I'm not sure why I placed a hold on this ebook from the library or when, but when I got the email that I could download it, I was ready for something new.i have not read any of the other works by any of the authors except for another novella by Stephanie Laurens. I thought the premise used was a little bland considering they had thousands to pick from.My favourite was SL's The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor. I loved how Sebastian convinced Tabitha to participate in his ruse in order to catch a blackmailer! Is Seb seducing Tabitha or the other way around? Tab's parents seem so cool, I wonder if Stephanie Laurens will write their story. I was a bit disappointed that SL didn't reveal if Sebastian and Tabitha had any children though.Mary Balogh's story was beautiful and poignant. I was rooting for Cleo to have the best HEA, after her miserable marriage to Colonel Aubrey. Definitely will be looking for MB books to read in the future, I was very moved by how eloquently moving her writing is!My first Jacqui D story. I liked how different this was to the first two. This one centres around the guilt of the hero played against the low self esteem of the heroine. They are both lonely people who had a common love, her brother Edward. Some of her words were a bit repetitious, small detraction for me eg the word botheration was used one too many times. Overall, I enjoyed the story quite a lot.Candice Hern's story was very enjoyable. She had us admiring Phillipa for her feisty spirit and illustrated Nat's psychological issues well. I was touched by the scene where Nat has a conversation with one of his soldier's widow. I got a bit teary when I read that and it made Nat more likeable and less aloof. I liked this anthology so much I borrowed the one that preceded this book by the same 4 authors. I had previously read the anthology where these four authors fist combined their efforts. When I heard they were doing a second anthology I was immediately interested but I disappointed with the theme they chose and that is why it took me so long to pick it up.The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor, by Stephanie LaurensThis was the first I read and it worked out better than I thought. I liked that the hero was upfront with the heroine's parents but I had a hard time believing she was a wallflower and why, I didn't much like her. I did like the mystery bit although that was solved too easily.Only Love, by Mary BaloghBalogh almost manages to save this anthology for me with a reunion story. It had glimpses of the angst seen in some of her older stories and that, to my mind, is always a good thing. Still it fell short from my expectations.Hope Springs Eternal, by Jacquie D’AlessandroI never warmed up to these characters so it was my least favourite. The love story felt rushed, that the heroine was caught up in a scandal like that felt ridiculous and the hero feared her reaction to something that wasn't his fault which wasn't believable either.Fate Strikes a Bargain, by Candice HernThis was a nice, sweet story about two people falling in love. One is suffering PT SD and the other has a severe limp and they both have to overcome their feelings about their problems.On the whole the theme was too restrictive and I think that made the stories too similar which was a shame. Although I do like the idea of a common plot idea I hope that, should they go for a third anthology, they don't make it as restrictive -it made the plot feel too bland and the same can be said of the characters.Grade: 2.5/5
Do You like book It Happened One Season (2011)?
Four well written short stories/novellas AND the discovery of another Amazing Author!
—arachnit
Cute idea but by the fourth story it did get a little repetitive.
—Butterwinky130
Annoyingly this MP3 skipped several times.
—mentalxfiction
