What do you think?
Rate this book
Signet Valentine Anthologies #1
Regency Valentine
The unique joys and passions that surround St. Valentine's Day are captured in an extraordinary collection of all-new stories by five of the most beloved and highly acclaimed Regency authors. — Fair ladies... courtly gentlemen... romantic intrigue... here are the timeless tales of sweethearts young and old -- richly drawn stories of innocence and surrender, of infatuation, yearning, and of tender devotion. An exquisitely beautiful collection to be savored, shared, and treasured, A Regency Valentine lets you enjoys the magical spirit of Valentine's Day all year round.
GOLDEN ROSE by Mary Balogh
THE SECRET BENEFACTOR by Katherine Kingsley
LADY VALENTINE'S SCHEME by Emma Lange
FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS by Patricia Rice
THE ANTAGONISTS by Joan Wolf
GOLDEN ROSE by Mary Balogh
THE SECRET BENEFACTOR by Katherine Kingsley
LADY VALENTINE'S SCHEME by Emma Lange
FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS by Patricia Rice
THE ANTAGONISTS by Joan Wolf
296 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1991
231 people want to read
About the author
Mary Balogh
195 books6,369 followersMary Jenkins was born in 1944 in Swansea, Wales, UK. After graduating from university, moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, to teach high school English, on a two-year teaching contract in 1967. She married her Canadian husband, Robert Balogh, and had three children, Jacqueline, Christopher and Sian. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, music and knitting. She also enjoys watching tennis and curling.
Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling 'Slightly' sextet and 'Simply' quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling 'Slightly' sextet and 'Simply' quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 29, 2020
My version of the anthology (not on GR) has only 3 stories (minus the MB and KK stories.)
'Lady Valentine's Scheme' - 3* maybe
Emma Lange is a huge favorite but something is missing in this story despite a good premise.
'Fathers and Daughters' by Patricia Rice - 3.5*
'The Antagonists' by Joan Wolf - 5*
Short, sweet and swoon-inducing!
I simply adore this h!
'Lady Valentine's Scheme' - 3* maybe
Emma Lange is a huge favorite but something is missing in this story despite a good premise.
'Fathers and Daughters' by Patricia Rice - 3.5*
'The Antagonists' by Joan Wolf - 5*
Short, sweet and swoon-inducing!
I simply adore this h!
February 15, 2017
Can't really recommend this one as a whole. If you find it at the library maybe?
Golden Rose - Mary Balogh *** 3 Stars
Emmy and Roger
A nice sweet story with very little angst but a rather flat finish. Emmy is the eldest of a large impoverished family who is now employed as a companion for an elderly friend of the family. She is quite pretty but also quite virtuous. As Roger (Her companion's ner-do-well nephew) discovers when he attempts to seduce her at first meeting in Bath. He then decides to move on to lusher pastures with a woman 10 years his senior and no annoying morals. His pursuit of the lady in red is hampered by his 12 year old cousin's revenge. The mayor of Bath has decided to have a 'Secret Valentines ball' complete with masks and an unveiling of valentines on the last waltz. Who will be going home with who? I quite enjoyed it, except that the big reveal never happens. Although his ILY at the end was quite romantic.
The Secret Benefactor - Katherine Kingsley *** 3 Stars
Aubrey and George
Aubrey and George were childhood friends. He was her older brother's friend until his death and Aubrey's father died shortly after. Aubrey is left pennyless from her father's debts and is forced to move away. Ten years later, she meets George by surprise through mutual friends. She is delighted at first, and then heartbroken to find that he is not as delighted as her. She resigns herself to finally accepting a loveless position as assistant head mistress in a girls school. George has always seen himself as half a man because of his deformed leg. I suspect he's a virgin (or practically one anyways) although it's never addressed by the author. Although he is a witty man he is also essentially a shy man. The ending was super sweet if a wee bit quick.
Lady Valentine's Scheme - Emma Lange * 1 Star
Alexander and Jocelyn/Joss
Alexander (yes a woman) is the intended of her childhood friend Harry but not his fiance because his mother doesn't approve of Alexander. She sees her as a 'pernicious influence', and Harry is at heart, a momma's boy. Joss is full of snarky arrogance. He too is a childhood friend, at least he was, until the day he left without a backwards glance.
