Limecello’s review of Tails of Love by Lori Foster, Stella Cameron, Kate Angell, Dianne Castell, Ann Christopher, Marcia James, Donna MacMeans, Sarah McCarty, Patricia Sargeant, and Sue-Ellen Welfonder
Special romantic fiction anthology released by Berkley Desire 1 Jun 09

I’d like to start out by noting that this book was written for charity- that all author and agent proceeds are going to a no-kill animal shelter. And that yes, I feel incredibly guilty about it… but I did not enjoy this book overall. The reason I finished it was because, well the book was written for charity, and it deserves a review, and also I think Sybil would have killed me if I didn’t finish it. So here we go. 

There were parts that I enjoyed, and I found some new to me authors that I plan to look into. I think also the fact that there were so many authors participating led to limited or restrictive page lengths, and that really hurt a number of the stories.

As I mentioned, a number of the novellas are incredibly short, so I’m not going to do an formal review of each one, per se. Some of the stories featured unique animals.

Ann Christopher’s novella, Atticus Saves Lisa, features a capuchin monkey. Too adorable – and its a therapy pet. Her story is well written, emotional, complete, has great characters, and is one of my favorites in this anthology.

Kate Angell’s story, Norah’s Arc, has a pygmy goat, which is cute. The interaction between the characters is also nice, and there’s a good balance between them and the animals.

Marcia James’s story, Rescue Me, was also very well written. The animal here is a Chinese crested dog. I’m impressed because her story is great, yes, but in a way mostly because she made me like cresties. And… if you’ve ever seen “ugliest dog” contest pictures, you’d know why that’s surprising. The characters have history, which also helps make this novella more realistic. It feels complete, although I would have liked more.

Sarah McCarty’s novella, Danny’s Dog, also pleasantly surprised me. I’ve read a few of Ms. McCarty’s other books, and this one was not what I was expecting. It was all about the plot, and characters, and it was rip your heart out and stomp it into the ground gut wrenching. I felt the character’s pain, and their emotions were so raw, and real. It’s a great story – I cried.

I enjoyed Lori Foster’s story, Man’s Best Friend, and was glad that it was an original one, but it was so short. Only 34 pages, and I felt that things were a bit rushed, and really it was only one scene between characters, not a story.

I don’t know what the page restrictions were, but I think writing for the anthology – not even really a novella, made it difficult for the authors to complete a story. Also, there wasn’t much cohesion within the anthology aside from animals being a part. Some novellas are contemporaries, others paranormal, or historical. This means there’s something for everyone, but it’s a little bit distracting. I think it’d help to read one story, put the book down, then come back to it, rather than reading them all in one sitting.

Some authors made animals characters, with cats and dogs talking, and I don’t mean were-animals. Although one novella did have a were-dog. Sometimes this was fine the story felt natural, but sometimes it did not. I found it very odd, and there was a distinct lack of flow in certain stories. For example the reader might jump from a cat, to a dog’s perspective – and it seems rather childlike or in the tone of a children’s book… and then all of a sudden you’re reading about the hero’s erection. The word “dissonance” comes to mind.

I’m afraid some of the stories simply didn’t work – not only were they not believable, but felt rushed and incomplete. I also kept wondering if this was actually a romance anthology or not, because so many stories ended abruptly, or without what seemed to be any real romance or relationship.

Nevertheless, there are some really great stories in Tails of Love and there were good things about each novella. I’m definitely interested in reading more books by some of the authors that I haven’t read before, such as Ann Christopher, Marcia James, and Patricia Sargeant. Others are authors that I’ve read before, and will continue to read. This anthology was written for a great cause, and that’s the most important thing of all.

Overall Grade: D+

Summary:

Ten all-new stories that celebrate our animal friends, by bestselling and award-winning authors. All Author and Agent proceeds from sales of the book will benefit the AAF – Animal Adoption Foundation – a no-kill animal shelter in Hamilton, Ohio.

From Seeing Eye dogs to the cat who cuddles in your lap, animals are there for us in more ways than we can count. Helping us get through the day with a wag of the tail and a tilt of the head, they let us know that someone is on our side—no matter what. They also have an amazing ability to break down barriers between people; bringing families and loved ones closer, and giving strangers an excuse to strike up a conversation. In Tails of Love, each writer draws from her own unique perspective on our loyal friends—exploring the many mysterious ways they bring love into our lives.

Read excerpts from Lori Foster, Stella Cameron, Dianne Castell here.

Read excerpts from Kate Angell, Ann Christopher, Marcia James here.

