The Blue Ribbon Brides Collection: 9 Historical Women Win More than a Blue Ribbon at the Fair by Cynthia Hickey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another Barbour collection full of engaging characters and fun stories, these all set during a county or state fair. Having spent a good deal of my growing up years at the county fair, then twenty years as a 4-H leader and 4-Her’s mom, these stories brought back many fond memories. It’s hard to pick any favorites out of this bunch, all of them combine a competitive spirit with the life lessons each character needs to learn. I love that each competition is different, from quilting to baking to farm animals to auto racing … there is something in here for everyone.
Tags: Book Review, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Christian Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, Christian Romance, Pegg Thomas, The Sheepish Scribe, Twin Willows Farm
A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another wonderful story by Laura Frantz. This one lands the readers on Scotland’s craggy coastline and then sweeps them out to sea to find hope on distant shores. A delightful blend of cultural norms and national loyalties that clash with the harsh realities of the mid-eighteenth century. Colorful characters in a wide range of personalities pepper the story with enough emotional impact to keep the pages turning. You’ll love some, hate some, and have a hard time figuring where others fit into that spectrum. A beautiful read that releases on January 1st. What a great way to start the year and use those Christmas gift cards!
Tags: Book Review, Christian Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, Christian Romance, Colonial America, Historical Fiction, Laura Frantz, New Release, Pegg Thomas, The Sheepish Scribe, Twin Willows Farm
The Deepest Sigh by Naomi Dawn Musch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow. I don’t know what I expected in this book, but I was engrossed from start to finish. The characters didn’t let me go even after I’d shut the book. They are deep, complex, and achingly human with their hopes, dreams, faults, and foibles. Sometimes you don’t know whom to root for. Sometimes you want to slap one of them. Sometimes you want to weep for them. Beautifully written in a style that will appeal to any who enjoy historicals and historical romance. Set during WWI at a very pivotal time in our history, a very satisfying story of people who did their best in a world that was shifting and changing before their very eyes. I highly recommend this one.
Tags: Book Review, Christian Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, Christian Romance, Historical Fiction, Naomi Musch, Pegg Thomas, The Sheepish Scribe, Twin Willows Farm, WWI
A Southern Season: Stories from a Front Porch Swing by Eva Marie Everson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Yikes! I can’t believe I didn’t review this when I read it. Well … slap me with a wooden spoon! Better late than never. 🙂
I’m a huge fan of Linda Yezak’s writing. Her humor, her characters, and her lively way of putting words on the page, so I’m going to concentrate on her story in this collection, “Ice Melts in Spring.” This one is different than Linda’s other stories, a bit more serious, a bit deeper in some aspects, but still the same lively writing that brings the reader right into the story. AND it has a dog in it. I’m a sucker for any story with a good dog in it. Buy it. Read it. Enjoy it.
Tags: Book Review, Christian Fiction, Christian Romance, Linda Yezak, New Release, Pegg Thomas, The Sheepish Scribe, Twin Willows Farm
The Regency Brides Collection: 7 Romances Set in England during the Early Nineteenth Century by Michelle Griep
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a nice collection of stories set during the same time frame, but vastly different in many other ways. I enjoyed the collection, but the stories that really stuck out at me were Amanda Barrett’s “First Comes Marriage” and MaryLu Tyndall’s “The Highwayman’s Bargain.” If you enjoy clean romance reads with engaging characters and a touch of old world charm, you really can’t go wrong with any of these novellas.
Tags: Amanda Barrett, Book Review, Christian Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, Christian Romance, Historical Fiction, MaryLu Tyndall, Michelle Griep, Pegg Thomas, The Sheepish Scribe, Twin Willows Farm
Pegg Thomas
