Book Review

First of all, our winner of the print copy of The Secret of the India Orchid, by Nancy Campbell Allen is

*drum roll*

Erin Kasper!

Thank you to all who participated. I will be contacting Erin about claiming her prize. Don't forget to check back for the new drawing!

If you love the Timeless Romance anthologies like I do, you will really enjoy this one. Summer Holiday, with three stories from Nancy Campbell Allen, Sarah Eden, and Annette Lyon, will kick off your back to school days with just the right amount of wit, humor, and romance.

I loved Nancy Campbell Allen's story of Tessa Baker who is qualified and prepared to take on a supervisory position at a department store, but because she is a woman, she is forced to do a silly scavenger hunt to "earn" it. When an Italian conte, David Bellini, enters the picture, the scavenger hunt gets really interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between Tessa and David and how, even though this was a novella, I still got a wonderful romance with more depth than I was expecting!

The second book by Sarah Eden had so much angst in it, I could hard turn the pages fast enough to see if they got their second chance at love! Carina and Grant are sweethearts, but he's forced to go to the city to establish himself in business and support their future family. But when they drift apart and Carina's parents want her to accept the suit of Mr. Baskon, can she truly give up on the love she shared with Grant? The characters are so well-drawn for this emotional story that readers will feel like they are experiencing it right along with them!

The last story by Annette Lyon is a love story between two servants, Sarah and Jacob. They have been writing letters to each other and their feelings are deep and mutual, but when they are finally in a place where they might actually court face-to-face, Jacob has some secrets that could destroy their budding romance. Not many stories are set around the servants, so I really liked this fresh take on the era and how difficult it was for servants to have a life beyond their job.

This was a quick-read, but all the stories were still a perfect length with everything a story needs to draw a reader in, and they all will put a smile on your face!

You can download your Kindle copy here

Here's the back copy:

BREAKFAST AT SOMMERPOOL’S by Nancy Campbell Allen:
As Tessa Baker competes for the supervisor promotion at Sommerpool Department and Mercantile, she’s faced with a ridiculous list of tasks to complete in order to “win” the job. Tessa would love to be the first female supervisor ever to work at the Sommerpool, but her competitor is cheating at every turn. Discouraged, Tessa agrees to let David Bellini, a family friend and Italian Conte who is new in town, help her. When she discovers that he’s the new owner of Sommerpool’s, but wants to evaluate the employees unobserved, Tessa has mixed feelings. She soon realizes that she’s falling for David, but what chance does a working-class woman like her have with an Italian Conte? And would falling in love with the store’s owner mean giving up her dreams of a groundbreaking career?

HOWEVER LONG THE WAIT by Sarah M. Eden:
Carina Herrick says goodbye to the man she hopes to marry, knowing their separation will be temporary. Grant Ambrose is off to follow his dream and become established in business so that he can provide for Carina and a life together. He promises to write; she promises to return his letters. Yet, only a few months pass and already their letters become shorter and fewer. Finally, Carina is forced to give up on Grant if only to protect her breaking heart. Her parents are dead set against her becoming a spinster and insist she accept the proposal of the odious Mr. Baskon. With no hope of another marriage proposal, Carina is forced to make a difficult decision, one that can lead her either to happiness or misery.

THE LAST SUMMER AT IVY HOUSE by Annette Lyon:
Every summer Sarah travels to Ivy House in London as one of the household servants to the Millington family. This summer, she’s particularly looking forward to seeing Jacob, a servant who lives at Ivy House year-round. They’ve been exchanging letters since the previous summer when their friendship deepened. But when Sarah arrives at Ivy House, Jacob seems more reserved around her and less forthcoming. Has she put greater meaning in their budding relationship than she should? When Sarah discovers that Jacob has a dark secret and wants her to give up her dreams in exchange for helping him, she’s not sure if she’s willing to make the sacrifice.