SUMMER BRIDES

Author: Susan Wiggs, Sherryl Woods and Susan Mallery ISBN: 9780778328438 7/2010 ANTHOLOGY Publisher: MIRA

Ashe Carver, monster-killer, has the scars to prove it. But faced with a custody battle, she's hung up her stakes and taken a job at the public library, determined to show the courts and her ten-year-old daughter that she's as good a mother as she is a hunter. Easier said than done. There are lovelorn vampires haunting the library, a slime demon in the shopping mall, and her new-mom sister needs a hand with her ghostbusting biz. Then, after centuries guarding a supernatural prison, Captain Reynard strides into her world like a hero from the library's Must Reads. Smokingly gorgeous, passionate and courageous to a fault, he has only weeks to live unless Ashe finds the thief who took his soul. Ashe picks up her weapons to save the day—but not every problem can be solved with a stake. With so much tragedy in her past, Ashe fears the disaster she sees ahead—and prays she doesn't fail everyone. Again. Memories are the hardest monsters to kill.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

SUMMER BRIDES is a compilation of two old stories and one new.

“The Borrowed Bride” is Susan Wiggs’ first published story and was updated for this anthology. The oddly named Isabel Wharton rejected her father’s Native American heritage when he died in a daredevil race in her tenth year and has moved on to a safe life running a small business. A week before her wedding to a safe choice, an old Native American boyfriend steals her away to try to win her back. The story comes together in a circular manner like a good category novel.

“A Bridge to Dreams” is a 1990 release from Sherryl Woods, but holds up so well that it reminds me of what I love about romance. The hero, wealthy ex-race car driver Brad Willis, sweeps mousy Karyn off her feet for a magical week in San Francisco. The heroine seems more poor and oppressed than makes sense, but if you suspend disbelief, it is really a wonderful story.

“Sister of the Bride” is the only new story of the group. It belongs to Mallery’s Fool’s Gold series and is an illustration of why you should listen to your mother. Katie’s sister is marrying her ex-boyfriend, and she has to have a date for the wedding or her relatives will torture her. Her mother suggests her best friend’s son, computer nerd Howie, for the task. Will fourteen years have improved him any?

All three stories are light entertainment when you need some mindless fun. Enjoy!

Heather Hiestand