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A Valentine from Harlequin: Six Degrees of Romance
One opening paragraph, six unique stories...
What if you gave six authors the same opening paragraph and let their imagination fly? That's what we've done in A Valentine from Six Degrees of Romance
Experience the variety Harlequin romance has to offer with this collection of novellas from six Harlequin series, including the passionate drama of Harlequin Presents, steamy encounters of Harlequin Blaze, spooky and sensual tales of Harlequin Nocturne, and more.
Collection includes novellas by Nancy Warren, Catherine Spencer, Margaret Moore, Maggie Shayne, Michele Hauf and Christine Bell.
What if you gave six authors the same opening paragraph and let their imagination fly? That's what we've done in A Valentine from Six Degrees of Romance
Experience the variety Harlequin romance has to offer with this collection of novellas from six Harlequin series, including the passionate drama of Harlequin Presents, steamy encounters of Harlequin Blaze, spooky and sensual tales of Harlequin Nocturne, and more.
Collection includes novellas by Nancy Warren, Catherine Spencer, Margaret Moore, Maggie Shayne, Michele Hauf and Christine Bell.
136 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 19, 2012
131 people are currently reading
630 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Warren
357 books1,851 followersNancy Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 100 novels.
She’s known for writing funny, sexy and suspenseful tales. She’s an avid hiker, animal lover, wine drinker and chocolate fiend. Favorite moments in her career include being featured on the front page of the New York Times, being the answer to a crossword puzzle clue in Canada’s National Post newspaper and being a finalist three times in the Rita awards. She has won the Reviewer’s Choice Award from Romantic Times magazine.
Get a free short story when you sign up for Nancy's newsletter at www.NancyWarrenAuthor.com or join Nancy in her private Facebook group to talk about books, knitting, pets & life.
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She’s known for writing funny, sexy and suspenseful tales. She’s an avid hiker, animal lover, wine drinker and chocolate fiend. Favorite moments in her career include being featured on the front page of the New York Times, being the answer to a crossword puzzle clue in Canada’s National Post newspaper and being a finalist three times in the Rita awards. She has won the Reviewer’s Choice Award from Romantic Times magazine.
Get a free short story when you sign up for Nancy's newsletter at www.NancyWarrenAuthor.com or join Nancy in her private Facebook group to talk about books, knitting, pets & life.
www.facebook.com/groups/NancyWarrenKn...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
February 23, 2012
One opening, six stories. This was actually a really cool idea for an anthology, but I really with the opening hadn't been what it was.
That said, the stories were of wilding varying quality levels.
The first story, Pulse Point by Nancy Warren was probably my favorite, though it suffered from the short length. It is the story of lovers separated due to misunderstanding and stubbornness, but we didn't get to see the cause of the misunderstanding nor have the time for the stubborness to be truly worked down. This felt like the shortened climax from a novel and I would have preferred the whole novel.
"Charlotte's Angel", by Catherine Spencer had the best pacing for its length. Rather than forcing the two characters introduced in the opening to overcome the setup, she allows the male to be shoved aside in favor a better lead. While the heat was low, the pacing was excellent and I felt the story was the most fully realized of the format and boundary conditions.
"The Duke's Dilemma" by Margaret Moore I was predisposed to enjoy as it was the only historical but again the author felt like she was trying to fit a novel into a shorter format. The 'secret' between the two leads was clearly telegraphed so watching them not get it was annoying and the creation of a villain in the duke was unnecessary. I may check out some of her long work, but I worry about how obvious such plot points may be in her novel works.
"Dead Man's Women" by Maggie Shayne was an entertaining action romance story and probably the best handling of the opening for why Charlotte might think her fiance was dead. This was a strong story, except some very odd deus ex machina that forced the confrontation and climax. There as also a case of the author & the characters all KNOW something before the reader is let in on the their secret, which is a pet peeve.
"Night of the Living Wed" by Michele Hauf was camp, as evidenced by the title. But it was really bad camp. This story alone and the clear telegraphs to the reader that the heroine was too dumb to get, the medicore sex scenes (which took up a lot of words in this short form) and the overall just bleh almost made me not read the final story and was responsible for a full star loss on my rating. If this is author's preferred medium, I never want to read anything else by her. If it not normal for her to try a humorous supernatural story I might be willing to give her another shake, but ugh.
"Bold as Brass" by Christine Bell was a sweet finisher, though it wasn't quite enough to get the taste out from the previous story. The lead in this book was engaging, but the misunderstanding was again clearly telegraphed extremely early on and therefore I just wanted to bonk both characters over the head. There was also a lack of believabilty for me that the characters ended up in the situation they did and that they chose to seduce each other when DEATH WAS ON THE LINE.
Overall this was a neat idea, but poorly executed by the editor for choosing such a poor opening and for the authors in attempting to work in a format that they obviously don't work in. I would say as an upsell mechanism this book had limited success. I'm interested in checking out 1 or 2 of the six authors, and on guard completely against 1. Ideally I should want to go after 3 authors and not hate any.
That said, the stories were of wilding varying quality levels.
The first story, Pulse Point by Nancy Warren was probably my favorite, though it suffered from the short length. It is the story of lovers separated due to misunderstanding and stubbornness, but we didn't get to see the cause of the misunderstanding nor have the time for the stubborness to be truly worked down. This felt like the shortened climax from a novel and I would have preferred the whole novel.
"Charlotte's Angel", by Catherine Spencer had the best pacing for its length. Rather than forcing the two characters introduced in the opening to overcome the setup, she allows the male to be shoved aside in favor a better lead. While the heat was low, the pacing was excellent and I felt the story was the most fully realized of the format and boundary conditions.
"The Duke's Dilemma" by Margaret Moore I was predisposed to enjoy as it was the only historical but again the author felt like she was trying to fit a novel into a shorter format. The 'secret' between the two leads was clearly telegraphed so watching them not get it was annoying and the creation of a villain in the duke was unnecessary. I may check out some of her long work, but I worry about how obvious such plot points may be in her novel works.
"Dead Man's Women" by Maggie Shayne was an entertaining action romance story and probably the best handling of the opening for why Charlotte might think her fiance was dead. This was a strong story, except some very odd deus ex machina that forced the confrontation and climax. There as also a case of the author & the characters all KNOW something before the reader is let in on the their secret, which is a pet peeve.
"Night of the Living Wed" by Michele Hauf was camp, as evidenced by the title. But it was really bad camp. This story alone and the clear telegraphs to the reader that the heroine was too dumb to get, the medicore sex scenes (which took up a lot of words in this short form) and the overall just bleh almost made me not read the final story and was responsible for a full star loss on my rating. If this is author's preferred medium, I never want to read anything else by her. If it not normal for her to try a humorous supernatural story I might be willing to give her another shake, but ugh.
"Bold as Brass" by Christine Bell was a sweet finisher, though it wasn't quite enough to get the taste out from the previous story. The lead in this book was engaging, but the misunderstanding was again clearly telegraphed extremely early on and therefore I just wanted to bonk both characters over the head. There was also a lack of believabilty for me that the characters ended up in the situation they did and that they chose to seduce each other when DEATH WAS ON THE LINE.
Overall this was a neat idea, but poorly executed by the editor for choosing such a poor opening and for the authors in attempting to work in a format that they obviously don't work in. I would say as an upsell mechanism this book had limited success. I'm interested in checking out 1 or 2 of the six authors, and on guard completely against 1. Ideally I should want to go after 3 authors and not hate any.
February 15, 2017
6 different authors start a story of about 20 pages with the same 4 paragraphs.
Charlotte winced as an inebriated party goer stepped on her foot, but she kept moving determinedly towards the doors that led to the balcony. The Duncan's would be delighted with their party. It was clearly the event of the season, and their daughter had been successfully launched into society....
Unfortunately, the noise, the heat, and the crowd combined with Charlotte's pounding headache to make her want to escape for a breath of fresh air..Reaching the balcony doors she opened them to find 2 people engaged in a passionate kiss..
"I'm sorry" the words escaped her lips before she realized it would have been better to make and exit without being noticed.. the couple jumped apart.
Charlotte felt the blood drain from her face as she stared at her Fiance' "John! I thought you were dead!"
Nancy Warren, "Pulse Point" Contemporary. Lovers separate after misunderstanding. She is super stubborn and he is contrary. Not a good mix. Maybe they should stay separated?
Catherine Spencer, "Charlotte's Angel" Contemporary and very harlequin. Meh.
Margaret Moore, "Duke's Dilemma" Historical with twins. I would have really liked this one but she was a doormat and he never really apologizes.
Maggie Shayne, "Dead Man's Woman" Suspence thriller. I liked it but didn't really feel that the Hero actually loved Charlotte.
Michelle Hauf, "Night of the Living Wed" Zombies...tongue in cheek, before it falls off... just can't read that kinda thing... too gross.
Christine Bell, "Bold as Brass" Steampunk. This was my favourite because it felt more romantic.
Overall each story was much to short for what it tried to convey. The last story had the best flow. Maybe if the opening paragraphs hadn't set up such an OTT cliffhanger??
Charlotte winced as an inebriated party goer stepped on her foot, but she kept moving determinedly towards the doors that led to the balcony. The Duncan's would be delighted with their party. It was clearly the event of the season, and their daughter had been successfully launched into society....
Unfortunately, the noise, the heat, and the crowd combined with Charlotte's pounding headache to make her want to escape for a breath of fresh air..Reaching the balcony doors she opened them to find 2 people engaged in a passionate kiss..
"I'm sorry" the words escaped her lips before she realized it would have been better to make and exit without being noticed.. the couple jumped apart.
Charlotte felt the blood drain from her face as she stared at her Fiance' "John! I thought you were dead!"
Nancy Warren, "Pulse Point" Contemporary. Lovers separate after misunderstanding. She is super stubborn and he is contrary. Not a good mix. Maybe they should stay separated?
Catherine Spencer, "Charlotte's Angel" Contemporary and very harlequin. Meh.
Margaret Moore, "Duke's Dilemma" Historical with twins. I would have really liked this one but she was a doormat and he never really apologizes.
Maggie Shayne, "Dead Man's Woman" Suspence thriller. I liked it but didn't really feel that the Hero actually loved Charlotte.
Michelle Hauf, "Night of the Living Wed" Zombies...tongue in cheek, before it falls off... just can't read that kinda thing... too gross.
Christine Bell, "Bold as Brass" Steampunk. This was my favourite because it felt more romantic.
Overall each story was much to short for what it tried to convey. The last story had the best flow. Maybe if the opening paragraphs hadn't set up such an OTT cliffhanger??
June 8, 2016
I liked the concept of the novellas, all strating with the same 2 paragraphs. And to discover how it ended in very different stories.
Nonetheless none of the short stories really captured my interest. I wouldn't feel like reading any other book from those writers. Some I might even try to remember as "better to avoid even when freebie". That was the occasion for me to try a zombie and steampunk romance - I absolutely hated the first and wasn't convinced by the latter either.
Nonetheless none of the short stories really captured my interest. I wouldn't feel like reading any other book from those writers. Some I might even try to remember as "better to avoid even when freebie". That was the occasion for me to try a zombie and steampunk romance - I absolutely hated the first and wasn't convinced by the latter either.
February 4, 2012
Boring, only read the first two stories and started the third one. Didn't finish book.
February 12, 2012
Interesting concept, and two of the stories kept my interest. On the whole, it just didn't work for me.
January 24, 2014
6 stories start with the same paragraph....
Charlotte winced as an inebriated party goer stepped on her foot, but she kept moving determinedly towards the doors that led to the balcony. The Duncan's would be delighted with their party. It was clearly the event of the season, and their daughter had been successfully launched into society....
Unfortunately, the noise, the heat, and the crowd combined with Charlotte's pounding heachache to make her want to escape for a breath of fresh air..Reaching the balcony doors she opened them to find 2 people engaged in a passionate kiss..
"I'm sorry" the words escaped her lips before she realized it would have been better to make and exit without being noticed..the couple jumped apart
Charlotte felt the blood drain from her face as she stared at her Fiance' "John! I thought you were dead!"
** Pulse Point by Nancy Warren
We are introduced to John the newly minted EX fiance' and the women he is locking lips with is who Charlotte believes he is having an affair with, Because while he was away on business she called his hotel room and she answered his phone at 2am. She calls off the wedding! (SMART WOMEN!) He corners her at this party to see is she still cares about him (apparently they are in Jr High and lip locking with this women was suppose to make her jealous) So he could see if she still cares.They argue and he accuses her of being scared to get married and overreacting . The next day he shows up and her apt and explains that they were just getting ready for a meeting they had the next day (YEAH RIGHT JOHN!) and basically says f*** me one last time, and of course she does LOL...I have found far more effective goodbyes...but okay...they share this night of passion and she wakes up alone..(NEXT RED FLAG DARLING!) LOL.Thinking she was all wrong she is glad when he comes by "oh I forgot my watch" somehow she ends up in his car and he tells her "I am kidnapping you unless you marry me today!" She is thinking OHHH SWEET I am thinking CRAZY CHEATING STALKER GUY! LOL..I am taking into account they only had 5 chapters to tell the story..but as a women who has been wronged in the past, I can be cynical but I wasnt feeling this one..I would give it 1.5 Stars
**Charlotte's Angel by Cathering Spencer
We discover that John is a serial fiance' and basically was just playing with Charlotte cuz he thought she was "loaded" because of the company she keeps and the women is his real fiance'..she goes off on him a little bit and he goes inside to check on hot lips..and some guys steps out of the shadows who has been watching the whole time..she knows him but cant place it right away.. she figures out she seen him before..and then she remembers he was the hunk who caught her eye in Barbados when John was wooing her..John comes back out and she yells at him some more and he disappears..and the dude comes back out of the shadows and basically tells her he has been keeping an eye on her since Barbados and would like a chance to "get to know her" at first she is like "back off buddy" (she suddenly got smarter in this story LOL) but of course she gives in..but in his defense he does not make any grand dios promises, Just bassically lets see where this goes kind of thing.. I would give this one 2 stars (it was a but more realistic)
**The Duke's Dilemma by Maragret Moore
OHH this auther was quite clever...not only did she change the setting of this one (it is back in the victorian era I am guessing, or at the least it was a LONG time ago LOL) but it was not John she walked in on it was his twin brother James! (and we discover later that he thought he was kissing Charlotte only to discover it was her cousin) He blames her for the suicide of his brother and she hates him too cuz she thinks him leaving is what sent his brother over the edge.. He makes some silly proclamation about Marrying her and she is like NO WAY! but back in that day apparently is was a legal if you said it LOL..so the uncle threatens to sue is he dont keep his promise..but then you find out he is only saying that so James will continue to come around and agree to marry his daughter..HUH...man she fit in alot of twist in 5 chapters LOL.. in the end you find out John thought she loved another cuz he read her diary and indeed she did, we find out it was James she loved all along and only agreed to marry John cuz she thought it was James.. HUH?? I give her kudos for attempting to fit so much in with a 5 chapter limit...but in the end I was really confused as to how she didnt know 1 from the other? and why he all the sudden loved her after she gave him this half baked excuse..OHH WELL thats romance for you LOL in the end I would give this one 3 stars...cuz she was quite creative with it :-)
**Dead Man's Women by Maggie Shayne
She confronts him and he is like Women I dont know what you mean my name is Mike and I dont know who you are...she trys to explain but he keeps saying it..she takes off and is in tears and she is approach by some guys in an SUV telling her get in she thinks she is being mugged and as she stands there trying to give them her wallet and such, the guys in front of her gets shots and a car pulls up telling her to GET IN..it is the John/Mike guy who made her run into this in the first place LOL..she basically says NO WAY BUDDY I aint getting in..they go back and forth..she gets in and she asks for an explanation...HE IS A DEA Agent and was uncover trying to bring her father and uncle Carl down for their illegal "Enterprises"..she aint buying it and points the gun at him..the end up in a remote cabin and he goes to cut fire wood. SHe is snooping and finds a journal that he kept after he left her.. basically saying he loved her and only left to keep her safe cuz they were figuring out he was a cop..she thinks he is coming back in and turns around and it is Uncle carl and he is gonna kill her cuz he thinks she was in on it all along..but they outsmart him and she shoots him..then she goes into labor..and their daughter is born..You get the happy ending but this felt VERY rush..I mean I know they only had 5 chapters but DEAR it was over before I could ever process what happened LOL...I would give this one a 2.5..just cuz a little development would have been nice
** Night of the living wed by Michele Hauf
OMG this one was so incredibly ridiculous I wont even go into what was an attempt at a plot..I wont even dignify this one with any stars at!
BIG FAT 0!!!!!
**Bold as Brass by Christine Bell
As I started this one I realized it had a furturistic approach to it..and honestly I could not even get thru chapter 1... yeah this one is a 0 also!!
**** OVERALL. I loved this concept to see were each author would take it! The last 2 were a huge let down I would have been perfectly happy with the first 4 and left those out LMAO...I would say with the overall concept and ONLY the first 4..I would give this a solid 3...
Charlotte winced as an inebriated party goer stepped on her foot, but she kept moving determinedly towards the doors that led to the balcony. The Duncan's would be delighted with their party. It was clearly the event of the season, and their daughter had been successfully launched into society....
Unfortunately, the noise, the heat, and the crowd combined with Charlotte's pounding heachache to make her want to escape for a breath of fresh air..Reaching the balcony doors she opened them to find 2 people engaged in a passionate kiss..
"I'm sorry" the words escaped her lips before she realized it would have been better to make and exit without being noticed..the couple jumped apart
Charlotte felt the blood drain from her face as she stared at her Fiance' "John! I thought you were dead!"
** Pulse Point by Nancy Warren
We are introduced to John the newly minted EX fiance' and the women he is locking lips with is who Charlotte believes he is having an affair with, Because while he was away on business she called his hotel room and she answered his phone at 2am. She calls off the wedding! (SMART WOMEN!) He corners her at this party to see is she still cares about him (apparently they are in Jr High and lip locking with this women was suppose to make her jealous) So he could see if she still cares.They argue and he accuses her of being scared to get married and overreacting . The next day he shows up and her apt and explains that they were just getting ready for a meeting they had the next day (YEAH RIGHT JOHN!) and basically says f*** me one last time, and of course she does LOL...I have found far more effective goodbyes...but okay...they share this night of passion and she wakes up alone..(NEXT RED FLAG DARLING!) LOL.Thinking she was all wrong she is glad when he comes by "oh I forgot my watch" somehow she ends up in his car and he tells her "I am kidnapping you unless you marry me today!" She is thinking OHHH SWEET I am thinking CRAZY CHEATING STALKER GUY! LOL..I am taking into account they only had 5 chapters to tell the story..but as a women who has been wronged in the past, I can be cynical but I wasnt feeling this one..I would give it 1.5 Stars
**Charlotte's Angel by Cathering Spencer
We discover that John is a serial fiance' and basically was just playing with Charlotte cuz he thought she was "loaded" because of the company she keeps and the women is his real fiance'..she goes off on him a little bit and he goes inside to check on hot lips..and some guys steps out of the shadows who has been watching the whole time..she knows him but cant place it right away.. she figures out she seen him before..and then she remembers he was the hunk who caught her eye in Barbados when John was wooing her..John comes back out and she yells at him some more and he disappears..and the dude comes back out of the shadows and basically tells her he has been keeping an eye on her since Barbados and would like a chance to "get to know her" at first she is like "back off buddy" (she suddenly got smarter in this story LOL) but of course she gives in..but in his defense he does not make any grand dios promises, Just bassically lets see where this goes kind of thing.. I would give this one 2 stars (it was a but more realistic)
**The Duke's Dilemma by Maragret Moore
OHH this auther was quite clever...not only did she change the setting of this one (it is back in the victorian era I am guessing, or at the least it was a LONG time ago LOL) but it was not John she walked in on it was his twin brother James! (and we discover later that he thought he was kissing Charlotte only to discover it was her cousin) He blames her for the suicide of his brother and she hates him too cuz she thinks him leaving is what sent his brother over the edge.. He makes some silly proclamation about Marrying her and she is like NO WAY! but back in that day apparently is was a legal if you said it LOL..so the uncle threatens to sue is he dont keep his promise..but then you find out he is only saying that so James will continue to come around and agree to marry his daughter..HUH...man she fit in alot of twist in 5 chapters LOL.. in the end you find out John thought she loved another cuz he read her diary and indeed she did, we find out it was James she loved all along and only agreed to marry John cuz she thought it was James.. HUH?? I give her kudos for attempting to fit so much in with a 5 chapter limit...but in the end I was really confused as to how she didnt know 1 from the other? and why he all the sudden loved her after she gave him this half baked excuse..OHH WELL thats romance for you LOL in the end I would give this one 3 stars...cuz she was quite creative with it :-)
