Spellbound
Short Story in It Happened One Night Anthology
By Mary Balogh
Avon - September 2008
Historical Romance
Mary Balogh had an idea. What if four authors each wrote a short story with the same basic premise - a man and woman are reunited after ten years, and spend a twenty-four hour period together at an inn. This anthology is the result of that idea.
Nora Ryder was without a job, and even worse, she hadn't even been paid her past earnings. On her way to her brother's home, Nora learned there had been an accident with the stagecoach and they would have to stay the night at the inn. Unfortunately, Nora didn't have money to pay for a room. Then her husband came to the rescue.
Richard Kemp hadn't seen his wife in a decade. Not that she was necessarily his wife, or maybe she still was. The problem was, he didn't know. What was certain, though, was that their situations had changed. As they spend May Day together, they realize that their attraction to one another hadn't abated. Perhaps now, they could have a different ending.
Spellbound was a touching story of reconciliation. Neither Nora nor Richard fully comprehends the events of ten years earlier that had separated them. I loved watching them reconcile, and rediscover their love for one another.
What a unique concept that Mary Balogh had which resulted in It Happened One Night. I enjoyed reading this anthology, and would be interested to see such an endeavor again.
Included in It Happened One Night are: The Fall of Rogue Gerrard by Stephanie Laurens , Spellbound by Mary Balogh, Only You by Jacquie D'Alessandro, and From This Moment On by Candice Hern.
Kathy Andrico - RoadToRomance.ca