Sorry to be so negative, but I've never met an anthology I liked or thought was worth the money. Can someone recommend some good ones that aren't just a publishing gimmick or a final resting place for a minor character from an ongoing series?

a final resting place....I like that LOL

Not a fan of anthologies, either.  It sucks when there is one you just have to read and the rest are just filler, in my opinion. Like Patricia Brigg's story in On the Prowl, and the Lora Leigh Breed stories that are in some anthologies.  Somehow I have ended up with over 3 dozen anthologies TBR, though I have weeded out most of the non-erotica, I did have closer to 50 LOL. I am trying not to get any more!

I  hear you.  Christmas Revels by Mary Jo Putney is pretty good, though with its share of "RIP" stories. A Mary Balogh story is usually above average too. But I can't think of one anthology I really love and I've stopped ordering them. I have one on my keeper shelf because it has a Brenda Joyce story I really like, and several times I've been tempted to just cut that story out and throw the rest of the book away. :-\

I hate anthologies..esp when there are 2 stories that go in 2 different series-where the heck to I shelve them??

the only good anthology I can think of is an erotic romance from ellora's cave...white  hot holidays..think it was the 2nd one..not sure though since there are 3...I bo ught it for the express purpose of reading some hot sex and I wasn't disappointed! otherwise the stories are too short for much of anything :-(

I don't think I've ever read a whole anthology...I usually get it for one story and then pass it on!

I can't recommend any particular anthology, just the odd short story/novella here and there. I bought all the Regency anthologies to support the genre and the authors; other genres I would buy for a particular author - and most contained stories by authors I don't care for so I have a slew of the books with a bookmark stuck in them at various spots in the books. Have only actually finished one anthology - a Regency that was set in a London hotel.

The only one I've kept is an oldie with an Anne Stuart which was so good  I haven't been able to part with the book yet. Also, a keeper will be the rerelease of J.D. Robb stories that came out in various books, now all in one volume. Last anthology I bought was - can't remember the title: ROOM 666 (?) with a J.D. Robb, found it by accident at BJ's, didn't even know it was out.

I glommed dozens of them early last year, not expecting miracles mind you, but just for quickie reads at the autoshop or doctor's office, or maybe some filler in between books.  If that's as high as the expectation gets, here's at least one that I can recommend:  The One That Got Away  (Victoria Alexander, Eloisa James, Liz Carlyle, & Cathy Maxwell) & it's pretty decent.  Second chance romances aren't usually my favorite theme, but that's mostly because they tend to do a lot of time jumping and often drag through the middle.  It's a little hard to do that in a short story & there's no room for filler fluff, so these aren't boring at all.  Nothing epic in there, but pretty decent little reads for a long wait when you're getting your tires rotated or whatever:P

I like anthologies some of the time.  I like being able to finish the story and put the book down and get something else accomplished.  This Christmas season I read a few that were good.

My favorite was a contemporary story by Jennifer Crusie called "Hot Toy" in an anthology called "Santa Baby."  I laughed out loud.

Since you mentioned Balogh I assume you like historicals.  I've read a few I enjoyed:

"Scottish Brides" is very good.  Stories by the following authors:  Dodd, Laurens, Ranney and Quinn

"My Scandalous Bride" by Dodd, Laurens, Bradley and LaFoy

"Highland Vampire" by Hannah Howell, Deborah Raleigh, and Adrienne Basso

"Where's My Hero" by Kleypas, MacGregor and Quinn

I've enjoyed contemporary stories by Lori Foster.  Some people say she is great at short stories as opposed to her novels.

"Married at Midnight" by Woodiwiss, Jo Beverly, Crosby, and Samantha James

"Three Weddings and a Kiss" by Woodiwiss, Kleypas, Chase and Catherine Anderson