I hate snarky Heroes so Joss was in my bad books from the point of his dramatic return. But it was the head games he played with her til the very last page that really pissed me off. Alex is in a terrible predicament. She is left pennyless after her fathers death with no relatives to intervene. Does Joss take this into account in his petty games?!? I really needed to see him cry for her love. She never did anything to him. (immature dirt bag!). oh and lets not forget the OW the author throws in, in the last few pages! sheesh. Like I didn't dislike the turd already...
Fathers and Daughters - Patricia Rice negative Stars!!!
This was awful. One of the most frustratingly unromantic reads ever!
The h's father forces the H to leave his daughter by buying all the markers that the H owes. 5 years later the H returns with buckets of money and an illegitamite daughter in tow. Meanwhile the h has become a bitter BITTER woman. Then comes pages and pages of H being obsequious and h being a hag. I would have felt sorry for the H, if he hadn't been so pathetic. Aweful, aweful story!
The Antagonists - Joan Wolf **** 4 Stars
Thank goodness this story panned out!
Super sweet gentle tale about Dinah and Thorn. They meet at 9 & 14 and immediately put each others' backs up. For 8 years they have a rivallry and devilish connection until it comes time for the first London season for Dinah and Thorn's sister. Then they discover to their surprise, that somewhere along the way, they had fallen in love. Nothing much to the plot, but the characters are well drawn and enjoyable. Dinah is a red headed hoyden and Thorn is a sophisticated 'Mr. Perfect'. Electric but sweet.
Golden Rose - Mary Balogh *** 3 Stars
Emmy and Roger
A nice sweet story with very little angst but a rather flat finish. Emmy is the eldest of a large impoverished family who is now employed as a companion for an elderly friend of the family. She is quite pretty but also quite virtuous. As Roger (Her companion's ner-do-well nephew) discovers when he attempts to seduce her at first meeting in Bath. He then decides to move on to lusher pastures with a woman 10 years his senior and no annoying morals. His pursuit of the lady in red is hampered by his 12 year old cousin's revenge. The mayor of Bath has decided to have a 'Secret Valentines ball' complete with masks and an unveiling of valentines on the last waltz. Who will be going home with who? I quite enjoyed it, except that the big reveal never happens. Although his ILY at the end was quite romantic.
The Secret Benefactor - Katherine Kingsley *** 3 Stars
Aubrey and George
Aubrey and George were childhood friends. He was her older brother's friend until his death and Aubrey's father died shortly after. Aubrey is left pennyless from her father's debts and is forced to move away. Ten years later, she meets George by surprise through mutual friends. She is delighted at first, and then heartbroken to find that he is not as delighted as her. She resigns herself to finally accepting a loveless position as assistant head mistress in a girls school. George has always seen himself as half a man because of his deformed leg. I suspect he's a virgin (or practically one anyways) although it's never addressed by the author. Although he is a witty man he is also essentially a shy man. The ending was super sweet if a wee bit quick.
Lady Valentine's Scheme - Emma Lange * 1 Star
Alexander and Jocelyn/Joss
Alexander (yes a woman) is the intended of her childhood friend Harry but not his fiance because his mother doesn't approve of Alexander. She sees her as a 'pernicious influence', and Harry is at heart, a momma's boy. Joss is full of snarky arrogance. He too is a childhood friend, at least he was, until the day he left without a backwards glance.
I hate snarky Heroes so Joss was in my bad books from the point of his dramatic return. But it was the head games he played with her til the very last page that really pissed me off. Alex is in a terrible predicament. She is left pennyless after her fathers death with no relatives to intervene. Does Joss take this into account in his petty games?!? I really needed to see him cry for her love. She never did anything to him. (immature dirt bag!). oh and lets not forget the OW the author throws in, in the last few pages! sheesh. Like I didn't dislike the turd already...
Fathers and Daughters - Patricia Rice negative Stars!!!
This was awful. One of the most frustratingly unromantic reads ever!
