Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE PERFECT ROMANTIC READ!, September 5, 2007
The Object of Romance Anthology is an amorous reading adventure that warms the heart and heats up the passion. From murder and mysterious maladies to missed chances, magic, and mix-ups, this collection of contemporary shorts will keep you on the edge of your loveseat.
First, there is Stolen Pleasures, Christine DeSmit's tale of beautiful green eyed Iris Beale, so unlucky at love her boyfriends keep dying off - at least until handsome detective Jonathan Sparrow steps in and investigates. It's a steamy situation between the two as the plot around the mysterious portrait of the Green-Eyed Lady thickens. Iris soon discovers that secrets and intrigue are everywhere in her life - both past and present. Can she manage to steal a bit of happiness for herself in the end?
Linda Lattimer's Summer Breeze heroine, stunning blonde Sophia Williams has her own set of secrets with which to contend. Her mother Cheryl is slowly dying of a broken heart following the untimely death of Sophia's father in an explosion. While devoted Sophia fervently hopes her mother will convalesce on Key West's balmy beaches, she can't help wishing for someone of her own to share her walks on the summer sands. Good looking Scott Duncan has long been watching from afar but Sophia carefully keeps a part of herself well hidden from view. Will love reveal itself on the gentle Floridian breezes?
In Life Choices by Patricia Gitt, successful computer software company CEO Elizabeth Barnes has climbed the rungs of the corporate ladder taking big risks and playing for high stakes. Now, having reached the pinnacle of her career - recipient of the prestigious Technology of the Year award - she wonders why it leaves her flat. Leaving the concrete sidewalks of Manhattan for the rustic wooded paths of Vermont, Elizabeth encounters charismatic writer Jack Lawson, and is surprised at just how explosive the chemistry between a sophisticated city girl and a laid back country boy can be. Will it stay strictly business between them or could a new romantic love story be in the works?
Karen Michelle Nutt presents a gift of Irish romance inside her tale, Mr. O'Grady's Magic Box. Skeptical paranormal journalist, Aubrey Jules, in hot pursuit of the most up to the minute supernatural destinations, arrives at a picturesque Dana Point in Southern California, intent on discovering the matchmaking secret of Inn owner Mr. O'Grady's ancient wooden box. The box, according to its owner, was given to his ancestors by the little people and has a special power - it is able to grant certain folks their wish for a soul mate. Aubrey isn't buying any of the blarney until she makes a wish and Mr. O'Grady's gorgeous grandson, Ian Quinn, shows up. Are the leprechauns playing a cruel joke on Aubrey or is her secret desire for true love about to come true?
Double Booked is Courtney E. Michael's story of single parent Mina Tracey's unexpected 4th of July sojourn to the Ozark Mountains to join her brother and his girlfriend vacationing on relaxing Sunrise Beach. Following a heartbreaking divorce, the honey blonde finds the ability to move on difficult for both she and cherubic two year old daughter Lauren. Landscaper Cullen Porter's latest broken heart has him feeling he's through with blind dates and set ups - he'd heard the term nice guy too many times to know that women didn't seem to want one these days - and looking forward to a quiet get away in the gardens of the rental property he'd once worked on up near the Lake. At least he was looking forward to it - until he discovers that Doris Marbury, the technology savvy elderly landlady wielding her Blackberry between bingo cards, looked at the wrong month on her calendar when she'd booked him in. The quiet Ozarks instantly become the setting for a fated romantic mix up neither Mina nor Cullen will ever forget. Will lady boat captain Mina set sail once more for romantic waters? Can landscape architect Cullen keep his image smelling like roses and still find romance? Join them Double Booked at 2309 Red Oak Lane - the perfect place for impromptu lakeside romance - and let the fireworks begin.
If you've been looking for a truly romantic read, this is the place. The Object of Romance is love and this anthology has plenty of it to go around. Go ahead - settle into those cushions - but watch out for the sparks!
