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Vicarage Bench #1 - 3
The Vicarage Bench
Imagine having to share your body with an invading time traveller. Dr. Tobias Andrews, guardian of the magic, assists each trapped spirit- but not until every story's happy ending is assured. In She's Me, chubby, shy Lucy McGillicuddy who lives in a small English village in 1963 is forced to share herself with 2006 top model Jenna McBride. This experience teaches them both valuable lessons that enable them to finally accept true love. In He's Her, schoolteacher Carrie Temple has to make space for Vegas casino owner Rhett Parks, whose spirit invades her heart as well as her mind, and won't leave. At first she desperately wants him to get out, but soon she can't bear for them to be apart. In We're One, Vegas nightclub star Crystal Davis wants nothing to do with men until she and Ashley Parks must flee from a killer. Ashley uses magic to trap her spirit inside of him to keep her safe, but she soon convinces him it's his safety they need to be worried about.
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Mimi Barbour
285 books699 followersMimi is an incredibly busy NYT and USA Today award-winning, best-selling author who has nine series to her credit, as well as over 45 books and numerous multi-author box collections.
Mimi lives on the East coast of Vancouver Island with her pup, Charli, and writes her various romances with tongue in cheek and a mad glint in her eye.
She’s been known to say: “If I can steal a booklover’s attention away from their every-day grind, absorb them into a fantasy love story, and make them care about the ending, then I’ve done my job.”
**1st place prize of the 2015 - Chanticleer Reviews - Clue Awards. Special Agent Francesca
**A TOUCH OF PASSION, has just become the 2016 WINNER of The Romance Reviews Readers' Choice Awards.
Mimi lives on the East coast of Vancouver Island with her pup, Charli, and writes her various romances with tongue in cheek and a mad glint in her eye.
She’s been known to say: “If I can steal a booklover’s attention away from their every-day grind, absorb them into a fantasy love story, and make them care about the ending, then I’ve done my job.”
**1st place prize of the 2015 - Chanticleer Reviews - Clue Awards. Special Agent Francesca
**A TOUCH OF PASSION, has just become the 2016 WINNER of The Romance Reviews Readers' Choice Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 20, 2017
I love time travel romance and this collection is a winner! I was swept away by the events and the characters. I loved He's Her best of all! A must read!
My Rating: 5 stars
My Rating: 5 stars
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December 22, 2012
I can't think why this author didn't set this series of novellas in the US. Setting it in the UK doesn't add much to the stories, and she makes elementary mistakes about British life. For a start, the National Health Service began in 1948, so there is not way a working class pensioner could have medical bills taking most of his money in 1967. There are also errors of vocabulary, and I'm dubious whether Godzilla was well-known in the UK then.
The principle I was always taught was: Write about what you know.
The principle I was always taught was: Write about what you know.
July 9, 2013
These just did not do it for me. I have being harsh. I am a horror story fan and maybe I need to be more selective when choosing books from Amazon etc. However, this anthology just dragged for me and the characters were typical and lame. This seems all to familiar like it has been done once before in something I have read somewhere else. I was fine then but I did not want to read it again and in this context. This paticular story just dragged for me and really never caught on.
August 4, 2011
Thoroughly enjoyed this read. What a great escape!
March 11, 2019
Mim is good writer in what ever kind of books she writes. This was with time travel, body shaping. Goes to show a person in what ever time period one or the other is in, love can and does happen. Then what to do about it.
Enjoyable, and interesting.
Enjoyable, and interesting.
April 5, 2023
Fun read
Five couples share an existence for a time four by accident, one on purpose. Each story is different and changes happen to all the couples. This is an interesting concept in time travel and soul transfer. Good read.
Five couples share an existence for a time four by accident, one on purpose. Each story is different and changes happen to all the couples. This is an interesting concept in time travel and soul transfer. Good read.
October 19, 2018
Please see individual stories for review.
March 9, 2020
Cliched
May 8, 2021
The book was nice and soothing...
