My Darling Bride

I usually avoid short story compilations because they lack the depth of full-length books. But, this collection is really quite good.Of the three stories, Judith Lansdowne's "The Parson's Mousetrap" is the most delightful with loveable characters and great writing. And I was especially delighted when Ms. Lansdowne broke the mold in two ways: her heroine is older than her hero and her hero is a good, honorable cleric! Thanks so much for not bending to the tired plot lines, Ms. Lansdowne! I thought Marcy Stewart's "The Enchanted Bride" was the next best about a young lady swarmed with suitors and fiances days before her wedding. The characters were delightful and the final "magic" twist at the end is priceless. Third, but still quite good was Valerie King's "The Bride's Gift" was about how the heroine tricked the man she loved into marrying her until it starts to unravel when he discovers what she did. I thought the whole story could have been about 10 pages if the heroine had just told the truth, but the story as written is a fun read.All together, these short stories were a pleasant diversion. For excellent longer reads by the same authors, check out "The Bedeviled Duke" by Lansdowne, "The Golden Heiress" by King (aka Sarah Montrose), and "Darby's Angel" by Stewart.