My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it
Synopsis
THE
PROMISE THAT KATY DID, by Annette Lyon
After the death of Sue Ellen,
the closest thing she has to family, Katy knows it’s time to leave the
house she’s lived in as a guest and start over in the city. She quickly
secures a job, but before leaving, she must honor the unusual promise
she made to Sue Ellen on her deathbed: meet with Mr. Balmer. The elderly
gentleman arranges for his grandson Barrett to escort her to a town
dance. That evening, shy Katy quickly feels at ease with her partner. If
her new position weren’t taking her from town morning after next,
perhaps something could develop between them. But Barrett may not feel
the same about her, and besides, they don't enough time to find out.
A
LADY OF SENSE, by Sarah M. Eden
Eleanor Sherwood has lived her entire
life under her parents’ thumb with little hope of escape. When they
choose the unbearable Mr. Broadstead to be her future husband, she begs
her father for another option. He arranges for her to meet Peter
Havensham, who quickly proves himself a good and kindhearted gentleman,
completely different from Mr. Broadstead, and utterly undeserving of a
forced engagement. Eleanor cannot bring herself to prey upon Peter’s
honor, but neither can she imagine a life with Mr. Broadstead. What is a
lady to do when faced with such an impossible choice?
A
SECOND CHANCE, by Heather B. Moore
Virginia needs a new start in order
to recover from her broken marriage and vicious gossips of her
neighborhood in Chicago, so when her best friend Millie invites Virginia
to Boston, she goes to live with her friend’s family. But when Millie
asked Virginia to participate in a double-date, Virginia knows she’s not
ready to start dating again. Reluctantly she agrees, only to find out
that Max might just be the man who can repair the cracks in her heart.
BRAELYNN’S
BLIND DATE, by Victorine E. Lieske
When Braelynn agrees to go on a
blind date, she thinks she’s hit the jackpot. Tyler is gorgeous and the
perfect gentleman. Of course she should have known it was too good to be
true. It turns out that Tyler really wasn’t Tyler, but a random
stranger who went along with Braelynn’s mistaken assumption. So, she
chalks it up to a dumb mistake until she gets to work Monday morning and
discovers that her gorgeous blind date is now her new boss.
BIANCA’S
HOPE, by Rachel Branton
A blind-date-gone-wrong is not the way Bianca
would have chosen to celebrate the news that she might be losing her
business, but saying no to the sister who took care of her after their
mother’s death proves impossible. So for one date, one torturous
evening, she’ll endure the company of an infuriating, heartless man she
has no intention of ever seeing again. She doesn’t expect her heart to
have other plans. Bianca soon learns that sometimes the unexpected is
not only what you need, it’s exactly what you’ve been waiting for all
along.
BLIND
SPOT, by Sariah Wilson
Ria has prepared most of her life to meet her
prince, trouble is, her mother keeps yanking her back to reality. So
when Ria reads about a country teeming with princes, she drops
everything and applies to grad school. But every blind date goes wrong,
and while Ria commiserates with her roommate Tessa and Tessa’s totally
un-prince-like brother Paolo, Ria discovers that all the things she
thought she wanted in a man are far from what she really needs.
My Review
I've never been on a blind date, so it was fun to live vicariously through these characters who bravely take a chance on a stranger. I especially enjoyed all three historical stories since "blind date" seems like more of a modern term, but the concept really isn't all that new. Each novella allowed the reader to quickly get to know the main characters and added a unique twist to the blind date plot. A couple of the contemporary stories were a little over the top, but I look forward to reading more by Victorine E. Lieske and it turns out I have one of her books waiting for me on my Kindle! Seriously, too many books, too little time. I think that's why I love these novella collections so much, they are the perfect quick fix during brief moments of downtime during a busy day or a great way to unwind after the kids are in bed. The Blind Date Collection is a great compilation of sweet romantic stories full of emotion and hope.
(Thank you to the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)