The h's father forces the H to leave his daughter by buying all the markers that the H owes. 5 years later the H returns with buckets of money and an illegitamite daughter in tow. Meanwhile the h has become a bitter BITTER woman. Then comes pages and pages of H being obsequious and h being a hag. I would have felt sorry for the H, if he hadn't been so pathetic. Aweful, aweful story!
The Antagonists - Joan Wolf **** 4 Stars
Thank goodness this story panned out!
Super sweet gentle tale about Dinah and Thorn. They meet at 9 & 14 and immediately put each others' backs up. For 8 years they have a rivallry and devilish connection until it comes time for the first London season for Dinah and Thorn's sister. Then they discover to their surprise, that somewhere along the way, they had fallen in love. Nothing much to the plot, but the characters are well drawn and enjoyable. Dinah is a red headed hoyden and Thorn is a sophisticated 'Mr. Perfect'. Electric but sweet.
December 18, 2018
Available on Open library.
However, the copy I got only had 3 stories.
Lady Valentine’s scheme - Emma Lange
Which was a very cute friends to lovers coming of age story.
Father’s and Daughters- Patricia Rice
Cheating unworthy Hero...not worth it
Antagonists - Joan Wolf
Also a cute coming of age story with an enemies to lovers theme.
Another reviewer had a good summary of all the stories, though her compilation had all 5 books.
2/3 not bad.
However, the copy I got only had 3 stories.
Lady Valentine’s scheme - Emma Lange
Which was a very cute friends to lovers coming of age story.
Father’s and Daughters- Patricia Rice
Cheating unworthy Hero...not worth it
Antagonists - Joan Wolf
Also a cute coming of age story with an enemies to lovers theme.
Another reviewer had a good summary of all the stories, though her compilation had all 5 books.
2/3 not bad.
August 31, 2016
Very unusually, the Balogh story, Golden Rose was not one of the strongest in the book. Somewhat predictable. But The Antagonists by Joan Wolf is one of her very best. A couple that have known each other since childhood -- he's the golden Wolf hero and she's the independent, thoughtful, horse-mad heroine: but her formulas never pale for me!
I wrote about the Balogh story for Heroes and Heartbreakers:
Miss Emily Richmond, with her heart-shaped face and shining, smooth golden hair, is noticed immediately by her employer’s nephew, the Honorable Mr. Roger Bradshaw. Lady Copeland is a neighbor of Emily’s father, Sir Henry Richmond, and, as Lady Copeland gracefully explains, “They have such a large family that they were able to spare Emily to bear me company.” Two perennial themes of Balogh emerge—first, the poverty that would induce a gentlewoman to become someone’s companion and second, class differences. It’s all very well for Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet to say she’s a “gentleman’s daughter” and therefore worthy to marry anyone, but the gulf between the heir to a viscount and a poor eldest daughter is not insignificant. For fans of foreshadowing an author’s future books, Slightly Wicked has a similar plot. Emily had earlier refused two respectable offers of marriage and naively, had not realized that her large family lacked the resources to “send her anyplace where she was likely to meet a suitor to her liking.” It is a chastened and sensible young woman, who faces her circumstances forthrightly, that Roger meets:
She had come to Bath determined to find herself a husband just as soon as possible. And she was not going to be as foolish as she had used to be, looking for love, that special something that all girls dreamed of. Respectability would be enough.
Not surprisingly, Roger steals a kiss from his aunt’s beautiful companion while twelve year-old Jasper, an unlikely cupid, watches from the shadows. Jasper is Roger’s cousin and he is convalescing at Lady Copeland’s house. He chastises Roger for his stolen embrace, but Roger brushes off the advice, saying, “She’s of a breed known as virtuous women. She’s not worth the energy expended on wooing her.” Emily may have put Roger in his place, telling him that although her family is impoverished, she has chosen respectable employment, but the death of dreams doesn’t come easy. Emily is excited by the prospect of a masked ball to be held at Bath’s Upper Assembly Rooms on St. Valentine’s Day, especially with the inducement of anonymous valentines and reciprocal favors.
