I bought this for Lois McMaster Bujold's "Winterfair Gifts", and I'm glad that was so good since the other stories were poor. But Bujold's story was a delight, and worth the price of admission. ( )

The first story in this series overshadowed all the rest for me but then again I'm a Lois McMaster Bujold fan and any extra story in Miles' world is a good thing. This is a story of Taura who attends Miles' wedding and Roic who learns that appearance isn't everything.

The Alchemical Marriage by Mary Jo Putney is an interesting story of two magicians who have to work together to save England from the Spanish Armada. Pretty predictable but not a bad story and I really did care for the characters.

Catherine Asaro's Stained Glass Heart is set in her Skolian Empire world and is a story of one of the sons of Kurj and Roca and his choice between the Empire and love.

Skin Deep by Deb Stover is a fun story of the afterlife and an angel who gets something he didn't expect when he goes to help his ex-girlfriend find love.

The Trouble with Heroes by Jo Beverly is a story that just didn't resonate with me. It's a story of human contact with a peole they really don't understand and how that mis-understanding causes serious trouble.

Shadows in the Wood by Jennifer Roberson is a very interesting Robin Hood story. Concentrating more on Marian than Robin and including Merlin it sounds at first like it could be overdone but it's well handled.

Overall it's not a bad set of stories but really didn't gel as a set of stories like many other sets of stories like this. A book to dip into between other books. ( )

Winterfair gifts / Lois McMaster Bujold. Armsman Roic and Sergeant Taura foil a plot to poison Miles Vorkosigan's bride-to-be. 4 stars.
The Alchemical marriage / Mary Jo Putney. Doctor Dee brings together two sorcerers whose alchemical marriage provides them with the power to foil the Spanish Armada. 3.5 stars
Stained glass heart / Catherine Asaro. Young love is almost thwarted by tradition and culture. 3 stars.
Skin deep / Deb Stover. A selfish man is sent back from heaven as a woman to help his widow find her true love. 1.5 stars
The trouble with heroes / Jo Beverley. Settlers on a planet discover they have an invisible predator. 2.5 stars.
Shadows in the wood / Jennifer Roberson. Robin and Marian aid Merlin to finally return Arthur's sword to the Lady of the Lake. 4 stars. ( )

Winterfair Gifts: A description of Miles and Ekaterin's marriage from the perspective of armsman Roic - that nice young man who still hasn't got over the unfortunate naked-covered_in_bug_butter incident in A Civil Campaign.

Charming and funny with a dash of intrigue and attempted murder.