reviewsbyerin | The Kissing Tree novella collection

This novella collection features four lovely authors and their beautiful stories all centered around a live oak tree in Oak Springs, Texas. The first story is set in 1868, and we follow on through the years in 1891, 1945, and modern day. I really enjoyed each and every one of these novellas. Two of them made me cry! I would highly recommend this to readers everywhere.

Here's a breakdown of each novella:

Broken Limbs, Mended Fences—by Regina Jennings: Passing tests never came easily for Bella Eden, but when and the schoolteacher left town and an injury forced Bella to give up her seamstress dreams, she inherited a teaching role. Now Adam Fisher has returned to Oak Springs, bringing back all the embarrassment of the worst day of Bella's life. Local farmers don't want to put faith in Adam's new threshing machine, so he proposes a contest. But things go sideways when Bella's teaching job hinges on the outcome. Can she rise to the challenge and pass the teacher's exam, or will he be a part of more of her ruined hopes?

Inn For a Surprise—by Karen Witemeyer: Barnabas Ackerly has a pocketful of protests when his employer sends him to Oak Springs to help his daughter open the Kissing Tree Inn. Phoebe Woodward's tastes tend toward the extreme end of Victorian romantic notions, and Barnabas's practical sensibilities are overloaded. Yet as the two are forced to work together, they find out balance between the practical and romantic might be the best place to build a business—and a relationship.

From Roots to Sky—by Amanda Dykes: Luke Hampstead should have died when his plane was shot down over Belgium on Christmas Eve of 1944. The only thing that kept him alive was writing a letter to his penpal, the sister of a fallen soldier. When Luke miraculously survives, he desires to deliver his letter to Hannah in person, so after his recovery he travels to Oak Springs. Hannah Garland is more than he ever imagined, and as he helps her with a project in her brother's honor, his own heart begins to heal and take flight in new directions.

Heartwood—by Nicole Deese: Arborist Griffin Malone returns to Oak Springs when his cousin hires him to check on the health of the famous Kissing Tree. That's not the only thing on Griffin's plan, however. He wants to find closure with Abby Brookshire, groundskeeper at the Kissing Tree Inn, and the woman he once thought he'd spend the rest of his life with. This novella deals with loss and hope for the future, and brings a fine conclusion to this wonderful collection.

I received my copy of the book from one of the authors. All thoughts in this review are my own.