Valentine Bride by Doreen DeSalvo. Set in the late 1800's, John has lost one wife of six months only to be met at his doorstep by her sister instead of the money his late wife's father should have sent back to him. He figured he should be compensated since the man's daughter died so soon after the marriage. But instead, he had sent the sister, Mariana, to pick up where the first daughter, Francesca, failed. The last thing John wants or needs is another woman. Especially his late wife's sister. But Mariana soon has him realizing how much he has missed a woman to warm his bed. At least that's all he will admit to. Can John let go the hurt and insecurity left by Francesca and find the love he never thought possible?

Valentine Wishes by Mlyn Hurn. Victoria Vale hates Valentines Day. Well, it isn't exactly her fault. After all, her ex-boyfriend called it "National Suck-Up Day" so he didn't have to get her a present. Since then, she's always been depressed at that time of year and has tried to avoid it when she can. Which is difficult considering her mother designs wedding dresses for a living (where she used to work) and Vickie herself now works for a greeting card company. It's up to Kirk to put the spring back into her Valentine. She just hopes he won't break her heart as well.

I can't say enough good things about Candy Store. I loved it from beginning to end. I'll admit that, though I liked Valentine Bride, there were parts that made me a bit uncomfortable, though it was simply a matter of preference. I also thought parts of it were a bit cliché, but that also was a matter of preference. Valentine Wishes was simply awesome. As a collection, I didn't really feel Valentine Bride belonged. The theme was carried through, but it was so radically different that it broke symmetry a bit. All in all, I enjoyed all three stories separately and will definitely look for more by each author. Great job.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Amy L. Turpin
March 15, 2004