Hallowe'en Husbands: Marriage At Morrow Creek\Wedding At Warehaven\Master Of Penlowen (Harlequin Historical Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Lisa Plumley (Author), Denise Lynn (Author), Christine Merrill (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"It will be hard to pick one of these haunting stories as your favorite. Each is unique with a different setting and time but they have Hallowe'en as the common thread as well as excellent characters and fascinating plots. A touch of paranormal adds to the fun of discovery!" --CataRomance.com

Product Description
Three diverse authors capture the spine-tingling thrills and romance of Hallowe'en in this original collection of stories. Includes "Marriage at Morrow Creek" by Lisa Plumley, "Wedding at Warehaven" by Denise Lynn, and "Master of Penlowen" by Christine Merrill.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373295170
• ISBN-13: 978-0373295173
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #956,142 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars disapointing, October 13, 2008

By	j.m.s "jmsclassicromancelover" (california, usa) - See all my reviews

I love anthologies-especially holiday ones. There's usually at least one story I like and they're little nuggets of romance I can pick up during a busy season. Books centering around Halloween usually deal with paranormal or magic elements and I'm a big fan of those. That being said, 2/3's of this book was a big disapointment.

First, the positive. Lisa Plumley's book was my favorite of the three. It's a very, very sweet western romance. At first I was a little put off. Western paranormals just don't seem to go together. but, the author made it work. Her paranormal element involved benevolent ghosts attempting to help the heroine while searching for their own happy ending. It's a light story, very Hallmark and fun. The author does a good job in bringing in the Halloween traditions and activities that would have been celebrated during that time and place. There's nothing creepy or scary here. The only real criticism I have is that the characters are almost too happy and simplistic. Still, it had a very vintage romance feel-like romance books used to be years ago before everyone starting putting graphic sex and language in their books.

Denise Lyn's story was more creepy. Hers is a medival book and the main problem for me here was that I really didn't like the heroine. My biggest pet peeve is a character who acts stupidly while the author is obviously trying to make her seem plucky, courageous, etc. Unfortunately, it just makes her seem stupid, unhinged and unintelligent. I like heroine's who use their brain and don't fly off the handle without thinking things through. This lack of intelligent character also made the romance-what there was of it-very unrealistic. There also wasn't anything paranormal or magic here. The Halloween element involved a group of people worshiping some demon god and sacrificing women. Also, there are two seens that involve bonfires and the heroine dancing seductively in front of the crowd. I'm sorry, but aristocratic unmarried women just did not do that.

The third book was a definite gothic in the vintage sense. A stormy night, a run down castle with an evil presence...you get the idea. The paranormal element here involves the presence (though I'm still not quite sure why it was so malevolent to the family members) and ghosts. The idea had some promise, but the main problem I had was that I really didn't like the hero. In gothic fashion, the author tried to play with his character-was he good, was he bad?-but in a short story, it just didn't work. Even in a gothic, I want my hero to be a hero-not have greed, obsession and madness in his eyes (all of which are constantly in his eyes). The author lost me completely when the hero forces the heroine to face the evil presence just so he can find a mystical treasure. It would have worked better if the heroine had chosen to help him.

All in all, the first book was worth the read. The second I'd pass on and the third, if you like dark gothics It's okay. As a whole, it's a disapointing anthology with more horror like elements than the magic romances in past anthologies.