Unexpected Dinner Date

by Mina Beckett from the May 19, 2025 issue

Tagline: When Ellie's handsome neighbor Noah shows up at her door, the last thing she expects to find is simmering chemistry.

Observations: I feel like I haven't seen a good old-fashioned man to the rescue story in a long time. I mean, granted, he caused the problem that the heroine needs rescuing from, but that's unimportant in the long run with true love at stake. LOL

What I like about this story is the banter. To me, it shows that the couple have chemistry right off the bat. It's important with these stories to demonstrate that the couple has a decent chance at finding love. It's also good to create likeable characters. In this story, Noah is the star. He's charming, funny, not afraid to take responsibility for his mistakes and he cooks--in other words, he's boyfriend material. It's never a bad idea to make the reader fall for him too.

Photo by rick via Flickr CC License

Delicious Delivery

by Dorothy Wills-Raftery from the May 5, 2025 issue

Tagline: As Gabby helps her grandmother prepare for the Cinco de Mayo festival, a delivery leads to an unexpected connection and new romance.

Observations: I'm a foodie, so I enjoy any story that revolves around food. And, boy, this one made me hungry! I appreciate how authentic and accurate the recipe was as well. I could also practically hear the mariachi music as I read the story.

The only note I have  is that Gabby stated, "The cooking gene skipped me. But, I can whip up a mean batch of churros." Honestly, churros are going to be a little more difficult because of the deep frying and the fact that you have to pipe the batter into the oil with a pastry bag, but this is a very minor criticism in an otherwise fantastic story.

Also, did you notice that Wills-Raftery used the real collective noun for butterflies? A kaleidoscope!

Photo by Quiote via Flickr CC License

Cupid's Tea Shop Set-up

by Cathy Cormany from the April 28, 2025 issue

Tagline: As Sarah relives painful memories of her breakup while replacing a beloved heirloom, an unexpected surprise changes everything.

Observations: Well, Ms. Cormany has been busy! We just critiqued a story of hers a couple of weeks ago. Good for her!

If a tea shop isn't the perfect setting for a Woman's World story, I don't know what is. It's got that old-timey, nostalgic, slice of Americana feel to it much like carnivals/county fairs, festivals, bakeries, florists, garage sales, parades, old folk's homes, antique shops, and bookstores. The list goes on and on. While these settings might feel cliche by now, they continue to sell, so don't necessarily shy away from them.

Being a die hard pragmatist, I immediately wondered how the man identified the china pattern from Sarah's vague description. There have to be hundreds of patterns out there. Sarah would have been better off snapping a picture, but it doesn't really matter. I'm probably the only person in the world who had this thought.

Still, you might want to keep in mind the age of your characters and, if they are considerably younger than you, really put yourself in their shoes as you craft your plot. (This is not to suggest that Ms. Cormany is of a certain age. I really don't know. I'm just bringing up a pet peeve of mine which is when authors use their own frames of reference for characters who are one, two or more generations apart from them. 

Loved the twist at the end! It's so hard to write couple-in-trouble stories. 

Photo by Selena N.B.H. via Flickr CC License

Baking up Love

by Lida Sideris from the April 14, 2025 issue

Tagline: Mari, a cheerful warehouse worker, discovers unexpected joy and potential love when a colleague requests her baking secrets.

Off the Cuff Observations: So we're introduced to Mari who has such a cheerful attitude while at work, I can't help but like her.

A long-time supervisor, Ray[,] often dashed by, greeting everyone--but singling out mari and starting a conversation? That was a first.

As usual, pragmatic me thinks, this is not good in a work environment, setting up someone for possible sexual harrassment. But this is Woman's World magazine, so you have to go with it.

There is no cat or bag.

LOL

Tucked underneath were little notes of appreciation.

That IS sweet!

Ah, give a man some cookies and you feed him for a day... LOL. I was totally expecting him to invite her to the barbeque and ask for her to bring cookies, but I like how he asked to be taught instead. Smart man! That way he gets more intimate one-on-one time with her.

Photo by Helena Jacoba via Flickr CC License