ReviewsByErin

If you enjoy stories with a vintage feel, debut author Amanda Dykes is one to add to your list. The tone of this story reminded me of early twentieth century writers like Eleanor Porter and Maud Hart Lovelace, which is a very positive connotation!

The year is 1925 and Savannah Mae Thorpe comes to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle after the death of her parents. Though she is nearly old enough to claim her mother's land as an inheritance, her uncle threatens to sell it and invest the money. When Savannah declares she can find more value in the land, he insists that she prove it. With the help of a quiet young lumberjack, Savannah faces the mountain with a heart to discover her personal history and unravel a local legend that stretches back to the Revolutionary War.

Weaving in the true account of the King's pines, Amanda Dykes gives us a story about family, honor, and atonement. I only wished this prequel novella was longer, but that means it did its job! I eagerly await the release of Whose Waves These Are coming later this month.

I recently read three stories from this novella collection, being on a western kick to end 2018, and thought I'd share my thoughts with you.




"A Cowboy Unmatched" by Karen Witemeyer
Neill Archer left his home two years ago on a quest to prove himself. Now he's almost ready to return, but his trip is delayed when he is hired by an anonymous benefactor to repair the roof of a widow's house. He isn't prepared when the widow is young, very pregnant, part Comanche, and in a heated long-standing battle that may be more than she can win without his help.





"An Unforeseen Match" by Regina Jennings
Grace O'Malley's world is disappearing - literally. With blindness encroaching, Grace has had to give up teaching and is trying to settle into the cabin that has been provided for her. Things sure would be easier if she didn't have to live by herself. When a passing cowboy agrees to help with a few things around the cabin, the two find they share a lot in common - including some surprising things that may drive them apart.




"Meeting Her Match" by Mary Connealy
Life keeps jerking the rug out from under schoolmarm Hannah Taylor's feet. Hannah has taken great pride in being a discreet behind-the-scenes matchmaker, but now that she's in such a vulnerable place herself, the women of the town turn the tables and try to make sure Hannah is taken care of by someone who has long loved her from afar.

Holly Zook has respectfully pressed beyond the Amish social norms to become a pharmacy tech, and she is even pursuing further education with the support of her bishop. She sees the need for her people to realize that consistent medical care can save lives and reduce physical suffering. Understanding that this strange passion may lead her to a life of singleness, since working outside the home is frowned upon once a woman marries, Holly is willing to make the sacrifice.

Working at Greene's Pharmacy has been fulfilling for her, not just because she's able to help people, but also because pharmacist Lyle Greene has become a father figure in Holly's life after her own father's early passing. As our story opens Lyle is facing a health crisis of his own, and the complications that come with it may mean that the pharmacy has to permanently close its doors.

While fighting for her friend and the business close to her heart, Holly must work with Lyle's son Brandon, who is on the verge of receiving his pharmacist's license himself, and Joshua Smucker, a young Amish man from a neighboring district who has liked Holly from afar. As Christmas approaches, can they save Greene's Pharmacy and bring better awareness of medical care to Holly's beloved Amish people?

I appreciated Holly's determination to help her community and her willingness to push past tradition. I confess I found it hard to get into this book at first for a few reasons, but the more I got into the story the more I enjoyed it. I liked that the obstacles our characters faced all carried weight and were not easily overcome, because it gave the story a level of reality as they worked for a good outcome through all the trials.

If you enjoy heartwarming Amish fiction or holiday stories, this might be one for you to pick up!

I received an advanced reading copy from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.

 


Do you love a good adventure with fun and unique angles? "Bound and Determined" checks all the right boxes, and was a pure delight with its originality and wit.

Private Bradley Willis will be familiar to readers of Jennings' Fort Reno series. As someone not always in good graces with his superior officers, Bradley often finds himself needing to prove his merit and worth to the cavalry. After another questionable incident, Bradley is given the task of escorting a retired captain across Indian territory. How hard could that be?

It turns out Major Adams left out a few details about his assignment. The captain has acquired a train of camels and is seeking to travel overland with them to his Texas home. The assignment also didn't mention Captain Herald's daughter Ambrosia, who is along for the journey and is sweetly but stubbornly on the lookout for ways to convince her father to abandon the camels.

Ambrosia is worried about her father's health and she doesn't want to give up their garden to house a bunch of smelly camels. She thought if she couldn't convince her father to change his mind that she'd at least be able to find ways to dissuade anyone who was sent to help them. It turns out she's met her match in Private Willis. As determined as she is to find ways to abort this mission, he's equally as determined to see it through.

The camels add a wonderful amount of personality to this novella. I learned a lot of things about these wonderful animals that I never knew before! I laughed out loud at Bradley and Ambrosia's antics, and there's enough action and danger to keep you glued to the pages. A highly recommended story from Regina Jennings!