Loretta A. Murphy, Author
The Pipes Are Calling
ISBN # 142414826X
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended!, September 4, 2007
"Stolen Pleasures" by Christine DeSmet --- Iris Beale is an eccentric antique dealer with a penchant for dating the wrong man. Every unattached male who comes through her door takes advantage of her good looks and nesting instincts. When her current beau is murdered, Iris finds that she's a suspect and quite possibly the next victim. A friend with marital troubles and a mysterious painting further complicate matters. How can she avoid suspicion and identify the killer? And how does the handsome policeman who crosses her threshold fit into her life? The author has created an engaging story, complete with action, intrigue, mystery and romance.
"Summer Breeze" by Linda Lattimer --- Sophia Wiliams is a lovely young woman who carries a load of emotional baggage. Since her father's untimely death in an accident that left her without legs, her mother has lost the will to live and is wasting away. Summering in Key West, she spends her time in two worlds, caring for an invalid mother and wandering beaches wearing long pants to cover her disability. Scott Duncan, a local man who had watched her from afar for many years, finally gets the nerve up to pursue her. Will they find love in spite of the odds against them? A poignant story.
"Life's Choices" by Patricia Gitt --- Elizabeth Barnes is a highly successful business woman who appears to have it all. Recognized by her industry and spearheading her company's expansion, she is surprised by the emptiness and loneliness she feels. Until now, there has been no time for marriage and family, and her choice in men had been poor. A well-deserved vacation at her partner's country home in Vermont gives her time to relax and the opportunity to connect with an old acquaintance, Jack Lawson. The former professor and now famous author ignites a fire in her heart and causes confusion. They live in two different worlds and both have careers that demand all their time. Will she give in to love and make a life choice for other than business reasons? The author has a wonderful talent for description and story telling. The characters are believable and the dialogue is appropriate.
"Mr. O'Grady's Magic Box" by Karen Michelle Nutt --- Aubrey Jules never got over her first love. But that was long ago on a trip to Ireland and the boy appeared to abandon her at the end. A decade later, as a grown woman and magazine reporter, she is given the assignment of interviewing a Mr. O'Grady at his charming bed and breakfast about a magic box that grants wishes. With no small amount of skepticism, she accepts the old man's offer to hold the box and make a wish, asking for her soul mate to appear. Lo' and behold, Mr. O'Grady's grandson turns out to be her first love, Ian Quinn, now a handsome man with what appears to be a son of his own. Sparks fly, of anger and attraction, until she finds out why he disappeared in the first place. Complicated by the arrival of her current boyfriend of three years, they dance around a relationship. Will they find the perfect love that they lost so long ago? This is a wonderful story of unrequited love given a second chance. The author has created a charming setting and equally delightful characters.
"Double Booked" by Courtney Michel --- Mina Tracey is a recently divorced single mother with a bitter taste in her mouth about men. Her former husband had tried to control every aspect of her life, including her passion for boating. Cullen Porter is a nice guy, or so the women say who've dated him and dumped him before it got serious. Mina's brother Garrett and his girlfriend Christi rent a lakeside home in the Ozarks for the month of July, and invite Mina and her baby daughter. After they arrive, they find that the house has been double-booked and invite the other booker to stay with them, who just happens to be Cullen Porter. When Mina arrives with her two passions, her daughter and her boat, Cullen is instantly attracted. He is just the opposite of her ex-husband, kind and compassionate, and good to her toddler. Yet she can't get past the bitterness of that prior relationship until she almost loses him. Cullen laments that once again he is the nice guy that no woman wants. Will they triumph over past hurts and find everlasting love? The author has created a delightful story, rich in details and unexpected turns. The characters are complex and appealing, from the single mother to the little child.
These five talented authors have created a collection of stories that will grace your bookshelf. Sweet and romantic, each one is centered about an ordinary object or idea that becomes extraordinary in the light of love.
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by Susan Mallery
by Marianne Stillings
by Susan Donovan
by Deirdre Martin
