Review: Certainly a worthwhile read and a great way to find out about some new authors
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 21, 2014
Overall I had considerable mixed feelings about this anthology.  Some stories I loved, some I wasn't as enamoured with, but overall it was certainly a worthwhile read and a great way to find out about some new authors (whose books I'll be buying for sure!).I enjoyed Playing For Keeps quite a lot.  I loved the author's voice and style, and the characters were fun and interesting. I do wish the story had been long enough to really get to know both sets of siblings better ... we only get a taste of the two who aren't the primary H/H, but it looks as if they may have their own story and I'm going to hunt that sucker down.  The story itself was cute, if a bit predictable and the heroine, Kendall, was a hoot. She certainly kept Steve on his toes.  This rates as one of the my favorite selections of the book.I had a love/hate relationship with The Princess & the Pinot.  I loved the hero and heroine and most of the storyline, but I did not love the fairy.  I think the author was touching on the Princess and the Pea with Prin as well, and I honestly wish the time spent with the fairy had been spent on more character development.  I could see so much potential, and I think the conflict and premise of the story would have stood on its own without the addition of that element and would have given her more space to create a stronger story.  I wonder, too, if Prin is going to have her own story someday.Duets was an anomaly in this anthology.  The other stories were clearly romances, but Duets was not.  It is womens fiction pure and simple, so was a bit of a disappointment to this romance reader.  That said, however, the author is clearly talented.  Her writing is well done, concise and interesting and her characters well developed.  If she wrote in a genre I enjoyed more, I'd be a steadfast fan. If you're a fan of womens fiction, you could do worse than reading Emelle Gamble.Never and Forever was both annoying and frustrating, but also did its job well -- I'm sold on Lavinia Kent.  She made her characters so real, and the story incredibly interesting. What was annoying? That it was more a "moment in time" story with no real ending, than an actual complete story. When I came to the end, I sat in shock when I realized there was no more to the story and had to restrain myself from tossing my ereader at the wall.  I was so angry!  I wanted a resolution, I wanted satisfaction ... I wanted more. Kudos to the author for making this a story and characters I cared about so much.  This couple had BETTER show up again and finish their story, or I will find the author and shake her.My favorite story of the anthology was The Psychic Detective.  Complete (and after Never and Forever, this was a HUGE plus), fun and unique, it made me want to start over and read it again as soon as I was done.  It had adorable, interesting characters that mattered to me and a plot that was intriguing and fun.  I've never read this author before, but I'm definitely adding her to the list of ones to watch.  If she can entertain me this much again, she'll have a hardcore fan.Again, overall this was a neat set of stories in a plethora of genres which allowed me to get a taste of authors I'd never read before.  None were wall-bangers and I'd say that I enjoyed the writing style and voice of every author in the collection.  If you're looking for a sampler, and to add some new authors to your list of ones to buy, I'd recommend this as a good place to start.