choose them knowingly and voluntarily. But I strongly resent feeling I've been duped into purchasing additional books in this way. No matter how much I've liked that author (up to the point when realization strikes) or want to know what happens next, I will never buy the next book or read that author again, unless I can get the rest through KU. And even then, my resentment of not being forewarned will usually linger and may affect my future reading choices from that author. I do understand that this is how authors attract us to continue reading their stories and I'm more than willing to read and purchase from authors I like. But I absolutely want a heads up, in advance of beginning a story, that it's not a standalone. For what it's worth, other than one of the subgenre stories I don't usually read, these are all standalone stories. So no duping from this anthology. And for that I thank these authors.
January 25, 2019
Some 🏁winners, but story quality varies greatly😐
January 23, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
😊😕😐😚😏😟😧After reading the majority of the collection, I found the quality of the stories varied quite a bit, from 2 🌟stars to 4 🌟stars ➕plus. Asking For a Friend, about a single mother widow looking through a dating site for companionship, and Chasing the Night, about a MD and a policeman on the verge of divorce, were the 👍best of the bunch. Both second chance romances had some realism and interesting characters.
Some others had issues, like the ridiculous plot in Cupid's Revenge; the sappy cuteness of the youngest nephew in the MM story Valentine's Day From Hell; and the depressing desperation of the divorced mother heroine in Heartbreak in High Gear (though the last did have a nice, ironic twist at the very end). Shifter romance A Wolf at the Wedding started out well, with some zany humor at a country club wedding, and was generally fine until it abruptly ended with no resolution!
The heat level on these stories was mild to warm, the plots were varied and I suppose most romance readers will find at least a few gems in the collection. I was not familiar with any but one of the authors and found a few that I will be looking out for in the future.:-)
I read a complimentary advance copy of the anthology; this is my voluntary and honest review.
January 23, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
😊😕😐😚😏😟😧After reading the majority of the collection, I found the quality of the stories varied quite a bit, from 2 🌟stars to 4 🌟stars ➕plus. Asking For a Friend, about a single mother widow looking through a dating site for companionship, and Chasing the Night, about a MD and a policeman on the verge of divorce, were the 👍best of the bunch. Both second chance romances had some realism and interesting characters.
Some others had issues, like the ridiculous plot in Cupid's Revenge; the sappy cuteness of the youngest nephew in the MM story Valentine's Day From Hell; and the depressing desperation of the divorced mother heroine in Heartbreak in High Gear (though the last did have a nice, ironic twist at the very end). Shifter romance A Wolf at the Wedding started out well, with some zany humor at a country club wedding, and was generally fine until it abruptly ended with no resolution!
The heat level on these stories was mild to warm, the plots were varied and I suppose most romance readers will find at least a few gems in the collection. I was not familiar with any but one of the authors and found a few that I will be looking out for in the future.:-)
I read a complimentary advance copy of the anthology; this is my voluntary and honest review.
January 28, 2019
For me, a successful anthology is one in which I not only enjoy most of the stories, but also find a few new authors to read. Given this criteria, Worst Valentine’s Day Ever was a successful anthology for me. The stories showed diversity in characters and plot, and ran towards ‘sweet’ (I don’t recall any graphic depictions of oral or penetrative sex) rather than steamy. Only one story really didn’t work for me, and I think that is because it was based on characters from a pre-existing series and it expected me to know more than I did about it. Stories like that can be tricky in anthologies; they have to be enjoyable for both readers of the series and those without that background knowledge. In this particular story, I felt I was thrown into a pre-existing scenario, with too much action and drama packed into too short a word count for me to appreciate it or the characters. Given this, I wasn’t tempted to read the rest of the series. Despite this, I think this is an anthology worth checking out.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
February 20, 2019
This was a nice anthology to read prior to Valentine’s Day. I liked some of the stories better than others. The first one, “Perfect Odds” had a unique plot line that seemed both far-fetched and possible in today’s world. I also liked “Asking for a Friend.” Everything that Sarah went through seemed realistic. I liked the “second chance at life” theme of the story. My favorite, however, was “Valentine’s Day from Hell” mainly because it was set in the SF Bay Area, and a large portion of it took place at a nature refuge that I spent a lot of time at as a kid. It’s not often that little ol’ Hayward is a featured location! Some of the other stories were less successful and some were just okay. Because it is an anthology, there is a variety to read and everybody should be able to find something to their tastes. Thank you to Hidden Gems and the authors/publisher for a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
January 27, 2019
***I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily reviewed after reading.***
This is the best anthology I’ve read so far this year. With a range of stories, from paranormal romance to contemporary romance I was never bored. There were a few stories I didn’t like so much, but there were others that I absolutely loved.
Some of my Favorites:
“Love it or Leave it” by Eva Moore
“Valentine’s Day from Hell” by R.L. Merrill
“Chasing the Night” by Deb Lee
One thing that stood out for me is the authors’ blurbs isn’t with their stories. They are placed in the back instead. Which I loved, it felt that it flowed better.
