"A Journey Across Time"

ONCE UPON A PILLOW, an anthology of four stories, was co-written by Christine Dodd and Connie Brockway. Each story tells the tale of the Masterson bed, a massive, ornate medieval bed handed down through generations of Mastersons.

Laurel Whitney is the modern-day expert on the Masterson bed and is also the caretaker/curator of the Masterson museum housed in the manor house in which earlier Masterson generations resided. The museum's main attraction is this magnificent and ancient bed. A new owner who does not want the museum to continue has bought the house and Laurel is quite heartbroken as she leads the last tour. During the tour, she recounts the lives and exploits of various Masterson men, all involving the bed. Each recounting introduces the reader to the next story, a very original method of storytelling and one that I don't recall reading before.

The stories move in chronological order and each is introduced by Laurel on her tour. A medieval knight with a bossy proxy wife, a dashing Elizabethan who kidnaps the wrong lady, and a brave Regency lord who searches out smugglers and is held captive by a bold young woman, provide readers with entertaining, sultry, and quick reading. The final story tells the tale of Laurel herself, along with the infuriating and sexy handyman who listens in on the tour.

Because each tale is relatively short, the stories do not have a lot of depth or detail, and the plots are simple. The story lines and characters are great in the first three stories, but I found the plot becoming too ambitious in the final one. Perhaps if the smugglers had been left out completely or further developed I would have enjoyed it more. It seemed incomplete.

The writing styles of the two authors are similar and I had a difficult time identifying which author wrote each of the stories. The historical detail provides depth, the characters are, for the most part, well drawn and interesting, and the scenes involving the bed were tasteful (again, for the most part) and steamy. The love scenes are rather explicit, but that is a matter of taste and they do not detract in any way from the quality of the writing.

Once Upon a Pillow is a unique concept and a top-notch effort by two leading romance authors. Each is a star in her own right and as a team has created a wonderful work of romantic fiction.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartshorn
Posted October 1, 2002

Summary

From two of romance fiction's most exciting and acclaimed authors comes the sizzling saga of a magnificent bed and the lovers who have shared it through the ages. Collaborating for the first time, Christina Dodd and Connie Brockway take readers on an unforgettable adventure -- from medieval times to present day -- that sparkles with love and laughter. Once Upon a Pillow Within a beautiful old English manor house lies a sumptuous antique bed, one of many Masterson family heirlooms that have been sold along with the house. As Laurel Whitney leads the last tour group through the house before it's closed to the public, she regales the visitors with romanticized tales of how this exquisite bed affected the lives of the couples who slept in it. The actual stories -- of a bawdy medieval knight trying to woo his reluctant bride; an insolvent Elizabethan aristocrat who plans to ruin a wealthy heiress but beds her impoverished cousin instead; and a feisty Regency lady whose scheme goes awry when she mistakenly manacles herself (and a dashing colonel) to the bedpost -- are funnier and certainly sexier than anything a tour guide could ever tell! Shocked to see her lover from the past on the tour, Laurel is even more surprised to find their love rekindled when a twist of fate leaves them no choice but to spend the night in the famed Masterson bed.