Review: A BBC Series In A Book
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 30, 2012
Anthologies rarely rate above three stars for me, either the concept is too narrow or one of the contributors is not to my taste. Midnight Scandals is the exception. While I'd rate each story a 4 individually, taken together they were  a 5 star read.I really enjoyed the concept of one home generations apart. It reminded me of Upstairs Downstaris with the maid from the old series turning the key as the housekeeper for the new. Great concept, well executed.Introducing the home is Carolyn Jewel. Her story of lovers with two unforgivable secrets made me realize I don't read Carolyn Jewel often enough. Reunited as teens after a disastrous affair with long reaching consequences for them both, her couple have to learn to forgive themselves as easily as they've forgiven each other. Jewel adds a perfect secondary character in Portia's sister in law. Who hasn't silently answered "She means well" with "No, I don't think she does"?Taking the next generation is Courtney Milan. Her couple has been apart only a short time, but the time has changed both of them. I was not completely sold on aspects of this tale's resolution, but I adored the journey. Her heroine has found herself in a truly impossible situation with few options. In keeping with the prior story's theme of forgiving yourself, the heroine realizes her main obstacle to freedom is self imposed.  Milan's eye for detail makes her benevolent villain exactly right and the heroine's path from girl to woman a solid one.Sherry Thomas has a great set up for her tale of mistaken identity and second chances. Her hero and heroine have nothing to forgive each other and little to forgive themselves. In their case, the obstacle is slight. A chance encounter offers two lonely people a new opportunity. While I enjoyed this tale (and have really missed reading Sherry Thomas since I went ebook) not being familiar with her secondary couple weakened the story. Instead of a reason for the hero and heroine to unite, they felt like a distraction from the main event. This is obviously a story meant to resolve a character from a full length book but I would have enjoyed it more if the secondary couple had made less of an appearance. Without knowing more about them I was waiting for an explanation that never came. That aside, while I admired aspects of the other two plots more the romantic element felt the strongest here. Her couple fell in love in front of the reader, while the others repaired an existing love.I would love to see a sequel taking us through a few world wars and the subsequent social upheaval. A BBC version would be welcome too.