Review: Very Good! Republished.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 8, 2013
Barbara Metzger is known for writing comedic romance, with tongue-in-cheek, puns, clever names, and an occasional farce. Her characters include loveable animals, children, strong heroines and dashing heroes -- athletic, humorous, noble, rich, and hot. Her secondary characters usually include the downtrodden and the cast-offs.This e-book anthology has five short stories, each one previously published. Some have been out of print until now. Of the five stories, there is only one that fell flat for me. The first one. These are all short and clean. Hugs and kisses and maybe some necking. No cursing. No evangelizing.3 stars for GREETINGS OF THE SEASON. A little disappointing. The Earl and his girl only get a few pages together, at the very end of the story. It was not as funny as some of Metzger's books.4.5 stars for THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING, a witty, sexy, heartwarming tale involving three couples, a French madman, and house rabbits. It's short but it felt complete. Plus, there is a good bit about the traditions of Christmas, including the making of Plum Pudding / Christmas Pudding, and the meaning of the trinkets hidden in the dessert. Recipe follows the story.Almost 5 stars for THREE GOOD DEEDS.  I loved it. A delightful romance, involving childhood sweethearts (the nobleman and the estate librarian's daughter). Young love gone awry, till Connor and Sabina meet up again now, 11 years later. Laughed out loud several times. Sabina had three rascally boys (adorable) who break the church window, so the vicar (Mr. Davenport) makes them do three good deeds, of their own choice. Sweet and smexy ending.3.75 stars for CHRISTMAS WISH LIST. It's a comedy, with parallel sentence structure beginning many of the paragraphs. Predictable plot, but I enjoyed it anyway. Everyone makes a Christmas Pudding wish, and we see the wishes become entangled, with a basket of exotic kittens at the center, pulling on all the threads. This is trademark Metzger. HEA for everyone, but the Vicar still needs a new roof. My only complaint about this story is that it sometimes tries too hard to be clever. Not subtle.4 stars for LITTLE MIRACLES. A truly charming Christmas story! These are desperate days at St. Cecelia's. Indeed, the church-mice pray: "Give us this day our daily breadcrumbs"  and gather all the village animals for a meeting. Their objective: To hire a kind and honest vicar, and then reveal to him the ancient treasure hidden inside St. Cecelia's. Cute mice, with clever ecclesiastical names. Heartwarming romance, with a happy-ever-after (HEA) for more than one couple. I know I read this story before, but cannot recall which anthology it was in.