March 31, 2011
The Vicarage Bench - Review from RT
“These three enchanting novellas entertain with
tales of time travel and body sharing. The stories of
growth, transformation and sweet love are inventive,
the characters unforgettable, and the dialogue well
written.”
~Gail Pruszkowski, R.T. Review
We're One - Review - You Gotta Read
Rating: You Need To Read
When I first started reading this story, I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it or not. However the further along I got in the story, the more I wanted to know what was going to happen to Ashley and Crystal. There were a few surprises along the way, like a magical rose bush, which I did not see coming at all. This is probably due to not reading the first two books in this series. Now I find myself wanting to read the other books and the new one coming out soon. I'm so glad I did not give up on this story or author. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending and can't wait to see what she has in store with the next book. You definitely need to pick up "We're One" and all the other stories in this series. You will not be disappointed.
Posted by Antonia
He's Her Review - Fallen Angel - 4 Angels
He’s Her lends a new definition to the term “cerebral love,” since the two main characters fall in love while cohabitating in one body. This is a sweet romance with just a touch of sensuality to it, and all love-making is mental and “spiritual” instead of physical. Perhaps I am somewhat jaded, but the spiritual aspect of the love-making didn’t really work for me and reminded me just a little too much of the series romances of the 70s and 80s. The relationship between Rhett and Carrie is still very enjoyable to watch unfold, and Ms. Barbour has done a very effective job making their interactions both interesting and entertaining. Rhett professes to be selfish and abrupt, yet he shows surprising insight when dealing with Carrie and her issues. Carrie is a very repressed character, but with Rhett acting as her coach and mental cheering section, she finally grows a backbone. Romance fans are bound to enjoy this novella. Assuming that there will be a third story in this series, I personally am curious as to how Ms Barbour is going to continue the theme and whether she can keep it as fresh and unique as He’s Her undoubtedly is.
Reviewed by: Whitney
She's Me Review - Long and Short 4 stars
The title, "She's Me," foreshadows the action in this tospy-turvy love story by Mimi Barbour. Our heroine Jenna is one of those deliciously stunning woman who not only are so beautiful the average woman really cannot identify with them, but she also lives a life so removed from the everyday she seems utterly beyond the reach of ordinary reality. All that is about to change, however.
Ms. Borbour's main character has far more character than we might have expected at the beginning. Changes in her circumstances leave her distraught--but unexpectedly strong. She comes to rely on friendships, and--in a completely unexpected way, she finds a person that she can talk to, can share things with, in a way that defies ordinary human relationships. (Cryptic? In commenting on this story, I am really struggling to avoid spoilers!)
Jenna's life turns upside down, although indeed, so will a certain person named Lucy. Jenna's love life almost seems to take a backseat to the other storyline, but there is a love there centers on the who she is, rather than the person she looks like--and puzzling out how that storyline will come together is indeed part of the charm.
The quaint setting is well described--and the 'paranormal event' that ties the setting to the same in another time arrives unexpectedly, and unpredictably. The best part about this story is without doubt, the wonderful array of characters, the importance of certain secondary characters, and the wonderful changes and growth we see and understood, happening almost magically before our eyes. Dialogue is snappy and at times humorous ("Hell's bells, now I can't even cry without getting hassled...") The true selves involved here are unpredictable --and the relationships that drive this story are hysterical. My only complaint is that the title foreshadows one key turning point, instead of surprising us with that, too. Still, I'd recommend you pick up "She's Me," for one surprise after another!
Reviewed: by Snapdragon
“These three enchanting novellas entertain with
tales of time travel and body sharing. The stories of
growth, transformation and sweet love are inventive,
the characters unforgettable, and the dialogue well
written.”
