Once Upon a Pillow [Paperback]

Christina Dodd (Author), Connie Brockway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 2002

From two of romance fiction's most exciting and acclaimed authors comes the sizzling saga of a magnificent bed and the lovers who have shared it through the ages. Collaborating for the first time, Christina Dodd and Connie Brockway take readers on an unforgettable adventure -- from medieval times to present day -- that sparkles with love and laughter.

Once Upon a Pillow

Within a beautiful old English manor house lies a sumptuous antique bed, one of many Masterson family heirlooms that have been sold along with the house. As Laurel Whitney leads the last tour group through the house before it's closed to the public, she regales the visitors with romanticized tales of how this exquisite bed affected the lives of the couples who slept in it. The actual stories -- of a bawdy medieval knight trying to woo his reluctant bride; an insolvent Elizabethan aristocrat who plans to ruin a wealthy heiress but beds her impoverished cousin instead; and a feisty Regency lady whose scheme goes awry when she mistakenly manacles herself (and a dashing colonel) to the bedpost -- are funnier and certainly sexier than anything a tour guide could ever tell!

Shocked to see her lover from the past on the tour, Laurel is even more surprised to find their love rekindled when a twist of fate leaves them no choice but to spend the night in the famed Masterson bed.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An 800-year-old bed bears silent witness to centuries' worth of naughty shenanigans in Once Upon a Pillow, a collaboration between veteran romance writers Christina Dodd (In My Wildest Dreams) and Connie Brockway (The Bridal Season). The epic opens in 13th-century England with a crusading knight and his fast-talking, murderous maiden bride and culminates with a present-day social history grad student who gives tours through the medieval manor house where the bed is the star attraction; she longs to acquire it or at least give it a whirl herself.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Built more than 800 years ago, the Masterson bed has a wonderfully rich history, which museum curator Laurel Whitney loves relating to each group she shepherds through Masterson Manor. Today's tour is especially poignant because the owners of the manor have sold the place. Gathering her last group around her, Laurel tells them about the many Mastersons who have shared the bed: the medieval knight who returned home from the Crusades to find that his wife by proxy was not at all happy to see him, the Elizabethan mercenary who kidnapped the wrong woman only to realize he did not want to give her up, and the Regency miss who chains her former lover to the bed to keep her smuggler brother safe. Unbeknownst to Laurel, one more romance will be played out upon that famous bed--this one involving Laurel herself and annoyingly attractive handyman Ned Masterson. Dodd and Brockway's creative collaboration yields four delightfully humorous and delectably sexy romances that exemplify their witty writing and talent for creating compelling characters. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (June 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739426605
• ISBN-13: 978-0739426609
• ASIN: 0743436806
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,481,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MUCH MORE THAN YOUR AVERAGE ANTHOLOGY!, June 26, 2002

By 

romance addict (Melbourne Beach, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once Upon a Pillow (Paperback)

This is a wonderful group of interconnected stories, centered around a huge, ornately carved bed and its history with the Masterson family. Each story is a little gem all by itself. These are *hot* reads to be sure, but with the sort of to-die-for heroes and heroines you expect in longer books. I was only sad the book was so short. When you read the last story and see how cleverly it all ties together, you just want to go back and start all over again.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Group of short romantic tales that all tie nicely together, September 12, 2002

By 

TooManyHobbies "too_many_hobbies" (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Once Upon a Pillow (Paperback)

Very interesting and unique concept for a romance novel. The book starts with guide/historian Laurel Whitney leading a tour group through the Masterson Manor. The highlight of the tour is the Masterson Bed, which has been "well" used for centuries by the Masterson heirs.

Laurel entertains the visitors to the house with romantic tales of the beds previous owners. There is a story of a medieval knight, an Elizabethan scamp, and a "to die for" army Captain. The last story of the book ends up being about Laurel herself and her own encounter with the "bed".

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book. It was lighthearted, funny, a pleasure to read. Each individual story was short (only about 75 pages), but the characters were well developed and plots (while not complex) where well thought out and engaging. The three historical stories were not related to each other (except that they all shared the same bed), but everything was tied nicely together through Laurel recounting of the tales.

The cost of the book is a little pricey for its length, but after reading the story(s) I was not sorry for shelling out the $$$ bucks.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprising Emotional Depth, August 24, 2003

By 

Trisha A. Howell "Howell Canyon Press author" (Los Angeles, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Once Upon a Pillow (Paperback)

In Once Upon A Pillow expert novelists Christina Dodd and Connie Brockway have taken an unusual idea and created a provocative anthology. Covering medieval, Elizabethan, Regency and contemporary times, they follow the passionate and amusing 800-year history of a very special bed.

Every story is fast-paced, entertaining and full of surprising emotional depth, given that they average only 80 pages each. Characters are brought to life with humor and passion, and their witty repartee is fun to read.

Though I prefer novel-length treatment of stories, I enjoyed this anthology more than I'd have ever expected. Dodd and Brockway have a way of turning anything they write into a delightful adventure through the fascinating range of human emotions, culminating in a satisfying feeling of genuine love.