Jo Beverley (1947–2016)

I didn't read the original anthology this is part of (Songs of Love and Death) though given the fact the original collection has almost a dozen authors I like from various genres, I really should have. And maybe I will at some point (that is not right now). This collection however took 5 of the stories--how they were chosen I know not--and released them together as an ebook special.

I'll review each story separately and then my overall impression.

"The Marrying Maid" by Jo Beverly

Here she tells the story of a man wooing a very reluctant maid--with his life and the lives of all his relatives in the balance, all doomed to die if he can't overcome her resistance. Which is not going to be easy.

I typically like Jo Beverly's romances. Most have some sort of magical hint--overtly like this story with Oberon and Titania inferring left, right and center or more subtly, like a 'magic' locket. That said this one felt...off to me. The short format, plus the sudden urgency to the male's plight when a sudden realization hits upon him, made the genuineness of their 'love' feel artificial and as false as can be. This dampened the mood for me and left me feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Blue Boots" by Robin Hobb

In this poignant story, Hobb shows us that although love can build bridges across the widest of chasms, those bridges can be swept away by a flood of troubles--but that sometimes, with luck and persistence, they can be built again.

The amount of love I feel for this story is manifold. Seriously. It feels a bit long-ish, as long chunks are reflective as Timbal tries to feel out her feelings and reason with her hormones, but it has a...I'm not sure what you would call it. It feels right. The length and narrative structure is like one the ballads Azen (the minstrel) sings about. I rooted for Timbal to find her happiness and despaired when it seemed like Azen was a lout. It had me engaged from beginning to end (though I do wish it could have been longer.

"You and You Alone" by Jacqueline Carey

A compelling and intricate tale that follows the consequences of a promise between star crossed lovers down through the generations--one with quite a high price in blood.

I'll be honest--most of my friends rave about Carey's novels in some fashion. I myself am not so taken with her writing. This story I believe is set in the same world as her Kushiel books (mainly because there's a lot of talk of Naamah and Kushiel's Chosen, but I can't say for sure where it falls in the chronology). And unlike does not end quite as...happily. Depending on what you consider to be happily I suppose. Its quite a romantic tale of tragedy, of losing love and regaining it and losing it again.

I suspect if I knew who Anafiel was, or what this plot he speaks of was really about I may have enjoyed this story better. As is I enjoyed it a lot for what it was (memories of a long gone past filled with regrets, selfish needs and selfless deeds) and wonder a bit at the rest.

"Under/Above the Water" by Tanith Lee

Its said that each of us has one special person in the world that we are destined to love, and that to miss meeting that special person, to go through life without them, is perhaps the worst tragedy that can befall you. Lee shows us that if you miss your destined lover in one lifetime, it may just be possible to find them in another...

I....have no idea what happened in this story. Um reincarnation? Maybe? Kind of? I enjoyed Lee quite a bit when I was younger (her Claidi Journals were boon companions of mine), but I can honestly say I don't remember the novels being this confusing (well the whole truth about who 'Claidi' kind of got confusing). Zaeli is on a trip to maybe feel something other then despair of her lost lover, Zehrendir is doing his best to find a reason to live on after losing the two people he trusted most--two different times, two different people but united. Somehow.

Yeah that's all I really understood.

"Demon Lover" by Cecelia Holland

There's a cost for everything, but here we learn that sometimes the cost can be must too high, no matter how glittering and wonderful the prize is--or seems to be.

I kind of liked this one. I didn't buy into the romance at the end. That is, I could have if Palo's introduction wasn't as bad it was and if it didn't feel like Fioretta settled for him because she felt she could do no better. The author mitigated it a little bit, but it still didn't excuse the abominable way Palo treated Fioretta originally and I found it hard to get over that. Also creepy castle is creepy.

Over all this was a nice sampling of what the anthology has to offer. I'll definitely be checking out the entire collection, there's a few other authors included I would enjoy I think, and this is definitely worth the price its at.… (more)