So, if you follow me on Twitter, you might know that my mom used her connections to me to con Krista Jensen out of a review copy of Timeless Romance Anthology: Love Letter Collection, just released. (Okay, okay, so my mom's sister Arlene is also one of Krista's friends, and maybe that played a part too. Who's to say?) And, yeah, I managed to get a review copy too, but the fun thing is that my mom agreed to do a guest review here on the blog! I think this is so fun. You can follow her on Twitter @birdmom8
Publication: Mirror Press, January 2014
(See below for synopsis of stories from the
Timeless Romance Anthology blog.)
Genre: Anthology, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance
Audience: Adult (Clean)
Review: This set of
six novellas written by six talented writers is a fun, enjoyable and
interesting read. You can read a story in an afternoon, but you probably can't
stop at just one! These writers know how to grab your interest right away and
make it hard to put it down. These romances are sweet and clean. You can rest
assured that you won't be embarrassed if your 10-year-old picks it up (if you
happen to lay it down for a second). There are three contemporary romances that
have you laughing one minute and crying the next, and three historical romances
that are just as fun and enjoyable. If you're a romance lover, this anthology
will be just the thing for a cozy winter read and get you in the mood for
Valentine's Day!
Maggie's Song: This sweet novella by Karey White is fun and
easy to read. I sometimes saw my daughters in Maggie's actions. I especially
loved how she decided to drop hints to her hero. Maggie is a happy and caring
heroine. You will love to get to know her. I know because I have daughters just
like her!
Just Fly, by Krista Lynn Jensen, made me
want to cry and laugh at the same time. Wren, the heroine, is a sweet and
caring heroine. My favorite character is Dorothy (or Dot) because she is so
brave and enjoys life to the fullest. She's not afraid to fail or do silly
things. Her grandson, Seth (our hero) is just as fun and his way of telling
Wren how he cares is the best!
How to Re-Write a Love Letter: Diane
Darcy certainly had me squirming in embarrassment for the heroine, Julie, a
high school honors English teacher. I loved how she was shy and worried about
the things she did to embarrass herself in front of her principle, Dane, yet
could stand up to him and give him a piece of her mind when she thought he deserved
it. Problem was, he didn't really deserve it most of the time. He was just
trying to figure her out! The only thing I thought was left out of this story
was the standing ovation by the student body for the kissing scene!
A Thousand Words: Sarah M. Eden doesn't
disappoint in this novella about two poor Irish immigrants who love each other,
but struggle communicating. I loved Shannon's spunky temperament and how she
wouldn't let anything come between her and her hero, Patrick.
Both of them
struggled to tell each other how they felt, but the use of letters and pictures
was what brought them together in the end. I thought this story demonstrated
how we can communicate in lots of different ways, especially, love letters!
Between the Lines: Annette Lyons did a
superb job of painting a picture of a young girl constantly comparing herself
to others to the point where she didn't see her own beauty. We can all identify with that. Jane, who
thinks of herself as plain, is really a beautiful young woman and until she
starts writing letters to her "friend" she doesn't see her true self
or the true character of Thomas/Charles. When she finally “reads
between the lines” she see what she truly wanted and had
all along.
Blackberry Hollow, by Heather Moore is a
sweet romance with a little bit of mystery thrown in. This was a really easy
read and I was drawn in quickly. Heather has a talent for describing scenes
that make you think you are really there. I'm kind of in love with English
manors anyway, so this story was exactly what I wanted in a short read.
The Timeless
Romance Anthologies are all worth reading. If you need an afternoon of good,
cozy reading, pick one up and read. You will love them!
Content: Rated 1-5; 1 being minor instances, 5 being saturated
Sex - 1 (Kissing)
Violence - 0
Language - 1 (A couple minor instances)
Overall rating - G
Source: A review copy was provided to the reader in exchange for her honest review
Timeless Romance Anthology: Love Letter Collection
In Maggie’s Song, a charming story by Karey White, Maggie Jensen is part of a trio of best friends with Lucas and Dan. Together, they own and run Wild Country Hiking Tours. When Lucas returns to the company after getting his college degree, Maggie realizes that the crush she had on him as a teenager has now blossomed into so much more. But Lucas still treats her as one of the guys, and Maggie worries that if she tells him her real feelings, their relationship will be damaged forever.
In Just Fly, Krista Lynne Jensen's captivating novella, Wren is faced with the devastating news of her grandfather's death. But when her mom finds a mysterious letter from a woman named Dot in Seattle, Wren decides to visit the woman herself to deliver the news in person. Wren learns of the bucket list Dot and Gramps had put together with the help of Dot's grandson, Seth, and Dot challenges Wren to take her grandfather's place in completing the list. Before the week of adventure is over, Seth has impressed Wren in more ways than one. But is that enough to overcome Wren's fear of losing those she loves?
How to Rewrite a Love Letter, an enthralling novella by Diane Darcy, high school teacher Julie Ashburn believes she’ll never live the “event” down in which she wrote her true feelings in a love letter to Principal Dane Parker, and he laughed out loud, mocking her. Now that her honors English students want to write love letters for the school fundraiser, Dane turns down the idea flat. Julie tries to convince him that it was her students’ idea and not any sort of payback. But when a student writes a fake love letter from the principal to Julie, everything gets even more mixed up, and both Julie and Dane are caught up in a series of misunderstandings that might be impossible to sort out.
In Sarah M. Eden’s delightful story, A Thousand Words, Shannon Ryan has been waiting half a year to be reunited with her fiance, Patrick, with only the letters between them keeping their relationship alive. He finally sends for her after securing a good job with the Sidney newspaper, and she can’t wait to be reunited with him, swept up in his arms and thoroughly kissed. And of course, married as soon as possible. But when she arrives at the train station, there is no Patrick waiting for her. Shannon must discover if the man she loves still has feelings for her.
Between the Lines is a sweet romance by Annette Lyon. Jane Martin is intelligent but extremely shy, especially around men. When the Aid and Cultural Society proposes a letter-writing program, Jane signs up, hoping she can find true friendship. The program doesn’t run as smoothly as expected, and unknown to Jane, one of the men in her city becomes her writing friend. Thomas Allred has always known shy and quiet Jane, but reading her letters written to his secret persona, opens his eyes to what an amazing woman she is. The only trouble is, Jane doesn’t know that the man who she is falling in love with through letters is also Thomas, the man who is falling in love with her in person.
In the enchanting novella, Blackberry Hollow, by Heather B. Moore, Lucy Quinn travels to England to inspect her inherited estate. Unfortunately, as a resident of New York and nearly engaged, Lucy needs put the house on the market. But first, she wants to learn more about her ancestors. What she doesn’t expect is Calvin Bevans, the man living next door. The two families have been divided by a misunderstanding decades old, and when Lucy discovers a set of love letters, she learns the truth. As Calvin helps her unravel the hidden secrets between the two families, Lucy finds that she has more reasons to stay in England than to return to New York. And Calvin is at the top of that list.
