Sincerely Yours by Jane Kirkpatrick, Amanda Cabot, Laurie Alice Eakes and Ann Shorey
Book Description:
Four unexpected letters. Four intrepid women. Four lives changed forever.
In this collection of brand-new historical novellas from four outstanding storytellers, four young women find their lives altered after each receives a letter that sets her on a new path toward a changed life--and perhaps lifelong love. From a Hudson River steamboat to a lush drawing room, from a carousel carver's workshop to a remote and controversial hospital, readers will love being swept into the lives of four young women who are making their way in the world and finding love where they least expect it.
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 problems. 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 but delivers only heartache. In a place laced with deceit, where lives hang in the balance, whom can she trust to help her?
My Review:
Sincerely Yours is a collection of four novellas. Four unexpected letters lead to four lives changes forever. I really enjoyed all four novellas and found them all to be great historical Christian Fiction books. This is the first book I have read by each author, I found all the novellas to be compelling and well thought out with an enjoyable historical aspect. I give Sincerely Yours 5 stars and recommend it to all lovers of Christian Historical Fiction.
A Moonlight Promise by Laurie Alice Eakes
May 1825, Camilla Renfrew finds herself running down Barclay Street in New York City. The Marianne has just pulled from the shore of the East River and Camilla knows she has to be on it. She risks all to jump from the wharf onto the rising gangway of the moving steamboat. Camilla knows her only hope running from false accusations is to reach her friend Joanna and take the job she wrote about.
Captain Nathaniel Black is none to pleased to have a lone unprotected female on his boat and is determined to return her to the shore the first chance he gets. That changes when he sees rival Riley Lancaster’s boat headed into the river after them. Riley will do everything in his power to make Captain Black miss his deadline and have to sell his beloved boat.
What Camilla did not expect was to fall for the kind handsome boat captain. Read this great novella to see if she is able to prove the accusations wrong and if Captain Black is able to save his boat.
The author Laurie Alice Eakes did and outstanding job brining the characters to life. She created a beautiful story out of the opening of the historic steamboats of the Erie Canal that brought travel from Albany to Lake Erie in 1825.
Lessons in Love by Anne Shorey
Marigold Montgomery Bentley finds herself in Chicago in 1858, training to be a high society wife. She dreams of being a published author. Her dreams come true when Kipler’s Home Weekly starts publishing her articles on marriage advice. The only problem is the publisher thinks she is married and male but she is single and female. Piano teacher Colin Thackery comes to her aide when the editor wants to meet Mr. Bentley in person. He acts as Mr. Bentley for the meeting and helps her with future articles. That is until he gets cold feet and starts to develop feeling for Merrie, who he thinks is out of his league.
Author Anne Shorey does a great demonstrating how society viewed the roles of wives and women in those days.
One Little Word by Amanda Cabot
Lorraine Caldwell finds herself reading a letter in May of 1892 from her long lost brother. On the verge of losing the family fortune if she does not marry soon she decides to visit her brother at Lilac Hall. She is hoping to find answers to her problems there. The only skills Lorraine has is water painting, playing the piano and hosting parties. How can she survive without the family money or a husband. Once at Lilac Hall she meets Jonah Mann, but he is not all he seems to be. Trying to prove her worth she does odd jobs around the mansion, but her skills are a royal mess. Just when she has given up all hope she has a chance at love but Johan is determined to fulfill family tradition. Will she lose all or gain everything while helping Jonah paint the carousel he is building.
The author Amanda Cabot did a grand job bringing the carousel to life with her vivid descriptions. She will have you wanting to hop on the nearest carousel for a spin.
A Saving Grace by Jane Kirkpatrick
Grace Hathaway is summoned by the young child of a friend, hoping she can save her mom and get her to come home. Her friend went to the sanatorium like facility to heal after the death of her husband. As Grace investigates the sanatorium undercover, she discovers they are starving patients to death by fasting as a way to heal. With the unknown help of Dr Claude Millikan they set out to save Rebecca and other patients.
The author Jane Kirkpatrick did an outstanding job of bringing history and mystery together in a fantastic novella about the real life Linda Hazzard of Wilderness Heights. I found the story so intriguing I had to find about more about the true story.
I want to give a high-five to the authors Jane Kirkpatrick, Amanda Cabot, Laurie Alice Eakes and Ann Shorey and publisher for bringing compelling Christian books that are entertaining and give hope to the reader with stories of faith. I highly recommend this great book to anyone that enjoys historical fiction. I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
About the authors:
Amanda Cabot:
With both parents avid readers, it's no surprise that Amanda Cabot learned to read at an early age. From there it was only a small step to deciding to become a writer. Of course, deciding and becoming are two different things, as she soon discovered. Fortunately for the world, her first attempts at fiction, which included a play for her fifth grade class entitled "All About Thermometers," were not published, but she did meet her goal of selling a novel by her thirtieth birthday. Since then she's sold more than twenty five novels under a variety of pseudonyms. When she's not writing, Amanda enjoys sewing, cooking and - of course - reading. Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of the Texas Dreams series, the Westward Winds series, and Christmas Roses. She lives in Wyoming. Visit www.amandacabot.com for more information.
Jane Kirkpatrick:
is a writer, speaker, teacher... Jane is inter-nationally recognized for her lively presentations and well-researched stories that encourage and inspire. Her works have appeared in more than 50 publications including Decision, Private Pilot and Daily Guideposts. Jane is the author of 20 books including 17 historical novels. Many of her titles are based on the lives of real people or incidents set authentically in the American West. Her first novel, A Sweetness to the Soul, won the coveted Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center. Her works have been finalists for the Christy, Spur, Oregon Book Award, WILLA Literary Award and Reader’s Choice awards. Several of her titles have been Book of the Month and Literary Guild selections. Jane Kirkpatrick is the award-winning author of many novels, including A Flickering Light. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and lives in Oregon. Visit www.jkbooks.com for more information.
http://janeswordsofencouragement.blogspot.com/
Anne Shorey:
Has been a story collector for most of her life. Her writing has appeared in Chicken Soup for the Grandma's Soul, and in the Adams Media Cup of Comfort anthologies. She made her fiction debut with the At Home in Beldon Grove series for Revell. The Edge of Light, released in January 2009, is the first in the series, followed by The Promise of Morning and The Dawn of a Dream. Her new Sisters at Heart series for Revell debuted on January 1, 2012, with Where Wildflowers Bloom. Book Two, When the Heart Heals, will release Feburary 1, 2013. When Ann's not writing, she teaches classes on historical research, story arc, and other fiction fundamentals at regional conferences. Ann Shorey is the author of the Sisters at Heart series. Ann and her husband make their home in southwestern Oregon. Visit www.annshorey.com for more information.
Laurie Alice Eakes:
Award-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes wanted to be a writer since knowing what one was. Her first book won the National Readers Choice Award in 2007, and her third book was a Carol Award finalist in 2010. Between December of 2008 and January of 2010, she sold thirteen books to Barbour Publishing, Avalon Books, and Baker/Revell, making her total sales fifteen. Recently, she added two novella sales to that collection, as well as having her first book with Baker/Revell, Lady in the Mist, picked up by Crossings Book Club, and six of her books chosen for large print editions by Thorndike Press. She has been a public speaker for as long as she can remember; thus, only suffers enough stage fright to keep her sharp. In 2002, while in graduate school for writing fiction, she began to teach fiction in person and online. She lives in Texas with her husband, two dogs, and probably too many cats. Visit www.lauriealiceeakes.com for more information.