This is the best anthology I’ve read so far this year. With a range of stories, from paranormal romance to contemporary romance I was never bored. There were a few stories I didn’t like so much, but there were others that I absolutely loved.
Some of my Favorites:
“Love it or Leave it” by Eva Moore
“Valentine’s Day from Hell” by R.L. Merrill
“Chasing the Night” by Deb Lee
One thing that stood out for me is the authors’ blurbs isn’t with their stories. They are placed in the back instead. Which I loved, it felt that it flowed better.
February 17, 2019
What I look for in a great anthology is diversity in stories, characters and new authors for me to enjoy. This anthology has a range of stories from paranormal to contemporary romance so there was definitely a wide variety. Some stories were better than others. There were a few I didn't like at all, but for the most part, I enjoyed this anthology. My favourite stories were "Chasing the Night" by Deb Lee, "Valentine's Day from Hell" by R.L. Merrill and "Love it or Leave it" by Eva Moore. This is definitely worth checking out!
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
January 29, 2019
I had even more fun with this one than I did the holiday anthology. Like any good anthology, it has its ups and downs. There were some stories that I completely adored and a couple of others that left me scratching my head. As with Worst Holiday, a couple of these novellas quite obviously belong to much larger series. Though, I thought that these did a better job of being complete stories. I now have a few more new authors on my list to check into.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Hidden Gems Books.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Hidden Gems Books.
January 25, 2019
Well, but quite cute all along
My notation is average because even if the style of the stories of this compilation is good, I had the impression to have been mistaken or to have been deceived by the title. I was really expecting romances with the worst day of Valentine's Day, but finally, apart from some stories, the stories are not that bad and they are rather cute, sometimes unpredictable. Nevertheless, I expected more surprise.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
My notation is average because even if the style of the stories of this compilation is good, I had the impression to have been mistaken or to have been deceived by the title. I was really expecting romances with the worst day of Valentine's Day, but finally, apart from some stories, the stories are not that bad and they are rather cute, sometimes unpredictable. Nevertheless, I expected more surprise.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
January 25, 2019
Well, but quite cute all along
My notation is average because even if the style of the stories of this compilation is good, I had the impression to have been mistaken or to have been deceived by the title. I was really expecting romances with the worst day of Valentine's Day, but finally, apart from some stories, the stories are not that bad and they are rather cute, sometimes unpredictable. Nevertheless, I expected more surprise.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
My notation is average because even if the style of the stories of this compilation is good, I had the impression to have been mistaken or to have been deceived by the title. I was really expecting romances with the worst day of Valentine's Day, but finally, apart from some stories, the stories are not that bad and they are rather cute, sometimes unpredictable. Nevertheless, I expected more surprise.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
January 27, 2019
This is one crazy Valentines anthology. Each novella has good points and bad points; the characters are sort of whacky; and the HEAs don’t always seem that happy. This book just didn’t do it for me...I was really baffled by all the mean spiritedness. I’m glad I read it though—it just wasn’t your normal mushy Valentine stuff. (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this anthology and really am just on the fence about it.)
February 2, 2019
This is a fun, entertaining anthology about Cupid trying his best to bring couples together. I loved all the short stories and here are a few of my favorites, "Love It Or Leave It" by Eva Moore, "Love Ya Baby" by Marie Booth and "Valentine's Day From Hell" by R.L. Merrill. I love reading collections and anthologies because I get to read some of my favorite authors and find a few new to me authors at the same time. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
January 27, 2019
Ten love’s stories about he magic of Valentine’s Day and how everybody deserve a chance in love and happiness, from best friends, to lost friends, broke relationships .... all of them, even the ones not looking for love, will have a happy ending in Valentine’s Day
January 28, 2019
I received this as an ARC for a review.
Loved the 1st 2 stories then hated the rest other than the last 1. Good thing they were short, I would have hated to suffer through anymore of some of those stories.
Loved the 1st 2 stories then hated the rest other than the last 1. Good thing they were short, I would have hated to suffer through anymore of some of those stories.
January 28, 2019
This was a great little collection. It boasts a diverse cast of authors and some books were definitely better than others, but I can admit that some were really well done. And perfectly themed for the season.
February 24, 2019
Little to No Heat
Most of the stories felt incomplete. I'm fine with a clean love story, but most hinted beyond clean but never got the characters to that point. Some resolutions came quickly, yet the story still left questions.
Most of the stories felt incomplete. I'm fine with a clean love story, but most hinted beyond clean but never got the characters to that point. Some resolutions came quickly, yet the story still left questions.
February 7, 2019
Good read
I'm not gonna lie I only got this book for one particular author (Erin St. Charles) but I did end up enjoying the other stories.
I'm not gonna lie I only got this book for one particular author (Erin St. Charles) but I did end up enjoying the other stories.
February 23, 2019
Great selection of authors. Liked the short stories. A few I would of liked to continue on.
March 6, 2019
Very very cute!!! Loved all the stories. Can’t wait to read some of these authors full length books
April 2, 2019
definitely hit or miss on the stories.
January 30, 2019
This was an ARC . It’s a variety of authors I was not familiar with. The stories varied some good , some just okay.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews