"A TIMELESS ROMANCE ANTHOLOGY: Summer Wedding Collection," by Melanie Jacobson, Julie Wright, Rachael Anderson, Annette Lyon, Heather B. Moore and Sarah M. Eden, Mirror Press, $4.99, 233 pages (f)
What heart-fluttering romantic doesn’t love a good wedding story?
To satisfy that yearning for matrimonial literature, six award-winning Utah authors have come together to create an album of love stories with characters who fall in love because of a wedding.
“A Timeless Romance Anthology: Summer Wedding Collection,” the third volume in the Timeless Romance Anthology Collections, is a tender glimpse into the birth of six romances that bloom in the face of someone else’s nuptials.
These short stories are led by strong, although recognizably flawed, women. Each creation winds around a heroine who is focused and buoyant even if she is occasionally uncertain. The masculine counterparts are more diverse — some of them strong and confident, others more hesitant and gentle — but each man is driven by a spirit that is entirely engaging. Every romance evolves delicately but deeply and will likely leave readers smiling.
Authors Melanie Jacobsen, Julie Wright, Rachael Anderson, Annette Lyon, Heather B. Moore and Sarah Eden are not newcomers to romantic writing, but collaborating on this volume is a unique project. Each writer has previously found individual success, but stitching these pieces together presents a tempting treat for those looking to sample their works.
There is something here for every romance reader. Because each author brings her own distinctive flavor to the work, its layers offer an “I wonder what comes next” tone with each page turn.
Although these are love stories, they are clean and the romances don't go beyond kissing. The characters are not necessarily religious, but the romantic encounters are innocent and heart-warming.
The work is currently available in e-book format. The next package of love stories in the series, the Autumn Collection, will involve romantic suspense novellas and is set to be released in August.
Melissa DeMoux is a stay-at-home mother of six young children who lives in West Valley City. Her email is mddemoux@gmail.com and she blogs about her adventures in motherhood at demouxfamily.blogspot.com.