Read excerpts from Donna MacMeans, Sarah McCarty here.

Read excerpts from Patricia Sargeant, Sue-Ellen Welfonder here.

This just in…

Mark your calendars now for Lori Foster’s and Dianne Castell’s 2009 Reader and Author Get Together. This is the fifth year for the event that not only allows readers to mingle with authors, but also for aspiring writers to meet with editors and hopefully sell their ideas.

~ This year’s event will be held June 5th through 7th at the Cincinnati Marriott North in West Chester, Ohio. Currently there are 61 authors signed up for the event, but there may be many more by the time of the get-together.  Last year’s event had more than 200 authors (both print and ebook published) and readers.

~ The cost to register for this year’s event is $50 and includes two dinners and a lunch.   Registration is open until May 19, 2009.  Be sure to register early and get your hotel reservation made now.  Last year a second hotel had to be added to accommodate all the attendees.

~ As in the past, there will be lots of baskets being raffled to raise money for a charity.  This year all the money raised from the raffle will go to One Way Farm Children’s Home of Fairfield Ohio.  Also the anthology, Tails of Love, which features not only Lori but Stella Cameron, Sue-Ellen Welfonder, Kate Angell, Sarah McCarty, Donna MacMeans, Dianne Castell, Patricia Sargeant, Ann Christopher, and Marcia James, will be for sale. Author and agent proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the Animal Adoption Foundation, which is a no-kill shelter.

~ I went last year and must say if you get the chance to go…GO! It is fun weekend. I got to meet so many wonderful people. I had my books signed by my favorite authors, had breakfast with Anya Bast, Lauren Dane, and Megan Hart and discussed books with Anne Rainey and Kelley Nyrae.

Consider yourself flashed.

Sybil’s review of The Power of Love by Foster, McCarthy, Laurey, Stockham, Blake, Castell, Sargeant, McLane, Monroe, Kelley, Maynard, and Wilder
Special Romance Anthology released by Berkley on 3 Jun 08

The Power of Love isn’t at all what I thought it would be. Novellas are hard to do well. Make it a short story and it more often than not doesn’t work for me. Add in the awesome fact the author’s proceeds go to The YMCA Battered Women’s Shelter of Cincinnati – well I was expecting more women’s fiction than romance. I was very wrong.

Each of these women deserve a round of applause. Not only did they put together a book for a great cause, they did it well. These are not throw away stories. Each story ranges from a nice bite to a snack size and the overall book will give you a great taste for each author’s writing.

We are talking 305 pages and 12 authors, so I am going this a touch differently than a normal review. You can find the summary and a bit of background here. And excerpts Vol I and Vol II have been posted as well. The reviews are arranged by grade, not order of appearance in the book.

Grade: A+

Salesman of the Year by Karen Kelley
This was a hard story for me to grade because I so adore the author but haven’t been able to read a book of hers lately that worked for me. Karen Kelley is awesome on the funny, which rarely works for me. Salesman of the Year is a tale of second chances and finding the stregth in yourself to be who you want and not what you are told to be. In 20 pages she wasn’t able to flesh out the heroine as well as she could have but since I knew to expect that going in I went with what I was told. Because no woman deserves an Adam…

Angel in the Alley by Patricia Sargeant
Completely loved this story and was surprised because I admit I saw ‘Angel’ in the title and my reaction was ACK here be inspy. I am not sure if Patricia was going for an inspy feel to her tale or not but it is a fabulous story. My complaint is I wanted more pages because it was wanted more with more time with Archer.

Grade: A

Unpredictable by Erin McCarthy
Predictably I loved this story. The h/h were fantastic and interesting. McCarthy shines in novella form and this, while not her best, shows just what she can do. I really hope Kensington does for her what they did with Foster’s Truth or Dare and McKenna’s All About Men – release her Bad Boy novella’s in a MM book with just her connected stories.

Chicken Soup for Annie by Luanne McLane
This is an author I have never been able to connect with and don’t think I have finished a novel by her yet. Again she is one who does well with the funny (and I don’t). I was shocked by how much I adored this story. I would have given it an A+ but honestly I wish she hadn’t of put it in here (although it fits perfectly with the theme) because even though the story begins and ends to where you KNOW where they are going. I wanted to read it all.

Dance the Fandango by Rosemary Laurey
This is another tale of 2nd chances only this time it is for LOVE itself not a love lost. I didn’t expect a 65 year-old heroine and honestly do not pick them up to read that much. Dance the Fandango works perfectly in The Power of Love and is done very well. But man the kids annoyed and hello they were in their 30s.

