It Happened One Season (Anthology 4-in-1)

I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At heart website:

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

The first anthology from these amazing ladies, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT was so good that I was eagerly awaiting their second endeavor with IT HAPPENED ONE SEASON. With the exception of Ms. D'Alessandro, all the other authors are on my keeper shelf, and I had very high expectations, which, I have to be honest, were met.

As the above blurb states, this book offers four different stories with the same plot line. All four of the heroes are military men, while our heroines are wallflowers and have been firmly ‘on the shelf’. Since this is an anthology, I’ve decided to read ‘Fate Strikes a Bargain’ first, then from there on I went to ‘Only show more Love’, followed by ‘The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor’, leaving ‘Hope Springs Eternal’ for last, as I’m not familiar with the author. As of right now, I intend to correct that fact and familiarize myself with said author because I truly loved her contribution to this book.

In ‘Fate Strikes a Bargain’, Candice Hern gives us Nathaniel Beckwith and Phillippa Reynolds. They meet while both are in hiding from the throng at a ball. It doesn’t take Nat long to realize that this charming, if not dazzling, woman is all that he needs in a wife, so he proposes to her on the spot, even after she tells him of her disability, a pronounced limp. And while they strike a bargain, it’s a bit more difficult convincing their respective families to go along with them, so they agree to court for the remainder of the Season, just to appease their family.

I loved these two, and I wished the story was longer so that we’d learn more of Nat and his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Philippa’s coping with her disability. However, for a short story, Ms. Hern has yet outdone herself. I thoroughly enjoyed this well told, warm and compelling love story.

Mary Balogh’s ‘Only Love’ was so good, it made me cry. Our hero in this tale is Major Jack Gilchrist, and our heroine Cleo Pritchard, a war widow of unremarkable looks. Both are surprised and delighted to encounter each other at a ball as they’ve had a previous encounter long ago. Cleo’s husband was his commanding officer, and Jack was the one to break the sad news of her husband’s passing. During that brief moment of despair, they shared a kiss, which neither ever forgot.

Jack, aware that he has to wed as soon as possible, decides to propose to her the day after the ball.
Our heroine, being a practical person, has some doubts, so she proposes a counter offer of her own to our hero. She’ll accept his proposal on one condition only: if, by the end of the Season, it’s proven that she can conceive and give him an heir.

What’s a man to do when given such a proposal? Read this sweet love story in which Ms. Balogh’s superb writing held me spellbound from the beginning to the end.

‘The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor’ was Stephanie Laurens’ turn in introducing us to her own war hero, Sebastian Trantor, code breaker during the wars. As with the other hero’s, Sebastian must marry posthaste to prevent his cousin “Mad Freddie” from inheriting.

Tabitha Makepeace has a mystery to solve in order to capture a blackmailer. Nothing will deter this young lady, not even a locked door of a library at a ball she’s attending. And that’s how she comes face-to-face with our hero, who is himself hiding in the same library. Since the evidence she uncovers is in code, Sebastian offers her his services; but they get discovered, and in order to save her reputation, Sebastian proposes to her on the spot and in front of witnesses. Both are in accord and are planning to use their sham of ‘betrothal’ as cover while in hot pursuit of the bad guys.

As usual, Ms. Laurens’ heroine is sharp and witty, and we get drawn into a story of mystery and intrigue while rooting for our hero as he tries to convince his lady love that she’s the perfect wife material for him.

And now we come to the last story, ‘Hope Springs Eternal’ by Jacquie D’Alessandro.

Captain Alec Trentwell is a man on a mission to tell the truth of the death of Edward Markham, our heroine’s brother. He was her brother’s commander, and eaten with guilt, feels that in voicing the truth and his part in it, he will be set free. What our hero’s not counting on is the lust that he begins to feel towards our unassuming heroine.

Penelope Markham is on a verge of destitution as she finds herself fired from her governess position. She’s also an aspiring artist, with no prospects in sight because of a scandal that happened in Italy as she attempted to sculpt a nude of a man. This is where our hero Alec comes in and attempts to come clean; but instead, guilt and attraction kicks in, so he offers her a commission to paint his portrait instead. That same night, however, while attending a ball in his honor, our hero feels compelled to offer for her hand, and she accepts.

I loved the way this story developed, and I fell in love with Ms. D’Alessandro’s writing. Every page was filled with feeling, and you just couldn’t help but be drawn to Alec and Penelope’s tale of conflict and true love.

While we found all four couples share the same fate, we’re given four unique stories of happily-ever-after that were well-written and compelling. All four couples were very likeable, and I would be hard-pressed to choose a favorite one. I liked them all equally.

Each tale was well-written with three-dimensional characters, steady pacing, and I found them each unique in their own way. All of them could well stand on their own, and I would have gladly read them if they each had a book of their own.

Melanie show less

A reclusive former soldier, the younger brother of a titled lord, must marry in order to ensure the succession of his family line. The heroine is shy and/or unattractive and has never had a suitor. These are the underlying threads in the four stories you'll find that It Happened One Season revolve around. The fun part - each author uses this thread and the stories they weave are all so very unique and different from one another.

The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor by Stephanie Laurens - Sebastian Trantor has no choice but to find himself a wife. His older brother has just had his fifth daughter and he knows that gh is the only one that can ensure the succession of the family line. When he meets Tabitha Makepeace she is trying to break show more into a desk at a ball that they are both attending. He immediately knows that the feisty and clever young lady is "wife material". He just has to convince her of that.