**Dead Man's Women by Maggie Shayne
She confronts him and he is like Women I dont know what you mean my name is Mike and I dont know who you are...she trys to explain but he keeps saying it..she takes off and is in tears and she is approach by some guys in an SUV telling her get in she thinks she is being mugged and as she stands there trying to give them her wallet and such, the guys in front of her gets shots and a car pulls up telling her to GET IN..it is the John/Mike guy who made her run into this in the first place LOL..she basically says NO WAY BUDDY I aint getting in..they go back and forth..she gets in and she asks for an explanation...HE IS A DEA Agent and was uncover trying to bring her father and uncle Carl down for their illegal "Enterprises"..she aint buying it and points the gun at him..the end up in a remote cabin and he goes to cut fire wood. SHe is snooping and finds a journal that he kept after he left her.. basically saying he loved her and only left to keep her safe cuz they were figuring out he was a cop..she thinks he is coming back in and turns around and it is Uncle carl and he is gonna kill her cuz he thinks she was in on it all along..but they outsmart him and she shoots him..then she goes into labor..and their daughter is born..You get the happy ending but this felt VERY rush..I mean I know they only had 5 chapters but DEAR it was over before I could ever process what happened LOL...I would give this one a 2.5..just cuz a little development would have been nice
** Night of the living wed by Michele Hauf
OMG this one was so incredibly ridiculous I wont even go into what was an attempt at a plot..I wont even dignify this one with any stars at!
BIG FAT 0!!!!!
**Bold as Brass by Christine Bell
As I started this one I realized it had a furturistic approach to it..and honestly I could not even get thru chapter 1... yeah this one is a 0 also!!
**** OVERALL. I loved this concept to see were each author would take it! The last 2 were a huge let down I would have been perfectly happy with the first 4 and left those out LMAO...I would say with the overall concept and ONLY the first 4..I would give this a solid 3...
February 13, 2025
A different kind of book That is amazing
This was such a different book I have to say. There are 6 stories in this book and you can read it in 1 night easily. The 6 The 6 stories all start with the very same paragraph the very beginning of the story But then 6 different authors take that beginning and make it their own. So you read genres such as Zombies, Zombies,, Regency,, And of course of course a couple others. I never realized that an author could take a beginning of a story And make it their own but it does make sense. I felt This was a really good book for me to read today. Gotta love How authors think so differently.
This was such a different book I have to say. There are 6 stories in this book and you can read it in 1 night easily. The 6 The 6 stories all start with the very same paragraph the very beginning of the story But then 6 different authors take that beginning and make it their own. So you read genres such as Zombies, Zombies,, Regency,, And of course of course a couple others. I never realized that an author could take a beginning of a story And make it their own but it does make sense. I felt This was a really good book for me to read today. Gotta love How authors think so differently.
November 29, 2018
Interesting
It is so interesting how a start of a story can have so many different outcomes. I was thoroughly confused at first, I will admit. I enjoyed all is the stories, even the one with the zombies. I would recommend this collection.
It is so interesting how a start of a story can have so many different outcomes. I was thoroughly confused at first, I will admit. I enjoyed all is the stories, even the one with the zombies. I would recommend this collection.
September 12, 2019
Quick read
If you're in a hurry but need a quick time killer, this is a good one. It's also a perfect sampler if you're not sure what kind of romance you like or just like a variety.
If you're in a hurry but need a quick time killer, this is a good one. It's also a perfect sampler if you're not sure what kind of romance you like or just like a variety.
February 6, 2025
This is a nice/eclectic collection of short stories that all begin with the same few paragraphs and then each of the authors wrote a story in their own style/genre. I really think this is a cute collection of stories that has something for everyone. I enjoyed all of them.
October 20, 2017
Each of these stories begin the exact same way. While all of them were decent, the zombie one made me laugh (sick right?)
April 18, 2018
Six stories, some better, some disturbing, some worse.