Grade: A-

Sweet Dreams by Lori Foster
I LOVED how this story unfolds and Foster shows why so many people love her novellas. She is awesome at building a story, characters you care for and telling a whole story in a short page count. This one was 23 pages! I would have given this an A+ but the five year wait didn’t work for me – just too long

The Mouse Who Roared by J.C. Wilder
This is the one story I would say isn’t a romance, doesn’t tell a whole story and is more of a moment in time. But more than that it is THE beginning of a woman taking control of her future and embodies what “I think” this gift of stories is about. I was too bummed that it ended like it did to give it an A but it is a fabulous story of finding your strength and going for it.

Grade: B+

The Girl Next Door by Janice Maynard
TGND seemed a touch out of place because it starts from Jason’s pov (the hero). A tale you all know, parent’s die sibling comes home to raise the younger kids. Somewhere along the lines lurve developed between a best friend forever of one of the sibs. I love those stories. Don’t ask me why, I have no idea. And I loved Jason and Felicity.

Grade: B

No Angel by Lucy Monroe
This is a would be office romance story and I like those. No Angel has a Harlequin Presents feel to it but too much time was spent away from the h/h. With the page count being so small I would have like to have more time with Cheryl and Zack.

Hannah’s Choice by Kay Stockham
Another 2nd chance at love story… do so love those. Hannah and Mitch are great characters. And you feel so much for them in so few pages. This is a grade A story that is missing at least 10 pages. (at least) Hannah’s choice to run made sense but not from Mitch. Mitch is too great a guy and the author doesnt have enough time to sell why Hannah made such a bonehead move.

Grade: C

Last of the Red-Hot Mammas by Dianne Castell
I think this was my least favorite story. It isn’t really bad but I just couldn’t take that ride. The plot seemed to unbelievable and the characters didn’t click with me enough to over come that. It is a sweet story but I can’t see any school wanting the Principal to behave like that.

After Hours by Toni Blake
More lurve in the office… only this one the hero annoyed. And there wasn’t enough room for Michael to grovel enough. Odd it seemed like there wasn’t enough connection between the h/h, thinking back on it I think this was the steamiest story. Blake can do really steamy really well when she wants too.

Overall this really is a great novel to pick up and get a chance to try out 12 different authors. Or, if you are already a fan of Lori Foster and Erin McCarthy, you will want to pick this up. And of course it is supporting a great cause – by helping people by buying a book .

Overall Grade: A-

Blurb:

In this engaging anthology of never-before-published stories, twelve award-winning and bestselling authors are united by their unique visions of the resilient woman and her quest for self, for fulfillment, for empowerment, and for an enriching new appreciation for what love really means—and why it matters.

A young woman is torn between the overbearing security of her fiancé and the excitement of an old flame…a desperate wife is forced into the workplace for the first time in her life…an ambitious professional woman finally finds the courage to take control of her career—and her man…an emotionally fragile divorcee finds resolve in the ethereal visitations of an archangel. These are just some of the women who discover and rediscover their wonderfully fallible selves in the shadow of love—romantic love, platonic love, new love, and lost love. You’ll be touched, inspired, charmed, and amused by these twelve original stories of disparate longings, unsettled lives, and the power of love.

Read short excerpts of each story here.

The Power of Love, Special Anthology. Coming from Berkley Trade June 3, 2008.

Since this is an anthology with 12 authors the stories range in size. So the excerpts are pretty short. But hey we got you something! We will have two posts a volume I and II.

enjoy!

“Girl Next Door” by Janice Maynard

Felicity bit his bottom lip … lightly … and then soothed it with her tongue. Her pretty grass-green eyes were hazy with arousal, and a tiny smile on her lush, red lips taunted him.

“Jason?” Her voice was husky… strained.

“Yeah?”

“What would you think about me coming to live in Charlottesville?”

His minute hesitation cost him dearly. As did the unmistakable way he tensed up. Shit.

She went from cuddly to caustic in a split second. She jerked out of his embrace so suddenly she almost fell over a nearby pile of boxes. Her eyes were bright. With tears? The possibility wounded him.

She backed away, heading for the door. “Oh, shoot,” she said, her voice wobbly. “That was just the hormones talking. Forget I said anything. I’ll see you later.” And then she fled.

“Chicken Soup for Annie” by LuAnn McLane,

“Right,” Josh nodded but he couldn’t help but smile at his cute little volunteer. The sudden rosy color in her cheeks had him hoping that the attraction that he was feeling was mutual. Although she had mentioned a daughter her ring finger was bare so he assumed that she was a single mom and he intended to find out before her shift was over. He decided not to come on too strong since she seemed rather skittish… not that he was a smooth operator. No, quite the opposite. When it came to women Josh tended to get tongue-tied…

“No Angel” by Lucy Monroe

“Do you make it a habit of sending someone’s apology down the garbage disposal?” he asked dryly.

