What do you think?
Rate this book
Wedding Belles
From five beloved and bestselling Regency authors come five brand-new stories about weddings, romance-and cold feet...
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 4, 2004
76 people want to read
About the author
Allison Lane
40 books36 followersAllison Lane is the author of 20 Regency novels and 6 novellas. She is a Holt Medallion Winner and the 2005 Romantic Times Career Achievement Award Winner, as well as National Readers' Choice Awards Finalist for three books.
Notes from Allison Lane:
I am not one of those who always wanted to be a writer, though I suspect I wanted to be just about everything else -- doctor, astronaut, artist, scientist, and concert pianist, to name only a few. My actual careers were not quite so exciting. Designing computer software and running horse shows gave way to motherhood, home improvement projects, and teaching piano. But books have always been one of the cornerstones of my life.
When I was growing up in the mid-west, reading and music kept me sane through frequent changes of address. As an adult, books offered a respite from the strain of daily living. Often I would finish the last page with the thought, I wish I were that creative. Occasionally it would change to, Surely even I could do better than this! So one day I tried. But this is not a fairy tale, folks. My first book was less than stellar. In fact, it stunk. Good writing is hard work. But I enjoyed the process (or maybe I just enjoy playing God) so I tried again. By the third tale, I had a publishable story.
Where am I headed in the future? I don’t yet know. For now, I write Regencies. It is a fascinating period and an entertaining genre. My work is classed as traditional though I don’t consider it in quite that way. I try to avoid clichés -- except for happy endings, of course; those are what offer us respite from that daily crisis. But I like to pose universal problems to my characters and then watch them find solutions. I have long been fascinated by how people surmount problems to find the happiness that we all deserve.
These days my spare time is limited. Writing consumes most of my day. I still read as much as ever and keep up with the world of science. And everyone knows better than to step between me and a TV during football season -- it somehow takes an extra month to complete fall manuscripts.
From: Regency Reads
Notes from Allison Lane:
I am not one of those who always wanted to be a writer, though I suspect I wanted to be just about everything else -- doctor, astronaut, artist, scientist, and concert pianist, to name only a few. My actual careers were not quite so exciting. Designing computer software and running horse shows gave way to motherhood, home improvement projects, and teaching piano. But books have always been one of the cornerstones of my life.
When I was growing up in the mid-west, reading and music kept me sane through frequent changes of address. As an adult, books offered a respite from the strain of daily living. Often I would finish the last page with the thought, I wish I were that creative. Occasionally it would change to, Surely even I could do better than this! So one day I tried. But this is not a fairy tale, folks. My first book was less than stellar. In fact, it stunk. Good writing is hard work. But I enjoyed the process (or maybe I just enjoy playing God) so I tried again. By the third tale, I had a publishable story.
Where am I headed in the future? I don’t yet know. For now, I write Regencies. It is a fascinating period and an entertaining genre. My work is classed as traditional though I don’t consider it in quite that way. I try to avoid clichés -- except for happy endings, of course; those are what offer us respite from that daily crisis. But I like to pose universal problems to my characters and then watch them find solutions. I have long been fascinated by how people surmount problems to find the happiness that we all deserve.
These days my spare time is limited. Writing consumes most of my day. I still read as much as ever and keep up with the world of science. And everyone knows better than to step between me and a TV during football season -- it somehow takes an extra month to complete fall manuscripts.
From: Regency Reads
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 30, 2016
B- overall for me, so 3.5 stars - though the Carla Kelly story alone makes the book worth picking up. In "For Richer or Poorer" by Allison Lane, things start off dramatically as a disheveled maid slips into a Society wedding to hide in the church. The bride's brother, Richard Hughes, spots her and soon learns that Georgiana is not a servant, but rather a ward who is fleeing her cruel guardian's edict to essentially sell her in marriage. From this beginning, Richard and Georgiana end up on the run as she must remain in hiding for at least two weeks, until she comes of age and can free herself from the guardian. It's obvious that the two are attracted to one another, but since Richard is both aristocratic and of modest means, he fears being seen as a fortune hunter if he pursues the heiress Georgiana. I mostly enjoyed this story, but I did find Richard's constant, "Oh, I'm too poor to try to marry her!" inner monologue tiresome.
