Customer Reviews

Catch of the Day

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Catch of the Day" is a collection of four short romantic, wedding stories by different authors beginning with Brides Gone Wild by Cathie Linz which is the charming story of Pam Greenley, a floral designer, who runs into her first love and high school sweetheart, Michael Denton. Michael ended their relationship when he left for college 10 years ago, and they have not seen each other since except at their high school reunion just a month ago when they fell into bed with each other and Michael left again without a word. Now Michael is back in town for his cousin's wedding which is only one of the five weddings that Pam is coordinating the flowers for this weekend. Pam is determined to avoid Michael, but he keeps popping up and making her realize that even though she is still attracted to him she refuses to be hurt by him again. Michael, who wrote a book called, How to Hook Your Guy, under a pen name, is determined not to get hooked in the foreseeable future but simply cannot fight his continuing attraction for Pam. Funny situations arise in this romantic comedy set in a very nosy small town in which the town gossip has her own blog!

Lissy Charteris and Will Fraser seem to have the perfect relationship. They really love each other and have the most steamy sex life until Lissy comes up with the idea of abstinence for the two weeks prior to their wedding. So The Bet and much sexual frustration ensue as Will tries to entice Lissy to attack him while she drives him to near insanity with temptation. Is this the wedge that will keep them from saying "I do"? Throw in the mother of the bride from hell who will do nearly anything to keep her daughter from walking down the aisle and you have the funny and frustrating adventure of Heaven Can't Wait by Pamela Clare.

So Caught Up in You by Beverly Brandt is a story full of adventure as Tasha O'Shaunessey is determined to make sure that her sister's adventure wedding goes smoothly in Costa Playa even though she has heard the nasty rumors concerning the wedding planner for Extreme I Do, Quinn Hayes. It is rumored that Quinn is involved in white slavery, is an ex-con, and also may be responsible for the disappearance of two film stars that vanished five years ago when Quinn was the last person to see them alive. But Tasha quickly finds out things are not always what they seem as she goes swinging over the canopy of trees in the jungle, helps to hide refugees, and aids Quinn in the coverup of the murder of the head of Costa Playa's secret police all while trying to understand her intense attraction to Quinn.

In The Wedding Party by Whitney Lyles Meg Thomlinson is hopeful to reconnect with Mason Strout the guy she dumped several months ago only to realize that maybe she made the mistake of her life. They are both in her best friend's wedding party, and Meg is hoping that they can pick up where they left off. But just when Meg thinks life is back on track with Mason she meets Bill who is also in the wedding party and is now wondering if he could possibly be the man of her dreams especially when they get stranded in Mexico together.

**** I really enjoyed these combined romantic stories which make a fun and delightful read as four women each find their `Catch of the Day'! This book would make an entertaining beach read. ****

Reviewed by Barbara Stabler for Huntress Reviews.

***½ "Brides Gone Wild" by Cathie Linz.

This is a cute story, set in the same town as Good Girls Do. The heroine is a wedding floral designer in a small town, and her ex returns to town for one of the five weddings on one weekend, and everything's going wrong. I had trouble believing a small town could support a florist that only does weddings, and it didn't have the depth of her full-length book, but it was still fun to read.


***½ "Heaven Can't Wait" by Pamela Clare.

Whew. This one starts in the middle of a sex scene. It actually fits, since the fact that sex is good and easy (too good? too easy?) between them is what prompts the heroine to proclaim a moratorium on sex for the two weeks before the wedding. Which is what made this a less-than-4-star read for me. I've never understood the concept of not having sex when you both want to and there's no legal or moral reason not to. (I realize this makes me sound like a slut. But hey, it worked for me--nearly 25 years of wedded bliss here.) By the end, they do work through some real issues, though, and it was entertaining watching them try to seduce the other into giving in first, even if I didn't like the reason why.


****½ "So Caught up in You" by Beverly Brandt.

I had to double-check the name of the author on this. (Beverly Brandt = Jacey Ford) The story is w/a Beverly Brandt, but it has the adventure and excitement of a Jacey Ford story, not to mention the Rules of Engagement company from Dead Heat. Which is perfectly fine with me. I enjoy this author's writing whichever name she's using. Tasha's sister is getting married in the jungle and she finds out some disturbing information about the wedding coordinator, so she decides to investigate... and finds herself in the middle of human traficking and trying to conceal a dead body. It's fast-paced, fun, and sexy. A lot of story packed into a short novella.