“Is that what it was?” Her brow lifted. “An apology?”

“Yes. Damn it. What else would it have been?” …
“Well they were an apology,” he huffed.

“Say it.”

“You want me to say that I’m sorry?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that a little juvenile? I’ve already told you the flowers were meant to convey that.”

“So, say the words.”

“Fine. I’m sorry for the way I treated you Friday morning and for expecting you to lie to get me out of a tight spot.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

He grimaced. “Hard enough.”

She laughed. “You are forgiven.”

And why those particular words should make his dick go hard as granite, he had no clue, but he wasn’t knocking it.

“Angel in the Alley” by Patricia Sargeant

Sara’s voice shook only a little. “I want to be independent. I want my own identity. And I don’t want you in my life any more.”

“You need me.” Asa stressed the words. “When your mother died, I took care of you. You didn’t have anyone else.”

Sara stared at him, realization freeing her mind. “No, Asa. You need me to make yourself feel superior, stronger, in charge. I’m through with letting you or anyone else control me.”

“You’re going to regret leaving me.” Anger stripped his mask and revealed the brutality just beneath his surface.
She watched Asa stalk off. Rage made his body stiff, his movements jerky.

Her gaze shifted to Raphael. He nodded once and Sara relaxed.

“Hannah’s Choice” by Kay Stockham,

“Hey! Hey, don’t do that! Stop!” Hannah Pruitt didn’t take the time to think, much less pause and remove her leather sandals or the ridiculously expensive watch she’d
splurged on six months ago as an “I am woman, hear me roar” present to herself.

Instead she vaulted over the rail of the foot bridge crossing the twelve-foot deep canal that sliced Orchard Park in two, and entered the cold depths with a choking gasp.

When a bubble escaped, she belatedly reminded herself that keeping her mouth closed would be a good idea. God knew jumping in hadn’t been her brightest.

The moment her leather-clad toes touched the canal’s rocky bottom, she pushed herself to the surface, arms and legs working as she frantically searched for the burlaplooking
sack she’d seen a man toss into the water. Had it gone under? Where?

“The Mouse Roared” by J.C. Wilder

Just what in the devil are you waiting on girl?

The shriek of tires and the loud, insistent blare of a horn jolted her back to reality.

The bumper of a bright yellow cab was mere inches from her right leg. She blinked.

What the heck?

With a start she realized she stood in the center of an intersection, the busiest in Haven.

Not twenty yards away was the storefront, the place she’d always dreamed of. But what if she never made her move? What if tomorrow, she were struck dead and she’d done nothing to halt her slide into mediocrity.

Was she destined to die an unfulfilled woman?

The Power of Love, Special Anthology. Coming from Berkley Trade June 3, 2008. Read on for the blurb, a video and some very special news about this new anth.

12 Original Stories by Lori Foster, Erin McCarthy, Rosemary Laurey, Kay Stockham, Toni Blake, Dianne Castell, Patricia Sargeant, Luanne McLane, Lucy Monroe, Karen Kelley, Janice Maynard & J.C. Wilder

In this engaging anthology of never-before-published stories, twelve award-winning and bestselling authors are united by their unique visions of the resilient woman and her quest for self, for fulfillment, for empowerment, and for an enriching new appreciation for what love really means—and why it matters.

A young woman is torn between the overbearing security of her fiancé and the excitement of an old flame…a desperate wife is forced into the workplace for the first time in her life…an ambitious professional woman finally finds the courage to take control of her career—and her man…an emotionally fragile divorcee finds resolve in the ethereal visitations of an archangel. These are just some of the women who discover and rediscover their wonderfully fallible selves in the shadow of love—romantic love, platonic love, new love, and lost love. You’ll be touched, inspired, charmed, and amused by these twelve original stories of disparate longings, unsettled lives, and the power of love.

*All author and agent proceeds go to a battered women’s shelter.*

The blog will be buying a copy to give away. And will pick a winner from the comments out of the PoL excerpts and this post. We will announce the winner Friday May 23, 2008.

You can pre-order your copy here. I know Laura J will be picking it up. And I will be… hey Erin McCarthy, Lucy Monroe and Lori Foster… those are some of my faves just right there. And if you like teh funny, you can’t beat Karen Kelley. Really, you should buy two copies .