 


If you have read Roseanna M. White's "Ring of Secrets," you won't want to miss this follow-up novella that tells us the rest of Isaac Fairchild's story. When last we saw him he had lost his suit to win the hand of Winter Reeves, but now it is 1789 and Isaac is back in his native Europe. Agreeing to a special task, Isaac travels to France to search for a friend's wife and daughter.

Julienne has captivated the French court at Versailles, and has been receiving particular attention from Remi, a crafty courtier who has been promising soon to make Julienne his wife. Julienne knows Remi is dangerous and has no desire to marry him, but she has no idea how to escape his grasp. When she meets someone at a masquerade it seems as if there might still be reason to hope for faith and goodness in the world. But who is he? Will she ever see him again?

Isaac must find a way to reveal not only his own identity to Julienne, but also the fact that hers is not what she has been led to believe. It will be a precipitous path to get out of Versailles and Remi's clutches, but first she must believe him.

This is a nice companion book to White's Culper Ring series, though not a story I would recommend on its own. I can't wait to read the next book in the set!

 


Return to Maple Valley in this latest Christmas novella from Melissa Tagg! Wrapping up the stories of the Renwycke siblings, One Enchanted Noel follows in the footsteps of One Enchanted Christmas and One Enchanted Eve. This time our heroine is Leigh, the single mom who is trying to hold her life together. After a lot of bouncing around with plenty of messing up in her past, she's done well in Maple Valley - but now a familiar restlessness is stirring within her. She's unsure if she should buckle down on contentedness or step out in faith and see if she finds any open doors.

It's a busted-out window rather than an open door that catches Leigh's attention one December night. After reporting the vandalism, Leigh checks out the abandoned theater to see if the culprit is still on the premises. Much to her surprise, it's not a wayward youth but the new owner who is poking around! 

Sebastian Parker Pierce III has spent the past 15 years on a ranch in Texas, but now is on assignment from his grandfather to restore Maple Valley's theater. He recognizes Leigh instantly, having briefly met her several years before when she was at her lowest point. He's never forgotten the encounter, and he can't quite find a way to bring it up now that he sees she's turned her life around. When the timeline for the restoration job gets moved up and Mayor Milt insists on a big grand reopening only days before Christmas, Seb turns to Leigh for help with the event planning.

This is a wonderfully rich story that touches on deep subjects. Addiction recovery. Distant family members. Choices and consequences. It's also full of quirky moments and the hope that God always dreams bigger than we do. Seb and Leigh are both well-drawn characters who will win you over and stir your heart with their journey. 

Each of these novellas are available individually, or you can find them packaged together in a brand new release called Enchanted: A Christmas Collection. Perfect reading for this time of year!

 


This free novella is a prequel to Hedlund's upcoming Orphan Train series, the first of which released last week and I will be reviewing soon. "An Awakened Heart" reads more like an extended prologue than a self-contained story, although it does have a plot and will hold your attention. I would recommend reading it with the next book in hand so you can move straight on into the next part of the story.

Set in 1850s New York City, our story opens with Christine Pendleton having a burden to help women who are trapped by horrid working conditions and tenement living. She has begun attending the outreach services at Centre Street Chapel, but feels that preaching without practical help is not what would best serve these women. While Christine has resigned herself to spinsterhood, she is grateful to have enough wealth to not be worried about her own living, and is ready to find a way to use her money for the improvement of her community.

Minister Guy Bedell has never met anyone who is as passionate about real, practical reform as the soft-spoken Christine. As he catches her vision and desires to help those who are poverty-stricken, he realizes that his benefactors, the Ladies Home Missionary Society, may think her views too radical. He may have to choose between employment and following God's call.

Woven alongside Christine's story is that of Elise Neumann, a teenager who finds herself responsible for her younger sisters after the death of their parents. Although she works all day sewing, she cannot bring in enough to support all of them. Refusing to accept prostitution as a way to pay the rent, Elise is desperate but determined. While her path crosses with Christine's almost randomly, it soon becomes clear that Miss Pendleton's help may be exactly what is needed for the Neumann sisters.

I am looking forward to seeing this story continue in "With You Always."

"Right Where We Belong" is a collection of novellas set in the authors' favorite fictional towns. As a huge fan of Melissa Tagg and her stories set in Maple Valley, I've been waiting for this release for several months. Here's a brief look at each of the tales in this compilation.

