Kindle Edition Amazon Larry K. & Lorna Collins Category:  Romance Publisher: 31 Months LLC ISBN-10:  1675975701 Type: Fiction Pages: 356 Copyright: Dec 14, 2019 ISBN-13: 9781675975701 Price: $2.99 (eBook) Finding love is an art, and these artists (and aspiring artists) discover that love, like art, requires more than talent! THE CHAPEL OF LOVE by Cheryl Gardarian: Moving to Colorado changes Darcy Oma Green’s life. Saddled with D.O.G. for initials, she never expects to fall in love, but magic happens in Aspen Grove. A SHOT AT LOVE by Lorna Collins: Gulietta Boller Amalfitano wants her own identity. So she leaves home for Aspen Grove, Colorado where she discovers her heart’s desire through photographer, Jeff Stone. LADY JANE'S CROCHET by Sherry Derr-Wille: Jayne Connor’s love of crochet brings her to Baker’s Secret Hideaway, where she falls for Keith Baker. But when his attitude suddenly changes, she’s bewildered and gives up all thoughts of love. AN AFFAIR OF THE ART by Luanna Rugh: When Rayne McAllister is talked into taking a beginning watercolor class, she is confronted with the guy who was her worst date ever! And he’s the teacher. Could this ever lead to love? Rayne doesn’t think so.       Excerpt Prologue Allegra McDonald “Be careful,” I called up to my husband, Drew, as he perched on the top of the tall ladder. He reached out to anchor the bunting above the door of our store, The Aspen Grove Gallery. “Honey, remember you’re not as young as you used to be,” I reminded him, not that I expected him to listen. To be honest, he’s still far too handsome for a guy in his late sixties. He’s active and stays in great shape. Actually, he’s even better looking than he was when we attended Aspen Grove High School so many years ago. As he grinned down at me, I once again marveled at the amazing way in which our lives took separate paths, merging again in later life. Drew is my soul mate and best friend, and I consider myself blessed to have been given a second chance with him. We’re both artists, and I knew he wouldn’t stop his adjustments until everything met his high standards. “Almost done, honey,” he called down as he tugged once more to make sure the draping of the red, white, and blue fabric looked perfect. When he was satisfied, he came back down the ladder. “Only a few more stores left.” “Please be careful.” We both hoped this first annual community arts and crafts celebration could put Aspen Grove on the map. During the past few years, the travel blogs began spreading the word about our little town, touting its history and charm. Since we’re not far off the main route to the ski areas, visitors had discovered they could stay at the Aspen Grove Hotel, one of the smaller boutique hotels and inns, or nearby bed and breakfasts and still spend the day on the slopes. We were trying to attract more guests during the summer as well. As head of the local Chamber of Commerce, Drew proposed we feature local artists and crafts people in conjunction with our traditional Fourth of July celebration. He thought our old-fashioned parade would draw folks from the city looking for a return to a simpler time. It featured the local high school band, VFW post, kids’ groups carrying flags, a pet parade, and one lucky child got to ride on the fire truck. The procession terminated at Aspen Grove Park with a community picnic by the lake and the evening’s fireworks. When the idea was approved, he volunteered me to organize it, of course. “You were the obvious choice, Allie,” he’d said. “You know everyone in town, and I bet you could talk a fireman into committing arson.” I stuck my tongue out at him. Then we both laughed. “There’s no option for me to say no?” He shook his head. I sighed. “Okay. But you have to help.” That’s when he’d volunteered to do the decorating around town. He’d already distributed posters, collected sponsors, and encouraged me to write press releases and articles. We’d placed ads in all the local and regional papers, and several bloggers had been posting regularly about the big event. Drew closed the ladder, then walked over to kiss me. “Don’t worry, Allie. Everything will be fine, and nothing’s going to keep me from collecting more of these later tonight.” Then he winked, picked up another roll of fabric, and headed off whistling “Yankee Doodle.” I shook my head and smiled, then looked up and down Main Street. Nearly every business was festooned in patriotic colors. Next week we’d mark the spaces for vendors to set up booths. All the available spots had been spoken for and prepaid. Various restaurants, home cooks, and civic groups would sell food items during the day prior to the big picnic and fireworks display at night. I smiled with satisfaction as I realized the whole town had embraced the event. Now if only visitors would come. Lots of visitors. I returned to my office in the gallery. I still had a bunch of work left. The July Fourth weekend events hurtled toward me. I looked at my checklist and crossed off some items that were completed, like the advertising. We’d spread the word throughout Denver and Golden as well as on the Internet. My stepdaughter, Jennifer, insisted we post on Twitter and Facebook in addition to the town’s website. Then I went through the list of local businesses, checking off more of those who were doing something special related to the event. Heckler’s Pharmacy had just posted fliers offering twenty percent off all red, white, and blue items. The front window of the Book Nook featured biographies of famous Americans, and inside, books about art and glossy coffee table ones were also prominently displayed. The Mountain Wildlife Gallery increased their stock of images of Rocky Mountain animals in anticipation of the influx of tourists. As if she’d read my mind, my high school friend, Jillian, popped her head through the doorway. “Ready for the big festival?” she asked. “I hope so,” I said, my own doubts obvious in my tone, even to me. “Well I think I am—finally.” She sat down on the stool behind the counter. “I’ve stocked some additional traditional craft items like quilts and embroidery. And I found a great source for crocheted pieces. I’ve been looking for someone since Mrs. Seapy moved away.” I smiled at Jilly’s enthusiasm. “Glad you located a replacement vendor in time.” “Where’s Stella?” “Out running yet another errand for Drew. Sometimes I wish he’d never come up with this idea.” She grinned. “It’ll soon be over, and then you’ll be planning next year’s.” “Oh, no. No chance.” She laughed. “You always say that, but when it’s over you’ll have all kinds of ideas for the next one.” I shook my head. But I knew she was right. She’d known me for too many years. She turned toward the door and then looked back. “Have you noticed all the romance in the air? Looks like a bunch of folks in town have discovered love.” “Yeah,” I said absently. Then I looked at her and smiled. “Guess we were both lucky to have found the great loves of our lives. It’s nice to see others following our example.” She grinned and nodded. “Sure is. Well, I need to get back to the shop. Hope Drew’s finished fiddling with the decorations by now. See you later.” I waved as she left and returned to my list. Our gallery, like many other local businesses, spotlighted upcoming artists, as well as those we had previously featured. We’d expanded since the attic area was turned into storage space, leaving the back gallery open. We’d begun to show pottery, jewelry, and stained glass in addition to paintings and photographs. I glanced at the sun catchers in the window and made a note to see if I could get some more. They were beautiful and at a price point I thought would grab impulse buyers. “I hope we can pull this off,” I muttered to myself. One week to Independence Day, and time was flying. Just then, new customers entered the gallery, and I went to greet them.

WEll worth reading if you like small town romance
This is an older book, but one well worth reading if you like small town romance, a clean read, and heart-warming characters. Written in the first person point of view, all four of the novellas have art as a central theme.

One is about a woman who works with stained glass, another photography, a third crocheting, and the fourth...well she tries, but is better with people than with watercolors. The women are real and their stories are heartwarming with characters you want to root for and romances that seem just out of reach.

I laughed during the first one, was enthralled with the second, learned a lot about crocheting in the third, and was totally drawn into the story in the fourth. For a quick read (they're all pretty short) that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy, I recommend this anthology.