Dance the Fandango

Short Story in The Power of Love Anthology

By Rosemary Laurey

Berkley Sensation - June 2008

Contemporary Romance


Twelve authors coming together and providing short stories for an anthology. Twelve short stories of empowered women overcoming obstacles and finding success and love. The Power of Love is an anthology of twelve romances written by some of today's brightest stars in the romance genre showing that sometimes anything is possible, given the power of love.

Magda Stephenson was giddy to start her new life. The husband she had loved had died, slightly over a year before, and now she had a new love in her life. She had met him just three months earlier, and they were planning to be married.

Now, Magda had invited her children, and their families for a giant celebration of her birthday - the last that would be in this home. For she had, unknowingly to her children, also sold the house. It was at this celebration, which would include a few additional guests, where she would introduce them to the man she planned to marry. She wanted them to meet him, his family, then announce their engagement.

Dance the Fandango is the story of a woman celebrating her sixty-fifth birthday, but still eager to enjoy the life, and man, in front of her. The story was well written and had a great collection of secondary characters. However, I had a couple problems. First was that Magda brought her family together under a false pretense. They had thought they were having an intimate family birthday. Instead, she is "springing" her new man on them at a party where she had invited many additional guests. Second, maybe I've seen too many true crime shows, but I can't help but think about unsuspecting widows(ers), who having been in a long relationship, fall prey during those months shortly after the death of their spouse.

Included in The Power of Love are: Sweet Dreams by Lori Foster, Unpredictable by Erin McCarthy, After Hours by Toni Blake, Last of the Red-Hot Mammas by Dianne Castell, Salesman of the Year by Karen Kelley, Dance the Fandango by Rosemary Laurey, The Girl Next Door by Janice Maynard, Chicken Soup for Annie by LuAnn McLane, No Angel by Lucy Monroe, Angel in the Alley by Patricia Sargeant, Hannah's Choice by Kay Stockham and The Mouse Who Roared by J. C. Wilder.

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com