As in The Incurable Matchmaker (1990), our protagonists are lovingly manipulated by two matchmakers who make it possible for Roger and Emily to see beyond the stereotypes of poor-but-beautiful companion and handsome-but-frivolous rake. Jasper inveigles them into taking him for cakes, helpfully pointing out to Em that she has a crumb on her chin. He watches Roger brush the crumb away and thinks, “Poor Emmy…If there were a brighter color than scarlet, she would be it.” (Raise your glasses Balogh fans, this phrase has a starring role in a Balogh drinking game). Lady Copeland rather distractedly, it seems, throws the pair together again and again. The inevitable happens. Roger, watching Emily listen to a concert with “total concentration” admits to himself that “he was quite in love with her” although “he did not believe in love.” Clever Jasper arranges for Emily to wear Roger’s token of love at the ball, forcing the two lovers to come together in public. They dance together in blissful harmony although neither can quite believe in love beyond that magical night. However, Roger offers Emily his hand in marriage, saying only his money and position can wipe out his wasted, debauched youth.
“Is there nothing else?” she asked. “Nothing else you can offer me?”
He smiled, a look of mockery on his face. “Only my love,” he said, “for what it is worth, Emmy. I have never given it before. That at least is untarnished.”
At the end Roger and Emily love as equals, even reclaiming, in Roger’s words “their ghastly first encounter.” Emily, similarly honest to a fault, tells him she “spent days dreaming of it.”
http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com...
I wrote about the Balogh story for Heroes and Heartbreakers:
Miss Emily Richmond, with her heart-shaped face and shining, smooth golden hair, is noticed immediately by her employer’s nephew, the Honorable Mr. Roger Bradshaw. Lady Copeland is a neighbor of Emily’s father, Sir Henry Richmond, and, as Lady Copeland gracefully explains, “They have such a large family that they were able to spare Emily to bear me company.” Two perennial themes of Balogh emerge—first, the poverty that would induce a gentlewoman to become someone’s companion and second, class differences. It’s all very well for Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet to say she’s a “gentleman’s daughter” and therefore worthy to marry anyone, but the gulf between the heir to a viscount and a poor eldest daughter is not insignificant. For fans of foreshadowing an author’s future books, Slightly Wicked has a similar plot. Emily had earlier refused two respectable offers of marriage and naively, had not realized that her large family lacked the resources to “send her anyplace where she was likely to meet a suitor to her liking.” It is a chastened and sensible young woman, who faces her circumstances forthrightly, that Roger meets:
She had come to Bath determined to find herself a husband just as soon as possible. And she was not going to be as foolish as she had used to be, looking for love, that special something that all girls dreamed of. Respectability would be enough.
Not surprisingly, Roger steals a kiss from his aunt’s beautiful companion while twelve year-old Jasper, an unlikely cupid, watches from the shadows. Jasper is Roger’s cousin and he is convalescing at Lady Copeland’s house. He chastises Roger for his stolen embrace, but Roger brushes off the advice, saying, “She’s of a breed known as virtuous women. She’s not worth the energy expended on wooing her.” Emily may have put Roger in his place, telling him that although her family is impoverished, she has chosen respectable employment, but the death of dreams doesn’t come easy. Emily is excited by the prospect of a masked ball to be held at Bath’s Upper Assembly Rooms on St. Valentine’s Day, especially with the inducement of anonymous valentines and reciprocal favors.
As in The Incurable Matchmaker (1990), our protagonists are lovingly manipulated by two matchmakers who make it possible for Roger and Emily to see beyond the stereotypes of poor-but-beautiful companion and handsome-but-frivolous rake. Jasper inveigles them into taking him for cakes, helpfully pointing out to Em that she has a crumb on her chin. He watches Roger brush the crumb away and thinks, “Poor Emmy…If there were a brighter color than scarlet, she would be it.” (Raise your glasses Balogh fans, this phrase has a starring role in a Balogh drinking game). Lady Copeland rather distractedly, it seems, throws the pair together again and again. The inevitable happens. Roger, watching Emily listen to a concert with “total concentration” admits to himself that “he was quite in love with her” although “he did not believe in love.” Clever Jasper arranges for Emily to wear Roger’s token of love at the ball, forcing the two lovers to come together in public. They dance together in blissful harmony although neither can quite believe in love beyond that magical night. However, Roger offers Emily his hand in marriage, saying only his money and position can wipe out his wasted, debauched youth.
