As you all know, I'm a fan of the Timeless Romance Anthology collections. I've read them all and loved how well-developed each novella is in each collection and how sigh-worthy they are. This one was no exception.
The others all had themes and this one has a theme of love letters. The thing I liked about this one is that the stories weren't restricted to anything modern or historical, the only thing that connected them was that each story had love letters in them---and some of the ways they used love letters was really unique.
The first story is Maggie's Song by Karey White. This one is about backpacking trail guides who have known each other for years. Maggie has also loved Lucas for years, but is afraid to act on the feelings in case she loses her friendship. The setting in this one was fresh and fun and there were a few twists that really made me smile.
The second one is Just Fly by Krista Lynne Jensen. This one starts out on a sad note, with Wren's grandfather dying. During the notification period, they come across an old school friend of her grandpa's. Wren feels like she has to tell the woman in person and ends up finding out more of her grandpa and more about herself than she ever dreamed. Of course it doesn't hurt that her grandpa's friend also has a charming grandson to help with her new adventure. A cute romance.
The third one is How to Rewrite a Love Letter by Diane Darcy. I'd never read anything by Ms. Darcy and I really enjoyed her writing style. It was set in a high school, and as a former English teacher, it took me back to my teaching days. This one is about a high school teacher who has feelings for the principal, but when she tries to let him know, she gets shot down. It's a series of misunderstandings, but full of some really great moments.
The fourth one is A Thousand Words by Sarah Eden. This one was so sweet and poignant. Irish immigrants trying to make a life for themselves on the frontier, dealing with very little money, fear of railroad accidents, and yet bound together by love. Sarah's emotional connection to the reader is what makes me love her work and this story had depth to it that is usually hard to find in novellas.
The fifth one is Between the Lines by Annette Lyon. I loved this story because it's about a girl who believes herself plain and doesn't really belong in the society that she exists in, even though she tries. Her club starts a pen pal thing and Jane quickly finds herself drawn to her pen pal, but also to Thomas who seems to be really seeing her for the first time. There's a little twist, but it's such a sweet "love triangle" with plenty of sigh-worthy moments, this one was hard to put down.
The last one is Blackberry Hollow by Heather Moore. This one had it all, a bit of mystery, some tragedy, and a really great romance. It's about a woman who has inherited an English manor and goes to England to sell it. That is, until she meets her mysterious neighbor and finds out about an old feud between her family and his. The more she digs, the more intrigued she becomes and when she uncovers the truth, well, I won't give it away, but I stayed up late to see how this one ended.
This collection was one that will go on my keeper shelf to read on rainy days. If you enjoy sweet romance, then this is a collection you won't want to miss!
2 comments:
Oh. My. Gosh! I should've downloaded this already, but somehow I've missed it. Thanks for reviewing them. I love these short stories. It seems that's all I have time for these days--little bites of tasty books.
Did you hear about Heather B.? She just signed with Jane Drystel, the heavy-hitting New York literary agent. (Yes, I'm very green with envy.) I hope she still keeps up with her Timeless Romance Anthologies. I'd miss them.
I just bought it! Thanks again.
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