Edith Layton's writing tends to be reliably good and "A Marriage of True Minds" isn't a bad story, but it lacks a certain "oomph." The basic setup involves a nobleman's brother and a cit's sister joining forces to prevent a marriage between their siblings. Each is convinced that the class difference will lead only to unhappiness. While the ensuing love story is sweet, it felt rushed and just not emotional enough to fully satisfy. There were moments that made me smile, but that's it.
And then there's "The Marriage Scheme." This tale from Lynn Kerstan was just frustrating. The heroine, Julia Flyte, is ward of the Duke of Sarne, who himself has 3 sons. The Duke has picked out one son for Julia to marry while his wife has picked another. And then there's the meddling third son. Watching Julia's emotions shift rapidly from son to son throughout the rather brief story made for an unconvincing and rushed romance. I just couldn't get into this one.
Barbara Metzger's "A Match Made in Heaven - or Hell" has a touch of the supernatural about it as the devil and Saint Peter wager on whether the love of a good woman can save the degenerate Hugh, Marquess of Hardesty. The story of Hugh and the nurse, Marian, who nurses him back to health in Spain is sweet enough without the gimmicky good vs. evil framework. The battle of good and evil doesn't get much use in the story anyway, but at least Hugh and Marian were likable.
"A Hasty Marriage" by Carla Kelly was easily the best of the lot in this anthology. Kelly's tale of Miss Ann Utley who flees her home among the country gentry to seek solace with her former governess following an unwanted proposal is just plain charming. As it turns out, the governess in question has married the owner of a warehouse where Ann meets widower Hiram Titus, an American captain offloading his wares. The stratagems employed to throw Ann and Hiram together border on the preposterous, but this gentle, good-humored story is well written and sweet enough that it will charm rather than annoy.
Edith Layton's writing tends to be reliably good and "A Marriage of True Minds" isn't a bad story, but it lacks a certain "oomph." The basic setup involves a nobleman's brother and a cit's sister joining forces to prevent a marriage between their siblings. Each is convinced that the class difference will lead only to unhappiness. While the ensuing love story is sweet, it felt rushed and just not emotional enough to fully satisfy. There were moments that made me smile, but that's it.
And then there's "The Marriage Scheme." This tale from Lynn Kerstan was just frustrating. The heroine, Julia Flyte, is ward of the Duke of Sarne, who himself has 3 sons. The Duke has picked out one son for Julia to marry while his wife has picked another. And then there's the meddling third son. Watching Julia's emotions shift rapidly from son to son throughout the rather brief story made for an unconvincing and rushed romance. I just couldn't get into this one.
Barbara Metzger's "A Match Made in Heaven - or Hell" has a touch of the supernatural about it as the devil and Saint Peter wager on whether the love of a good woman can save the degenerate Hugh, Marquess of Hardesty. The story of Hugh and the nurse, Marian, who nurses him back to health in Spain is sweet enough without the gimmicky good vs. evil framework. The battle of good and evil doesn't get much use in the story anyway, but at least Hugh and Marian were likable.
"A Hasty Marriage" by Carla Kelly was easily the best of the lot in this anthology. Kelly's tale of Miss Ann Utley who flees her home among the country gentry to seek solace with her former governess following an unwanted proposal is just plain charming. As it turns out, the governess in question has married the owner of a warehouse where Ann meets widower Hiram Titus, an American captain offloading his wares. The stratagems employed to throw Ann and Hiram together border on the preposterous, but this gentle, good-humored story is well written and sweet enough that it will charm rather than annoy.
January 28, 2015
Wedding Belles (anthology)
This one is worth getting just for Carla Kelly's story alone, which is a complete delight. A 32 year-old spinster finally runs away from home in order to avoid getting married to a persistent, but very dull and self-absorbed suitor, and runs into an American sea captain at her old governess' home in Portsmouth. Sparks fly and lots of humour too!
This one is worth getting just for Carla Kelly's story alone, which is a complete delight. A 32 year-old spinster finally runs away from home in order to avoid getting married to a persistent, but very dull and self-absorbed suitor, and runs into an American sea captain at her old governess' home in Portsmouth. Sparks fly and lots of humour too!
