"A trio of Valentine's Day novellas"

Candy Store by Bella Andre

Callie Moore's lifelong passion is making candy. Too bad she's about to go out of business, unless the consultant her accountant hired can work miracles. At the wedding of a couple who met in her candy store, Callie doesn't expect the best man to turn a simple drink into a seduction!

Business consultant Tobey Danville can't believe his actions with the curvy blonde at his friend's wedding. He doesn't even know how to contact her, but that's not going to stop him from finding out. The next morning, fate plays its role by giving him the excuse he needs to look up Callie. Tobey's company has been retained to turn around the Callie's business. This will be Tobey's last job as the "Candy King" and he can't imagine a better way to go out. Next month, Tobey will join his brother's accounting firm.

Callie and Tobey make a great couple, but Tobey's desire for personal privacy may drive them apart. When a misunderstanding has Tobey assuming that Callie is a money-grubbing bitch, his quick acceptance of Callie's perfidy lends a disconsonant note to the story. With the exception of the above incident, Candy Store is a highly enjoyable contemporary novella. Ms. Andre has penned an admirable contribution to this Valentine's anthology.

Sensuality: Rated S-ensuous by the publisher. Explicit sex; sexually explicit scenes: 7

A Valentine's Bride by Doreen DeSalvo

Farmer and immigrant John DiAngelo leads a hardscrabble existence on his Pennsylvania farm. His attempt at a mail-order bride didn't work out well, so he's requested some of his money back, since Francesca died of fever in the first year. Instead, he finds a scrawny waif who says that she's Mariana, Francesca's sister. Her parents sent her to marry him instead of returning the money.

Mariana has suffered through many hardships to get to Giovanni DiAngelo. After a treacherous voyage across the ocean, she spent a month at Ellis Island while she recovered from the fever that claimed so many of her shipmates. Now, penniless and with only a small satchel of belongings, she's greeted with a cold welcome by her intended. Mariana is a survivor, though. If he doesn't want her, she'll make her way somehow. Regardless of the fact that she speaks only a little English.

After a rocky beginning, John agrees to keep Mariana and marry her. Even if it's only to keep the neighbors from speculating on his cold-heartedness. As they both learn more about the other, the sensual attraction between them grows. John knows he's not an attractive man, so Mariana's desire for him raises doubts about her virtue. Will he open the shutters around his heart and see what a gem he has in his wife-to-be? Or will his coldness and anger drive her away before the marriage ceremony can be performed?

In the only historical tale in this anthology, Ms. DeSalvo has painted a realistic portrait of the harshness of life in the late 1800s. Despite the burdens, love can bloom on this snowy farm, if John learns to love for the first time in his life. Mariana is just what he needs, a breath of freshness and sunshine for his dreary world. A Valentine's Bride is a delightful tale of two strangers who find love with each other.

Sensuality: Rated E-rotic by the publisher. Explicit sex, anal sex; sexually explicit scenes: 9

Valentine Wishes by Mlyn Hurn

Vicky Vale, Valentine's Day greeting card artist, has never enjoyed Valentine's Day. After two failed relationships with boorish men who failed to get her anything for "National Suck-Up Day", she'd rather forget all about it. But she promised her mother, noted wedding dress designer Valentina Vale, that she'd model in an upcoming fashion show. Journeying cross-country by car, (because Vicky hasn't been able to fly since she was traumatized by the events on September 11th, 2001), she is resolved to meet her mother's new husband and get this visit over with as fast as possible.

When a strange woman appears at his new stepmother's office, Kirk Magnuson leaps to conclusions and threatens to call security on her. When he learns that she's his new stepsister, he is surprised by his attraction to the woman. After all, she couldn't even be bothered to attend her own mother's wedding. Kirk doesn't reveal his relationship to Vicky to her immediately, instead allowing her to make her own (incorrect) assumptions about him. They are both staying in Valentina's old apartment, will they be able to keep their hands off each other?

From the beginning, the dialogue felt unnatural and forced. I would rather that the characters not recap previous events that both are well aware of in painfully detailed accuracy to educate the reader. A simple paragraph of explanation would be sufficient to bring the reader up to speed on past events. Valentine Wishes by Mlyn Hurn will appeal to her fans, but I was never drawn into the story.

Sensuality: Rated S-ensuous by the publisher. Explicit sex; sexually explicit scenes: 7

Reviewed by Denise Powers
Courtesy Sensual Romance Reviews
Posted January 31, 2004

Summary

Candy Store by Bella Andre

On the verge of losing her candy store, Callie Moore decides to blot out her troubles with a tall, dark, handsome stranger. Tobey Danville isn't about to turn down a cute, curvy blonde who offers sizzling-hot sex in a commercial refrigerator at his best friend's wedding reception. But the next day, when Callie discovers that Tobey is the consultant she has hired to save her store, they find it difficult to concentrate on business. Especially when giving and getting pleasure in each other's arms is so much more fun!

A Valentine's Bride by Doreen DeSalvo

All too aware of his own ugliness, John DiAngelo has grown accustomed to paying women to feign passion for him. But when his mail-order bride arrives from Italy, the last thing he expects is a stunning beauty like Mariana. The passion she shows him in the dark of night can't possibly be real.

Sold to a stranger by her parents and forced to endure an arduous, lonely journey to America, Mariana is determined to forge a new life for herself. John gives her soul-searing passion, but Mariana wants more—she wants the love hidden beneath his bitter scars.

Valentine Wishes by Mlyn Hurn

Vicky Vale's come to help her mother with her first ever wedding fashion show. Upon arrival, Vicky finds Valentina's office occupied by a handsome stranger, who seems to be moving in on her mother's company.

And who appears more than capable of setting her heart, and her body, aflame.