Ah, Love. How does one describe it? In a multitude of ways, of course. Love means something different to each individual. It cannot be categorized in a general sense. It must be free to take the form best suited to each person who finds themselves falling into… well, Love. Love An Anthology gives a wide selection of situations and characters, from the first love to the true love to the love found later in life. It is a smorgasbord from which one may pick and choose the pleasing delicacies to tantalize the senses and leave one satisfied, with many other treats for a later snack.

Katherine Smith begins the buffet with "A Slender Debt". Personally, I'd enjoy seeing this story expanded. I'd like to know more about Justin. The young widow Adrianne appears to be a little too tough, but perhaps that is the quality in a woman that Justin is looking for. He offers his body, a substitute for her dead husband. Adrianne succumbs to the desires of the man that the sea, which deprived her of her husband, has delivered to her door. There is no summary of this story, only commentary.

"Remember" by Judith Fox is the next course. Penelope Curtis returns to the scene of her childhood lost love, determined to enjoy her new employment. Unfortunately, the love that left her emotionally wounded and caused her flight from the island, Brent Day, turns out to be her employer and he has designs of picking up just where they left off. Unfortunately, the basic story is well planned but the delivery is choppy. There were too many dark or gray areas to leave me with a feeling of satisfaction at the end.

"A Soldier in Love" by Diane M. Wylie. Poverty and starvation will drive a person to do whatever it takes to survive. "A Soldier in Love" shows what one woman had to do during the Civil War to keep from dying in the street from the poverty thrust upon her by her father. The truths of the Civil War are presented well within the margins of the central love story. More background on Ryan would have been nice but the love of Ryan for Christine was perfectly presented against the background of the battlefield.

"Meant to Be" by Crystal Inman. Lack of communication has been the death of many a love affair. That lack was very nearly lethal for Lynn as she runs from the altar. Max is a strong character, stronger than his lousy brother who jilted Lynn. A series of miscommunications must be overcome if Max and Lynn are ever to find happiness.

"The Arrangement" by Crystal Inman. What do you do when you find a crazy but beautiful lady who says she is your muse lying in the bushes in the park while you're trying to get some writing done? Brendon Wardlow is about to find out how much he is willing to go through to become a best selling author…and how much he is willing to give up for love. I wonder at the security of falling in love with a muse. Both love and a muse can be so fickle.

"Restoration of a Broken Heart" by Barbara Baldwin. Restoration can come to more than just an antiquated manor house. An elderly heart can be reconditioned to a lovely new life with the proper touch. For romance to come in the advanced years is heartwarming, especially when it comes in the form of Joe who is the picture of the distinguished lover. Molly finds that after her divorce, Joe is just what she needs to complete her new life as owner of the Maple Manor mansion, soon to be the "Bed and Breakfast" Molly has dreamed of owning. Joe is romantic in the extreme and Molly is all but wrapped up in him on the first night they met. Their relationship progresses smoothly to an ending that gave me hope and a smile, especially with the loving references Joe makes about Molly's not so perfect body: "Don’t you know that the intriguing part of a woman is what's inside. A man's a fool if he only looks at the outside wrapping…" Pure romance.

"Echo of the Plains" by Kristy McCaffrey. Welcome to North Texas, 1895. It was a time when family came above all else. A time when a seventeen year old boy could suddenly find the love of his life, even if he had to fight with her to win her heart. Eli Ryan is tossed from his horse only to find himself looking up at an angel with green eyes. Finding he's not dead, he makes the re-acquaintance of Miss Cassie Callahan, the young lady whom he had known when she was but four or five. One wild stallion serves to drive Eli and Cassie apart and bring them together again in this sweet story of family loyalty and young love.

"Worthy Hearts" by Janet Mills. Alicia Cortez has too many big brothers. Well, not exactly brothers but the three men doubling as brothers where her dating life is concerned. And if they didn’t scare off any prospective boyfriend, her large family usually does. Trey Whitlock is not to be dissuaded from his desire to get to know Ali better. He brings a peace offering to his first meeting with the "brothers." Although Ali's roommates share every intimate detail of her bad points with Trey, he's still determined to be a part of her life. The first date is filled with earning the acceptance of Ali's friends, followed by an unexpected meeting of her rather large family. In Trey's heart, loving Ali is the prize worth earning.

"Where the Heart Is" by Barri Bryan. Coming home is the hardest thing Angela Murray has ever done--coming back to her childhood home that she swore she'd never return to. But her sister's funeral is more important than all of the hurt she associates with Paul's Valley. Unfortunately it puts her in direct contact with the man who drove her away when she was eighteen; the older man she loved with everything she had and was forbidden by her mother to see; the man who shunned her after being her lover; the man who became her sister's husband four years after she left town. Can she find a peace with the man who caused her so much pain?

How wonderful is Love? I suppose it would matter just what you have to go through to find it, to grab hold of it, and to keep it forever. In this collections published by Whiskey Creek Press, there is a love scenario for each person, whether it be in the form of a short story or the heartwarming poetry that is included in between. Love An Anthology is a feast that everyone can find a sweet morsel or two within and finish with a sigh of satisfaction.

Reviewed by MargeAnna Conrad
Copyright © November 2006