First Night: An Anthology of Romance Novellas

Rating:
Summary: Simply Marvelous
Review: Does Pauline Shannon have any other books out there? She's great!

Rating:
Summary: Magical, any time of year
Review: First Night is a thoroughly enjoyable and wonderful collection of four romance novellas, each of which represents a season of the year. These stories are mystical, yet grounded in a reality I wish was mine!

Honey Clover by Pauline Shannon and Providence by Bobbi Lerman are opposites in season (spring and winter) and in content (Providence is a time travel; Honey Clover is set firmly in reality with science as a supporting character.) Both stories share lovely writing styles and the authors have created heroines that are smart, alluring and complicated enough to be extremely interesting.

Fate and Firecrackers by Jen Safrey (summer) and Renaissance by Mary Ann Mangini (fall) are also opposites. Fate and Firecrackers is a fast, scintillating read that heats up quickly and explodes at the end. Renaissance is a longer, lanquid story that touches every sense.

The heros are fantastic, the heroines are cool, and the stories are unique. I sincerely enjoyed this book.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful reading experience
Review: I have read First Night and I have only one question: Where can I get more of Pauline Shannon's books! Honey Clover is a wonderful novella. I enjoyed all the tales in First Night but Honey Clover blew me away!

This book, four novellas about couples lucky enough to experience the magic of New Year's Eve, has a story for each season of the year.

This book is well-written, the stories are thoughtful and imaginative, and quite frankly, this is the best piece of romance fiction I've read in years.

Rating:
Summary: Sweet, Smart, Sexy Fun!!
Review: I read a lot of romance, but First Night by far surpasses most of the others out there. It is one of the best anthologies in the genre I've ever read. It is four stories about four couples that are drawn together by the mystery and promise of New Year's Eve.

Using the seasons of the year, each story fits an aspect or idea of winter, spring, summer and fall.

Providence, the winter story, is a time travel. It is a nice story to read.

Honey Clover, the spring story, is utterly fantastic. The characters are so original and story is great. It is the story of Vivienne DeNoue, a scientist who is so logical and emotionally wounded that she can't trust her heart to do what's best for her when she meets Brian Cord. Brian Cord has been the subject of my daydreams since I read this book!

Fate and Firecrackers is hot, and I don't mean that figuratively. It's a good story about Bronwyn and Rick -- Bronwyn is a woman -- who are both stubborn about falling in love.

Renaissance starts off slowly, but builds to a terrific adventure into the heart, mind and soul of a woman.

First Night is like a box of chocolates. I didn't know what I was going to get, but everything was really good!

Rating:
Summary: Truly The Best Anthology Around
Review: If you like cowboys and babies, or lawyers and orphans, or dumb damsels in distress, this isn't the romance collection for you. But if you like excellent writing, smart storylines, exciting --- and I REALLY mean EXCITING --- leading men, then you will love First Night!

This book was not what I expected. Being from a small press, frankly, I thought this book would be ridiculous. I was delightfully wrong. In fact, this book is miles better than the same-old same-old that the big publishers produce by the truckloads.

Each story is symbolic of a season of the year, but you aren't hit over the head by it. It's subtle. There are a total of four stories and each one has a very unique plot. Providence is a time travel about a woman running from the police, who manages to run into a love that transcends time and space. Honey Clover is about a scientist who blooms once she discovers that true love is perfect, even if the man you love isn't. Fate and Firecrackers is about a man and a woman who are so determined not to fall in love that they back into it anyway. Renaissance is about a woman who discovers her self and her life, after she's spent most of her life with a man who took her for granted.

These stories are all so different but they fit together magically.

I love this book and I look forward to seeing more books from these four authors. These people, particularly the talents and creativity of MaryAnn Mangini and Pauline Shannon, are what romance needs these days. I'm enraptured by this book.

Rating:
Summary: Originality counts
Review: It's New Year's Eve and the characters in all four stories are invited to a ball. The invitation was sent anonymously with the instructions that no R.S.V.P.'s would be accepted.

Upon arriving at the ball, the women were directed to one table and the men were directed to another table, where each find champagne glasses with ribbons on them (pink for the ladies, blue for the men). The idea is to select a glass, then find the person who holds the corresponding match for that glass.

Bobbi Lerman's Providence: the heroine selects a champagne glass, doubtful that she will find Mr. Right. Later that evening, while being chased by the police, she has an accident that sends her back in time. She now has a chance to clear her name, but can she find true love in the process?

Pauline Shannon's Honey Clover: a very impressive story where the heroine does not find her match at the ball. By a total coincidence, she finds the match to her glass weeks later and then begins a relationship with the man who (for a very good reason) was unable to find her at the ball. After a tragic accident, can the heroine learn about true love and depth of character before it's too late?

Jen Safrey's Fate & Firecrackers: the hero and heroine are working at the ball (he is the caterer, she is the band's drummer). They meet during a break, while outside getting a breath of fresh air. They introduce themselves and get to know each other a bit, then they have to get back to working the ball. On their second break, they manage to grab some champagne glasses (the only two left) and they just so happen to match! They tell each other about their lives and realize that they share more common ideas about love than they ever would have imagined. Will the magic of the matching glasses be enough to propel them in the right direction?

Mary Ann Mangini's Renaissance: the heroine is a forty-five year old, separated woman who has decided that it's finally time to fulfill her dream of going to Italy to study abroad. She meets a man in a clothing shop and the attraction is mutual. They spend several weeks together until the heroine must return to the U.S. She then receives the invitation to the New Year's Ball. Will her match be the man she expects?

The idea of using the champagne glasses to bring the characters together and link each of the four stories is wonderfully refreshing, charming and original. While characters in each of the four stories attend the ball, each story takes place in a different season - a difficult feat to pull off, but the authors manage to do it quite well.

All four authors are to be commended for creating an innovative and engaging story. I expect great things from these authors in the future.

Great authors, great stories, great cover art.... what's not to love?

Rating:
Summary: The gift that keeps on giving
Review: There are four novellas in First Night and each of them is great. I particularly liked Renaissance. The writing is just beautiful and Delia's story of renewal is strong and realistic. Honey Clover is very good, very original and had me laughing, scared, crying and celebrating with Vivienne and Brian by the end. Providence was mysterious and effective as a time travel. By the end I felt everything falling into place for Amy, even though a lot is left up to the reader to figure out. Fate and Firecrackers was a nice quick read that sizzled and sparkled. I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes romance with edge and originality.

Rating:
Summary: Simply the best
Review: This anthology is better than all the rest, as the saying goes.
The stories are original and unique, for the most part, and the characters are unbelievably engaging. I read a lot of romance fiction and this book caught my attention and held it. I honestly couldn't predict the endings of Providence, Honey Clover and Renaissance.

The authors should be commended for their inventiveness and I personally thank the publisher for being so courageous to put something so new and different out there.

Romance readers should snap this book up. I can't recommend it strongly enough.

Rating:
Summary: Very special
Review: This one-of-a-kind romance anthology knocked my socks off. I love time-travel romances. I was especially pleased to read Providence, the first novella in First Night.
Bobbi Lerman has a mesmerizing style of writing that I just fell in love with.
Great talent in this book.