“Is there nothing else?” she asked. “Nothing else you can offer me?”
He smiled, a look of mockery on his face. “Only my love,” he said, “for what it is worth, Emmy. I have never given it before. That at least is untarnished.”
At the end Roger and Emily love as equals, even reclaiming, in Roger’s words “their ghastly first encounter.” Emily, similarly honest to a fault, tells him she “spent days dreaming of it.”
http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com...
September 26, 2009
Although Valentine's Day is in February I couldn't resist picking up this anthology on the eve of going on holidays for a bit of comfort read.
Golden Rose - Mary Balogh
I've read many stories where the jaded rake is saved by the love of a good woman but Balogh always seems to add something more to hers. This is one such example and despite being an old plot you can't resist finishing it with a satisfied sigh. Especially as this seems like a comedy of errors with the hero believing he is sending flowers to a society's widow while his young cousin is taking them to the heroine, who believes them to be from another man.
Grade: 4/5
Katherine Kingsley - The Secret Benefactor
While I really enjoy stories with less than perfect heroes here you don't really feel the pain involved in the hero's past. He has been playing benefactor to the heroine who, after her father's death, became destitute, and is too afraid to tell her he loves her. I did not feel his motives were enough and thought he should have told the truth much earlier.
Grade: 3.5/5
Emma Lange - Lady Valentine's Scheme
I'm afraid feisty, impulsive heroines are not my favourite and this story suffered from having one. She is betrothed to a young man who is clearly a mamma's boy and has mixed feelings when an old friend, now a rake, returns and seems to have feelings for her.
Grade: 3.5/5
Patricia Rice - Fathers and Daughters
I do have a fondness of stories about a second chance at love and this one was wonderful. The hero is forced by the heroine's father to leave her and when he returns, now rich and worthy of her, she doesn't make it easy for him to explain much less offer his love again. But his bastard daughter will be the means to bringing them together.
Grade: 4.5/5
Joan Wolf - The Antagonists
I usually enjoy Wolf's stories but I must say this one disappointed me a bit. Not enough banter between the main characters to make it stand out when they finally realise they are in love and I didn't particularly liked Dinah which, being this written in the first person, could be the main problem for me.
Grade: 3.5/5
Anthology grade: 3.5 (but very worth it for the Rice and Balogh's stories)
Golden Rose - Mary Balogh
I've read many stories where the jaded rake is saved by the love of a good woman but Balogh always seems to add something more to hers. This is one such example and despite being an old plot you can't resist finishing it with a satisfied sigh. Especially as this seems like a comedy of errors with the hero believing he is sending flowers to a society's widow while his young cousin is taking them to the heroine, who believes them to be from another man.
Grade: 4/5
Katherine Kingsley - The Secret Benefactor
While I really enjoy stories with less than perfect heroes here you don't really feel the pain involved in the hero's past. He has been playing benefactor to the heroine who, after her father's death, became destitute, and is too afraid to tell her he loves her. I did not feel his motives were enough and thought he should have told the truth much earlier.
Grade: 3.5/5
Emma Lange - Lady Valentine's Scheme
I'm afraid feisty, impulsive heroines are not my favourite and this story suffered from having one. She is betrothed to a young man who is clearly a mamma's boy and has mixed feelings when an old friend, now a rake, returns and seems to have feelings for her.
Grade: 3.5/5
Patricia Rice - Fathers and Daughters
I do have a fondness of stories about a second chance at love and this one was wonderful. The hero is forced by the heroine's father to leave her and when he returns, now rich and worthy of her, she doesn't make it easy for him to explain much less offer his love again. But his bastard daughter will be the means to bringing them together.
Grade: 4.5/5
Joan Wolf - The Antagonists
I usually enjoy Wolf's stories but I must say this one disappointed me a bit. Not enough banter between the main characters to make it stand out when they finally realise they are in love and I didn't particularly liked Dinah which, being this written in the first person, could be the main problem for me.
