This is a collection of three 'all new standalone complete works' by Beverley Oakley, Donna Cummings and Heather Boyd. Three short novellas set in the Regency period, they are indeed all standalone except for the first, which sort of reads like the first three chapters of a rather longer work.
In His Valentine's Secret, by Beverley Oakley, Lady Athelton's St Valentine's Ball should have been a time for love, not vengeance, as the once carefree Lisette plots the demise of the man she once loved. Will she learn the truth in time?
I gave this story 4 stars, mainly because it really does read incomplete. Lisette was rather fascinating and I really wanted to see her and Lucien reclaim Lisette's family fortune and take revenge on her manipulative, wicked cousin. In Truly, My Love, by Donna Cummings, Lord Benedict and Lady Sommerwood stage a faux romance in order to help him evade two besotted young misses at a Valentine party. But can an affair built on falsehoods possibly turn into true love?
I loved this one, it was probably my favourite of the three. Sophia and Tristan were absolutely charming and their ploy to divert Tristan's teenage admirers was hilarious and oh-so-believable. 5 stars.
In A Husband for Mary, by Heather Boyd, Miss Mary Vine kissed a handsome stranger at the Fenwick Masquerade, never imagining the extraordinary attraction could be for the most disgraceful rake in London. A man she knew far too well...
This was a really interesting twist. I'm not sure I've ever read a story where the MAN's reputation was the one that had been deliberately and maliciously damaged. I'd have loved to see this expanded out into a longer story, particularly to read what happened after Mary and Ellis's marriage and how they as a couple were treated by Society. 5 stars.
Overall, a charming collection of stories which would serve well as an introduction to the writing of any of the three authors. 5 stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through The Romance Reviews.