January 4, 2022
Nothing like finding a book that has stories that I haven't read by Edith Layton and Barbara Metzger. Score!
June 16, 2019
The stories in this book vary from not-so-good to absolutely wonderful.
For Richer or Poorer (Allison Lane) I don't know anything about this author; thus I am uncertain if the 'Three Beaux' is part of a series. Whatever the case, two of the Beaux figure prominently in this story. Richard sees a poorly-dressed woman sneak into his sister's wedding. He helps her escape her guardian, especially when he finds out she is an abused relative of his archenemy.
A Marriage of True Minds (Edith Layton) This is a cleverly written story about the down-side of the class system in England. Terence wants to save his Viscount brother from a wealthy, but a lower-class woman (Joanna). Valerie, Joanna's sister, wants to keep her sister from the clutches of the mindless aristocracy. She and Terence decide to join forces to keep them apart. The last scene is wonderful.
The Marriage Scheme (Lynn Kerstan) This seemed to be an overblown plot device; the parents (of the three young men in question) fight over everything. The Duchess wants Julia, an orphaned ward, to marry her oldest son; while the duke wants his ward to marry the youngest. However, the middle son wants Julia for his bride. How can they help his parents believe it is their wish too?
A Match Made in Heaven--or Hell (Barbara Metzger) Old Nick and St. Peter are having an argument about a dying British man of nobility: Hugh, Marquess of Hardesty. In London, Hugh is a notorious womanizer; but he saved many men by taking leadership of rudderless soldiers on the Spanish battlefield. After long arguments, Satan and St. Peter decided to let him live and see if he can redeem himself. Both are confident that Hugh will be theirs.
A Hasty Marriage (Carla Kelly) This is an absolutely delightful story about a 32-year-old spinster who runs away from home, rather than marry a boring man of the peerage. She runs to her old governess and meets an American sea captain. The story is deliciously different.
For Richer or Poorer (Allison Lane) I don't know anything about this author; thus I am uncertain if the 'Three Beaux' is part of a series. Whatever the case, two of the Beaux figure prominently in this story. Richard sees a poorly-dressed woman sneak into his sister's wedding. He helps her escape her guardian, especially when he finds out she is an abused relative of his archenemy.
A Marriage of True Minds (Edith Layton) This is a cleverly written story about the down-side of the class system in England. Terence wants to save his Viscount brother from a wealthy, but a lower-class woman (Joanna). Valerie, Joanna's sister, wants to keep her sister from the clutches of the mindless aristocracy. She and Terence decide to join forces to keep them apart. The last scene is wonderful.
The Marriage Scheme (Lynn Kerstan) This seemed to be an overblown plot device; the parents (of the three young men in question) fight over everything. The Duchess wants Julia, an orphaned ward, to marry her oldest son; while the duke wants his ward to marry the youngest. However, the middle son wants Julia for his bride. How can they help his parents believe it is their wish too?
A Match Made in Heaven--or Hell (Barbara Metzger) Old Nick and St. Peter are having an argument about a dying British man of nobility: Hugh, Marquess of Hardesty. In London, Hugh is a notorious womanizer; but he saved many men by taking leadership of rudderless soldiers on the Spanish battlefield. After long arguments, Satan and St. Peter decided to let him live and see if he can redeem himself. Both are confident that Hugh will be theirs.
A Hasty Marriage (Carla Kelly) This is an absolutely delightful story about a 32-year-old spinster who runs away from home, rather than marry a boring man of the peerage. She runs to her old governess and meets an American sea captain. The story is deliciously different.
June 9, 2012
not sure if I want to finish this book. Read the first two stories but they were not as interesting as I would have hoped, that and they move too quickly for my enjoyment.
Update:So I forced myself to finish the remaining stories and I cannot say that they were any better. I don't really think that the amount of pages allotted is enough to create lasting characters and the ends of the stories seemed very rushed to me.
Update:So I forced myself to finish the remaining stories and I cannot say that they were any better. I don't really think that the amount of pages allotted is enough to create lasting characters and the ends of the stories seemed very rushed to me.
March 24, 2014
5 short stories all set in the Regency era. Loved it! Some were better than others but all were fun to read.
Read
July 25, 2010Especially enjoyed the Carla Kelly novella. No surprise there.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews