Blind Date Collection (A Timeless Romance)

Blind Date Collection (A Timeless Romance)

The Promise That Katy Did
by Annette Lyon
Katy promises a dying friend that she'll listen to Mr. Balmer when he asks something of her--that something being going to a dance with his grandson, Barrett. Barrett, who has been somewhat hesitant his whole life, finds himself taken with Katy, but as she's planning to move to accept a job elsewhere, he doesn't know what to do. This is a fun historical fiction story. Katy and Barrett were both sweet characters; I liked that they were just normal sorts of people, not incredibly good-looking or anything like that. Seeing their insecurities as they got to know each other made it a really interesting story.
A Lady of Sense
by Sarah M. Eden
Eleanor's parents are determined to see her married--and soon. As she tries to convince them not to make her marry the hideous Mr. Broadstead, her father offers her one choice: marry Mr. Broadstead or get Peter Haversham , with whom she spends a delightful evening at the theater, to marry her instead. Although Peter is infinitely preferable to Mr. Broadstead, and Eleanor suspects his honor would lead him to marry her if he knew of her plight, she can't bring herself to manipulate him into marriage. Peter doesn't want to be roped into a marriage--but he does find himself wanting to get to know Eleanor better...if he can only find a way to get Mr. Broadstead out of the picture long enough to give him and Eleanor a chance. I loved the idea of a Regency blind date; that was a fun twist and I love Regency romances. I also thought the whole plot was original and interesting and liked both Eleanor and Peter.

A Second Chance
by Heather B. Moore
After her divorce, Virginia's main concern is being able to care for her young son. She certainly isn't looking for a new husband. But her best friend Milly, who is gracious enough to let Virginia live with her and her husband, asks her to accompany a friend to a dinner, Virginia reluctantly agrees. Max isn't what she expected--and she finds herself drawn to him, but Julie Peterson, heiress to her fathers road construction business, has her eyes on him, too. This was another fun historical fiction story. I liked seeing Virginia's resilience and Max was just totally fun and lovable.
Braelynn's Blind Date
by Victorine E. Lieske
Braelynn isn't looking forward to her blind date--but when Tyler shows up, they have an instant connection and she has a great time with him. The only problem is, her date wasn't who she thought he was. Nathan knows he should come clean and tell her he wasn't her blind date, but he can't bring himself to do it; he just figures he'll never see her again. But it turns out Braelynn is the assistant head of marketing for his father's department--where he has just accepted a position as the head of marketing. Working so closely together, Nathan finds himself falling for Braelynn, but having dated a liar in the past, Braelynn can't forgive him for his betrayal. Loved it. I thought Braelynn's feelings were realistically portrayed, as she was drawn to Nathan but also didn't know how to trust him. I loved seeing their reconciliation at the end.

Bianca's Hope
by Rachel Branton
Bianca is a potter whose trademark and designs are being stolen by another artist; when she approaches a law intern about the possibility of a legal case against him, Stephen advises her to change her trademark, telling her it would be cheaper than trying to sue. Bianca is furious with his answer--so when her sister sets her up with none other than Stephen on a blind date, she's not exactly happy to see him. Stephen, drawn to Bianca, does some investigating on her case, and as he and Bianca work on stopping the imposter artist, they find they might get along better than they thought. Out of all of the stories in the collection, this one was probably the one I liked least; I liked Stephen and Bianca, but I felt like I was missing pieces of the story a little bit (perhaps because this novella ties into other works by the author). But it's still a fun contemporary romance, and maybe with a second reading it will flow better for me.

Blind Spot
by Sariah Wilson
Ria wants to marry a prince--so much so that she moves across the world to Monterra, where royals are supposed to be in plentiful supply. Using a dating app, she goes on 12 blind dates with potential princes who turn out to be complete duds. After her latest disaster, she decides to give up on finding her prince, much to the delight of her roommate, Tessa, who has been waiting to set Ria up with someone else. But when Ria finds out who she's being set up with--playboy Paolo, who has been flirting with her for awhile now--she isn't so impressed with her roommate's plans. Paolo was a little bit too good to be true, but hey, it worked for a fun contemporary romance.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that half of the stories in the collection were historical fiction; that's not what I expected from a collection of blind date stories, but I thought it was cool. I really liked this collection and can't wait for the next Timeless Romance Anthology.

I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A Refuge at Highland Hall

A Refuge at Highland Hall
By Carrie Turansky

While in London helping her sister Kate and brother-in-law Jon with their children's home, Penny Ramsey meets Alex Goodwin, a pilot training to fight against the Germans in WWI. Once he returns to his base, he and Penny exchange letters, and it seems that--should Alex make it through the war--they might have a future together. But when the realities of war hit home for Alex, he distances himself from Penny, who can only hope that God will be able to heal him.

While I of course enjoyed the romance angle of the book (as well as the side story with another romance), I think I enjoyed the history and the look at the British efforts against the German Zepplins; Alex's experiences were so fascinating to me.
The third book in a series, I think it could probably be read as a stand-alone, but the first two books in the series are equally enjoyable, so I'd recommend reading them, too.

4 stars

Hearthfire Romance Collection--Box Set

Hearthfire Romance Collection--Box Set
By Michele Paige Holmes

I loved these books! I was really captivated by the characters and plot lines. There were so many interesting elements. In Saving Grace, I thought it was cool that there was a slight element of a "Beauty and the Beast" plot line; I also found Grace's willingness to ruin her reputation in order to prevent herself and Helen from having to marry was an interesting departure from the typical story set in this time period. In Loving Helen, I liked seeing Helen come out of her shell and blossom. If I had to pick a favorite story, I would go with Marrying Christopher; I thought both Christopher and Marsali were such interesting, good characters, and the plot line of Marsali's impending indenture servitude was really fascinating to me. Twelve Days in December was a fun addition to the series, and it was nice to see two people who had been previously been hurt find their happily ever after.
I really, really liked these books!

I received a free copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

5 stars!

All Hallows' Eve

All Hallows' Eve (A Timeless Romance Anthology)

Of Ghosts and Gardens
by Sarah M. Eden
Burke Kennard stumbles across Enid Pryce when he visits her Welsh garden, trying to find out more about the ghost who is rumored to haunt the garden. A scholar of Welsh folklore, Burke is delighted to accept an invitation from Enid's family to stay until the ghost makes an appearance...but as he gets to know Enid, he finds himself wishing that the ghost will stay away so he has an excuse to be around Enid. Enid is hoping for the same thing, but neither gives voice to their feelings, instead focusing on figuring out the true identity of the ghost. Loved it. Enid was fun and delightful, and I loved seeing her interactions with Burke. There were some comical moments with the ghost, too. Five stars for this one.


It's You
by Annette Lyon
 Anna Brierley gets off to a rough start when she moves in with relatives: she sees a ghost who seems to know who she is, although she has no idea who the ghost is. When she starts to clean out a storage closet at the local church, she finds out the identity of the ghost--and the ghost appears to Charlie Beck as he's walking home, drawing him into the church where he meets Anna. Although initially frightened, Anna and Charlie determine to find out what they can about the ghost--and to make the most of their meeting each other. This story had a fun twist on what the ghost needed in order to find peace. I liked both Anna and Charlie, too. 5 stars.

Sophia's Curse
by Heather B. Moore
Every five years, a member of the Rousseau or Belrose families dies--and will continue to do so, according to Sophia's curse, until the families are united by marriage. Simon Rousseau has no intention of marrying and bringing a woman into his strange family curse, although he admits to being intrigued by the orphan Joan raised by nuns. When Joan encounters Monsieur Rousseau, she finds everything she knew about herself is wrong. This was an interesting mix of mystery and romance. Intriguing without being super creepy. 4.5 stars.

The Sirens' Song
by Lisa Mangum
Oliver, recently widow, is working as a doctor aboard a cruise ship and mourning his wife Cate's death. When a passenger goes overboard, Oliver jumps into save her--and then is captured by a siren and taken to an island where the sirens want to take his memories. His only chance at freedom would require him to give up his memories of Cate...and if he gives his best memory, he may just have a chance to see her one last time. Okay, after the other three stories--pretty straightforward historical fiction--I wasn't really prepared for this story. It just seemed weirder to me than the others (although, if I had read it first, it might not have stood out so much). I didn't enjoy it as much as the other stories; it just didn't pull me in the same way, although I did enjoy seeing Oliver's memories of Cate. 3.5 stars.

The Man of Her Dreams
by Jordan McCollum
Homicide detective Alex Steen dreams of the murders she goes on to solve, which is creepy enough, but when she has a dream where the murderer doesn't follow through, the change in the pattern is stranger still. And when she finds that the person who wasn't killed is none other than her ex's sister--and that her ex, Nick, was likely the intended target--she can't help but wonder what is going on. I wish this one had had a little more romance to go along with the mystery aspect; we didn't really get to see much of that, just pieces of Alex and Nick's broken past and a tiny hint at the future. 3.5 stars.

The Ghost of Millhouse Mansion
 by Elana Johnson
When Naomi goes to Millhouse mansion with its owner, Colt, she's just expecting to see the rocking horse his aunt wants restored--and if she's lucky, maybe she'll get to check out the house and somehow convince Colt to let her restore the house itself. She definitely isn't expecting to see ghosts--but she does...and Colt admits that he has seen them since he was a child. This was probably the creepiest of the stories, since the ghosts aren't exactly friendly. The romance between Naomi and Colt seemed rushed, and the twist before the ending was a little strange. Didn't completely work for me. 3.5 stars.

Overall, I loved the first three stories; I liked the final three but not nearly as much as the first three. All in all, it was a fun collection--and probably readers who like creepy stories and Halloween more than I do will appreciate the whole collection more than I did.

Seeking Persephone

Seeking Persephone
Sarah M. Eden


Adam Boyce, the Duke of Kielder, has no intention of marrying, nor does he seem a likely candidate for marriage. Despite his title and his fortune, his sour disposition, not to mention his disfigured face, make him less than the ideal potential suitor, or so he believes. However, his immensely dislikes the man set to inherit if he doesn't produce an heir, so Adam extends an offer of marriage to Persephone Lancaster, even though he's never seen her and doesn't even know her last name. What he does know is that she is impoverished and that if he's willing to support her younger siblings, she just might be willing to marry him. She does consent, and Adam, expecting a dour old maid, is astonished to find himself attached to a pretty young woman. Neither quite knows what to expect from their marriage, but as Persephone tries to be a good woman, Adam comes to realize that perhaps his pretty young wife is exactly what he needed.

I quite enjoyed this romance. I loved seeing the reasons for why people did the things they did--why Adam shut himself off from others, why his mother fled from home when he was a child, etc. I also liked seeing how Persephone affected Adam and got him to open up and soften up a little.

5 stars.

One Plus One Equals Trouble

One Plus One Equals Trouble
By Sondra Kraak

Having been jilted by her fiancé, who wed her twin sister instead, Claire left San Francisco for a fresh start as a teacher. While she was supposed to be assigned to a school in Seattle, she instead is sent to teach in remote Pine Creek—and she quickly falls in love with the town. Determined to be a success at something, after feeling like she’s failed in love and at ever measuring up to her sister, Claire is shocked when she finds out her job isn’t as secure as she believed—the school board has hired TWO teachers and she has to battle against Barrett Clarke (who is the nephew of one of the school board members and a former college professor) to see who will ultimately be offered the position. Claire refuses to fail—but so does Barrett, who lost his position teaching at a university after false accusations and came home to teach for a year, after which his uncle will give him land so he can be a rancher—which is what he truly wants to do. Equally determined to win the job, Claire and Barrett each set out to prove their merits—but as they work together, attraction flares, complicating things even further.

I liked the premise of the book. I thought Claire was particularly well-developed, with her straight-laced personality and need for control reflecting her attempts to be perfect and not to fail. Barrett is more light-hearted, but I did sometimes get frustrated with him for constantly teasing Claire; while he was trying to break through her reserve, sometimes I thought he’d be better served by just saying something nice to her. There was a lot of banter between the two, as well as a lot of one-step-forward-two-steps-back type behavior from Claire, who retreated whenever she felt vulnerable. Sometimes that made the plot move a little slowly—it was kinda the same banter over and over. Toward the end, though, things picked up a little. Overall, I enjoyed the book. 3.5 stars

Mail Order Bride

Mail Order Bride (A Timeless Romance Anthology)

This collection has 6 novellas about mail order brides. All are well-written and lots of fun. I highly recommend these novellas for those who like historical romances.

Written in Her Heart by Stacy Henrie
From the time Clayton Riley interviewed to be her father's financial advisor and personal secretary, Georgeanna (Georgie) Fitzgerald had more-than-just-friendly feelings for him. However, he never seemed to return her interest, and with the years passing and her father dying, Georgie has decided to take a husband--by placing an advertisement in the paper. She gets Clay to (reluctantly) agree to help sort through the responses and choose the most suitable men for her. As he begins his new task, however, Clay realizes he does have feelings for Georgie and writes to her as well, under a false name, hoping to show her his heart and convince her that his feelings are sincere.
This was such a fun twist on the mail-order-bride theme--since technically, it's a mail order husband. I also liked how instead of having two strangers come together, it brought two friends together.

Wanted: Midwife Bride
Dr. Naomi Thornton is planning to divorce her husband, a fellow physician who has a very pregnant mistress. However, he beats her to the punch; he and his associates falsely blame her of incompetence leading to the death of the popular NYC major. Knowing that the word of a female won't hold up against the hospital board and her husband, Naomi does the only thing she can think of: responds to a mail order bride request for a midwife bride. She doesn't plan on telling Dr. Joe Chandler that she's a full-fledged doctor; having been rejected by her former husband and colleagues for daring to enter the male world of medicine, she won't make the same mistake again. However, in Joe, she finds someone who not only appreciates but delights in her medical knowledge and skill, as well as in her feminine qualities. She also finds a man whom she could care for deeply and who cares deeply for her--but when the opportunity to take back all that she lost in New York City comes, will she choose life as simple country doctor, married to another simple country doctor or will she return home?
I loved the fact that Naomi is a doctor and how realistically her struggle to succeed in a "male" profession was portrayed. I also loved Joe; he's such a great contrast to Naomi's jerky, slimy ex-husband.

The Sound of Home by Annette Lyon
Victor Hallows wants to marry Marilyn--or at least, have her as a mistress--and he's willing to frame her for murder if she doesn't agree. Marilyn knows it's risky to become a mail order bride, knowing nothing about the man she's agreeing to marry, but she decides it unlikely that her new husband will be worse than Victor, and she heads off to Wyoming to meet and marry Harry Yardley. However, arriving in Wyoming, she's met by his brother, Thomas Yardley, who explains that his brother Harry can't take a bride; having suffered a head injury, he's the mental equivalent of a child and is looking for a mother figure to replace his deceased mother. Unable and unwilling to return to New York, Marilyn stays with Yardley brothers, taking care of Harry and working alongside Thomas--and capturing his heart.
The idea of framing a girl for murder to force her to be your mistress was a bit far-fetched, but it worked. Again, I liked having a little twist, with Marilyn not marrying the man whose mail order bride she thought she was going to be.

For Better or Worse by Sarah Eden
Gerald Smith somewhat reluctantly decides to send for a mail order bride--but when his mail order bride departs the train and he sees that the Miss Hill he is supposed to marry is the same Miss Hill--Mary Hill--who used to follow him everywhere and irritate him beyond measure when they lived next door to one another back in Ohio--he's more than somewhat reluctant. In fact, he tries to figure out someone else in town who might be able to offer her a home and a job; however, when the preacher convinces him that no one else can take her, Gerald and Mary wed--and Gerald comes to find that Mary isn't the pest he remembered and that being married to her is much better than anticipated.
Before I started this book, I thought this would be my favorite of the stories; Sarah Eden is one of my favorite authors. However, I actually think I liked it least--I wasn't completely sold on Gerald as a romantic hero or why Mary might actually like him; as neighbors in Ohio, he called a pest, a pebble in his shoe, and the plague, and yet she says he wasn't ever really cruel to her. While he wasn't physically abuse, I'm not sure I fully agree that he wasn't cruel. While he does come to regret how he treated her, it just made me a little sad to think of this woman caring--for years--about a man who couldn't see her value even at all. (I don't think he needed to love her for years; I just would've liked him more if he had been kind to her even if he didn't have feelings for her.) I did like the ending of Gerald and Mary's story quite a bit, and Sarah Eden is a great writer, with funny dialogue and tight descriptions.

An Inconvenient Bride by Heather B. Moore
When Carmela Callemi, an Italian immigrant who lived briefly in Boston until her brother remarried, arrives in Leadville, Colorado, to marry Gideon Butler, his brother, local blacksmith Samuel Butler, thinks this is just one more mess of his brother's that he'll have to fix. Gideon, having lived a shady life, has died before Carmela arrives--and, as it turns out, wasn't literate enough to write the lovely letters that convinced Carmela to marry him and had to have someone else write them for him. When she finds out what kind of man Gideon Butler really was, Carmela is intent on leaving Colorado and never looking back--but as she waits for a train to take her out of town, she gets to know Samuel, and their budding attraction might be enough to change her mind.
I liked the combination of outspoken Italian Carmela and slightly grumpy blacksmith Samuel. They were a really fun couple, and I liked seeing Samuel try to figure out how to convince her to stay.

The Price of Silver by Sian Ann Bessey When Jake Walker's mail order bride arrives in Idaho, Jake is hundreds of miles away, seizing an opportunity to mine silver. Although he tried to notify Katie not to come yet, his letter didn't get to her, so it's up to his older brother Caleb and their mother Eliza to welcome Katie Spencer to Idaho. At first Caleb is annoyed to find that he has to be responsible for what he considers to be foolish decisions made by his brother, but as Katie settles in on their ranch and they wait for word from Jake on what he wants to do with her, Caleb tries to ignore the fact that he might be falling for his brother's future wife.
This one was just delightful. I loved Caleb and Katie; they were just so cute together. I liked how they worked together on the ranch and thought the author did a great job showing the suspense as they try to fight their attraction as they wait to hear from Jake. Just really fun and well-written, this one might have been my favorite of the six novellas (although it's hard to pick a favorite).

Again, highly enjoyable. I liked the different characters and the different twists in each story. Really fun collection that I highly recommend.

(I received a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.)