Reviews of At Long Last, Love
AT LONG LAST, LOVE by Judy Bagshaw
Romance
4.5 stars
Judy Bagshaw has written a charming anthology of romance stories about real-life, everyday women that are often overlooked because they do not fit the Hollywood image. AT LONG LAST, LOVE is a collection of romantic beginnings for large lovely ladies and the men they love.
"Duet" is a story of two middle aged sisters on a luxury bus trip. A mutual attraction forms between the older sister and the shy, but talented, singing bus driver.
In the second story, "Coming Home", Bev Randall returns home 20 years after running away with the town bad boy. She is now a divorcee with three children and is surprised to discover that she still loves her high school sweetheart.
Nancy begs her best friend to stand by her on her wedding day in "Always the Bridesmaid". Jenna refuses because she is afraid with her ample figure she will be a spectacle. However, Jenna is a vision, not a spectacle, to Barry Lockhart.
"Blue Collar Knight" is a story about two traveling buddies on their way home from a Living Large National Convention. A lean handsome mechanic starts to flirt with one of the big beautiful women when their car breaks down. Is this Marcia's blue collar knight or a cruel joke?
Cathy, a librarian, wins the lottery in "The Jack Pot" and meets the man of her dreams at the give away ceremony. Is it possible to be a two time winner?
In "Wrong Number", Lori works for an answering service and is thrilled when her favorite client, Dan of Raeburn Computers, asks her out for coffee. Will Dan think he has the wrong number when he sees her 5 foot 5 inch rubenesque figure?
Vivian is a well known writer of medical thrillers. She has lost her muse and hopes to find it at her childhood vacation cabin in the story "Vivian's Muse". Instead, Vivian finds love with Rolly Stevenson.
Be sure to read this feel good collection of romance stories by Judy Bagshaw. AT LONG LAST, LOVE will give you a warm glow in your heart and a smile on your face.
Donna, eCataRomance Reviews
Reviewed by Jen Henderson, Curvy Novels
At Long Last, Love!~
Anthology
by Judy Bagshaw
Heroines: Varied
A musical middle-aged widow, a disowned divorcée, an abundant young wallflower, an outspoken size activist, a doubly lucky lottery winner, an overworked answering service operator, and a blocked writer all find love where they least expect it in this anthology of seven fast-paced, easy-reading stories.
What worked for me:
"Coming Home" was my personal favorite (even though one story had a curvy gal who shared my name) because it was the tale of two high school sweeties who missed their chance the first time around, but got another shot at it later on in life. As a girl who married her high school boyfriend, I can heartily appreciate this one.
Size-wise the gents and ladies in this anthology were varied, but there is no question that they all understand about living life as "well-rounded" people in an angular society.
What didn't work for me:
The character who shares my name also shared an awful lot of the vitriolic self-hatred I used to harbor against myself, so it was a bit painful to read the beginning of this story. Fortunately, it all turns out okay in the end. :^)
Some of the stories which were written earlier in Ms. Bagshaw's career don't feel as polished as her more recent writings.
Overall:
These six sweet, charming tales about men and women of all ages and sizes finding love are sure to appeal to fans of romantic short stories everywhere.
If you liked "At Long Last, Love!" you might also enjoy the "Living Large" anthology.
Canadian author Judy Bagshaw has created seven tales about real life women who are plus sized beauties. Each story projects realism in today's world, in order to focus on what normal women feel and about their fantasies. Ms. Bagshaw has written a number of longer titles that give the plus sized reader something to ponder, but this anthology packs seven tales of true romance. Big and Beautiful women take note; this is the book about what your life can be like!
DUET
Tricia and her sister Mary are traveling on a bus trip to celebrate Tricia's retirement from teaching. A widow, Tricia feels content with her single life until she meets Harry, the bus driver taking them on their trip.
COMING HOME
Bev Randall returns home to the small town she grew up in to attend her high school reunion. Having left home twenty years ago with a man who had gotten her pregnant, she has had no contact with her sister and the friends she left behind. What surprises does the future hold for Bev?
ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID
Jenna feels her height and weight stop her from being the person she wants to be, she has let fear run her life to long. When she hurts her best friend by refusing to be her maid of honor for fear of what others think of her, Jenna finds herself running toward a man she just met. Can she get over anxiety to find out what could be?
BLUE COLLAR KNIGHT
Marcie and Tess, both plus sized woman, just want to be accepted for who they are. Marcie is looking for a man who loves her and hopes to find her knight in shining armor. When their car breaks down, Marcie meets what may just be her BLUE COLLAR KNIGHT.
