It Happened One Night

I really enjoyed that each story ended up being very unique, different than the others even with the plan that the authors had for this Anthology (ten years apart, meeting at an Inn, and each in a different season). Some spoke here of heroines or heroes you may not like, but I found them to be their own stories, and who they are. Everyone is unique and are different people are and their upbringing vary. So taken with that, I didn't get the usual typical heroine or hero. That's how the authors made each story so different. The four authors writing was outstanding and they put together a short story and were able to tie it up totally for that amount of time. I really enjoyed knowing not what to expect with each author and to know I'll have unique reads when reading theirs. I look forward to more doing something like this!

The Christmas Edition The stories are written in such a way that the reader can easily connect. The writing is excellent. Reading this book made me remember those long ago loves of my own. Excellent and a great winter read.

I would buy anything that has these authors names on it. They are some of my favorites. This book was everything I expected it to be and I enjoyed it tremendously.

I bought this group of short stories only for the incomparable Mary Balogh, and I was not disappointed. Her story is absolutely marvelous as I knew it would be and, by far, the best of the bunch. I actually saved it for last because in other anthologies, I've read her story first and was bored to tears with the rest. This time, I read the other stories first. Stephanie Laurens and Jacquie D'Alessandro's bits were pretty average. They both start off fine but then whimper to the end filling pages and pages with sex scenes.....boring and unimaginative. That's the sign of an author who is on auto-pilot and not creative enough to plan a well-thought out story. Candice Hern, on the other hand, is a very good writer. I was involved with her story to the bitter end. But, as in almost every other book I've read of hers, I am repeatedly disappointed in her heroines. Why does every single heroine Hern creates have to be promiscuous? Without fail, her heroines have indiscriminate sex with a wide variety of men. Those heroines must appeal to a large group of women, but I am personally turned off by them. Hern is a good enough writer, however, to keep the reader glued to her story. I was drawn in and involved with the story even though I didn't really care for one of the main characters. That takes talent in a writer. So, while I was tempted to give this book three stars, I felt I had to go with four. I find it very hard to rate any Mary Balogh effort lower than four stars. My advice, however, is to read Laurens and D'Alessandro first, then Hern, and finish with Balogh, the main attraction in this anthology.

"The Fall of Rogue Gerrard" by Stephanie Laurens. Robert and Lydia search for some missing papers; he may be the rake, but she has the seduction planned. "Spellbound" by Mary Balogh. A decade ago Nora and Richard eloped, but her family annulled the marriage. Richard rescues Nora from a coaching accident; both want to elope again as they remain in love. "Only You" by Jacquie D'Alessandro. Widow Cassandra Heywood has always loved the innkeeper Ethan though their social classes keep them apart until now; she is determined to marry her beloved "From This Moment On" by Candice Hern. While at war, Sam hid his love for Wilhelmina. Now home, the former captain plans to make the duchess his wife. The plot premise of this enjoyable anthology as described by Ms. Balogh in A Letter to the Reader is: "A man and a woman, who have not seen each other in ten years, meet again when they find themselves staying at the same inn for a twenty-four hour period." That concept provides the underlying fascination to this compilation as historical romance fans will compare each work (and rank them). These are four gutsy authors to do this somewhat limiting method. However, each provides a strong novella starring interesting lead couples; and more important different well written slants on the basic theme. Harriet Klausner