Book Review: A Timeless Romance Anthology Spring Vacation Collection

Today I am kicking back and passing time with novels until Castle starts tonight.  (Happy Presidents' Day to me!) Is anyone else as excited as I am for Castle? The sneak peeks and spoilers look sooooo good. Poor Castle.  :(

But in order to distract myself, I read two books and started a third, but today I'd like to share my thoughts on A Timeless Romance Anthology Spring Vacation Collection.

It's six novellas by six different authors---sort of a romantic snack from each one if you will.  All of them were romantic, but a few really stood out.  There was one that had a kiss that was bone-melting good.  It makes me sigh just to think about it again.

But as we're dealing with different authors, we're also dealing with different writing styles and depth of character.  There were two stories that were enjoyable, just flirty and fun romance. Quick reads.  There were two stories that didn't fit very well to me because in one I had a hard time liking the hero, even at the romantic parts, and in the other the story was just implausible and I kept shaking my head and thinking, really?  But there were two other stories that I was completely enthralled with and wishing they would go on for another 100,000 words.  (Especially the incredible kiss one.  *le sigh*)  The anthology really was a great mixture of authors and styles.  Heart-stopping romance and humorous situations keep these novellas from being ho-hum overall.  Something for everyone's taste, I think.

The novellas were all well-edited, featured work from several of my favorite authors, and were definitely worth the time.  With my schedule, I was glad they were novella length because I could read one, put it down, do the mom-stuff I have on my plate, then come back and read another one, interspersing both throughout my day.  It was almost a perfect rhythm actually.  If only all my reading endeavors could fit so well!

FYI, I'm told the anthology is being released exclusively on ebook to Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords, for only $3.99. Readers can visit the anthology blog here  

Here is the back copy:

ix Award-Winning Authors have contributed new stories to A Timeless Romance Anthology: Spring Vacation Collection. Readers will love this collection of six sweet contemporary romance novellas, centered on a Spring Vacation, all with one thing in common: Romance.

In Moonlight Kiss, a delightful story by Josi S. Kilpack, Sarah is looking forward to the company retreat, namely because she’ll finally meet Clint—the man she’s been Instant Messaging for a few months. As a single mom, Sarah gets out . . . well, never. So adding vacation days onto the retreat so she can spend time with Clint is daring, yet exciting. She just hopes that the suave on-line Clint will live up to the man she hopes to share her heart with.

In Annette Lyon’s charming novella, Chasing Tess, Tess had been patiently waiting through three years of law school for James to pop the question. The night has finally arrived—at his graduation party. But his big announcement turns out to be completely unexpected . . . and devastating. Tess flees the party, promising herself she’ll never let herself waste time on James again. But as she makes a desperate cross-country drive, James makes his own plans on how to win her back.

Dancing at the Flea Market is a sweet romance by Heather Justesen. Mara, fresh out of the cold North Dakota tundra, spends her spring break in Texas with close friend, Anna. When the two women run into Carter, an impatient man with a painful past, it takes hearing Mara’s stunning voice at the local Karaoke club to thaw his heart. But as Mara gets to know Carter, she has to decide if the distance between their lives and homes is worth trying to bridge.

In Sarah M. Eden’s captivating novella, The Best Laid Plans, Madison gives up a vacation to Cancún with her office friends to return home and babysit her mother, who is in another sketchy relationship. The only problem with returning home is running into Derek, her ex-boyfriend who she decided to break up with before he could break up with her—Madison believes in always being one step ahead. When Derek teams up with Madison to investigate whether her mother is dating the right guy, Madison has a hard time ignoring what her heart is telling her about giving Derek another chance.

Picture Perfect, an exciting story by Heather B. Moore, follows Gemma who has never done anything out of the ordinary, until her boyfriend Randy starts to ignore her. But even cutting and dyeing her hair doesn’t get his attention. She decides to join her old high school friends for spring vacation, only to be faced with Drew, her best friend who suddenly seems interested in her as more than a friend. Gemma must determine if her heart is on the rebound or if it’s finally met its true match.

In Aubrey Mace’s enchanting romance, The Science of Sentiment, Rosie will do anything to forget Kevin, his completely perfect kisses, and the fact that he dumped her. When she arrives at her grandfather’s mountain cabin for a spring getaway, she discovers her worst nightmare—Kevin has been invited to stay the weekend too. Since there is only room for one in such a small space, Rosie is determined to kick Kevin out. But Kevin has other plans . . . which might include a reminder of why he’s the perfect kisser.