Road Trip Collection Author: Annette Lyon, Aubrey Mace, Heather B. Moore, Jolene Perry, Raneé S. Clark, Sarah M. Eden
Series: A Timeless Romance #17
Genres: Romance Anthology
Format: eBook
Pages: 328
Date: May 10, 2016
Publisher: Mirror Press
Six new contemporary romance novellas.
WHAT FALLING FEELS LIKE by Jolene Betty Perry
High school was years ago, and Kendell is ready to admit that Tyler, her best friend’s younger brother, has matured into a good-looking man. But the once-popular Kendell is recovering from a marriage-gone-wrong, and she regrets turning Tyler down for high school prom. On their road trip to deliver a refurbished camper, Kendell rediscovers all the reasons she liked Tyler, but it might be too late to rekindle their friendship.
ANTIQUES ROAD TRIP by Sarah M. Eden
Kelsey is living out her dream for the weekend as she participates in a reality show contest by living on an 18th century film set. The contestant who wins the show receives a trip to England and $100k, more than enough to get her through grad school. When she meets Devon, who was coerced by his sister to participate, friendship blossoms. When things go wrong for Kelsey, Devon is there to help, and she soon realizes that winning the contest isn’t what she most desires.
WOULDN’T IT BE NICE by Ranee` S. Clark
When Jacqueline’s boyfriend Colin drops out of their long-planned road trip with friends to put his job first—again—it’s the final nail in the coffin of their dying relationship. But then Hudson, her best friend’s brother, takes Colin’s spot for the road trip, and Jacqueline’s disappointment in her ex takes a back seat to the chance for reestablishing the close ties she once had with Hudson. When their friendship detours into romance, it forces Jacqueline to question her reasons for breaking up with Colin and her future with Hudson.
HEAD OVER HEELS by Annette Lyon
Tristan is proud to be an entrepreneur, running a popular singles’ lifestyle blog. So when she gets an offer to cover a singles convention in Las Vegas, she needs to find a way to get there from another freelance job in Salt Lake without breaking into her personal savings. Her friend sets her up with a co-worker who happens to be driving that way, and Tristan is more than surprised to come face-to-face with a man she has a lot in common with, not to mention seems to click with right away. The two decide to play a prank on Tristan’s friend, and pretend that they are smitten with each other, but soon, the lines between pretend and reality start to fade.
TWO DOZEN ROSES by Heather B. Moore
Dayna reluctantly takes time out of her busy work life to drive her mother up the Pacific Coast Highway from California to her brother’s home in Oregon. Strangely enough, they keep running into two brothers who are traveling the same route in honor of their sister’s memory. The older brother Garrett is a merciless flirt, but the younger brother Roman is who captures Dayna’s attention. Soon she realizes that the brothers are extremely competitive, and she’s just become their next target.
TRY, TRY AGAIN by Aubrey Mace
Sarah’s secret crush on Justin takes a sudden turn when he breaks up with his girlfriend and declares that he’s interested in Sarah. She believes he’s just on the rebound, and they slowly drift apart. Six months later, Sarah still can’t stop thinking about what might have been. She ropes her friend into taking a road trip to visit Justin, hoping for a second chance. When Justin sees her, he wants answers, and Sarah has to decide if she’s brave enough to finally tell him the truth.
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About Annette Lyon
Annette Lyon is a Whitney Award-winning author and a three-time recipient of Utah’s Best of State medal for fiction. She has received many publication awards from the League of Utah Writers, including the Silver Quill for PAIGE, one of her books in the co-written Newport Ladies Book Club series. She is the author of over a dozen novels, at least as many novellas, a cookbook, a grammar guide, plus some 120 hundred articles.
About Aubrey Mace
Aubrey Mace lives in Sandy, Utah. She attended LDS Business College and Utah State University. When she is not writing, she enjoys cooking, traveling, gardening, playing the cello (badly), and spending time with her family and psychotic cat.
About Heather B. Moore
Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen historical novels and thrillers, written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes women’s fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore.
About Jolene Perry
Jolene cannot express how many times she wished she could write a whole novel. And now she has. Several times. Life is good. Jolene spends grocery money on designer fabric, shoes, and books. She also writes speculative fiction under the name AJ Brooks and romance under Jolene Betty Perry and Mia Josephs.
About Raneé S. Clark
Ranee` S. Clark and her personal superhero, her husband, live in Alaska where they are raising three future super-villains. When she’s not breaking up impromptu UFC fights in her living room or losing to one of her sons at Uno, she loves to read and write. She has a bachelors degree in history that is probably useless, but she had a lot of fun earning it. She blogs about writing, reading, and editing.
About Sarah M. Eden
Sarah M. Eden read her first Jane Austen novel in elementary school and has been addicted to historical romance ever since. With a degree in research and a fascination with history, Eden loves delving deep into history. She is the author of multiple historical romances.