~Gail Pruszkowski, R.T. Review
We're One - Review - You Gotta Read
Rating: You Need To Read
When I first started reading this story, I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it or not. However the further along I got in the story, the more I wanted to know what was going to happen to Ashley and Crystal. There were a few surprises along the way, like a magical rose bush, which I did not see coming at all. This is probably due to not reading the first two books in this series. Now I find myself wanting to read the other books and the new one coming out soon. I'm so glad I did not give up on this story or author. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending and can't wait to see what she has in store with the next book. You definitely need to pick up "We're One" and all the other stories in this series. You will not be disappointed.
Posted by Antonia
He's Her Review - Fallen Angel - 4 Angels
He’s Her lends a new definition to the term “cerebral love,” since the two main characters fall in love while cohabitating in one body. This is a sweet romance with just a touch of sensuality to it, and all love-making is mental and “spiritual” instead of physical. Perhaps I am somewhat jaded, but the spiritual aspect of the love-making didn’t really work for me and reminded me just a little too much of the series romances of the 70s and 80s. The relationship between Rhett and Carrie is still very enjoyable to watch unfold, and Ms. Barbour has done a very effective job making their interactions both interesting and entertaining. Rhett professes to be selfish and abrupt, yet he shows surprising insight when dealing with Carrie and her issues. Carrie is a very repressed character, but with Rhett acting as her coach and mental cheering section, she finally grows a backbone. Romance fans are bound to enjoy this novella. Assuming that there will be a third story in this series, I personally am curious as to how Ms Barbour is going to continue the theme and whether she can keep it as fresh and unique as He’s Her undoubtedly is.
Reviewed by: Whitney
She's Me Review - Long and Short 4 stars
The title, "She's Me," foreshadows the action in this tospy-turvy love story by Mimi Barbour. Our heroine Jenna is one of those deliciously stunning woman who not only are so beautiful the average woman really cannot identify with them, but she also lives a life so removed from the everyday she seems utterly beyond the reach of ordinary reality. All that is about to change, however.
Ms. Borbour's main character has far more character than we might have expected at the beginning. Changes in her circumstances leave her distraught--but unexpectedly strong. She comes to rely on friendships, and--in a completely unexpected way, she finds a person that she can talk to, can share things with, in a way that defies ordinary human relationships. (Cryptic? In commenting on this story, I am really struggling to avoid spoilers!)
Jenna's life turns upside down, although indeed, so will a certain person named Lucy. Jenna's love life almost seems to take a backseat to the other storyline, but there is a love there centers on the who she is, rather than the person she looks like--and puzzling out how that storyline will come together is indeed part of the charm.
The quaint setting is well described--and the 'paranormal event' that ties the setting to the same in another time arrives unexpectedly, and unpredictably. The best part about this story is without doubt, the wonderful array of characters, the importance of certain secondary characters, and the wonderful changes and growth we see and understood, happening almost magically before our eyes. Dialogue is snappy and at times humorous ("Hell's bells, now I can't even cry without getting hassled...") The true selves involved here are unpredictable --and the relationships that drive this story are hysterical. My only complaint is that the title foreshadows one key turning point, instead of surprising us with that, too. Still, I'd recommend you pick up "She's Me," for one surprise after another!
Reviewed: by Snapdragon
December 9, 2014
In the small village of Bury, England, a rose bush grows behind a bench outside the church vicarage. That rose bush is special, and not just because it blooms in three different colors – red, white and pink. That rose bush has the ability, with the prick of one of its thorns, to transport the spirit of one person into another person’s body. That prick also leaves the body of the soul traveler comatose.
In the first story of the anthology, “She’s Me,” the bush works its magic on Jenna McBride, a bratty supermodel, and Lucy McGillicuddy, a dowdy librarian. Dr. John Norman, the town’s new physician, and Jake Dadson, Jenna’s manager, work hard to solve the problem of the co-joined spirits, but the red rose has other plans for the time being. And those plans include a total psychological makeover for both women and a dual romance, Dr. Norman with Lucy and Jake with Jenna. Those plans also include Dr. Tobias Andrews, an area psychiatrist, who is destined to solve the mystery of how to separate the spirits.
