On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Welcome to the review tour for Legacy of the Heart, a series of novellas by five authors that are connected by a special locket being passed through family and time. You can read my review below, and then follow the rest of the reviews on the tour. Be sure to also enter the great giveaway!
Welcome to the review tour for Legacy of the Heart, a series of novellas by five authors that are connected by a special locket being passed through family and time. You can read my review below, and then follow the rest of the reviews on the tour. Be sure to also enter the great giveaway!
By Danica Favorite, Stacy Henrie, Tina Radcliffe, Terri Reed & Sherri Shackelford
Inspirational Romance, Novella Collection
ebook, 378 Pages
June 22nd 2018 by Beyond the Page PublishingAn antique locket with the power to inspire everlasting love unites the five stories in this stunning collection of historical and contemporary inspirational romance novellas!
In Heritage of Love, Danica Favorite takes us to the Chicago world’s fair, where a chance encounter will spark an opportunity for true love, if only the young couple can first overcome polite society’s rigid rules . . .
Stacy Henrie tells the story of a sheriff desperate to escape the matchmaking efforts of the women in his small town, only to discover that his attempts to sidestep them may lead to eternal love and happiness in By Any Other Name . . .
Tina Radcliffe’s Forget Me Not paints the picture of a charming antique store, where love will blossom when two strangers learn the secret about a long-ago hurt and a love that never died . . .
In The Lost Locket, Terri Reed introduces readers to two people who have given up on love and will fight their undeniable attraction until it may be too late . . .
And in Winning the Fireman’s Heart, Sherri Shackelford shows us two long-time friends forever searching for the perfect mate, until a gesture of kindness reveals the love that’s always been waiting for them . . .
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**My thoughts**
I admit that historical romance is not my usual choice, especially those that take place during the 1800s. But the concept behind this book was intriguing, and I'm often willing to give such stories a chance. And of course, three of the stories are contemporary romance. The five novellas are connected by a locket that is destined to bring love to its bearer. And not all of them are historical. One of the advantages of this book is that the different novellas are going to appeal to different readers, which is one of my favorite parts of collections like this. What doesn't work as well for me is going to appeal to someone else, and vice versa.
The first story, Heritage of Love by Danica Favorite, is one of those stories that has the main characters fall in love instantaneously, which is honestly not one of my favorite kinds of romances. It just isn't possible. But beyond that, I loved the message of learning to like people for who they are, and not judging them by their heritage. Violet is a white woman whose dying father is determined to get her married off to an appropriate man of his choosing. But Violet has met and fallen in love with another man. The other man is half-Indian, which is not going to sit well with her father, who has had negative encounters with them in the past. John's own family had been split when his white father married his Lakota mother, and she was disowned. But they are determined to love each other as people and not as a race or a stereotype. This is the most important.
The second story, Any Other Name, really captured my heart. Violet's sister Iris had met a man named Rome and kept in touch with him via letters. After she sells the family home, she moves to be with him, as they had discussed marriage. Despite some initial shyness and a small case of mistaken identity, they get married anyway, mostly to allow Iris to have some security in life, and to allow Rome some peace from the meddling women in the town. Their story is sweet as they slowly get to know each other, which means they are slowly falling in love as they discover more about each other and how they truly are a perfect match. I'm also a sucker for Billy and there is a touch of suspense.
Forget Me Not was such a familiar kind of story to me. I feel like I have visited Wolf Creek before and that I already knew these characters, though I obviously don't. I think this story just fit in quite well with the type of contemporary romance I have been reading a lot of lately. We fast forward a few generations and now the locket belongs to a young lady named Maddy. She inherited the locket and an antiques store from her great-aunt Jacqueline. Unfortunately, she is behind on her rent and doesn't realize that she is facing eviction sooner rather than later. And then she has a chance meeting with a handsome stranger named Gabe, who is immediately taken with the feisty and independent woman and wants to help her. I really like these two characters and rooted for them the whole way through this story.
Next we have The Lost Locket, which chronologically follows Forget Me Not. The locket has been bequeathed to Maddy's sister Penny. Penny has recently moved back to Colorado to be near her sister Maddy, but she isn't necessarily looking for love. She doesn't believe in the power of the locket. But then she meets Brad, the doctor with whom she often has to work in the local ER during the night shifts. The attraction between the two of them is strong, but he is leaving soon. Is it really worth trying to pursue? Of course, I am rooting for these two in this contemporary romance as well.
