Sincerely Yours Book Review

A Novella Collection

SUMMARY:  Four unexpected letters.  Four intrepid women.  Four lives changed forever.

     Spanning a century and a continent, these romantic novellas will lead you on a journey through the landscape of love.  Four young women find their lives altered after each receives a letter that sets her on a new path.  From a Hudson River steamboat to a lush drawing room, from a carousel carver's workshop to a remote hospital, you'll be swept into the lives of women who are making their way in the world and finding love where they least expect it.

MOONLIGHT PROMISE by Laurie Alice Eakes

Camilla Renfrew is a highborn English lady fleeing false accusations when she runs smack into love on a steamboat bound for the new Erie Canal.  But can this unexpected attraction survive the treacherous journey?

 LESSONS IN LOVE by Ann Shorey

Marigold Montgomery Bentley writes marriage advice for Kipler's Home Weekly even though she is single.  Everyone assumes from the initials that "M.M." is a man.  When the editor asks to meet Mr. Bentley, can Merrie come up with a ruse to keep her writing job?

ONE LITTLE WORD by Amanda Cabot

Lorraine Caldwell will lose her family fortune to a reckless cousin if she doesn't marry quickly.  When she learns her long-lost brother is alive, she hopes she's found the answer to her problem.  What she finds instead is a mysterious carousel carver who turns her life upside down.

A SAVING GRACE by Jane Kirkpatrick

Grace Hathaway must rescue a dear friend from a remote and notorious clinic that promises healing by delivers only heartache.  In a place laced with deceit, where lives hang in the balance, whom can she trust to help her?

REVIEW:  These four novellas were fun and easy to read.   Although each story is different, they show how life can change, even with the receipt of a simple letter.  What I liked most about Laurie Alice Eakes' story is that her characters didn't decide to get married after only knowing each other for a few days even though there was a strong attraction between them.  Instead, at the end, Nathaniel asks to court Camilla to get to know her better.  That is something you don't see very often in novels these days.  It was a lovely story.

Ann Shorey's brief novel is the typical mistaken identity with a bit of a twist.  I thought it interesting that a single young lady is writing a column on godly marriages. Some of the advice she gave was good; some, I had to remember that the story was set in 1858 and not 2014 and was probably typical of that day.  The last article she wrote was very interesting.  It also had double meaning to Colin, her piano teacher and sweetheart.  This is a sweet story with a happy ending.

Amanda Cabot's main character Lorraine was a go-getter.  Even though she grew up having everything she wanted, she wasn't afraid to pitch in and help her brother's inn while he was gone on his honeymoon.  Even though she was a complete failure, she did not let it get her down and kept trying until she found something she was good at: organizing events for the guests at Lilac Hall.  Her tenacity was refreshing.  I liked how Amanda worked out all the details between Lorraine and Jonah at the end of this book.

Jane Kirkpatrick's story is based on true events that happened in the Pacific Northwest near Seattle.  Grace is a friend that we all need to have.  When her longtime friend, Rebecca, enters a questionable treatment center to get help over losing her husband, Grace goes to help her.  I like how she risks her own life to save her friend and other residents of this facility. 

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Here is a link to a giveaway Jane Kirkpatrick is having on her blog: http://janeswordsofencouragement.blogspot.com/.  

Love's Sweet Beginning Book Review

Sisters at Heart Series

Book Three

SUMMARY:  What will it take for a once-privileged woman to make her way in the world?

     It isn't Cassie Haddon's fault that she has reached the age of twenty-five without possessing any useful skills.  Until the War Between the States, she always had servants.  Since then, she and her mother have been forced to rely on family to care for them.  But now the well of human kindness has run dry - and Cassie must find work to support them.

     Unfortunately, leaving the past behind is easier said than done, and Cassie must summon all of her courage and wits to convince local restauranteur and grocer Jacob West that she's exactly what his business needs.

     With her signature sweet romance, Ann Shorey weaves a tale of two people from different backgrounds finding common ground and the hope of a bright future together.