I really liked the idea of the shared opening and the different stories. And my favourite was the steampunk version <3
I really liked the idea of the shared opening and the different stories. And my favourite was the steampunk version <3
November 28, 2018
This book contains six short stories that all begin the same way. It's a cool idea but none of the stories are keepers.
February 6, 2019
love reading how 6 different authors took the same opening and made it their own. each one different
Read
August 17, 2019Read "Dead Man's Woman" by Maggie Shayne
February 1, 2021
6 romance authors are given the same wrting prompt. I enjoyed reading the very different directions each author took the story. Nice variety of different genres and styles.
July 22, 2021
These stories ranged from OK to very good with Maggie Shayne having my favorite, "Dead Man's Woman" suspense romance.
February 16, 2022
A collection of six short stories that start with the same few opening paragraphs. Some were definitely better than others.
July 11, 2023
Some of the worst stories I have ever read. I think Hauf’s zombies was the worst but I could be wrong as many of them were equally terrible.
December 9, 2023
It is a brilliant idea, the same intro and characters with different authors to complete the story, each one gives a different time, traits of the characters, and genre. It is a good read.
January 25, 2025
Disappointed... yet again! Will I ever fund a decent short story collection? This being from Harlequin I expected it to be at least OK. Not! 😕
March 8, 2012
I love the premise of this anthology. Give six authors the same opening paragraph and see what happens. This is how all the stories in the anthology begin:
"Charlotte winced as an inebriated party-goer stepped on her foot, but she kept moving determinedly toward the doors that led to the balcony. The Duncans would be delighted with their party; it was clearly the event of the season, and their daughter had been successfully launched into society. Unfortunately, the noise, the heat, and the crowd combined with Charlotte’s pounding headache to make her want to escape for a breath of fresh air. Reaching the balcony doors, she opened them to find two people engaged in a passionate kiss. “I’m sorry.” The words escaped her mouth before she realized it would have been better to make an exit without being noticed. The couple jumped apart. Charlotte felt the blood drain from her face as she stared at her fiancé. “John! I thought you were dead!”
From this beginning come six wonderfully different stories. I particularly enjoyed Michelle Hauf's "Night of the Living Wed." It was definitely NOT your average love story! Oh, it had plenty of love and sweet, tender moments - but it also had lots and lots of zombies. Normally, zombie stories don't do it for me, but the humor and fun in "Night of the Living Wed" won me over.
All six stories are quick, fun reads. I read the entire anthology in a few hours. If you are looking for fun, romance, and a quick read - this is the book for you.
"Charlotte winced as an inebriated party-goer stepped on her foot, but she kept moving determinedly toward the doors that led to the balcony. The Duncans would be delighted with their party; it was clearly the event of the season, and their daughter had been successfully launched into society. Unfortunately, the noise, the heat, and the crowd combined with Charlotte’s pounding headache to make her want to escape for a breath of fresh air. Reaching the balcony doors, she opened them to find two people engaged in a passionate kiss. “I’m sorry.” The words escaped her mouth before she realized it would have been better to make an exit without being noticed. The couple jumped apart. Charlotte felt the blood drain from her face as she stared at her fiancé. “John! I thought you were dead!”
From this beginning come six wonderfully different stories. I particularly enjoyed Michelle Hauf's "Night of the Living Wed." It was definitely NOT your average love story! Oh, it had plenty of love and sweet, tender moments - but it also had lots and lots of zombies. Normally, zombie stories don't do it for me, but the humor and fun in "Night of the Living Wed" won me over.
All six stories are quick, fun reads. I read the entire anthology in a few hours. If you are looking for fun, romance, and a quick read - this is the book for you.
January 14, 2014
I liked the premise of this anthology: six different authors were given the same opening paragraphs to start with, a young woman steps outside for a break from a party she helped plan, only to discover her presumed dead fiancé in the arms of another woman. Each story is also five chapters in length, so it's a quick read through each style of short story.
Each of these six writers have their own take on this romantic tale, from a straight up action adventure, to a historic period romance and a woman's love for one brother over another, and another story involving zombie attacks, plus a steam punk storyline. The best point of this anthology is to show that besides the typical romantic aspect of the main pair of people in the story, the stories take us on incredible journeys from the imaginations of these writers! It's a fun way to try out a new author, while enjoying stories from your favorites, as well.
