CBR 14 Bingo: Heart
There is a lot of romance, folks.
It’s summer in Regency England, and there is lots of romance to go around – for there are many dukes on the lookout for a wife!
I love a good anthology. They’re a nice way to dive into variations on theme, sure, but even better they are a sampler for various authors, and a good way to find new ones. And considering I had never read any of the authors here, I was certain I’d find a number of new books to read.
And I did! Despite the length of the anthology, I more or less breezed through the book. Though the stories cover a variety of subjects and themes, they all tie back to the theme of summertime – though not necessarily always the Season, which is an important distinction to make. One true strong point of this collection is that none of the stories felt rushed; I thought this length worked very well for them all.
Of course, being an anthology, I did like prefer some stories over others. Some of the authors experimented with less conventional plots and leads, which generally the ones I liked best. I thought the stories toward the beginning and the end of the reading order were not as strong as those in the middle, though I enjoyed pretty much all of them.
My favorites were Maggi Anderson’s “The Duke’s Brown-eyed Lady” for its genteel air, Mary Lancaster’s “Blue Skies” for its lovable leads, and Bianca Blythe’s “Summer in the City” for its humor.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.