Sandy M’s review of Sweet Sensations Collection by Lynn LaFleur, Ari Thatcher, Ann Jacobs, Lucy Felthouse, Denise A. Agnew, Anh Leod, L. M. Connolly & Marilu Mann
Contemporary and Paranormal Romance published by Under the Sun Publishing 24 Nov 15
I normally stay away from anthologies, and now these new collections and/or boxed sets that are popping up all over the place. Usually I like only one or two of the stories included, and the rest tend to leave me with a variety of feelings. Of course, there are exceptions to that – once in a while I find one where every story works for me. Unfortunately, Sweet Sensations is not one of those exceptions.
I’ll start with my favorites from this collection and highlight those before I move on to the few that missed the mark for one reason or another.
The best story of the bunch is L.M. Connolly’s Escaping the Past. The hero is from a mafia family out of Italy. He’s been pretty successful staying out of the familial business and has made his way and fortune in his own right. The heroine works for one of his companies, and they meet one night at a company party, but you can tell from the beginning that something is just not quite right. Then Jade is mugged and Gary comes to the rescue, the attraction between them gets hotter, and Gary has to do everything in his power to keep what’s left of his family at bay to have the future he wants with Jade. Jade is an independent woman, but she succumbs to everything when it comes Gary, and I love that. Yes, she does a thing or two when he asks her not to, but that’s all it takes. There’s heroines out there who keep on doing stupid things even after a lesson learned. Thank the heavens for Jade. What she does insist on is being equal to Gary in most areas, and they work together beautifully, even when he makes a mistake.
They sizzle in the bedroom, play off each other wonderfully well even in dangerous situations, and I love them to death.
Next I really enjoyed Cat’s Play by Marilu Mann. I’ve never read Ms. Mann’s work, so this is a very nice surprise. Cath is a cat burglar and is currently on a job trying to “re-appropriate” some antique treasures. She’s very good at her job. But this time? Yeah, she’s caught by the rich playboy who has loads of treasures and is as sexy as sin. To get the truth from her, he uses his charming and sensual arsenal to break her. Despite wanting to escape, Cat is very turned on and gives in to the man and his hands. Then after being titillated for a few scenes, the big surprise is thrown at the reader, and it is a big one. You have to read this story to find out what that is for yourself. It’s definitely worth the time.
Three others are pretty good stories – A Patchwork Romance by Ann Jacobs in which a man comes back to the mountain he grew up on, needing something but not sure what that is. He meets a young quilt maker and is immediately smitten. I really like the hero, one of those gentle and kind men who would do anything in the world for those they love, and he does that here. The heroine, however, takes her vow of never loving again a bit too far for me. This man proves himself over and over again to her and she keeps him at arm’s distance, even once she acknowledges she loves him. If that had been cut down, I think this story would have worked a little better. It’s lengthier than it really needs to be.
I do like Love Me Forever by Ari Thatcher. A couple had a steamy night in paradise ten years before. Now the heroine is single again and goes back to that idyllic place to pull herself together. There she meets up with the one man she really wanted to keep in contact with over the years. We learn why he never called her and what’s happened to them both in the ensuring years. A nice story that flows fast to happy ending.
Major Pleasure by Denise A. Agnew is just a good read and starts out well, but near the end it loses steam. Blayne Forbes has had the hots for his best friend’s sister for a while, which is a no-no in the brother code. But Jemma feels the same way about him. They’re trapped in his place during a snow storm, and they finally give in to their attraction. All well and good. What I don’t like is they don’t really work through anything that crops up as they decide to make a go of things. It’s kind of like, well, they get their happily ever after and you have to be satisfied they will be happy without seeing them even get started. It needs a better tie-up at the end.
Lynn LaFleur’s In the Cards is the only paranormal story. The heroine has always dreamed of her perfect man, and one day while shopping for greeting cards, she finds depicted on a card the man she’s always seen in her mind’s eye. She buys the card, takes it home, and then her dream man becomes so very real. Suffering an ancient curse, the hero knows this woman is his mate, but he has to work a bit to make her believe it, thus ending his centuries of lonely torture. But in the end things aren’t all hearts and roses, and the fact he wants to call it quits instead of working on their relationship, however it’s meant to be, really irritated me. Also, the dialogue is a bit silly here and there. So, in the end, this story works….but then it doesn’t.
The last two really aren’t worth mentioning, Loving a Go-Go by Anh Leod and Love Through a Lens by Lucy Felthouse. The Leod just gets to be really, really silly. Both the hero and heroine have a fetish with go-go boots – actually, any boots at all. But when he gets on the floor to smell the leather of her boots? I should have stopped there, but was too curious. It didn’t get any better, though. With the Felthouse, well, to be honest, I just got bored after only two chapters. Our heroine photographer wants a career in fashion, but ends up on a documentary about ghostly legends and lores with a local semi-famous television personality. They are not in the least interesting. He’s quite a bit older than she is, which could have been a nice story, but I never felt a thing for either of them. I left this one unfinished.
My grade is for the overall collection. I would buy either the Connolly or the Mann, but the others I’d have to think twice about if I were buying them individually.
Grade: C
Summary:
Billionaires, an Armed Forces officer, an heiress, and more, these eight contemporary stories offer the sugar and the spice of romance in one beautifully edited boxed set. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll fall in love as you read this collection by multi-published authors.
IN THE CARDS, by Lynn LaFleur
Catherine found her fantasy man stepping out of a greeting card…
Can love break a curse put on Kane centuries ago, and bring him to her forever, this time?LOVE ME FOREVER, by USA TODAY bestseller, Ari Thatcher
Lovers for one idyllic summer, he said he’d call but never did…
When the laid-back billionaire and the new divorcee meet again by chance, can they rekindle a summer love to last forever?A PATCHWORK ROMANCE, by Ann Jacobs
A self-made billionaire, Jared has come home to the Smoky Mountains, Looking for an elusive something that’s missing from his life… Will he find it in the arms of Althea, a simple country quiltmaker?LOVE THROUGH A LENS, by Lucy Felthouse
On location shooting film together, New graduate, Celene, is drawn to Edward, a British actor 30 years her senior…
Can the inevitable romance between them blossom into love?MAJOR PLEASURE, by Denise A. Agnew
Jemma has always wanted Blaine, but his Army career makes her afraid to give her heart…
Will love let her overcome her fear and commit to forever with the hot Special Forces officer?LOVING A GO-GO, by Anh Leod
Lexie, an heiress, finds her match In fellow boot fetishist, Adrian, who sells shoes in her family’s store…
Can a sexy romp during the holidays lead to a lasting relationship between these two?ESCAPING THE PAST, by L. M. Connolly
His shady past, her present danger, and an international plot bring Jade and Gary together…
Can love thrive as they dodge bullets from New York to Naples and beyond?CAT’S PLAY, by Marilu Mann
In a sexy game of cat’s play, a thief and a billionaire make some interesting discoveries about each other…
Will they learn things aren’t always exactly as they seem?