A Langhorne Romance by Deborah Raney. Lily runs a bakery out of her house and begins finding reason to order supplies more frequently when she meets her handsome new delivery driver. This story contained every reason I typically don't read novellas. I know novellas are by nature shorter and therefore you will lose some things that you could develop more in a full-length book, but I do like some believability and depth to be present. I will say that while I didn't like the story, at least it was written well. 2 stars

A Maple Valley Romance by Melissa Tagg. If you've read Melissa's Walker Family Series, you know about Megan, the barista and single mom who is friends with the Walkers. Megan meets Eric, the owner of the local halfway house, and he begins helping her with some renovation projects. Things become complicated when the father of Megan's little girl comes on the scene, finding out about his daughter and threatening to take her away from Megan. The theme of this story is the question "Can people change?," and it's one Megan and Eric grapple with in several different strained relationships. I loved getting to see parts of Maple Valley we'd never seen before! Looking forward to final Walker Family novel coming out in August! 4 stars

A Sweethaven Romance by Courtney Walsh. Within the first pages of this story I was struck by how well Courtney Walsh writes small towns! All the characters were distinct and so much fun, no matter if they appeared in one scene or several. This was my first trip to Sweethaven but I might have to go back and read the previous books. Our heroine is Eleanor, the director of the Historical Society, who is on the verge of a momentous Founder's Day festival that will include the unveiling of the time capsule buried in Sweethaven by the original settlers. But when the time capsule turns up something unexpected - a mystery that can only be solved with the help of town bad boy Jason Holloway - Eleanor knows she'll face extreme disapprobation if she chooses to unravel the clues. The most surprising find may be that Jason doesn't deserve his reputation! 3 stars

In a setting just perfect for Christmas, chef Rylan Jefferson is on the cusp of running a bakery again. She just needs to come up with one show-stopping dessert to have the opportunity to win the job. While she's never been good at original recipes, Rylan receives an offer of help that she can't pass up - even if it is from the class clown of her culinary class. Maybe Colin's natural inspiration will transform a wish into a reality.

We first met Colin Renwycke in One Enchanted Christmas, when he was a rather disreputable teacher and model. He's never been good at life decisions, but last Christmas was a wake-up call. He's determined to make culinary school work and to become a successful chef, but he's still afraid to go home and face his family in Maple Valley, Iowa. In an effort to both help Rylan and bring a buffer of protection to himself, Colin invites her to spend a couple weeks on the farm inventing that wow-worthy recipe she needs.

Maple Valley is as charming and ever, as you know if you've read any of Melissa Tagg's other stories set there. While we do get glimpses of other characters we know, the story does a good job focusing on downtrodden but hopeful Rylan and bad-boy-attempting-to-turn-good-guy Colin. We get a look at their pasts, the way they think, and their family dynamics. These are two realistic and relatable characters striving to overcome mistakes and setbacks, dreaming of a hopeful future, and trying to make magic in the kitchen.

This novella was funny, thoughtful, inspiring, and yes, enchanting. A perfect holiday read from one of my favorite authors!

Christmas can't be relaxing when you're trying to ratchet your career up to the next level. Interior designer Alexis Blake is competing for her own show on the Home Project Network, and the last step is a Christmas-themed home renovation. If she can beat out the other two finalists she'll achieve her dream. She knows things won't be easy, but she arrives on location near Door County, Wisconsin, to find that the homeowner doesn't want to cooperate and her videographer has sustained an injury that will sideline him from the project. This is not a promising start.

Elsie has lived many years in the fieldstone home which her father built. She's not happy that her neighbor submitted her house for the Restoring Christmas project, and she's very set on having her say in making sure Alexis doesn't change too much. She's also prone to taking mysterious trips and will shut down any conversation that broaches the subject of family. She begins to regret her begrudging consent to allow Alexis and the crew into her personal space.

While respected videographer George Langley can't be a part of the special, he insists his son Gabe is more than capable of stepping in. Alexis isn't convinced, but Gabe is larger than life with his optimism and generosity. As he sweeps away her objections and finds unusual solutions to plaguing problems, Alexis agrees to let him in on the project, but can't help wondering what's behind all the charm and personality.

While Elsie's house is under construction, so are the hearts of all those working on it. Gabe is dealing with his first Christmas since his mother's death. Alexis feels the stress and pressure of meeting deadlines and having everything turn out the picture-perfect way she's envisioned it - while meeting resistance from Elsie at every turn. Elsie's shrouded past and sensitivity to change keeps everyone guessing and on edge as to what she'll object to next.

In a story about the true meaning of Christmas and learning to listen to one another, Cynthia Ruchti has crafted a heartwarming novella that will leave you sighing with contentment. I'd highly recommend this for all readers, and especially if you enjoy shows like Fixer Upper. This story introduced me to the song Still, Still, Still, which I have a feeling will be a regular feature on my holiday playlist this year. Are you ready to have your own heart examined before we reach the height of this busy season? Check out "Restoring Christmas" and let the message soak into your spirit.

Thank you to the author for my copy of the novella. All opinions in this review are my own.