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As a young boy, Michael Curlew finds himself in Una Teague's backyard, a world of vibrant colors in Roberta Gellis' "The Colored World." His first visit is all too brief, and soon he finds himself once again in his own world where everyone and everything are shades of gray. Each time he visits Una's world, however, problems arise. As the century draws to a close, Michael yearns to stay with Una, but his very presence in her world may well destroy her.

One kiss at a New Year's celebration and Luke Carver falls in love in "Black Satin at Midnight" by Robin Bayne. That memorable kiss, though, is all Luke has for the woman's date whisks her away before he learns her name. Nine months later, he takes his daughter to her first day of middle school and finds the woman of his dreams, his daughter's teacher. Cara Janson remembers him, too, but the millennium will soon be upon them and she knows there is no future for them or for her.

When her friend sends Sydney Parker a puzzle box for Christmas, she is ill prepared to face the secret she unravels in Jackie Kramer's "The Bride-Seeker." Sydney finds herself kidnapped and taken to the future by Sergeant Drake Fremont. He knows nothing about love and romance. He's just looking for a woman to claim as his own. He may be handsome, but Sydney is not and never will be any man's possession.

Doreen Madison is proud of her daughter's and son-in-law's success in Jane Bierce's "The First of Someday." When she meets their business partner, Lance Hoffman, at Cyber Horizon's New Year's Eve party, Doreen knows that it's time to return to her own life. Lance, however, disagrees.

It's New Year's Eve and Katie O'Keefe is supposed to be meeting her blind date in Diane Kirkle's "The Love Bug." Instead, she waits for the computer technician to arrive because a bug has infected the company's computer system. She's not expecting the hunk who shows up or the crime he uncovers. By the time she reports to her boss and finishes with the police, the hunk is gone and she has fifteen minutes left before the New Year to join her date. After meeting the hunk, though, she's not sure she wants to.

Great-Aunt Lili is a ghost, or in this case, Jane Toombs' "Ghost of Love." Lili's determined that Beth Spencer not make the same mistake she did. Beth, however, isn't listening. She's come home to put the past behind her, in particular one Ross Collins. Although Lili hints of a disaster to come, she is forbidden to explain further. Beth must uncover the truth herself before it's too late.

Gellis' distinction between a world of color and one of gray painted a stark contrast in my mind's eye and made me feel Michael's yearning for the vibrant beauty. Read after the Y2K scare ended, I felt Cara's fear of coming doom silly, yet Bayne's tale is a good old-fashioned love story that captured my heart. Kramer's delightful mix of chivalry of old with gallantry of tomorrow while capturing the essence of romance and love stirred my heart. Those who wish for dreams that seem impossible will enjoy Bierce's tale, but I found it the least satisfying of the six stories because too much of the story involves setting the scene and meeting the characters, leaving little time for the romance to bloom.

Kirk's story gets my vote as the best in the collection. Even though I figured out the ending early on, she compelled me to keep reading. Reading Toombs' story, I didn't have to close my eyes to imagine the house or the characters. Each was so memorable that they combined to make a wonderful story that I will remember for a long time to come.

The dawn of a new century ties all these stories together, but each author interprets this theme in unique ways to create very different and memorable stories of love. No matter whether you're a fan of contemporary romance, time travel, the paranormal, science fiction, or mystery, Millennium Magic will satisfy your craving.

Each story is centered around the change of the millennium. Each author takes a different approach to the theme, and the result is an intriguing variety of looks at the possibilities. All six are highly engaging, enjoyable reads. We're now well past the start of the millenium, whether you believe that event happened in 2000 or 2001, but that didn't dim my enjoyment of these stories in the slightest. The group as a whole is so strong, they can be read at any time and still be as charming and delightful as if you'd read them on New Year's Eve.----

Karen McCullogh, Scribesworld Reviews