Grade: 3.5/5
Anthology grade: 3.5 (but very worth it for the Rice and Balogh's stories)
September 15, 2020
Anthologies aren't every reader's favorite thing; however, if I'm familiar with at least one of the authors, I like to try new authors too. In this anthology, I've read dozens of books by Mary Balogh and several books by Patricia Rice. I'm not familiar with the other authors, but am willing to try them. This book was initially released in February 1991.
GOLDEN ROSE (Mary Balogh) -- 3.5 stars
Life in London has become too hot, due to an unfortunate incident with a married lady (and her husband), so the Honorable Roger Bradshaw is slumming in Bath. He encounters his aunt's virginal companion, Emily Richmond. He's interested but decides to head for a not-so-virtuous widow instead. A nephew with a sense of humor turns the tables on Roger and things go topsy-turvy. This entry by Balogh lacks something; it seemed bland and uninspired.
THE SECRET BENEFACTOR (Katherine Kingsley) -- 3.5 stars
Because of George Asquith's leg deformity, his father found him to be an embarrassment. So George spent most of his time with the de Salis family next door. But time and the deaths of the two de Salis men separated George and Aubrey. Ten years later, they meet again. George runs hot and cold toward Aubrey and she is confused. In the meantime, Aubrey has decided to dedicate her life to teaching. The tone of the story was lacking; this could have been a wonderful story. Aubrey, not understanding who the benefactor was (after reading Mr. Dicken's letter), seemed doubtful.
LADY VALENTINE'S SCHEME (Emma Lange) -- 5 stars
After her father and brother die, Alexandra Talbot must marry money. She had two male childhood friends and one of them (Harry, a viscount) has offered for her, however, his mother loathes Alexandra and she is trying to push her son to marry another. Joss Staunton, the other friend (and Harry's cousin) has been trying to earn his fortune outside of England. He comes back to England in time for his aunt's birthday, St. Valentine's Day, only to find that Alexandra and Harry have an understanding.
This is a delightful story. Stories in which the main characters already know each other, and now say they love each other, are much more reasonable than those 'love at first sight' stories.
FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS (Patricia Rice) -- 5 stars
This is another charmer of a very different variety. The story opens when Jack Chatham, penniless, and with countless gaming vouchers floating about, tries to convince wealthy Mr. Thorogood to let him marry Thorogood's eldest daughter. He has a plan to live frugally and pay off his debts in time. The father refuses (and shows that he now owns all of Jack's old gaming debts) but agrees to loan Jack some money to try to recoup his losses if Jack will break it off with Carolyn. He reluctantly does and Carolyn is devastated.
After five years, Jack returns. Carolyn is nearing an engagement (but is not betrothed yet). Jack pays off his vouchers, loan, and interest to Mr. Thorogood. But Carolyn has changed into a cool, brittle, closed person who refuses to meet with Jack again. This is a real page-turner.
THE ANTAGONISTS (Joan Wolf) -- 4.5 stars
The unusual thing about this story is that it is told in the first person. Dinah and her mother go to live at Thornton Manor because two young people have become orphans (Hugh Lydin and his sister, Carolyn) due to their father's death. The story is told through Dinah's eyes and she is a red-haired hoyden who must eventually face her coming-out season (along with Carolyn). I personally liked the first-person narrative; it's unique and I want to find something else by this author.
To recap: The stories I liked from best to least are Emma Lange, Patricia Rice, Joan Wolf, Mary Balogh (a real surprise), and Katherine Kingsley. Overall rating = 4.3 stars
GOLDEN ROSE (Mary Balogh) -- 3.5 stars
Life in London has become too hot, due to an unfortunate incident with a married lady (and her husband), so the Honorable Roger Bradshaw is slumming in Bath. He encounters his aunt's virginal companion, Emily Richmond. He's interested but decides to head for a not-so-virtuous widow instead. A nephew with a sense of humor turns the tables on Roger and things go topsy-turvy. This entry by Balogh lacks something; it seemed bland and uninspired.
