Basso's story was okay except the hero was still after another woman for a time. That's more realistic than many other stories, but he didn't seem interested enough in the heroine for so long that their devotion seemed thin. The ending was a problem, too. There were many questions left unanswered. The declaration didn't seem to fit well with the rest of the story. Most importantly, she failed to tell him something VERY important. The reader is left with uncertainy as to the lasting quality of this relationship. It was quite lovely, though, that he's 7 years younger! 1 to 1.5 stars
Faulkner's story started with such promise; Ally looked to be a great heroine. But once they met at the ball, it all became lame. There was no evidence of love on his part, and he's not a well-developed character. Worst of all, the author either did not know or did not care about the historical milieu or the social convention of the day. All in all, rather pathetic. Zero
Raleigh had the winner of the bunch. Only one incongruent line at the end spoils the pleasant romp of the whole; it's a nice line, but it's in opposition to the whole of the story. The characters are well drawn and their interaction believeable. I might contemplate buying this book for this story alone, but I'd rather have it in a compilation of Raleigh's work, since the other two aren't great. Story 3 is easily a 3 star work.