The second story, “He’s Her,” involves a powerful but bitter Las Vegas casino owner, Rhett Parks, and Carrie Temple, a schoolteacher who is treated like a doormat because she continually tries to be nice. When Carrie pricks her finger on a rose thorn, she drops the rose as she slips dizzily onto the bench. When Rhett, who is sitting on that same bench, picks up the rose Carrie dropped, the thorn also pricks him. And, voila! Rhett’s spirit is now lodged firmly in Carrie’s brain. When bitter and angry must live in the same body with sweetness and light, something has to change. And the rose, with Dr. Andrews’ help, has plans for just that.
In the third story, “We’re One,” Ashley Parks, the brother of Rhett Parks, finds himself needing to save the woman he loves from the maniacal enforcer of a rival Las Vegas casino owner. Knowing what happened to his brother – and the HEA that Rhett and Carrie achieved – by way of the rose bush, Ashley flees with Crystal Davis to Bury, England, Dr. Andrews, the vicarage bench and the thorns of the pink rose bloom. Unfortunately, Ashley doesn’t tell Crystal what he’s going to do before he does it and she is not pleased, not a bit happy at all, when she finds her spirit looking out through Ashley’s eyes. And when the sociopathic enforcer and his partner fall into the rose bush while chasing Ashley/Carrie, both getting pricked by the same bloom, the story takes on a whole new twist. Dr. Andrews and the rose bush have their work cut out for them this time!
It is important for the reader to know that this anthology is a collection of sequential short stories. The first entry is very short, about 50 pages, while the second and third are about 85 pages each. And neither the second nor third entries are standalones. The events presented in them presume that you have read the first story and no synopsis of previous events or any backstory of previous characters is provided in subsequent entries.
The whole anthology can be read in a day. However, I honestly feel that you will enjoy the series more if you read the entries over three different days.
In the first story of the anthology, “She’s Me,” the bush works its magic on Jenna McBride, a bratty supermodel, and Lucy McGillicuddy, a dowdy librarian. Dr. John Norman, the town’s new physician, and Jake Dadson, Jenna’s manager, work hard to solve the problem of the co-joined spirits, but the red rose has other plans for the time being. And those plans include a total psychological makeover for both women and a dual romance, Dr. Norman with Lucy and Jake with Jenna. Those plans also include Dr. Tobias Andrews, an area psychiatrist, who is destined to solve the mystery of how to separate the spirits.
The second story, “He’s Her,” involves a powerful but bitter Las Vegas casino owner, Rhett Parks, and Carrie Temple, a schoolteacher who is treated like a doormat because she continually tries to be nice. When Carrie pricks her finger on a rose thorn, she drops the rose as she slips dizzily onto the bench. When Rhett, who is sitting on that same bench, picks up the rose Carrie dropped, the thorn also pricks him. And, voila! Rhett’s spirit is now lodged firmly in Carrie’s brain. When bitter and angry must live in the same body with sweetness and light, something has to change. And the rose, with Dr. Andrews’ help, has plans for just that.
In the third story, “We’re One,” Ashley Parks, the brother of Rhett Parks, finds himself needing to save the woman he loves from the maniacal enforcer of a rival Las Vegas casino owner. Knowing what happened to his brother – and the HEA that Rhett and Carrie achieved – by way of the rose bush, Ashley flees with Crystal Davis to Bury, England, Dr. Andrews, the vicarage bench and the thorns of the pink rose bloom. Unfortunately, Ashley doesn’t tell Crystal what he’s going to do before he does it and she is not pleased, not a bit happy at all, when she finds her spirit looking out through Ashley’s eyes. And when the sociopathic enforcer and his partner fall into the rose bush while chasing Ashley/Carrie, both getting pricked by the same bloom, the story takes on a whole new twist. Dr. Andrews and the rose bush have their work cut out for them this time!
