In five original stories, Jessica Cale, Sherry Ewing, Jude Knight, Amy Quinton, and Caroline Warfield bring you Valentines From BathThe Master of Ceremonies announces a great ball to be held on Valentine’s Day in the Upper Assembly Rooms of Bath. Ladies of the highest rank—and some who wish they were—scheme, prepare, and compete to make best use of the opportunity. Dukes, earls, tradesmen, and … opportunity.
Dukes, earls, tradesmen, and the occasional charlatan are alert to the possibilities as the event draws nigh.
But anything can happen in the magic of music and candlelight as couples dance, flirt, and open themselves to romantic possibilities. Problems and conflict may just fade away at a Valentine’s Day Ball.
Beauty and the Bounder, by Jessica Cale. He’s a liar and a fortune-hunter… and exactly what she needs.
The Earl Takes a Wife, by Sherry Ewing. It began with a memory, etched in the heart.
The Beast Next Door, by Jude Knight. In all the assemblies and parties of Bath, no-one Charis met could ever match the beast next door.
The Umbrella Chronicles: John and Emma’s Story, by Amy Quinton. A serious-minded, scientific man of learning seeks a complex and chaotic practitioner of all things superstitious who will upend his well-ordered life.
Candles in the Dark, by Caroline Warfield. Doug Marsh and his candles bring light to many, none more than Esther. They may light the Assembly Rooms even as his love lights her life.
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I’ve read much of the works of Jude Knight and Caroline Warfield. Their contributions to this anthology, The Beast Next Door and Candles in the Dark, are of the excellent quality of storytelling you can expect from them and make this worthwhile reading.
The Beast Next Door is a lovely story of childhood friends reunited in adulthood. Both are unsure of the other’s feelings. Fortunately, their (short-term) insecurity does not lead to drawn out and repetitive “thoughts” of their doubts. The story moves along at a quick pace without rushing.
Candles in the Dark is centered around the precarious situation of a pregnant, unmarried gentlewoman. She has the good fortune to be aided by Douglas Marsh, who is almost too good to be true. 😉
Jessica Cale’s Beauty and the Bounder was an entertaining story. However, I felt the behavior of Sebastian and Charlotte quite inappropriate for the situation and period, causing Emilie much unneeded anguish.
Sherry Ewing’s The Earl Takes a Wife was my least favorite. It was ok, if a bit predictable.
Amy Quinton is totally new to me. I found her Umbrella Chronicles quite entertaining and original, with interesting characters. The story includes a matchmaking aunt, superstition and social awkwardness of the hero.
I received a free copy and voluntarily post this review.
These novellas all center around Valentines Day in Bath. I’m not normally a fan of Anthologies, but I thought this would give me a chance to try some new authors plus read something by an author that I love.
Beauty and the Bounder by Jessica Cale: 2.5 Stars
This was a nice, well-written story, but it holds no resemblance to life in Regency times. So, if you aren’t into period accuracy, then you would like this story.
The Earl Takes A Wife by Sherry Ewing: 3 Stars
Lady Celia Lacey – age 17 – meets Adrian de Courtenay at a house party and she’s completely smitten. When she softly asks him to ‘wait for her’, he is intrigued by the young lady who he considers too young for himself. Over the course of the next couple of years, she remains smitten and he is more and more intrigued. When he begins to understand that he wants to marry her – they are caught in a compromising position. He believes she engineered it and is very, very bitter and unforgiving.
I understand his anger – except – he knows how manipulative and deceitful Miranda (his sister) is, so why would he automatically believe her rather than the woman he loves? She tries to explain, but he won’t listen. Also – the ‘magical’ reappearance of the mistress at the end gave me a ‘say what’ moment. She couldn’t have known where Celia was going to be, nor would she have had the time to arrive there – especially with so much money. Just struck me as very unnecessary and contrived drama.
The Beast Next Door by Jude Knight: 5 Stars
It is a sure sign of a well-told tale when you read a novella and feel you have the complete story. The characters are fully developed, likable and relatable. The story is fast-paced, well written and well plotted.
Childhood friends Charis and Eric were torn apart when Eric’s mother tore from the only home he’d ever known and sent him to Italy for some horrible surgery on a disfiguring birthmark on his face. Eric had been locked away at a country estate near Bath all of his life. He was called Beast, Wreck and many worse things. It is ten years later and Eric has returned to England with every intention of reconnecting with Charis.
Eric’s mother is a real low life and she intends for Eric to marry the woman of her choice. A woman that she can control and Eric will just have to learn to live with it. Eric plans to fully thwart his mother, reconnect with Charis – and marry her.
It is a lovely read!
The Umbrella Chronicles by Amy Quinton: 4 Stars
I loved this very amusing tale of romance. Take a staid, uptight, OCD mathematician named Dr. John Edward Hartwell, and pair him with a zany heroine, Miss Emma Merryweather, who believes in all of the ‘signs’ fate sends her and you have a delightful tale. I loved both of the characters and the author did an excellent job or conveying the quirky personalities of each
Candles In The Dark by Caroline Warfield: 5 Stars
My favorite of all – well maybe tied with The Beast Next Door.
Sergeant Douglas Marsh was wounded in the fight with Napoleon and had to leave his career in the military and at about the same time, his uncle passed away and Douglas inherited the Marsh Candle Works. Luckily his aunt had worked alongside his uncle in running the candle works, so she could help him in the transition. Marsh does his best to rescue as many of the returned wounded as he can – hiring them even though he doesn’t need them at the factory and can’t really afford the wages.
Esther Hopkins made a mistake and has paid dearly for it. She’s been cast out by her family and has been existing as best she can in Bath. She’s starving and her baby is almost due. As she loses consciousness in front of a bakery while waiting for the bread the baker would normally throw away, she’s rescued by the kindest man.
The romance Esther and Doug is so very sweet. You will quickly come to love – but more – respect both of these characters for the strong people they are. BTW – I loved how they dealt with the villain who arched across several of the books.
Definitely a good read!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.