"Magical, enchanting, intriguing collection."

To weave a web of magic in storytelling takes skill, inspiration and unusual subjects. The four ladies in this romantic fantasy anthology have managed to do just that. With magical words and intriguing storylines, these modern- day muses deftly weave four very different tales - stories of love, loss and reclamation that capture the imagination and stir the heart. This is a grownup fairy tale book that will enchant readers for at least a hundred years, as they travel down paths of a long time ago, in a land, far, far away.

The Gorgon in the Cupboard - Patricia A. McKillip: Harry Waterman longs for a muse to inspire his painting, the way that the great Alex McAlister's wife, Aurora, inspired McAlister to paint his much acclaimed works of art. One day after fervently beseeching his muse, or anyone else's muse, for the kiss of inspiration to create his masterwork, he hears a voice in his cupboard. A voice coming from a mouth painted from his daydreams. Suddenly, he has his inspiration in a most unseemly form, but it's his muse nonetheless. Restlessly, he searches for a model to pose for his newly inspired masterpiece, looking for anyone other than Aurora, whose very presence turns him to stone. When love finally rears its not so ugly head, he will find his inspiration in the last place he thought to find it, even if it takes him back to his creative underworld to find her.

The Tale of Two Swords - Lynn Kurland: Eight-year- old Harold, like all boys his age, longs for an excellent adventure. He invents stories to amuse himself when boredom would prevail, which usually consists of fanciful thoughts of his mother, whom he swears is so skilled with her poker, she could rival the knights of the realm. One particularly snowy afternoon, he entreats his father to assist him in the fine art of adventure, only to find himself settling for his favorite story instead, "The Tale of Two Swords." It's a story full of romance, great daring, bloodshed and harrowing escapes, so what could be better? Even his older brother and younger sister can leave their differences of opinion behind in order to enjoy such a tale. As their father reads them the story of Mehar of Angesand and Gilraehen the Fey, Prince of the house of Neroche, Harold finds himself imaging what it would be like to be in their service. However, Harold should be careful what he wishes for because sometimes fairy tales can come true - when you least expect them!

Fallen Angel - Sharon Shinn: Samaria houses not only the wealthy elite, but is also home to the angels as well, angels who do not merely sit on high in heaven strumming harps and wearing halos. No, the angels work with humankind to enforce the laws of the land and lead them in battle should the need arise. For those lucky enough to marry an angel, life may just be heaven on earth. And Eden is in love with an angel. However, he's not just any angel. Jesse is the rebel of rebels, a "wayward, reckless, sullen boy without any prospects." However, society does not allow a Manadavvi to love an angel like him, let alone think of marrying him. Nonetheless, he's different and exciting, filling her body with secret longings and her mind with radical, daring ideas. When the humans and angels accuse Jesse of a crime he didn't commit, and for which he has no alibi, Eden must find the courage to save the angel of her dreams. Somehow, Eden must choose between the angel she would give her love to and her family being torn apart by secrets and hatred.

An Elegy for Melusine - Claire Delacroix: The Castle of Melusine is a thing of fading beauty and haunted by more than it seems. Two unsuspecting, twittering pea hens, young women too absorbed of themselves to notice anything else, enter the castle on a terrifying whim. Their only mission is to say they have survived the lair of the infamous, yet long dead, Melusine. But Melusine is not dead, she's merely faded from the world, cloaked within the many shadows deep inside. While she listens, they spin the lies and embellish the words with which history has seen fit to brand her. Moved to share her tale one last time, Melusine uses the last of her power to come forth in the guise of an old woman and begins to tell her tale. A tale of great, undying love for a man who would go back on his word and destroy all she's known, even as he destroys her heart. A tale of a woman cursed with a tail, not the demon or a serpent the unforgiving world would have her be. For once a week, every Saturday, Melusine's curse comes upon her, leaving her lower half transforming from shapely to serpentine, and she is forced to lounge the day away soaking until the next day dawns. When her love for Raymond is split asunder, will she remain trapped in the mortal world, a ghost of her own invention, or will she finally learn forgiveness and live as she was meant to in the fey world across the veil?

Reviewed by Anne Barringer
Posted June 12, 2004

Four stories of fantasy and exquisite romance...

Summary

A romantic fantasy anthology with four novellas from renowned authors of romance and fantasy...

USA Today best-selling author Claire Delacroix gives readers a revisionist version of the medieval legend of Melusine.

USA Today best-selling author Lynn Kurland's trademark style shines in this tale of the magic and medieval romance between two lovers.

World Fantasy Award-winner Patricia A. McKillip tells of an artist's model and the transforming power of beauty and inspiration.

National best-selling author Sharon Shinn offers a compelling romance set in a strange new off-world of angels and revolving around the pursuit of love.

The very thrill of love comes dazzlingly to life when these four shining stars or romance and fantasy weave their own web of magic for their legions of fans.