Only Love by Mary Balogh - Cleo Pritchard is making the best out of her widowhood. Her belated husband was not a very nice man and she has found that, although she is alone, she can live with that. Plus, there is always the thought of a memorable kiss she shared years ago with Major Jack Gilchrist to keep her warm at night. When by chance Cleo bumps into Jack at a ball, she fibs, giving him the impression that she is content with her life. Jack, on the other hand, can't stop thinking about Cleo and that kiss they shared. Knowing that he must find a wife, he tries to woo Cleo into that role, but Cleo knows that Jack only wants an heir and she is not sure that she can have children. It will be up to Jack to convince Cleo that his feelings for her are true and an heir is the least of his worries.

Hope Springs Eternal by Jacquie D’Alessandro - Alec Trentwell is still plagued by guilt over the death of Edward Markham. In fact, he feels that to make up for it, he must take care of Edward's sister, Penelope. But Penelope is nothing like what Alec imagined. She is a beautiful woman, an artist surrounded by scandal and in dire need of funds. Since she refuses his charity, Alec commissions her to paint his portrait, but when she is threatened by more scandal and ruin he does the only thing a gentleman would.. he proposes. But how will she feel about him once she learns the part that Alec played in her brother's death?

Fate Strikes a Bargain by Candice Hern - Nathaniel Beckwith is in no mood to court the young ladies and their mama's in order to find himself a bride... thus he finds himself hiding behind a strategically-placed orange tree. But to his surprise, he meets Philippa Reynolds... also hiding behind said orange tree. Phillippa is there for different reasons... she has a disability that renders her unable to walk or dance without a severe limp. Nat can't help but find himself enchanted by her friendly and kind demeanor... so he finds himself striking a bargain... an engagement.

I thought the premise of these stories was so fun. I was interested in seeing if these authors would be able to use the same plot points and come up with different stories and I was not disappointed. These stories could not be any more different. I think out of the four, Fate Strikes a Bargain, was my favorite. I loved the sweet tale of a handicapped heroine and her brave hero. I also enjoyed the introduction to mostly all new authors - since I had only read Mary Balogh in the past.

These four stories will leave you feeling satisfied with their enchanting heroes, delightful heroines and requisite happy ever afters. Fans of historical romance will rejoice over this wonderful anthology. show less

Four novellas - all four heros are military men (or former military men) who are second sons and now must marry because their elder brothers need an heir. There are a lot of female offspring between these four families!

The first novella, Stephanie Laurens' was a disappointment. I kept putting it down and it took forever for me to finish. However, the remainder of the novellas are much, much better.

The remaining three plot lines all featured tortured heros and just amazing heroines. The stories were wonderful and I wished they all could have been full length novels. So, skip the Stephanie Laurens novella or at least read it last because the rest of this anthology is pretty amazing.

Nice, but fairly meh set of short stories. The improbable set-up just didn't do anything for me. The best of the lot was Candice Hern's "Fate Strikes a Bargain," which was a moving story of one soldier's PTSD.

The Seduction of Sebastian Tranton by Stephanie Laurens
This was cute and I really liked the couple! Geek paired with bluestocking. The sex scenes were vague and leaned towards purple prose, but I enjoyed the slow build-up of tension. This probably would have done better as a full-length novel, though I admit to missing out on the set-up by reading this book before [b:It Happened One Night|2854826|It Happened One Night|Stephanie Laurens|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1392878412s/2854826.jpg|2880960]. (3 stars)

Only Love by Mary Balogh
Perhaps it is a glitch in the ebook I was reading, but I felt like italics were overused. I found myself reading the emphasis in every third sentence and it threw me off. But, there was a plain, insecure show more heroine so of course I liked it. (3.5 stars)

Hope Springs Eternal by Jacquie D'Alessandro


Fate Strikes a Bargain by Candice Hern
This is a very sweet, low-angst tale about a MOC-turned-love-match between a vet with PTSD and a beautiful young woman with a limp. I liked it because of the tropes but it was pretty tepid, IMO. To be fair, a lot of that is likely due to the constraints of a short story, but I was hoping for a bit more. (3 stars) show less

4 short stories all with similar plot basis. This was my first time reading stories like this but because Mary Balogh was one of the authors I was will to try. She is one of my favorites. I have read many of Stephanie Laurens books as well so I thought I would try it. I was pleasantly surprise by all four stories but I would have to say that even though I enjoyed them all the best was the last which was a completly unknown reader to me Candice Hern. I enjoyed her stories the most. Now I will also look for the other books they have done this way, sampler style. Great for when you need something quick.

The Seduction of Sebastian Tranton by Stephanie Laurens
This was cute and I really liked the couple! Geek paired with bluestocking. The sex scenes were vague and leaned towards purple prose, but I enjoyed the slow build-up of tension. This probably would have done better as a full-length novel, though I admit to missing out on the set-up by reading this book before [b:It Happened One Night|2854826|It Happened One Night|Stephanie Laurens|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1392878412s/2854826.jpg|2880960]. (3 stars)

Only Love by Mary Balogh
Perhaps it is a glitch in the ebook I was reading, but I felt like italics were overused. I found myself reading the emphasis in every third sentence and it threw me off. But, there was a plain, insecure show more heroine so of course I liked it. (3.5 stars)

Hope Springs Eternal by Jacquie D'Alessandro


Fate Strikes a Bargain by Candice Hern
This is a very sweet, low-angst tale about a MOC-turned-love-match between a vet with PTSD and a beautiful young woman with a limp. I liked it because of the tropes but it was pretty tepid, IMO. To be fair, a lot of that is likely due to the constraints of a short story, but I was hoping for a bit more. (3 stars) show less