THE JACKPOT
When Cathy discovers she is the winner of the lottery and sharing her jackpot with Ray, she also finds herself more attracted to the man than she wants to admit. When he seeks her out, she becomes intrigued and wants to get to know him more.
WRONG NUMBER
Lori has been talking to Dan for the past two years, when he calls the answering service she works for to retrieve his messages. She has never told him she was a "big girl" and fears rejection, but when he asks her out, she takes a leap and agrees to meet him.
VIVIAN'S MUSE
Vivian McLeish has not been back to her family's cabin in years, and her return is not graceful when she loses her breakfast in the bushes after the hilly drive. Rolly Stevenson is an esteemed fan of McLeish's medical thrillers, but finds himself feeling her wrath and wondering just what kind of person Ms. McLeish really is.
Each short story is just a few pages long and while wonderfully written, the stories seem to be open-ended. One feels as though it was abrupt in the beginning, but as this reviewer kept reading on, each stand-alone story left me wondering and coming up with my own endings for the tales. These stories give room for the imagination, while leading the reader into a tale of romance and love.
Light hearted stories without pressure gives a feeling of romance, yet there are no scenes filled with lust or sex involved. These plots are for the romantic reader who is searching for quick lighthearted romance. This reviewer highly recommends AT LONG LAST LOVE to any reader looking for true love in short bursts. Each of the seven titles are able to stand alone, and could be read one at a time, or as a true novel. This Reviewer's favorite of the stories has to be VIVIAN'S MUSE. We all want to find our soul mate, and the meeting of the hearts was touching.
This reviewer is a true fan of Judy Bagshaw! One cannot speak highly enough of, AT LONG LAST LOVE, or of any of Ms Bagshaw's other novels this reviewer has read. This reviewer cannot wait to read LOVE BY THE POUND, which was released this summer.
Reviewed by Angie
August 2004
© Love Romances, 2001-2004. All Rights Reserved
AT LONG LAST LOVE
JUDY BAGSHAW
ISBN#:1-59611-003-1 E-book
ISBN#:1-59611-013-9 -Paperback
May 2004
Genre-contemporary
Rate 4cups
This book is a collection of short stories:
Duet- A mature widow sees her future as lonely and solo until she meets another lonely soul looking for a
duet.
Coming Home-After years of wrong choice's a lonely mom finds it's never too late to go home or to say I'm
sorry.
Always the Bridesmaid - Jan attends a friend's wedding, believing love is something for the thin and beautiful
makes it hard to face that this guy has eyes only for her.
Blue Collar Knight- A, big beautiful woman, finally stands up for herself and finds a knight ready to rescue her.
The Jackpot- Mutual lottery winners find love can be the biggest prize.
Wrong Number? - An answering service operator must choose to break or not to break the company rules to
meet her dream man.
Vivian's Muse- When writer's block sends a lonely author to a mountain retreat will the handy man be her
inspiration?
Judy Bagshaw created a group of short stories that although about different women in different walks and
stages of life contain a common thread. Each woman believes that love has passed her by, or that it is not
something that they deserve. Only to find that love can be right around the corner if you just believe. I enjoyed
the entire collection of stories in At Long Last Love, but especially: Duet- with its sweet tender tale of mature
love and second chances; And Coming Home with it's message of don't worry about what could have been
choose to look for what may be.
Johnna Flores
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
THE LITERARY WORD--BOOK REVIEWS
Reviewed by Charlene Martel
Judy Bagshaw brings the reader a delightful collection of short stories about love. What makes this book refreshingly different is the fact that the heroines of the tales are far from being the traditional image.
In Duet, we meet middle-aged widow Tricia who was content with being alone, then she met Harry. In coming Home we are introduced to Bev as she tries to come to terms with her past and finds that not only can you go home, but sometimes it can really be quite surprising when you get there. In Vivian's Muse we meet Vivian, an author who seeks seclusion to work on her new book and instead, finds inspiration in the form of Rolly Stevenson.
There are 12 stories in all. Each of them quite different from the rest, though admittedly the BBW (Big Beautiful Women) theme pops up in most. That in itself for me made this book so much better though. It's about time that someone was able to capture what so many women to through, and place it within the pages of a book .Size acceptance has always been a concern. Hopefully this book and others containing similar heroines are going to help change that.
A great little book. A speedy and heartwarming read.
