This book is another wonderful anthology by six of the talented authors who dubbed themselves Jewels of the Quill. Many of the tales are magical although not really paranormal. Each is a great entry into its genre and a wonderful read. What a wonderful deal to have them all offered in this one collection. A couple of the stories are sequels to stories offered in other Quill collections so you will want to get Tales of the Treasure Trove I, Small Gifts, & Treasures of the Heart if you are like me and don’t like to read a series out of order. It is not necessary to have read the earlier stories, just better if you prefer to read related stories or series in sequence.

In Garnet Lake (Troubled Waters Series, Book 2; Book 1 appears in Tales of the Treasure Trove I) by Liz Hunter, LeeAnn Armstrong has come back to Garnet Lake to do something about her grandparents’ lake house. A little work and elbow grease and the help of a good handyman and it should be easy to sell the house. Then Mike Hastings, her former boyfriend, turns up and turns on the heat. Both LeeAnn and Mike are not the young lovers they used to be and both have baggage, but the chemistry they used to feel is still there. LeeAnn is supposed to be engaged and Mike is a widower with a small child to raise. Is there any chance of relationship for these two and is it wise to even try? This is the classic romance theme of the one that got away and would you rekindle a relationship with them if you were offered a second chance? Liz Hunter does a wonderful job of bringing the reader along for the ride. I quickly became involved in the lives of LeeAnn and Mike and hoped they’d be able to find an appropriate solution for both of them. I have always loved this kind of story and I wasn’t disappointed in Ms. Hunter’s version!

Something strange is going on with Raoul Dekal; he keeps waking up in the middle of the night outside of an old mansion, naked, with no idea why. Olivia Sumner has inherited her great-aunt’s old Victorian mansion and it couldn’t have come at a better time but it will take some money to maintain the house so Olivia can stay there and money is in a real short supply. When Olivia discovers the attic is full of antiques she knows she has found a solution but she also found a mysterious turquoise cat. In The Turquoise Cat (North of Nonesuch Series, Book 1) by Jane Toombs readers are treated to a romance and paranormal mystery! I loved this story. Obviously since the title of the story is The Turquoise Cat, the little carving Olivia finds is important, but is it a blessing or a curse? Should Olivia sell it or keep it? Why does the little carving seem to affect Raoul and just what is happening to him? And of course why are Olivia and Raoul so drawn to one another? I can’t tell you a darn thing more without spoiling this intriguing story. You will just have to read it yourself! I can tell you I am looking forward to the next tale in the Nonesuch series.

In the tale, For the Love of Sapphire by Nancy Pirri, Sapphire Jameson and Patrick Falconer had once been engaged and very much in love when spiteful gossip drove them apart. Now, years later Sapphire’s brother is in debt to Patrick and Patrick offers Sapphire the position of nanny to his twin five year old sons to repay her brother’s debt. Patrick’s wife had died a couple of years before in childbirth and the boys were more than a handful. Sapphire agrees to the arrangement but is worried that it will be torture since she still loves Patrick but feels she missed her chance at happiness with him. Patrick also still loves Sapphire and is afraid she is only agreeing because she feels guilty for believing the gossips over Patrick years before. Can Sapphire and Patrick get past the hurt and betrayed feelings from the past and find happiness now or is it just too late? This story is an American historical romance and is very well done. I love the characters of Sapphire and Patrick and hurt with them as I read their attempts to overcome the damage of the past. The tale is a classic and could have been set in any time period and still had the same impact and message. Life is too short to hold on to hurts from the past, do the best with what you have, and move forward towards happiness! Amen, Ms. Pirri, amen!