**** "The Wedding Party" by Whitney Lyles.

Call this chick lit instead of romance, and change the last line, and I'll give it an extra half a star. This is a very ambitious story for a novella: Meg's looking forward to her friend's wedding because her ex will be there, and she's decided she made a big mistake in breaking up with him, and he's The One. So she has to deal with her feelings for him, and the difference between her fantasies and reality, as well as dealing with not fitting in with the other bridesmaids and falling in love with someone else. Alternatively, it would be nice to see it expanded into a full-length novel. There's enough material here for it.

I loved Pamela Clares story, Heaven Can't Wait. It was sensual and totally hot! Have not read the rest yet, but if they are anything like her its a must read!!!

This review & grade is ONLY for Pamela Clare's piece: HEAVEN CAN'T WAIT.
I read this as a stand alone e-book that has just been released. Incidently, this is an I-Team story for those that are fans of the series.

Lissy & Will are about to be married, they love each other and have a great sex life. You will be introduced to it from page 1, so be prepared for some hot & heavy love making scenes. Lissy comes from money but is far from starry-eyed and spoiled, as she has witnessed the cold and unhappy union that was her parents' marriage. Will is from humble means, once a top football prospect, his aspirations were dashed as he got injured prior to even starting a pro-career. He also watched his mother, who had sacrificed so much for him as a single parent, die of cancer. Will is no simpleminded, money hungry, former jock. He understands the meaning of sweat and loss.

Lissy decides that she wants to abstain from sex prior to their wedding night, which is 2 weeks away, to honor tradition. Will doesn't want to but when faced with a wager of keeping his lady happy or wearing PINK (*gasp*) cumberbunds, he relents and the fun begins. Watching this horny couple, who are madly in love with one another, fight their desires was some seriously funny entertainment. Throw in some sidekicks who egg 'em on and you have a party.

I was all set to simply enjoy this whimsical romp, not expecting anything too serious, knowing that the happily ever after was just around the corner when Clare went and turned the table and did what she does best: she went for the jugular. When Will confronts Lissy about the true reason behind the wager, she caught me (and probably Lissy) by surprise. In one line (delivered by Will), Clare revealed that she understands the multi-faceted nature of human beings, that love, lust, laughter can coincide with vulnerability & that the baggage one carries is never too far behind. It is this poignancy that catapulted this sweet, funny, short story into a tale with depth and tendre.

I usually dislike buying Anthologies. There's usually only 1 good story out of the group and not enough substance to thoroughly entertain, as was the case in this book. I bought it because I love Pamela Clare. This was another addition to her I-Team series, a novella about Lissa and Will. If you've read her series this novella fits in just after her first book about Reece and Kara. LOVE THIS SERIES. Her contribution was a solid 4.5 stars. So for me this story was worth the buy, can't say the same for the other stories. Found myself skimming just to get to the end. Have never read any of the other authors here, but can say nothing stirred me enough to want to investigate further. Even though I classified this series as romance, the I-Team Series is definitely falls into the romantic suspense category.

"Brides Gone Wild" by Cathie Linz. In Serenity Falls, Pennsylvania, the upcoming weekend would be hell if the five brides cooperated, but not one does as the owner of Bloomers Flowers Shop Pam knows first hand. On top of that her high school boyfriend Michael is back in town insisting long distance relationships cannot work even as he keeps kissing her while also hiding the truth about a book he wrote.

"Heaven Can't Wait" by Pamela Clare. Lissy and Will agree to three weeks of abstinence so that when they say I do they will share heaven afterward. However, the wait, romantic as it seems to Lissy, proves torturous on Will who loves to make love with his beloved.

"So Caught Up to You" by Beverly Brandt. In Naples County, Florida Quinn is the wedding planner for the Celie-Cal marriage. Celie's sister Tasha, an investigative reporter, learns some interesting items about Quinn and the disappearance of two people five years ago. She decides to make inquiries into the man, but was not expecting to be attracted to him.

"The Wedding Party" by Whitney Lyles. In San Diego Meg is a bridesmaid at her friend's wedding, but her thoughts linger on another member of the procession, Mason, whom she dumped a year ago. After dating some, she knows she made a mistake, but how to rectify it remains the question. However, the cousin of the bride Bill has his own plan to win her heart.

These four lighthearted contemporary romantic romps contain a matrimonial thread, but the eight prime protagonists have different roles in the upcoming nuptials. Each story is fun as love as in the air or at least down the aisle.

Harriet Klausner