What Falling Feels Like—Jolene Perry
Kendall is still hurting from her divorce when she agrees to let her best friend’s little brother Tyler hitch a ride with her to New Mexico. What her friend neglected to tell her is that Tyler is no longer the scrawny geek she remembers; he’s all grown up and is exactly the sort of guy she could find herself falling for, especially as they reconnect on their trip. But with Kendall’s past, is she willing to give Tyler a chance in her future?
This was probably my least favorite story of the collection, but it’s still enjoyable. One thing I did really like is that even though the mutual interest comes through pretty quickly, they do some time apart for Kendall to sort through her emotions before they really start their relationship.
Antiques Road Trip—Sarah M. Eden
Kelsey is a Jane Austen expert, so when she gets a chance to compete on a TV show where she’ll be assigned a character from 19th-century England, she’s all in. As she and her fellow contestants travel by carriage and try to stay in character, Kelsey isn’t surprised by how much she loves the chance to reenact history—but she is pleasantly surprised by how much she likes Devon, a fellow competitor, and she can’t help but hope he’s as great in real life as he is on TV.
I was thrilled to see that Saran Eden managed to incorporate Regency England into a modern story about a road trip. Best twist on a road trip ever! That was awesome. I also really liked both Kelsey and Devon; they were sweet and the sort of good people you want good things to happen to.
Wouldn’t It Be Nice—Ranee S. Clark
Jacqueline has recently broken up with her long-time boyfriend Colin because his refusal to go on a road trip they’d planned with friends because it would interfere with his job convinces her that he’s never going to have time for their relationship. Jac quickly gets over her disappointment, though, when Hudson, a longtime friend, is added to the group—and when she finds out that he’s had feelings for her for pretty much forever, she starts to wonder how she could have missed someone so wonderful when he’s been right in front of her the whole time. Colin, however, hasn’t given up on the idea of him and Jac working things out, and Jac will have to decide once and for all what she really wants.
I really enjoyed the bantering conversation between Jac and Hudson; the author did a great job showing their friendship and how they are really good for (and to) each other. This was another sweet story and it flowed really well.
Head over Heels—Annette Lyon
Tristian is on assignment for her online singles magazine when she briefly meets a guy who catches her eye—but is gone before she has a chance to do much more than find out his name is Mac. When another business opportunity pops up, she needs to find a way to get to Vegas fast, so when her friend Alyssa says she can arrange for Tristian to ride with a business acquaintance, Tristian accepts, thinking she’ll enjoy getting to know a friend of a friend—but not expecting that this friend is none other than Mac. With both Mac and Tristian having been misled by Alyssa as to the true identity of their road trip partner, they decide to get their revenge by making Alyssa thinking they’re falling for each other…but it turns out, maybe the joke’s on them, as they might be falling for real.
Even though the whole relationship developed really fast, the author made it feel real, showing how Mac and Tristian really connected. This story was a lot of fun…even if several of the 1980s pop songs referenced were ones I’m not familiar with.
Two Dozen Roses—Heather B. Moore
Dayna is driving her mother from California to Oregon, making several stops along the way to fulfill her mother’s sight-seeing dreams. Roman is on a road trip up the Pacific Coast Highway with his brother Garrett to fulfill their sister’s dying wish they the brothers try to mend their relationship. After a couple unintentional meetings at sightseeing venues along the way, the two groups start planning to meet up—and as they do, Garrett tries to use his charm to woo Dayna, not seeming to notice that Roman and Dayna seem to be hitting it off. But when Kenzie—the woman Roman once loved…at least until she married (and later divorced) his brother—comes calling, Dayna realizes she might have lost Roman before she ever truly had him.
This was a cute story. It was an interesting little twist that Dayna and Roman weren’t actually in the same car for this road trip. I love stories when the “underdog” (in this case, Roman, the more reserved brother) gets the girl.
Try, Try Again—Aubrey Mace
When Justin told Sarah he thought she was the one, she should have been ecstatic; she’d liked him for months. But instead, she panicked, assuming he couldn’t really mean it and she was just the rebound girl. And when he didn’t follow up at all, she figured she’d been right. But six months have passed, and she can’t help but want another chance—so when she sees an obituary for his grandfather, she convinces a friend of hers to go on a road trip with her so she can attend the viewing. But when she shows up, even though Justin seems happy to see her, she isn’t sure she’ll be able to put herself on the line and tell him what she really wants.
I think the author did a great job of developing Sarah’s fears and behaviors, how she really likes Justin and wants things to work but can’t quite believe she has a shot at getting what she really wants. I also liked how Justin was pretty patient with her—he’d be direct but then back off when she started to panic; that was an endearing characteristic.
This is another great anthology. I always have so much fun reading them. I enjoyed both the traditional road trip themes as well as the creative twists. There were lots of great characters to cheer for and some good character development, which can be hard to come by in novellas. Definitely recommend this one for anyone looking for great romances and a fun read.
I love that the stories in this collection are so very different from each other, even with the same theme! The premises are creative, the details are fun, and the romance is sweet as always. I love taking road trips, especially with my husband since he prefers driving and I can read my books 🙂 These stories capture the feeling of adventure and escape that hitting the road has in store. The most light-hearted of the bunch and my personal favorite is ‘Head Over Heels” with the classic road trip element of singing 80’s ballads at the top of your lungs, a Tom Hiddleston look-alike, and the out-of-nowhere romance that ensues (what a fun first kiss!). The other novellas offer a bit more relationship drama/angst, and Sarah Eden’s regency reality show takes the term road trip to a whole new level with horse drawn carriages. Highly recommend- a great summer read!
Road trips – what a fun and unique setting for a collection! This is another great addition to the Timeless Romance Anthology series. Yep! I seem to say that every time. Because it’s true. Two of the authors in this collection were new to me. I have met so many wonderful authors through this series!
What Falling Feels Like by Jolene Betty Perry – This was a sweet second chance story. I really enjoyed it. I appreciated the way the author developed the relationship between Kendell and Tyler. This was a new author for me. I would definitely be interested in reading more of her work.
Antiques Road Trip by Sarah M. Eden – I loved this story! The idea was so clever. I got to read a contemporary story and a regency story at the same time. It was great to watch the characters try to act and speak correctly, especially the guys.
Wouldn’t It Be Nice by Ranee’ S. Clark – This story has its’ own take on a romance with a friend’s brother. It was fun to see a whole group of friends on a road trip together. I really liked Hudson. I was glad he finally got his chance with Jac. This is the other author that was new to me. I look forward to seeing what else she has written.
Head Over Heels by Annette Lyon – This was such a fun story! I could just imagine Alyssa’s inner smile as she set Tristan up, knowing she assumed Mac was a girl. And Mac knew the perfect way to get his relationship with Tristan going. I would love to see the continuation of their story.
Two Dozen Roses by Heather B. Moore – This was a fun take on a road trip romance. Thank you Dayna for not falling for Garrett’s charm! I really don’t like those guys that think they can get any girl they want. I liked watching Roman figure out ways to talk to Dayna alone. I really liked this story!
Try, Try Again by Aubrey Mace – What an interesting excuse to see someone again, but it worked! I was proud of Sarah for going. It was so hard for her to open up, that I really am amazed she went. It was a very good thing though! This was another great story in the collection!
I was given a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I think this was probably closer to a 3.5 stars collection for me. Each story has to be short so there isn’t a lot of time to develop relationships but also, since they are all on road trips that don’t last that long there isn’t much time for that reason either. Each story is clean though there is some passing reference to previous marital intimacy. And really each one of them could be the basis for a Hallmark movie if lengthened out a good deal. But you get the idea.
WHAT FALLING FEELS LIKE by Jolene Betty Perry
This romance wouldn’t have worked for me at all if they had not known each other before. Kendell is a mess and really not ready for a new relationship. Glad she recognized the problem even if her waiting period didn’t seem that long to me. I liked Tyler a lot but Kendell probably wouldn’t have been my best friend. She did seem to mature over time, as brief as it was. My one big negative for this story is that I really wanted to know what Anton actually wanted. Not vital for the story but I was curious.
ANTIQUES ROAD TRIP by Sarah M. Eden
This story seemed to be part Austenland, part reality TV, part a manners guide to 1815 and a sweet romance. It made it rather fun. Kelsey and Devon are lovable nerds and each character in their carriage was fun. I thought the story was a fun read.
WOULDN’T IT BE NICE by Ranee` S. Clark
I’ve read this one before though I’m not sure where. I guess it is a good sign that it was memorable enough for me to recognize it immediately. I liked the main characters and the story except I always worry when people jump into a new relationship right after a break up. If they hadn’t known each other so well having been friends all their lives I’d have only given their relationship a year. But since the friendship existed first I think they’ll make it.
HEAD OVER HEELS by Annette Lyon
This story is cute with fun characters but it is very insta-love. Adorable cute-meet.
TWO DOZEN ROSES by Heather B. Moore
Another insta-love situation. I was so glad that Dayna could see through Roman’s brother and not fall under his spell. He rates pretty high on the jerk meter. I liked Roman though and loved his sense of romance with not one but two dozen roses. It is a cute story but very fast moving relationship.
TRY, TRY AGAIN by Aubrey Mace
I liked the idea of this story, including the very pregnant sidekick but didn’t love Sarah all that much. It felt like it should be obvious to take the relationship she’d been pining for and was handed to her on a silver platter but she is really good at running away and back-pedaling and it made her feel quite immature.
Because these are all novellas it makes it perfect for when you just a have a little time for reading. It is easy to finish a story in one sitting.