Randolf the Hunter has been told that the Lady Sher of the Amethyst Star is his mate and without her he will lose his life. But their pairing is impossible, the people of Earth, fearing the end of their race, have forbidden pairings with anyone. The women’s eggs are harvested and impregnated in a laboratory so that many more babies are possible than if the woman mated with one man. Plus Randolf isn’t human and the elders fear mixing breeds will end the human race that much faster. One thing is known, the fertilized egg program isn’t thriving. There hasn’t been a child to survive past the age of five in years. The Amethyst Star by Karen Wiesner is an interesting potential look at what might happen if we become too dependent on science and remove love and spirituality from our lives. The story is thought provoking while being entertaining at the same time. Hmmm, I think the lesson to take from this story is not to allow scientists to become too important in our world. We need to keep them balanced with emotional, touchy-feely, irrational people so the scientists remember not to take themselves too seriously! I love it, let’s all set up our emotional, touchy-feely, irrational friends with a scientist. Hey, it is for the good of the planet. And thanks Ms. Wiesner for alerting us to this potential problem in our future so we can take steps to prevent it from happening! I’m a little on the nerdy side, so send me man with a beautiful body and a happy go-lucky personality. I need to lighten up before I contribute to endangering the planet with too much science! Read this story so you can see for yourself the potential risk we face.

In Heart of Obsidian (Angels on Patrol Series, Book 2; book 1 is in Treasures of the Heart) by Michele Bardsley, Sophie Malloy continues her quest to find soul mates for her siblings. Sophie is an angel now and when asked if there was something she wished she had done before her time was up she responded that she wished she’d meet her soul mate. Then Sophie asks if she could have that wish transferred to her siblings and her request was granted. Sophie even has a year in which she is allowed to help. The first story is about her brother and this one is about Delphi Malloy Sophie’s sister. Delphi meets Max the mechanic at the grand opening of the Heart Dreams home for misplaced people (homeless). Max is supposed to be pretending to be his brother who is a clown but Max is a mechanic and has no clue how to do his brother’s job. Delphi asks Max (thinking he is Marc) to help her find her missing necklace that may have fallen off in the basement. Their attraction is to each other is strong and mutual but is Max Delphi’s soul mate?

This is such a cute series. You do not have to have read the first story to know what is going on in this one but I’m glad I had read them in order. The characters from the first story are active in this story too. I love the premise of this series; the idea of angels being on patrol to help guide us in our lives. I only wish there was more! This story is very short and everything happens so quickly. Just as you are getting involved in Max and Delphi’s romance, the story is ending.

Misbehavin’ in Moonstone (A Mischief in Moonstone Story, Book 2; Book 1 is in Small Gifts) by Christine DeSmet picks up a couple of months from where the story When Rudolph was Kidnapped leaves off with Kirsten Peplinski opening and running a restaurant in the new Jingle Bell Inn. But Kirsten has a problem, all the men are mysteriously disappearing every day and she is losing business. Actually all the businesses in Moonstone are suffering. Something strange is going on and Kirsten, with the encouragement of the other women in town, sets out to do something about it. It seems Jonathon VanBrocklin has brought a fancy fishing boat to town that features topless women servers and entertainment. No wonder the men are heading out to this boat in droves. When Kirsten sets up a meeting to discuss the problem with Jonathon she is surprised when he sets out to seduce her and tells her he plans to marry her. Kirsten is not amused and with her secret background she doesn’t want any part of Jonathon’s plans. Besides, the man must be crazy, Kirsten will have to come up with another plan for the women to take back their town and she does! This story is full of the kind of goofy misadventures that will leave you giggling all night. Kirsten’s creative solution for winning back the men of the town is a hoot and Jonathon’s antics to try to win Kirsten affection are entertaining. This is one of those stories you just have to read yourself. Any details I give out would spoil part of the adventure. I’m looking forward to Ms. DeSmet’s next installment of Mischief in Moonstone in Tales of the Treasure Trove III.

Tales of the Treasure Trove II is a success and lived up to my expectations for a variety of great stories that was started in the first Tales of the Treasure Trove anthology. I am looking forward to the next edition of this series of anthologies. The Jewels of the Quill authors are wonderfully diverse and all the stories are entertaining, I’m sure the tradition will be continued in Tales of the Treasure Trove III.

Reviewed by: Stephanie B.