It is important for the reader to know that this anthology is a collection of sequential short stories. The first entry is very short, about 50 pages, while the second and third are about 85 pages each. And neither the second nor third entries are standalones. The events presented in them presume that you have read the first story and no synopsis of previous events or any backstory of previous characters is provided in subsequent entries.
The whole anthology can be read in a day. However, I honestly feel that you will enjoy the series more if you read the entries over three different days.
May 5, 2015
Excellent
The first book was excellent! It was a story of Jenna who was famous and beautiful. When her and Marnie went out, Jenna pricked her finger on a rose and felt dizzy, at the same time Lucy pricked her finger. When Jenna awoke she was in another body in the year 1963. Dr. Andrews found her and took her to see a doctor/ psychiatrists named John. Apparently Jenna and Lucy were trapped in the same body. Back in Jenna's time, or should I say forward, Jake and Marnie are worried since Jenna is in a coma. Later they receive a tape recording from the year 1963 and are shocked when they discover it is from Jenna 43 years ago. Anyone else would think they had lost there minds. You won't believe what happens afterwards. This is a hilarious, Awesome story.
The second book is about Carrie who is a school teacher and lives with her grandparents, and Brett who is the owner of a casino. He had to go to England when his father died. While he was sitting on a bench, Carrie came up and picked a rose. Carrie felt faint and sat down on the bench beside Brett. He noticed she dropped a rose and bent to pick it up and pricked his finger. Next thing they know he is inside of Carrie's body. In this story we will meet Dr. Andrews again, however Brett's brother Ashley has taken Bretts body back to Vegas. You will have to read the story to find out the outcome. You will love it.
The last book is about Ash, who is Brett's brother and a girl named Crystal that saved him when 3 guys were ganged up on him. We also have Joey who is Crystals boss and Arnie who lives life on the rough side. Then we have Dr. Andrews who is in the previous 2 stories. This is another amazing story. Mimi Barbour is an excellent author with a great imagination.
The first book was excellent! It was a story of Jenna who was famous and beautiful. When her and Marnie went out, Jenna pricked her finger on a rose and felt dizzy, at the same time Lucy pricked her finger. When Jenna awoke she was in another body in the year 1963. Dr. Andrews found her and took her to see a doctor/ psychiatrists named John. Apparently Jenna and Lucy were trapped in the same body. Back in Jenna's time, or should I say forward, Jake and Marnie are worried since Jenna is in a coma. Later they receive a tape recording from the year 1963 and are shocked when they discover it is from Jenna 43 years ago. Anyone else would think they had lost there minds. You won't believe what happens afterwards. This is a hilarious, Awesome story.
The second book is about Carrie who is a school teacher and lives with her grandparents, and Brett who is the owner of a casino. He had to go to England when his father died. While he was sitting on a bench, Carrie came up and picked a rose. Carrie felt faint and sat down on the bench beside Brett. He noticed she dropped a rose and bent to pick it up and pricked his finger. Next thing they know he is inside of Carrie's body. In this story we will meet Dr. Andrews again, however Brett's brother Ashley has taken Bretts body back to Vegas. You will have to read the story to find out the outcome. You will love it.
The last book is about Ash, who is Brett's brother and a girl named Crystal that saved him when 3 guys were ganged up on him. We also have Joey who is Crystals boss and Arnie who lives life on the rough side. Then we have Dr. Andrews who is in the previous 2 stories. This is another amazing story. Mimi Barbour is an excellent author with a great imagination.
December 30, 2014
Very good set. Love the time travel. Different and enjoyable.
January 10, 2015
Suspicious Seating
Be careful sitting down here. These stories were more "out-there" for me. The writing is a little weak. I could only finish 2 of the stories.
Be careful sitting down here. These stories were more "out-there" for me. The writing is a little weak. I could only finish 2 of the stories.
February 8, 2016
So much fun!
The stories in this book were so much fun! Great for a laugh or three. :-) I highly recommend this series.
The stories in this book were so much fun! Great for a laugh or three. :-) I highly recommend this series.
April 26, 2018
Terrible....not my kind of book
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews