One Touch, One Glance: A Sweet Romance Anthology

Title: One Touch, One Glance: A Sweet Romance Anthology
Author: Gwen Hayes, M. E. Ellis, Maryann Miller, Adelle Laudan, K. Starling, Trinity Blacio, Debbie Gould, Ava James, Faith Bicknell-Brown, Savannah Chase, Lisa Alexander Griffin, Kensana Darnell, Brieanna Robertson, Nicolette Zamora, Kathleen MacIver, Missy Lyons and Jambrea Jo Jones
Publisher: Freya’s Bower
Publisher URL: http://www.freyasbower.com/
ISBN: N/A
Genre: Contemporary/Time Travel Anthology
Nymph Rating: 4.5 Nymphs
Literary Nymphs reviewer: Rose Nymph

In 5 A.M on a Sunday Morning (4 Nymphs) by Gwen Hayes, Ryan and Kelsey have been best friends since college. They know each other so well that they are even comfortable setting each other up on double dates. However, not for the first time, there’s a hint of sabotage in the air. The switch between character perspectives made this an enjoyable read and the author does a good job of building the tension between Ryan and Kelsey.

I Heard You, You Know? (5 Nymphs) by M. E. Ellis. Blondie’s been caught red-handed stealing. She had every intention of paying; she just has a lot on her mind, like getting over a certain ex-husband. Things could be looking up though; the security guard who catches her is making her tingle in all the right places. Wonderful use of language and easy to read, it made me laugh and cry. The characters were very likable and the plot kept my interest.

New Love (4 Nymphs) by Maryann Miller. There had always been something between Patrick and Jean but it never seemed the right time to act on it. Their lives destined to follow different paths; Patrick never could get Jean out of his heart. Thanks to circumstances out of their control, he may finally be able to make things right. The deep feelings between them are believable and although there is a lot of back story to take on board, the author does well creating interesting characters with a past.

A Ride To Remember (5 Nymphs) by Adelle Laudan. Desiree has been through a lot. A recovering alcoholic, she’s been sober ten years but still isn’t able to put the past behind her. She wasn’t sure she’d ever let a man into her heart again but a chance encounter with Tanner has her believing in fate. This is a wonderful story with likable characters capturing the sense of anticipation at getting one more chance at love.

Sweet Tea Maggie (4 Nymphs) by K. Starling. Maggie’s suffered a lot but with the help of surrogate mom Ruth, she’s made plans for her future that she won’t let some man get in the way of, even if she is fantasizing about playing happy families with one particular man and his daughter. A very nice story with characters that interested me, smooth writing that was easy to get lost in and a detailed world that I would like to visit again.

Tuesday’s Affair (3 Nymphs) by Trinity Blacio. Tuesday was left high and dry by her husband when she became pregnant. Ike didn’t believe the child was his and broke her heart but after a year apart he’s wondering if he made the right choice. Although there was promise to this and I liked Tuesday, this was an awkward read at times. I felt as if I was picking up half way through and I had missed something. The development of the characters could have been improved

Lavender Heart (4.5 Nymphs) by Debbie Gould. Grant has known for a while that his destiny was linked to Lisa. He hadn’t wanted to believe it but when Lisa looks into his eyes, he knows she’s seen his soul. Grant is a tortured character and I was drawn to him, just as Lisa was. Lisa is strong and caring and I was willing them together. The ending felt a little rushed but I could have happily read more.

Forever Found (4 Nymphs) by Debbie Gould is a sweet Prince Charming story. Kelly is a strong, independent woman; she has to be since the father of her son abandoned them. She had given up on men but Jason might just be the light at the end of the tunnel. He’s the perfect man for Kelly and it was nice to get lost in the happy-ever-after fantasy. Although the story skims over a lot of the development of their relationship, it was well written and stirred my imagination.

Waking Up (4.5 Nymphs) by Ava James tackles the difficult subject of the pain of war and how tragedies shape lives. Ever since suffering a loss of her own, Jaysen has worked hard to help those in need. When Demetri is brought into hospital with life threatening injuries, Jaysen is drawn to him; she wants to help him heal and finds it easy to talk about her painful past but is there a future for them? Well written, likable characters and a very erotic sponge bath made this enjoyable.

Under The Christmas Stars (4 Nymphs) by Faith Bicknell-Brown is a story of the good guy winning out in the end. Ron has had feelings for Lana since they were kids but they never seemed to be reciprocated. Ron had to sit back and watch as Lana’s heart was bruised by Nick and now it looks like it’s happening again. Why can’t she see how much he cares? The Christmas setting was fun and the eventual blossoming romance warmed me to the bone, even if Lana does take a little while to see what’s right in front of her.

He’s On The Menu (4 Nymphs) by Savannah Chase. Jessie is working as a waitress and, one miserable, rainy day, has an accident while driving home; she hits a stationary vehicle. This was no ordinary vehicle though; it was the tour bus of one Ian Knight, a member of the most popular bands around. Jessie knows about Ian’s reputation with the ladies, but does she really believe the gossip rags? It was fun to get lost in this fantasy, with sweet characters and a romance that gave me a warm glow inside.

The Unexpected Gift (5 stars) by Lisa Alexander-Griffin. When Elise lost her husband James, she cursed the fact that she didn’t die with him, until the doctor delivered shocking news. After two long years of living without James, Cade comes into her life and stirs forgotten feelings within her. However, before either of them can act, things take a sinister turn and lives are in danger. This is a wonderfully suspenseful, sometime tearjerker story that successfully builds up the passion between likable characters.

Whispers In The Wind (3.5 Nymphs) by Kensana Darnell. Mitch’s heart was betrayed by the one woman he thought he had a future with so is cautious of his attraction to Ali. All Ali knows is how she feels about Mitch and desperately wants to be let into his heart but their lives are so different, can they make it work? An enjoyable read with promising characters but I couldn’t help but feel more time was needed for the intense romance to develop, with the time Ali and Mitch are apart feeling rushed.

In Musician’s Monsoon (4 Nymphs) by Brieanna Robertson, Sophie is so excited about going to see her favorite band that she is even willing to put up with her annoying cousin Lorraine the entire time. She loves to get lost in the music that Zane creates but never realized Zane was suffering. Could plain and boring Sophie possibly be his muse? Palpable attraction but with enough silly moments to even it out, I would like to read more of these characters’ story.

Little Cowgirl (3.5 Nymphs) by Nicolette Zamora. Greg is still grieving over the loss of his wife and didn’t think he was ready to open his heart to another woman, until he sees Nan in her little cowgirl costume. There are a lot of misunderstandings here but instead of getting swept up in the pitfalls of blossoming love, I was frustrated at the lack of communication between characters. There were however some very tender moments.

In Forever Guy (3 Nymphs) by Jambrea Jo Jones, Samantha has known Jack was her “forever guy” since school but she just wasn’t ready to tell him how she felt before he left for the Marines. She thought she’d missed her chance but now that Jack is back, Sam isn’t about to let him go. The premise to this was good, with missed opportunities and regrets heavy in Sam’s heart but I don’t think it was suited to the short story format. I was asked to believe in deep feelings from childhood when I hadn’t been given the time to invest in the characters.

When Time Stood Still (5 Nymphs) by Kathleen MacIver. Matthew’s done a lot of things in his past that he isn’t proud of while living on the streets of Chicago but now he’s got a second chance in Scotland as an apprentice swordsmith and has Rhianna in his life, even if she does seem out of place in this time. I loved getting lost in this world and the writing makes me want to read more of the author’s work.

Wounded Hearts (4 Nymphs) by Missy Lyons. Bella and her young daughter were devastated after her husband’s life was cut short. She needs to get away from city life to be allowed to grieve. She never expected to meet Adam, who himself was looking after his son alone. How can she even consider dating again so soon? A sweet story with the difficult subject of grief sensitively dealt with but I do feel that the characters relationship was rushed.

One Touch, Once Glance: A Sweet Romance Anthology is a thoroughly enjoyable read with a wide range of characters and situations linked by the overwhelming emotions that surge through us when given a chance at love.