3.5 stars for the collection.

After reading "Lord Lovedon's Duel" in the Royal Bridesmaids anthology, I set out to see if I could find Ms. Chase's story on its own, so I could pass along the anthology to someone else. Mercifully, I found it here, with another short story to boot, and for a mere 99c! Hooray!

Lord Lovedon's Duel - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Setting: 1835

Chloe Sharp overhears Lord Lovedon insulting her sister on her sister's wedding day, and challenges him to a duel. They are both falling down drunk, but Chloe has piqued Lovedon's interest, so he holds her to her vow even after she regrets making it the next morning. The two do actually duel, with a rather surprising conclusion!

The characters are sharp and witty and fun, and the pacing was very nicely done. Ms Chase didn't try to tell too much story in too few pages, and though this does tie in with her Dressmakers series, it isn't overshadowed by the recurring series characters.

The Jilting of Lord Rothwick - ⭐⭐⭐
Setting: 1840

Set the day before the royal wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, this is a very short story (a oneshot in fannish terms) that is exactly as it says on the tin. Lord Rothwick, a peer of the realm with pockets to let, had spent the previous nine weeks courting Miss Barbara Findley, the daughter of a non-titled man who'd made a fortune and saddled her with a £200K dowry, in hopes of buying a title. Miss Findley had indeed been approached by countless men, but she found Rothwick - the most arrogant, and yet also the most desperate - the most enticing. They courted and agreed to wed, but once he'd left her sphere of influence to prepare for their wedding in London, she'd started having second thoughts. After all, she thinks, if the Queen can marry for love, why can't she? She's desperately in love with Rothwick but fears her feelings are unreturned, so she sends him a note calling off their engagement.

He isn't about to accept her mere three sentences which amount to "we would not suit," so he harries back to Little Etford for an explanation. She offers him little more, so he grudgingly accepts it. Because the weather is horrendous, he spends the night at a local inn. Miss Findley goes to see him there later that evening, but he's drunk and maudlin, so she finds her confession of wanting romantic love falling on deaf ears.

The next morning, both wake up and realize that they don't want to call of their engagement after all - because of course Rothwick is in love with Barbara, even though he's never told her - and they literally clash in the street. Barbara gets her much-desired confession of love, and a passionate kiss to boot, and they agree that they will marry after all, even if they have to do it in the shadow of the royal wedding.

This was a bizarre experience for me, because it was such a short story. If it had been longer, it would've been an annoying Big Misunderstanding, so I'm glad that was cut off at the pass. It just feels like it ends abruptly.

Nevertheless, Ms. Chase can write witty dialog with the best of them, so I had to give it an extra star. ( )

In this book we have two novella's previously published in two different anthologies and if you've never read Loretta Chase (OMG! Where have you been for the last two decades?! LOL! Just teasing!), I think you should definitely go for this book.

Both stories are well written and although predictable at times, I found them entertaining.

In Lord Lovedon's Duel I loved the characters and their witty repartee. In The Jilting of Lord Rothwick I wasn't so fond of the hero, but in the end I did find the romance cute and sweet.

I'm not sure what your take on anthologies is, but I like them. If they're well put together they can be good and they are an awesome tool to introduce one to an author you've never read. There are times that no matter the great writing, if the plot is not feasible or the characters are weak, you'll find yourself abandoning the read. In this case, I enjoyed these two short stories and hope you will to.

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher
( )

Two short stories. They were OK. I couldn't remember much about them a month after reading them. I liked Lord Lovedon's Duel better than The Jilting of Lord Rothwick. Not much more to say. ( )

Too short. I liked both couples and would have enjoyed reading more about each of them. But, even a little amuse bouche of Loretta Chase is better than a full meal of a less-skilled author. ( )