Customer Reviews

Love Came Just in Time

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was introduced to Lynnn Kurland's books not so long ago and I had a hard time trying to collect all her books specially the anthology with other authors. This book came out just in time to save me from any further frustration!! Four fantastic short stories about de Piaget and Macleod families.
"The gift of christmas past" is my most favorite. This story was previously published in The christmas cat anthology which is really hard to find. The story is about a romantic time travelling of a luckless Abigail Garrett who eventually found her true love in england medieval time. The same storyline continues in "And the groom wore tulle" (previously published in Veils of time anthology) ..only this time, Manificent Ian Macleod was travelled through time to find his love in a modern day world. "The icing on the cake" (previously published in Opposites attract anthology) and "The three wise ghosts" (previously published in Christmas Spirits anthology) are pretty much about modern day romance.. but of course, it's about the decendents of de Piaget and Macleod line.
Since these are all short stories, you will see all relationship between characters developed in, kind of, a short period of time..not like other of Kurland's books. But her writing is still full of humor and heart-warming feeling. I found myself laughed and smiled a lot while going through each page.
So if you are Lynn Kurland's fan or just looking around to find good romance novellas to read, I highly recommend you to get this book. It's worth every penny you spend.!!!

Finally!!! I can read some of the cutest stories she's ever written, without having to drop money for skanky tales by equally-talented but less discerning authors. I was torn between collecting books by one of my favorite authors and explaining to my daughters, in a few years, why they couldn't read some of Mom's books. Thank you for publishing a collection of her works in a format that prevents them from being cheapened by other material!

"The Gift of Christmas Past". In his previous eight lives, Sir Maximillian Sweetums the feline was able to see that his human wards were successfully settled. However, in his current and last life, he has failed to find the right one for independent Abigail Garret until now. All he has to do is send her back from the present in Michigan to thirteenth century England where Miles of Artane awaits his matchmaking abilities.

"The Three Wise Ghosts". The trio of ghosts was frustrated with all work and no play Gideon. They decide that American visitor Megan McKinnon would be perfect to shake up the London CEO. Only each ghost, wonders how to matchmake without killing one another.

"And the Groom Wore Tulle". In 1313 in a Scottish dungeon, Ian MacLeod drifts off to a wary sleep only to awaken in a 1999 Manhattan bridal saloon. There he meets designer Jane Fergusson, whose boss Petronia Witherspoon takes unfair advantage of her talent. That is until Ian becomes involved with Jane.

"The Icing On the Cake". In Alaska writer-chef Sam Macleod of New York City meets wilderness guide Sydney Kincaid when they both rent the same cabin at the same time. This pair is not just opposites. They are universal opposites until love finds a way to bind them together.

All four stories are different yet contain Lynn Kurland's humorous approach to loving relationships. Each tale is fun, amusing, and filled with delightful quirky characters that make LOVE CAME JUST IN TIME for the reader.

Harriet Klausner

All the stories in this book were good, but one thing bothered me in Ian's story, besides the ridiculous idea of wearing a gown. Not once did Jamie ask Ian how his wonderful son Jesse was doing back in the 14th century where Ian had just come from! Or how Megan MacLeod, Jesse's wife was doing.

As per usual, Lynn Kurland's short stories are nearly as wonderful as her longer tales.

The four stories in this anthology are reprinted from other anthologies, and will keep you laughing for days.

If I HAVE to pick a favorite (and I do), 'Icing on the Cake' is definitely it. And if I HAVE to pick a least favorite, I can't. They're all very well written, as I have come to expect from Ms. Kurland.

I bought this book because I am a big fan of Ms. Kurland's de Piaget love stories and wanted to read about the other members of the family. However, I prefer the stories that don't involve time travel--This is All I Ask is one of the sweetest and most romantic stories I've ever read. These stories were too short for Kurland's style. She is at her best when she delves deeply into emotionally scarred characters who are healed through the love they never expected. The short story format simply does not give Ms. Kurland enough time to develop those emotions. These stories all left me feeling like the best parts were edited out to fit the format. What a shame. These characters deserved better.

I love Lynn Kurland's books and usually race out to buy them as soon as they are out. This book, however, is just a rehash of previously published novellas. While I enjoyed Abigail's story, I was not enthralled by the other three. I love the time travel aspects of Lynn's stories, especially the humor--exactly what was missing from the other stories.

Each of these stories has a touch of the ridiculous in them. But I think that was the challenge in writing them. Can you write a story that's partly ridiculous and still make it good? I think that Lynn has.

The Three Wise Ghosts: This is where you first meet the matchmaking Boar's Head Trio, as they're named in several of Lynn's other books. Yes, it's ridiculous to think of a CEO wearing curly-toed shoes and tights... but if you're going to write a story with ghosts, why make them go by our rules? They were the ones pulling the strings here, you know.

The Ghost of Christmas Past: This is Miles de Piaget's story. The talking cat (on Christmas Eve only, of course) is the matchmaker in this one. This story is much simpler than most of Lynn's stories... you get the feeling that there should have been so much more to the story, if only there hadn't been a page limit. It's still good, though, and gives you another glimpse into one of Rhys and Gwen's kids.

And The Groom Wore Tulle: Not many people would think of starting a story with an almost starved highlander in a modern bridal shop. But that's what Lynn did, and she did it well! It might be too much for some readers (as they've written here) that Ian stuffed himself into a bridal gown... but whose to say what YOU would do if you were thrust into the future while so close to death that you likely wouldn't have all of your wits about you? Add to that the fact that most people in medieval times were superstitious, and it's believable enough to be funny.

The Icing On The Cake: This story takes a woman who is so much the out-doorsy-type that she can't cook much of anything ... and a man who is everything that she isn't in the house, and nothing that she is out of it... and then she sticks them in the same house together unexpectedly. I'm actually not too fond of this story, as their falling in love seems more dependant on sexual chemistry and good looks then on character. I like a story where people fall in love with who a person is, rather than what they look like, and Lynn's usually fantastic that way. Oh well.

I loved this book. It has all of my favorites in one. Although I wish that Ian had gotten a book of his own. I really CAN'T understand why anyone would rate this 1 star!!!! I can't wait until I get her latest one. Lynn Kurland and Diana Gabaldon are two of my favories authors in this genre. Keep up the great work!

I love almost any book by Lynn Kurland this one was no exception. All 4 books were fun,clean, silly and horribly romantic. All these characters are from the McLeod clan and a reading order for her books can be found on her websight.