Accidental Valentine by Varied Authors
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Yes, I have a story in this anthology. If you think that means I will give it a five-star review, you haven’t been following my blog very long.
I have very strict requirements for a five-star story. If you want to know more about them, check out this earlier post. Generally, when I give a book even a four-star review, one of these essential ingredients is missing.
In all fairness, I’m not going to review my own story. Do I think it deserves five stars? What do you think? I will, however, give the other stories a rating.
Don’t forget to check out the Blog Tour. For author interview questions, check out Sheryl Winters today and In the Pages of a Good Book on Tuesday. Also, Author Lynn Burke reviews the book, features one of the authors and has an excerpt at her site today.
Guiding Hearts by Claire Gillian
I enjoyed this story. It had enough of a whimsical feel to it – with the matchmaking GPS – that I kept reading to the end without stopping.
I didn’t feel like the characters were very well-drawn. A few important facts were thrown our way, but not enough for me to believe their motivations.
It is the only story that takes place over the scope of a year. I did like this aspect because it made it more believable.
In the end, the dialogue felt unnatural. The resolution was over-explained. I felt like the original premise got lost in the shuffle. I still give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Better Latte Than Never by Katrina Sizemore
This was a New Adult romance that took place on a single Valentine’s Day. The characters were old friends from high school. It shifted between two perspectives, which makes for the best romances, I think.
I had a hard time gauging the age of the characters. The few references to time seemed to contradict each other. Because of the immature responses they had, I placed them around 20.
The point of this story was excellent. The plot and premise were well-designed. The tension kept my interest, but in the end I was still thinking, “Could we just talk to each other already?”
It was my second favorite of the four stories, though, and I give it four out of five stars.
One Hot Angel by Jaylee Austin
There were just too many ideological disagreements between me and this story for it to get a fair shake from me. Apparently, an angel fell in love with a human and wanted a chance to keep her from dying. This could be accomplished if she fell in love with him.
The way to make her love him was all about sex. This is the only story in the anthology with explicit sex and offensive language. I was shocked by that because it is classified as a “sweet” romance anthology.
The fact that heavenly beings use physical lust as a way to someone’s heart is wrong on too many levels for me to recount. The woman in the story was shallow and I couldn’t relate to her motivation for destroying her ex-husband.
In the end, it is a two-star story in my book. The story and characters fell short, so it wasn’t just the overall premise I found lacking.
Rock My Bones by Wendy Sparrow
This story is the crown of the collection. I wasn’t sure if I would come away with a positive feeling about the anthology until I read this story.
The two points of view had a distinct voice and flavor. The idea that both of the characters wanted each other in advance made the fact the story happened in a day believable.
The museum setting was unique. The professions of the characters wasn’t cliche. The sexual tension was strong and I was surprised at the forwardness of the female character (Shay – I love that name).
Still, the dialogue was snappy. The inner thoughts true-to-life. The characters and setting believable and well-constructed. It made me laugh aloud several times.
It’s exactly the sort of story that can make a cynic believe in romance again. It gets a solid five out of five stars.
Where does that leave the anthology? I would give it four stars. Overall, the stories delivered on their promise. Don’t take my word for it, though, buy your copy here, and judge for yourself.
Will you read this anthology and leave a review? I would love if you left your first impressions as a comment here on my blog.
View all my reviews