Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Hey, Baby by L.M. Brown

Can a wrong number lead to Mr Right? Nick Davis's life takes an unexpected turn when a stranger starts leaving messages on his answer machine. Is there hope Nick can become more to Connor Hayes than just a wrong number?

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Cupid Darling by Lydia Nyx

When Lyndon, a Cupid, comes across handsome, successful, terminally single Timothy Darling, he gets a little taste of what he's been inflicting on humans for centuries. Lyndon spends his last days on earth dealing out love and perhaps discovering it.

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Sweetie by Shawn Bailey

It's love at first sight for candy maker Gianni Hill. With just one look at the gorgeous new lawyer in the building, Gianni knows he's found the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with, but family pressure threatens to tear their love apart.

Book Review

Anthologies can be tricky, because there is always a risk of one of the stories not quite fitting, or just turning out to be less enjoyable than the others. Not so with ‘Gift of Love’: while each story was different in style from the others, each of them touched me and they all gave me that warm Valentine’s Day feeling I really enjoy.

Hey, Baby by L.M. Brown
The basic idea behind this story is so simple, yet it makes for wonderfully romantic reading. Of course, the way LM Brown executed the details had something to do with how much I liked it as well. With just the right touch of humor she set up the basic premise of Nick receiving someone else’s calls, made me care about Nick (who is lonelier than should be allowed), and took me through his story with Connor.

Nick wants a partner, but can’t seem to find someone who treats him decently. When Connor starts calling him by mistake, he enjoys all the attention, even if it’s just messages on the answer machine. One day, he is at home when Connor calls – and that is when the real complication of Connor, his boyfriend, and Nick still fantasizing about Connor start.

Connor is a very loyal, very loving man who loves leaving sexy messages for his boyfriend. Even though they end up with Nick, who lives in the same town, Connor doesn’t mind and develops a friendship with him. When Connor comes to town as a surprise for Valentine’s day… you’ll have to read the rest yourself.

This is a great Valentine’s story, with lots of humor, and an ability to make me smile. It left me feeling warm and fuzzy, which is what I hoped for.


Cupid Darling by Lydia Nyx
This is such a cute story. Not just do we get to see the life of a Cupid (one of many, in this particular version of the myth), we see him fall in love as well. Not that he realizes this at first, but I sure did! The whole idea totally fascinates me and I really like what Lydia Nyx has done with it.

Lyndon, a name the Cupid chose because ‘it sounded nice’ is one of many faithful workers, making sure humans are open to falling in love. His occasional interactions with humans are a nice ‘perk of the job’ at first, but with Timothy, they become more.

Timothy is not exactly in touch with his emotions. Valentine’s Day is just another day for him, but meeting Lyndon suddenly opens his eyes to the fact there may be more. I loved the way he gradually sees everything in a different light. And the way he stands up for Lyndon in the end brought tears to my eyes.

As for the ending? Absolutely perfect. I had my doubts for a while, but kept hoping for the best – this story being part of such a great anthology. If you like stories with lots of emotion that sort of sneaks up on you, if you’re looking for a highly romantic Valentine’s story and if you don’t mind a touch of the supernatural, you’ll probably like this one as much as I did. I am still smiling!


Sweetie by Shawn Bailey
The title says it all: this is one of the cutest, sweetest romances you can imagine. It’s got all the ingredients for a great Valentine’s story: a shy but successful young chocolatier, a wonderfully understanding and slightly older lawyer, a mix of annoying and loving family members and more descriptions of delicious chocolate treats than you can shake a stick at.

Gianni has always dreamed about making candy, and he has followed that dream with great success. I loved the descriptions of how he comes up with new chocolate flavors. He is also painfully shy, but knows exactly what he wants in a partner. And despite his inexperience, when he meets the right guy, he suddenly loses all his inhibitions. He may be scared of his traditional Italian family’s reaction to him coming out, but he approaches them with self-confidence and determination. What a guy!

James is a successful lawyer and knows what he wants. And when he sees it – or rather, him – he goes after Gianni without hesitation, He is also a romantic, and I love the way he courts Gianni and treats him as an equal from the very start. Nothing much fazes him and he even manages to get along with all of Gianni’s many family members.

This is a wonderful sweet romance that transported me to a better world – like any fairy tale. The underlying humor in some of the scenes made me smile and the way James and Gianni interact made me go ‘awww’. They are too cute together. If you’re in the mood for a ‘sweet reading treat’, if you like modern-day fairy tales with wonderful heroes and if you’re looking for a sweet romance without any angst whatsoever, this is your story.

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Silver Publishing for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Anthology, 252 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	11-February-2012
Price
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