REVIEW:  This being the last book in the Sisters at Heart series, and having read the first two, I was very interested in reading this one.  Like the others, I was not disappointed.  I really liked Cassie.  Even though she grew up privileged, she was not afraid to get her hands dirty and did not give up when she felt overwhelmed or unappreciated.  There were a few times that I wondered if Callie could keep doing everything she had to do without just collapsing from pure exhaustion.  While working in the restaurant all day then trying to make a place for her mother and herself to live, Callie had to cater to her mother's whims while Eliza Bingham sent letter after letter looking for her brother.  She also was not afraid to speak up and loved to help others in need.  Callie is one heroine we all can learn from and model.

     I also liked how Callie and Jacob's feelings for each other and their relationship grew over time and didn't all happen all at once.  Some stories rush the love story too quickly. As Jacob saw Callie work and grow in her job, his feelings for her (and hers for him) had time to develop into something meaningful.

     This is a great book and a wonderful end to the series.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Ann Shorey is the author of the At Home in Beldon Grove series, Where Wildflowers Bloom, and When the Heart Heals.  She has also published selections in the Cup of Comfort series and in Chicken Soup for the Grandma's Soul.  Ann and her husband make their home in southwestern Oregon.  Learn more at www.annshorey.com.

When the Heart Heals Book Review

Sisters at Heart

Book Two

SUMMARY:  In a country healing from war, can a young woman find healing for her heart?

     Courageous and unconventional, Rosemary Saxon served as a nurse during the Civil War, a service that has caused most women in town to regard her as unfeminine and even downright vulgar.  Although she would like to put that part of her life behind her, she needs to support herself.  She takes a nursing position with Dr. Elijah Stewart, but whenever they are together they always seem to do or say the wrong things.  When someone threatens Rosemary, will she find the courage to stand, or will she leave town - and Elijah - forever?

     With tenderness and grace, Ann Shorey invites you back to the town of Noble Springs, Missouri, for an engrossing story of love's tentative first steps and fragile future in the face of opposition.

REVIEW:  This is a great follow-up to Ann Shorey's first book, Where Wildflowers Bloom.  My heart goes out to Rosemary, who struggles with the image most of the women in town have of her.  Being a nurse nowadays is a noble profession but after the Civil War, it wasn't thought of very highly.  I like how she uses the knowledge of using herbs and plants for health remedies gained from her mom to help the townspeople and to aid in the care of Dr. Stewart's patients.  When her greenhouse and plants are wrecked and her life threatened, I like how Rosemary didn't back down but remained firm and true to her calling.  I also liked how her relationship with Dr. Stewart developed and how things worked out with her parents.  This is a great book.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Ann Shorey is the author of Where Wildflowers Bloom, The Edge of Light, The Promise of Morning, and The Dawn of a Dream.  Ann and her husband make their home in southwestern Oregon.

Where Wildflowers Bloom Book Review

Sisters at Heart

SUMMARY:  How far will she go to follow her dreams?
     The Civil War stole a father and brother from Faith Lindberg - as well as Royal Baxter, the man she wanted to marry.  With only her grandfather left, she dreams of leaving Noble Springs, Missouri, and traveling west to Oregon to start a new life, away from the memories that haunt her.  But first she must convince her grandfather to sell the family's mercantile and leave a town their family has called home for generations.
     When Royal Baxter suddenly returns, Faith allows herself to hope that she and Royal will finally wed.  But does he truly love her?  Or will another man claim her heart?

REVIEW:  Faith is determined to pack up and move west to get away from the painful memories everywhere she looks in Noble Springs.  But she doesn't understand, even though her friends and grandfather try to tell her, the memories will follow her where ever she goes.  I like how Faith reaches out to Rosemary and stands up for her when townspeople try to reject Rosemary because she worked as a nurse during the war (a scandalous job for a woman to have at that time).  Faith and Rosemary also reach out to some families that are stranded when a train derails close to their town, remembering her grandfather's motto "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. (Proverbs 3:27)."  After the store is robbed a couple of times and she is held up by robbers, some of the "regulars" come to Faith's aid and protection.  I like how everyone looks out for each other, even when it may work against them.  This is a good book and an easy read.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Ann Shorey is the author of The Edge of Light, The Promise of Morning, and The Dawn of a Dream.  She has also published selections in the Cup of Comfort series and in Chicken Soup for the Grandma's Soul.  Shorey lives with her husband, Richard, in Oregon.  Learn more about Ann, sign up for her newsletter, and catch the most recent news about her books at www.AnnShorey.com.