The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance by Trisha Telep

(4 stars - A charming twist on Cinderella, a bit of 'magic' made the initial quick connection work for me) 'Cynders and Ashe' - Elizabeth Boyle - A dissatisfied customer and a misplaced invitation combine to offer a talented seamstress an opportunity to attend a highly coveted annual ball and to see the 'prince' she was forced to flee the last go round. 'The Dashing Miss Langley' - Amanda Grange - After two years, an independent woman reconnects with the man she thought would offer for her but whose absence left her questioning his true feelings. Could fate be offering them a second chance? (2 stars - a ten year big misunderstanding was just too much for me) 'Upon a Midnight Clear' - Anna Campbell - An accident brings an estranged husband and wife back together after ten years. 'Desperate Measures' -Candace Hern - She's decided to get the attention of the man she's secretly loved by making him jealous but there's a slight hitch in her plan. Here's a short blurb for each author's story so you can be the judge and my rating for each But if Telep's other collections are any indication, I am sure that regency fans will find many beloved names. So I can't really comment on the popularity of the collection of authors which editor Tricia Telep has amassed for TMBoRR. I am not knowledgeable when it comes to this genre - Although, to my surprise, I did actually recognize a few authors. Instead, I preferred the stories with lovers separated by circumstance getting a second chance or the ones with neighbors or friends taking it to the next level.

On the whole, I found that stories which built off of a 'big misunderstanding' to keep former lovers apart for years and which had them hating each other at the start were my least favorite. I found that the stories which I liked best were not the ones with the most complicated setups, mostly because there just wasn't the space for those stories to transition in a way which felt natural and to make the resolutions satisfying.

This BIG book had a nice variety of stories, most of which felt much longer than I would have imagined and many with a surprising amount of steam. I love these Mammoth Romance Anthologies, so even though regency romances are not my thing I couldn't resist giving The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance (TMBoRR) with its twenty three short romances a try.

The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance by Trisha Telep