Wednesday, September 21, 2016

A Timeless Romance Anthology: Blind Date Collection {Review}

A Timeless Romance Anthology: Blind Date Collection
Kindle Edition, 303 pages
Published September 13th 2016 by Mirror Press

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30814443-blind-date-collection?ac=1&from_search=true

***My review of each story will be following the novella description.***  My Rating: 5 Stars

Amazon #1 Bestselling series in *New Release* for Clean Romance

A TIMELESS ROMANCE ANTHOLOGY: BLIND DATE COLLECTION: Featuring New York Times bestselling author Victorine E. Lieske. Readers will love this collection of six novellas—three contemporary and three historical—all with one thing in common: Romance.

Three Historical Romance Novellas:

THE PROMISE THAT KATY DID, by Annette Lyon: After the death of Sue Ellen, the closest thing she has to family, Katy knows it’s time to leave the house she’s lived in as a guest and start over in the city. She quickly secures a job, but before leaving, she must honor the unusual promise she made to Sue Ellen on her deathbed: meet with Mr. Balmer. The elderly gentleman arranges for his grandson Barrett to escort her to a town dance. That evening, shy Katy quickly feels at ease with her partner. If her new position weren’t taking her from town morning after next, perhaps something could develop between them. But Barrett may not feel the same about her, and besides, they don't have enough time to find out.



I can't imagine being alone in the world and having to imposed on the kindness and generosity of others to survive, but that's just the situation that Katy finds herself in. A deathbed request from a close friend, leads her to meeting Barrett. I love the gentle, tender story that develops, as this couple gets to know each other and as they each analyze their feelings. This is a very sweet story and is a great start to the book!

A LADY OF SENSE, by Sarah M. Eden: Eleanor Sherwood has lived her entire life under her parents’ thumb with little hope of escape. When they choose the unbearable Mr. Broadstead to be her future husband, she begs her father for another option. He arranges for her to meet Peter Havensham, who quickly proves himself a good and kindhearted gentleman, completely different from Mr. Broadstead, and utterly undeserving of a forced engagement. Eleanor cannot bring herself to prey upon Peter’s honor, but neither can she imagine a life with Mr. Broadstead. What is a lady to do when faced with such an impossible choice?


I was very curious to know how in the world a blind date could possibly come about during the Regency period, but Ms. Eden delivered! This story is slightly humorous and so much fun. I love the "ultimatum," of sorts, that Eleanor's father gives her and the way she finally comes to her decision. These are great characters, with vividly descriptive personalities. This book hit the spot!

A SECOND CHANCE, by Heather B. Moore: Virginia needs a new start in order to recover from her broken marriage and vicious gossips of her neighborhood in Boston, so when her best friend Millie invites Virginia to Chicago, she goes to live with her friend’s family. But when Millie asked Virginia to participate in a double-date, Virginia knows she’s not ready to start dating again. Reluctantly she agrees, only to find out that Max might just be the man who can repair the cracks in her heart.

This story is a bit scandalous, considering that Virginia is newly divorced and escaping to her friend's home to recover. Almost being tricked into a date, she finds herself more ready to move on than she thought. I really liked Virginia. Not only is she very dedicated to her young son, but she's very determined not to mess up again. She clearly has trust issues, but she's knows when to act and does so. 

Three Contemporary Romance Novellas:

BRAELYNN’S BLIND DATE, by Victorine E. Lieske. When Braelynn agrees to go on a blind date, she thinks she’s hit the jackpot. Tyler is gorgeous and the perfect gentleman. Of course she should have known it was too good to be true. It turns out that Tyler really wasn’t Tyler, but a random stranger who went along with Braelynn’s mistaken assumption. So, she chalks it up to a dumb mistake until she gets to work Monday morning and discovers that her gorgeous blind date is now her new boss.


Am I the only one who thinks this is the ultimate horror story for a blind date? I used to be nervous that I'd meet the "wrong" guy if I didn't know who it was that I was supposed to date. I couldn't help but laugh at the antics that happened throughout this story and I was mildly horrified at the work situation. This is a fun story to read, be embarrassed about, and to cheer the characters on. 

BIANCA’S HOPE, by Rachel Branton: A blind-date-gone-wrong is not the way Bianca would have chosen to celebrate the news that she might be losing her business, but saying no to the sister who took care of her after their mother’s death proves impossible. So for one date, one torturous evening, she’ll endure the company of an infuriating, heartless man she has no intention of ever seeing again. She doesn’t expect her heart to have other plans. Bianca soon learns that sometimes the unexpected is not only what you need, it’s exactly what you’ve been waiting for all along.


Not all blind dates start out with an instant dislike, but this one does. I read the book that this story spins off from, so it was fun to revisit these characters, although it can stand alone. I love how the story shows that first impressions aren't always all that.

BLIND SPOT, by Sariah Wilson: Ria has prepared most of her life to meet her prince, trouble is, her mother keeps yanking her back to reality. So when Ria reads about a country teeming with princes, she drops everything and applies to grad school. But every blind date goes wrong, and while Ria commiserates with her roommate Tessa and Tessa’s totally un-prince-like brother Paolo, Ria discovers that all the things she thought she wanted in a man are far from what she really needs.

You had me at "prince." Ria goes overseas for school, determined to meet a prince, but is caught off guard when she meets Paolo instead. When she is stood up for her blind date, Paolo comes to the rescue and the story firmly plants itself into my heart at that exact moment and only solidifies my feelings from there. This is a great story with fun, unique characters. What a perfect way to end this collection!

Content: all have mild romantic elements. Clean!

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*

Buy Links:

http://amzn.to/2csQHGx
 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blind-date-collection-annette-lyon/1124591343?ean=2940156837595
   

No comments:

Post a Comment