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Reviewed by Juan Lynch for Readers' Favorite
Melanie to the Rescue and Other Unlikely Tales by Carol June Stover is every short story lover’s delight. Each of the fifteen works in this anthology is heavily character-driven. The titular Melanie to the Rescue focuses on a romance author, Lorraine Woodruff, who becomes more like the protagonist of her novels, Melanie Marche. Another unlikely tale, Return of the Bird Brain, is about an author reconnecting with an eccentric college roommate. Yet another entry, Retirement Bliss, recounts the day Doctor Shepard, an excellent surgeon of thirty-two years, is having a dinner date with his wife to celebrate his fast-approaching retirement day. These stories intertwine themes such as religion, morality, friendship, and family issues with humor and mystery.
I thoroughly enjoyed Melanie to the Rescue and Other Unlikely Tales by Carol June Stover. Every story reads like the beginning of a thrilling novel. Stover’s characters were so well-fleshed out that I was emotionally invested in each of them. For example, in Sweet Dreams, I was genuinely frustrated about the issues that Patti, the protagonist, encountered at work. Some stories made me laugh, while others made me feel somber. They made me contemplate the human experience and how I could be better. One of the things that made these works so thought-provoking was the pacing. Most plot twists were surprising; the few that were predictable to me were presented in a manner that excited me to read on. I highly recommend this anthology to everyone.
