A Regency Valentine 1 (Super Regency, Signet)

most anthologies I've read fall into the 50 percent or lower catagory. Meaning half, mostly even less, of the stories in the anthology are even readable. Not so in this book. Of the five stories, 2 were great (wolf and Rice's), 2 very good (Balogh and Kingsley) and only the Lange story didn't appeal to me. Surprisingly Miss Balogh's story was not up to her usual standard-but still good. Read the book if for no other reason the Patricia Rice's story! It made me wish if would have been a full length book. I also love the fact that even though it's a seasonal anthology, the stories are not "cutsey" or "gimmakey"-but had style and substance. Recommended-4.5 stars.

I agree with all was written by other reviewers, however, I have slightly different ratings: "Golden Rose" by Mary Balogh--(4 stars)--a valentine story with a touch of Cinderalla flavor; "The Secret Benefactor" by Katherine Kingsley--(5 stars)--a very endearing love story; "Lady Valentine's Scheme" by Emma Lange--(a big 5 stars)--it had all the elements to make it a total enjoyable read with a happy sigh at the end; "Fathers and Daughters" by Patricia Rice--(3 stars)--my least favorite story: lack of chemistry among characters and lost focus of the plot in between; "The Antagonists" by Joan Wolf--(4 stars)--it was actually a well-written, fun read, but the ending was hastily wrapped up without touching on the valentine theme. Over all speaking, these are all powerhouse writers, and I highly recommend this book even not for the valentine day reason.

The only edition I could find of this book was a Large Print edition and when I received it and saw how thin the book was I realised I'd bought two short stories rather than two mid-length novels. Evidently the full paperback edition has another two stories but I haven't read those so this review is only for half of the book listed here! Mary Balogh's story "A Golden Rose" is rather different than her other short stories that I've read. They are often about deep and complex emotions such as the coming back together of an estranged couple. This story is much more lighthearted in tone and follows a young man, Roger Bradshaw, Viscount Yardley, in pursuit of dalliance with a widow who falls foul of his young cousin's plans for Emily Richmond, companion to his mother. There is to be a masked ball where a woman wears the favour of her chosen valentine and the men have to send the women, anonymously, a favour. Roger plans to send his favour, a golden rose, to Mrs Langtree and asks his young cousin Jasper to send the favour; however Jasper decides that Emily more deserves the special treat. The meat of this story is the case of mistaken identity and the slowly unfolding realisation that Roger has that he needs a new direction in life and that Emily is very special. However the story didn't entirely work for me because they had too little time together and it wasn't clear what Roger actually saw in Emily, even if he was pushed towards her by Jasper. The other story in this book is "The Secret Benefactor" by Katherine Kingsley and in it we meet Aubrey de Salis, orphan who is considering an offer from Miss Graham to be a deputy headmistress. Aubrey has lived with Miss Graham since she was twelve and her brother and father died, first as a pupil and then as companion. She and Miss Graham are visiting Aubrey's friend Annabelle, a duchess, for a week before Aubrey starts her new life as a teacher. However when she arrives at the Duchess's home she meets her old friend the Honourable George Asquith who was her childhood sweetheart. She wants to pick up their friendship where they left off but he seems strangely cold and distant from her. As the story continues we learn more of Aubrey's benefactor, Mr Dickens, and when she receives an offer of marriage from Mr Dickens she has to decide if this is a chance for her to avoid the fate of a schoolmistress. The valentine theme in this story is negligible but it's a pleasant enough read if not particularly memorable. In summary this is a reasonable read but the stories are both fairly short and lightweight; it's an inoffensive read but Mary Balogh's story isn't up to her usual standard and the drawbacks of the short story format are rather apparent here in that we don't get enough depth and detail to make the stories truly satisfying.

Giving an overall mark or a rating to an anthology is always very difficult. Some stories hit and some miss. Yet, I always like to read the anthologies, because usually you come across an unfamiliar author, and you never know what's lurking in the unknown. A REGENCY VALENTINE is an anthology released in February 1991, five stories for that special time of the year, by some of the genre's "big guns" . . . 1). MARY BALOGH: "Golden Rose." - Rating: 7 (4 Low Stars). Pleasant, but where was Mary? Bath, England and the month of February is cold, wet, and windy. For the Honorable Roger Bradshaw life is wretched! Recently Bradshaw experienced a rather uncomfortable situation with a married 'lady'. Now he is forced to endure the sparse entertainment in this elderly town. Why even the promise of the annual Valentine's Ball, did not brighten Bradshaw's spirits. That is until he encountered the lovely, virtuous Emily Richmond - his aunt's paid companion. But alas, the innocent Miss Richmond was too pristine to accept his tarnished valentine or was she? With the manipulative help of his mischievous nephew, Roger Bradshaw may be in for the surprise of a lifetime. Although, GOLDEN ROSE was a comfortable read, it lacked the tender sensitivity usually associated with a Mary Balogh story. 2). KATHERINE KINGSLEY: "The Secret Benefactor." - Rating: 5 (3 Low stars). A story that was written with a heavy hand . . . George Asquith was born with a deformity. He was an embarrassment to his father. George spent most of his childhood, with the family, from the neighboring estate. Aubrey de Salis loved George as a young child and she loved him as a young girl. Through the years, Aubrey never forgot the kind and tender George Asquith. By chance they meet again; Aubrey is open and warm; George is cold and harsh. THE SECRET BENEFACTOR was just not fun. Katherine Kingsley's story was too analytic, the dialogue too grave and strained. Regrettably, the entire read lacked enthusiasm. 3). EMMA LANGE: "Lady Valentine's Scheme." - Rating: 10 (5 Big Stars). NOW, this was a wonderful story . . . In LADY VALENTINE'S SCHEME, Emma Lange pens pure romance using a scoundrel for her hero. Alexandra Talbot is penniless and is forced to marry wealth. Jocelyn Staunton returns to England; he returns to reveal his love for his childhood friend - Alexandra. Only to discover, Alexandra has an agreement with his adversary - his cousin - the Viscount Addington. This is my first trip into Lange country, and what an enjoyable junket. Skillfully, the author slices the reader's heart with this delightful Valentine's story. Emma Lange has definitely moved to my "Search For List." 4). PATRICIA RICE: "Fathers and Daughters." - Rating: 9 (5 Low Stars). OH, this was well written! Jack Chatham was young and heavily in debt; Carolyn Thorogood was the daughter of wealthy man. Two people who were very much in love. However, her protective father shattered their hearts and their dr