THE SECRET BENEFACTOR (Katherine Kingsley) -- 3.5 stars
Because of George Asquith's leg deformity, his father found him to be an embarrassment. So George spent most of his time with the de Salis family next door. But time and the deaths of the two de Salis men separated George and Aubrey. Ten years later, they meet again. George runs hot and cold toward Aubrey and she is confused. In the meantime, Aubrey has decided to dedicate her life to teaching. The tone of the story was lacking; this could have been a wonderful story. Aubrey, not understanding who the benefactor was (after reading Mr. Dicken's letter), seemed doubtful.
LADY VALENTINE'S SCHEME (Emma Lange) -- 5 stars
After her father and brother die, Alexandra Talbot must marry money. She had two male childhood friends and one of them (Harry, a viscount) has offered for her, however, his mother loathes Alexandra and she is trying to push her son to marry another. Joss Staunton, the other friend (and Harry's cousin) has been trying to earn his fortune outside of England. He comes back to England in time for his aunt's birthday, St. Valentine's Day, only to find that Alexandra and Harry have an understanding.
This is a delightful story. Stories in which the main characters already know each other, and now say they love each other, are much more reasonable than those 'love at first sight' stories.
FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS (Patricia Rice) -- 5 stars
This is another charmer of a very different variety. The story opens when Jack Chatham, penniless, and with countless gaming vouchers floating about, tries to convince wealthy Mr. Thorogood to let him marry Thorogood's eldest daughter. He has a plan to live frugally and pay off his debts in time. The father refuses (and shows that he now owns all of Jack's old gaming debts) but agrees to loan Jack some money to try to recoup his losses if Jack will break it off with Carolyn. He reluctantly does and Carolyn is devastated.
After five years, Jack returns. Carolyn is nearing an engagement (but is not betrothed yet). Jack pays off his vouchers, loan, and interest to Mr. Thorogood. But Carolyn has changed into a cool, brittle, closed person who refuses to meet with Jack again. This is a real page-turner.
THE ANTAGONISTS (Joan Wolf) -- 4.5 stars
The unusual thing about this story is that it is told in the first person. Dinah and her mother go to live at Thornton Manor because two young people have become orphans (Hugh Lydin and his sister, Carolyn) due to their father's death. The story is told through Dinah's eyes and she is a red-haired hoyden who must eventually face her coming-out season (along with Carolyn). I personally liked the first-person narrative; it's unique and I want to find something else by this author.
To recap: The stories I liked from best to least are Emma Lange, Patricia Rice, Joan Wolf, Mary Balogh (a real surprise), and Katherine Kingsley. Overall rating = 4.3 stars
June 14, 2018
I love multiple authors books. These are very short stories. An easy read. Sweet and enjoyable with a bit more of a plot than the newer multiple author novellas.
reprint
April 12, 2020Read/own Balogh The Golden Rose in rereleased ebook A Day for Love
January 24, 2025
3.5
Didn’t read Wolf’s story because I can’t stand first person romances.
Didn’t read Wolf’s story because I can’t stand first person romances.
April 3, 2020
Balogh - "Golden Rose" - 3 stars
Wolf - "The Antagonists" - 5 stars
Wolf - "The Antagonists" - 5 stars
March 22, 2019
This collection of short stories is pretty old, but I started out on Mary Balogh and Edith Layton from reading similar collections in my library more than a decade ago, like the Regency Christmas series, so its very nostalgic for me. So far have only read the first one, and am a few pages in on Mary Balogh's story, Waltzing in the Stars, but I love it already, the poignancy of grieving over lovers who have died, and going through the disgrace in the 1800's of being an unmarried mother. Am really looking forward to this story, and the others too!
February 18, 2015
Not a bad collection of stories all! I think my two favorites were the secret benefactor in the end. The antagonist was probably the most amusing of them all and the secret benefactor I thought had the most fun plot.but all of the stories included in this volume had their charm and were just the perfect thing to read on February night right after Valentine's Day to make me smile
June 11, 2019
The 5 star rating is for the two stories that I consistently revisit during February: Golden Rose by Mary Balogh and The Antagonists by Joan Wolf. Both are delightful stories.
Want to read
April 19, 2013y
April 27, 2013
Mary Balogh's and Joan Wolf's stories are charming and funny. Emma Lange's is also very good.
April 2, 2017
5 stars for both stories.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews