What's For Dessert?

by Kathryn England from the August 12, 2024 issue 

Tagline: Falling more in love with him each day, Beth devised a plan to surprise Walter with a sweet proposal at their favorite restaurant.

Observations: This story flipped a trope, which is a great way to give Woman's World what they want, but with a twist.

Trope: A man asks a woman to marry him.

The Twist: He already did ask her and she put him off for a year. Now she's asking him.

That's all it takes. One small tweak to the trope and boom, you have fresh story. 

I loved the "black moment," where we think that the proposal is ruined because Walter decided to mix it up by changing his dessert order. We're worried because Beth went to a lot of trouble to set this up. She even got a "men's engagement ring." (I had no idea these existed, but I suppose when a gay man proposes to his partner, he needs a ring! The ones I found looked like wedding bands.) We hope that Mama Giovanni can fix things and she does.

I had trouble picturing what she'd done because I had never heard of either of these desserts before. The Bonet alla piemontese is like a chocolate flan. Zuccotto is like what they pictured in the magazine. So, picture a chocolate flan with a piece having been replaced by a large piece of bundt cake looking dessert. 

Both of them sound delicious and I want to try making them. I'll post pictures if I ever get around to it.

Photo by arsheffield via Flickr CC license

A Purr-fect Love Match

by Jessica Eissfeldt from the August 5, 2024 issue

Tagline: Event planner Melissa didn't plan on her van breaking down on the way to a party...but when it did, it just so happened to lead her to a new love.

Observations: This story had a couple of things I thought I'd point out that you usually need.

1. Physical attraction - The editors have stated that they like to see this on the page. Eissfeldt did this many times in her story.

Her heart flipped.

Her pulse fluttered.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear even as her cheeks warmed.

As she took [the cat carrier], their fingers brushed, and warmth zipped through her.

"I'd love to," she replied, and her heart fluttered.

2. You should also establish the love interest's availability because in real life you can't just assume the man who called a tow truck for you is single. LOL

She noted he didn't wear a ring.

3. A black moment when you think "all is lost." This isn't actually mandatory. I've seen stories with no black moment. But usually, if you look really hard, there is one. This story's black moment was obvious.

He held her gaze as he smiled at her. But then he turned to open his driver's door.

Melissa wasn't sure what to think. Had she misread his kindness as something more?

Photo by Alan Cleaver via Flickr CC license

A Garden of Love in Bloom

by Stacey Weeks from the July 29, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Maria Lopez found solitude in her local community garden, she never expected it might also be the place she would stumble upon love.

Observations: This was a truly heartwarming story that spanned quite a lot of time. You'll notice it starts with the day they meet. Then an unknown amount of time goes by and we get another little snippet of their growing friendship. Another unknown amount of time goes by and we get the third act of the story in which David finally makes a move. This was my kind of story. There was no "rushed intimacy" or accidental touches while handing someone an object. In fact, David touches the brim of her hat first, in act two. Then he finally takes her hand in his, but it seems like a natural progression because they've spent so much time together. I truly got goosebumps when I read the end.

Photo by Aaron Baugher via Flickr CC license

The Handiest Man of All

 

by Bill Holton from the July 22, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Lauren hired a handyman to help fix her lawn mower, a classic name mix-up ended up leading her to another handsome helper.

Observations: This was a classic mistaken identity story, so well done. You can see how the mistake continues to be made very naturally. It's explained that there's a one hour minimum, which makes perfect sense, so that's why Lauren continues to find stuff for him to do. And when you read it the second time, it's really funny! Especially the reveal.

"I...I thought you were the handyman," she stammered. "You waved."

"I wave at a lot of people," Bill said. "Not many wave back. So I stopped to introduce myself, and when you told me your lawn mower wasn't working..."

Hilarious!

Then, that epilogue...

..."Not only [did she pay me anyway], but the guy gave me a double tip. I told them, "But I didn't do anything,' and you wouldn've thought I made the funniest joke, the way they laughed..."

10/10!

Photo by Ivan Radic via Flickr CC license

Love's Riddle

by Shelley Cooper from the July 8, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Ian was taking care of his nephew, Jonah, while his parents were away, he ahd to find a way to keep him from becoming homesick. But little did Ian know, his tactic to make Jonah smile would lead to an instant connection with his beautiful neighbor, Claire...and turn into true love. 

Observations: I loved the idea of the kid's joke stand! It's the lemonade stand turned on its head. What a great way to subvert that trope. Ms. Cooper is a master and this description of the hero is so good.

A rumbling chuckle drew Claire's attention to the man standing watch a few feet behind Jonah. He had eyes the color of ripe blueberries, tousled brown hair and an off-kilter smile that did funny things to her sense of balance.

I love "rumbling chuckle," that his eyes were the color of "ripe blueberries," and that he had an "off-kilter smile." 

I loved that Ian asked her out by cracking a joke. So clever.

This story was a 10 for me!

Photo by Neil Conway via Flickr CC License