Each of these six writers have their own take on this romantic tale, from a straight up action adventure, to a historic period romance and a woman's love for one brother over another, and another story involving zombie attacks, plus a steam punk storyline. The best point of this anthology is to show that besides the typical romantic aspect of the main pair of people in the story, the stories take us on incredible journeys from the imaginations of these writers! It's a fun way to try out a new author, while enjoying stories from your favorites, as well.
February 27, 2012
I think this was a brilliant idea to have five different authors take the same opening paragraph and turn it into their own story. The book was supposed to have six different stories, but the version that I have only has five, but that didn't bother me at all. My most favorite stories in this book were "The Duke's Dilemma" and "Dead Man's Woman"; my least favorite story was "Night of the Living Wed". I mean, in a dark, twisted and sick kind of way it was romantic, but that's just my opinion. I don't think this would be a book I'd read again, but I'd recommend it to other people. So overall, it was an okay book, but it really depends on what you like.
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February 4, 2015
I liked the idea of reading an anthology where the starting paragraphs were all the same.
Pulse Point (Nancy Warren): Completely unbelievable. Heroine is weak-willed.
Charlotte's Angel (Catherine Spencer): I like both the hero and heroine. Best of all the stories.
Duke's Dilemma (Margaret Moore): Quick, thoughtless read.
Dead Man's Woman (Maggie Shayne): Now, I was looking forward to this one. I love Shane's work. And it didn't disappoint. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't my favorite.
Night of the Living Wed (Michele Hauf): Throw-away story. Farce. There were zombies.
Bold as Brass (Christine Bell): Cute filler story.
Overall, it started out bad, then it was good, then it was an unnecessary filler.
Pulse Point (Nancy Warren): Completely unbelievable. Heroine is weak-willed.
Charlotte's Angel (Catherine Spencer): I like both the hero and heroine. Best of all the stories.
Duke's Dilemma (Margaret Moore): Quick, thoughtless read.
Dead Man's Woman (Maggie Shayne): Now, I was looking forward to this one. I love Shane's work. And it didn't disappoint. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't my favorite.
Night of the Living Wed (Michele Hauf): Throw-away story. Farce. There were zombies.
Bold as Brass (Christine Bell): Cute filler story.
Overall, it started out bad, then it was good, then it was an unnecessary filler.
May 16, 2012
The concept here is that six different writers take the same opening paragraph and finish the writing in their own way. Each opening starts with a woman walking in on her fiance kissing another woman. The problems get worse because she thinks her fiance is dead. The writers each put their own spin on it and even change up the settings as well. There is a little something for everyone... contemporary, historical, etc. There is even a science fiction story as well. This one was my least favorite but I have a hard time with that genre to begin with.
February 25, 2012
This is an interesting set-up from Harlequin. First page is the same for each of the six stories, but then six authors make it thete own. I enjoyed three of the stories tolerated two and just skimmed one of the stories. It is a nice book and offers various styles of writing. It would make an inspirational read for inspiring writers to take an introduction and practice writing different styles and stretch the imagination. Overall the stories were well developed and the characters were enjoyable.
December 5, 2014
This was an interesting read. This has six short stories by different types of romance authors. The authors are given the same start and then to make it their own to show how different romance novels are based on the genre. (Historical, contemporary, paranormal, etc)
Maggie Shayne was my favorite of the six.
This is not a Valentine read if that's what you're looking for as I was. This was just a special treat from Harlequin to you.
Maggie Shayne was my favorite of the six.
This is not a Valentine read if that's what you're looking for as I was. This was just a special treat from Harlequin to you.
September 5, 2013
This is an interesting concept to have six authors write a story in their sub genres with the same few paragraphs. However, each story was ok. They seemed a bit tongue-in-cheek. Nancy Warren's story was good, almost believable. The most interesting was Christine Bell's story because this was the first time I read steam-punk. I don't think any of these stories are a good basis to determine if you might like the author but it was an interesting read.
February 8, 2015
This book was free when I downloaded it to my Nook library. It has an interesting concept: give the opening paragraphs to six Harlequin-published writers and see the variety of sub-genres available from Blaze to steam-punk. For this reader, it missed the mark when I did not care to read more by these authors.
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