Customer Reviews

Once Upon a Pillow

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This was a pretty nice quartet of stories encompassing an old manor and ruin of a castle with one common element tying it all together - the Masterson BED. It is told from the perspective of the modern day curator, Laurel, who is quite devasted that this small museum would be closing. So this, her last tour day, all the stories of the 800 year old 'bed' are being told.

It starts out with the first Masterson. A Knight from the crusades and how the bed came into being in the 1200s - Really liked this story 5*!
Then jumps 300 years to the mid 1500s with another rather impoverished mercenary knight who must find an heiress to pump money into the castle and surrounding town to save his soldiers and serfs - This was wonderfully romantic and exciting - Give this 5*
Then another 300 years later we have the story of the Pip and Ned Masterson in the 1800's when smuggling was ripe along the coast and Pip's efforts to save her brother and thwart the man she lusts for. - This offering a 4-1/2*

It is finally completed with our curator, Laurel, and Max - he being the supposed handy man making the manor house ready for the mysterious 'new' owners - a good story but I can only give this 4* (honestly,I am not a contemporary story person) plus the plot was weaker than the rest.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable quartet of stories telling the 800 year history of 'the bed' and what went on 'once upon a pillow'.

This book was really good. It tells the story of 4 couples who end up in the bed over the centuries. Despite being written by 2 people the book flows well, thanks to the background story of the manor.... I enjoyed each story separately--good humor, good dialog, intrigue, and of course a little action between the sheets.... this book will be published in mass market paperback early 2004...but it's worth buying now.... one of my new favorites thanks to the authors....

I've read lots of anthology collections in the past, but lately I've more or less given up on them because it seems as if they're always uneven. But every single novella in this book is a jewel. It is on my keeper shelf, and I will never part with it. Ms. Dodd and Ms. Brockway have crafted such romantic stories, and the way they all tie together is nothing short of brilliant. I never usually bother to post reviews on Amazon, but I had to with this collection because it is so terrific. Very sexy and funny, too!

The joint collaboration between best-selling romance marvels Christina Dodd and Connie Brockway yields a fruitful Once Upon a Pillow in which four frothy romance spanning from 13th century to Victorian, Regency right up to contemporary times are interconnected through a majestic poster-bed. Masterson Manor now functioning as a small museum in Devon-Cornwall border is the pride of curator Laurel Whitney. However the bleak financial downturns has made it difficult to survive and Laurel is sadly giving a last tour as a guide, spinning tales of romance that the Masterson bed was famous for. Starting with the crusader knight who made the bed, Sir Nicholas who tames his headstrong wife Lady Jocelyn, a roguish mercenary knight who mistakenly seduces the wrong heiress to the passionate romance between a smuggler's sister and a captain in pursuit, Ms. Dodd and Ms. Brockway keeps the readers in a light schmaltzy mood that will fire their impulses to curl their toes in bed with a hot read.

On the Devon-Cornwall border, Masterson Manor is either an economic elephant draining one's assets or a beautiful historical landmark worth preserving. To the owner, the house costs way too much to maintain so he is selling the manor and its contents. To Master Museum curator Laurel Whitney, the sale is a ghastly tragedy. Still on her last guided tour, she remains professional and tells the tourists three tales of three pairs of lovers who have shared the renowned eight century old Masterson bed. 1200, 1583, 1815, and the present as a fourth tale starring a sad Laurel and the modern magic of the bed closes out the stories of love.

The quartet of novellas spans the history of England with three historical periods that rank among the most popular amidst romance readers. Medieval, Elizabethan, Regency, and a contemporary provide the backdrop to four great tales linked by the bed. Each story is well written and enticing, as readers will get into the sheets. Though the tales are connected, Christina Dodd and Connie Brockway insure their contributions stand alone as the audience knows the era is well represented and described. The concept is sort of like the movie the Yellow Rolls Royce, but spans eight hundred years as Ms. Dodd and Ms. Brockway gift the sub-genre with a powerful tour-de-force.

Harriet Klausner

It's very cute, a series of novellas connected by "The Masterson Bed." Laurel Whitney is losing her job as curator of Masterson Manor because the historic manor house has been sold. So on the last tour, she takes a little extra time to tell the tourists about the various couples who've... er... coupled in the massive Masterson bed.

The first story takes place around 1200 AD, when a knight comes home from the Crusades to a wife he doesn't really remember marrying and who's not at all happy about his return. This was a clever, surprising story with monks trying to justify urging the heroine to murder her husband. I'd have liked to read a full-length version of this story, because it's just so unusual. (Or maybe I should be checking out Brockway's other books.)

The second story, set in the 16th century, involves a captive bride--a more common historical romance plot. The hero abducts the heroine, thinking she's her cousin, who he wants to wed for the money to save his estates. Unfortunately, the cousin has led him on and orchestrated the whole thing to be rid of her poor relation. I saw the twist coming almost from the beginning, but it was fun nonetheless.

The third story is a Regency tale, and is a comedy of misunderstandings. The heroine believes that the hero is trying to capture her brother and get him hanged for smuggling. The hero believes that the heroine's odd behavior is the result of her attachment to the suave criminal he's really chasing. Again, it was a little predictable, but fun.

The final story is Laurel's own, and it's been running throughout the book. There's the romance, which was absolutely predictable--it was obvious from the beginning who had purchased the manor and how that was going to turn out--and there's also the mystery of who's been stealing some of the antiques out from under her nose. That part surprised me.

All in all, it was an entertaining read, and a clever concept. I'd still really like to explore that first story in more depth, though.

Just finished reading this and it was great. Love the story and the characters. Lots of just plain fun.

~ Lise Fuller
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