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No Laughing Matter |
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Excerpt Silly Law: In Virginia, it's against the law to tickle a woman. “Ms. Monroe,” he queried, “why did you report the incident that occurred at your sister’s house to Ms. Cecelia Ling, in her capacity as a social worker?” Emitting a little huff, Ms. Monroe sat forward in her chair. Licking her brightly glossed, red lips, she practically spat, “He’s been warned before about this type of behavior, yet ruthlessly continues to ignore the Court’s rulings. He has—unmercifully in my opinion—tickled my sister until tears ran down her cheeks and she couldn’t stop laughing! I have witnessed his actions time and time again, and believe such behavior is intolerable. The man should be thrown behind bars. And, to make matters worse, his own children were standing right there watching while he did this to their mother.” “No!” Mr. White exclaimed, feigning surprise and shock. “In front of his own children? Ms. Monroe, do you believe you could correctly gauge—by the expressions on the children’s faces—their reactions to this unconscionable conduct? ”Objection,” Mr. Byers intervened from the defendant’s table. “It hasn’t been shown that this witness is trained in child psychology and capable of forming an opinion on child behavior.” “Sustained,” Judith agreed. “However, I will consider her comments in light of the fact she has no specific training.” “Well then, in your opinion, Ms. Monroe, what were the children’s reactions?” the disgruntled prosecutor asked. “I found it appalling,” Ms. Monroe replied, the look of disgust openly visible on her face. “They looked like they would have loved to join in and take part.”
“So, what you’re saying, Ms. Monroe, is
given the opportunity, these young, impressionable children—seated
in the audience—would have jumped right in and participated with
their
You might forget that Highland Press is donating all of the proceeds from No Law Against Love to breast cancer research, but you will never forget the brilliant characters that come to life under the passionate pens of 16 romance authors. While reading this anthology, prepare to break out in a sweat, bust out laughing and break all of the molds as far as romantic short stories are concerned. I was surprised, entranced and enamored of this fun book, but it will curl your toes if you’re not careful. You never know what is coming next, but you will embrace each twist and turn of the page, while falling in love over and over again with each couple’s romantic tale of adventure. And, while the journey to each heart may be short, the ride is nothing short of powerful, poignant and passion-filled. The delightful mix of stories, which center around silly laws still in existence, takes you on a wild dance through the lives of numerous men and women who find love despite themselves and the bizarre situations and laws threaded throughout each of the lively chapters. The authors and their characters cut the rug on the dance floor of readers’ hearts and take us to their worlds, where cats aren’t the only ones who get stroked and officers of the law make sure the world knows there’s certainly No Law Against Love.
~Aysel Arwen
Take sixteen very talented authors mix in some of the most arcane and ridiculous laws that ever existed (some still on the books today) – mix them all up and you are in for an unbelievably rollicking good time! Yet, the best and most important thing to remember is that these wonderful ladies are doing this all in the name of charity. All proceeds that could have been theirs will be donated to the American Cancer Society for Breast Cancer Research. The stories run the gamut of genres, from contemporary, historical, fantasy, in short there is bit of just about anything you can think of that will tickle your fancy and pertain to one of the ridiculous laws. DeborahAnne MacGillivary opens the stage with a very sensual tale of ‘Bad Cat’ when she tackles the Destin, Florida law of ‘Any dog or cat which attacks and bites a person or another animal without provocation, shall be deemed a ‘bad dog or ‘bad cat’ and the owner shall pay civil penalty of one hundred dollars’. Burroughs gives you a sinfully sweet taste of sensuality with ‘Chocolate in the Afternoon’ when she takes on one of Great Britain’s laws that says – ‘It’s illegal for a lady to eat chocolates on a public conveyance’. Watch out for the law in North Carolina that Cissy Hassell had a ball with – ‘If a man and a woman who are not married, go to a hotel/motel and register themselves as Mr. & Mrs, according to state law they are then legally married!’ These and many others, from smart-alecky ‘shady angels’ ‘lost faeries’ and ‘fighting Scots’ can all be found in this wonderful anthology . These stories and others from the other talented contributing authors of Kristi Ahlers, Cheryl Alldredge, Rekha Ambardar, susan Barclay, Patty Howell, Victoria Oliveri, Jacquie Rogers, Jennifer Ross, M. J. Sager, Michelle Scaplen, Kemberlee Shortland, Jeanne Van Arisdall, and Diane Davis White have combined to make this one unforgettable, funny and sensual delight. This book comes highly recommended! ~Marilyn Rondeau
If you have ever found yourself rolling your eyes at some of the more stupid laws, then you are going to adore this novel. Over twenty-five stories fill up this anthology, each one dealing with at least one stupid or outdated law. Let me give you an example: In Florida, USA, there is a law that states 'If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle.' In Great Britain, 'A license is required to keep a lunatic.' Yes, you read those correctly. No matter how many times you go back and reread them, the words will remain the same. Those two laws are still legal. Most of the crazy laws in these wonderful stories are still legal. The tales vary in time and place. Some take place in the present date, in the past, in the USA, in England, may contain magic... in other words, there is something for everyone! You simply cannot go wrong. Best yet, all profits from the sales of this novel go to breast cancer prevention. The anthology is not made up of unknown authors either. Here is a list of the seventeen authors (in order of appearance) that contributed stories for you to enjoy: DeborahAnne MacGillivray, Leanne Burroughs, M.J. Sager, Cheryl Alldredge, Marly Mathews, Jeanne VanArsdall, Victoria Oliveri, Cissy Hassell, Kemberlee Shortland, Diane Davis White, Rekha Ambardar, Jennifer Ross, Michelle Scaplen, Jacquie Rogers, Kristi Ahlers, Patty Howell, and Susan Barclay. A stellar anthology that had me laughing, sighing in pleasure, believing in magic, and left me begging for more! Will there be a second anthology someday? I sure hope so! This is one novel that I will go directly to my 'Keeper' shelf, to be read over and over again. Very highly recommended!
~Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews
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