I think the fifth and final story, Winning the Fireman's Heart, has my favorite couple in it. We were introduced to Georgie in the first Wolf Creek story. She and Logan have been friends forever, and clearly have a thing for each other, though they have been able to hide it pretty well. We've all had one of those friends at some point in our lives. And those moments building up to them realizing how they really feel about each other just make you feel warm and fuzzy. Or at least they do for me. Plus the premise made for great romantic comedy, pretending to be married so that Georgie could claim her prize of a free designer wedding dress. I was just disappointed at how short their story is and wanted more! I think they could easily be fleshed out into a full-length novel.
So these five stories, all woven together by this mystical locket, all have their own charm (pun somewhat intended). I think romance readers will find that at least one of these couples and stories appeals to them. Another great summer day read.
Forget Me Not was such a familiar kind of story to me. I feel like I have visited Wolf Creek before and that I already knew these characters, though I obviously don't. I think this story just fit in quite well with the type of contemporary romance I have been reading a lot of lately. We fast forward a few generations and now the locket belongs to a young lady named Maddy. She inherited the locket and an antiques store from her great-aunt Jacqueline. Unfortunately, she is behind on her rent and doesn't realize that she is facing eviction sooner rather than later. And then she has a chance meeting with a handsome stranger named Gabe, who is immediately taken with the feisty and independent woman and wants to help her. I really like these two characters and rooted for them the whole way through this story.
Next we have The Lost Locket, which chronologically follows Forget Me Not. The locket has been bequeathed to Maddy's sister Penny. Penny has recently moved back to Colorado to be near her sister Maddy, but she isn't necessarily looking for love. She doesn't believe in the power of the locket. But then she meets Brad, the doctor with whom she often has to work in the local ER during the night shifts. The attraction between the two of them is strong, but he is leaving soon. Is it really worth trying to pursue? Of course, I am rooting for these two in this contemporary romance as well.
I think the fifth and final story, Winning the Fireman's Heart, has my favorite couple in it. We were introduced to Georgie in the first Wolf Creek story. She and Logan have been friends forever, and clearly have a thing for each other, though they have been able to hide it pretty well. We've all had one of those friends at some point in our lives. And those moments building up to them realizing how they really feel about each other just make you feel warm and fuzzy. Or at least they do for me. Plus the premise made for great romantic comedy, pretending to be married so that Georgie could claim her prize of a free designer wedding dress. I was just disappointed at how short their story is and wanted more! I think they could easily be fleshed out into a full-length novel.
So these five stories, all woven together by this mystical locket, all have their own charm (pun somewhat intended). I think romance readers will find that at least one of these couples and stories appeals to them. Another great summer day read.
About the Authors
A self-professed crazy chicken lady, Danica Favorite loves the adventure of living a creative life.She and her family recently moved into their dream home in the mountains above Denver, Colorado. Danica loves to explore the depths of human nature and follow people on the journey to happily-ever-after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps are what refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for. Oops, that just spoiled the ending of all of Danica’s stories. Then again, getting there is all the fun.
A USA Today bestselling author, Stacy Henrie is the author of more than a dozen inspirational historical romance novels and novellas. Her books include Hope at Dawn, a 2015 RITA Award finalist for excellence in romance. Born and raised in the West, where she currently resides with her family, Stacy enjoys reading, road trips, interior decorating, chocolate, and most of all laughing with her husband and kids.
Originally from Western, N.Y., Tina Radcliffe left home for a tour of duty with the Army Security Agency stationed in Augsburg, Germany, and ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While living in Tulsa she spent ten years as a Certified Oncology R.N., followed by a move to Colorado, which led to a career as a library cataloger. A freelance writer for over twenty years, Tina is an RWA Honor Roll member, a two-time RWA Golden Heart finalist, two-time ACFW Carol Award finalist, and a 2014 ACFW Carol Award winner. She currently resides in Arizona, where she writes fun, heartwarming romance.
Terri Reed’s romance and romantic suspense novels have appeared on Publishers Weekly Top 25, Nielsen’s Bookscan Top 100, have been Amazon Bestsellers and featured in USA Today, Christian Fiction Magazine, and Romantic Times Magazine, finaled in the Romance Writers of America’s RITA contest, National Reader’s Choice Award contest, and American Christian Fiction Writers’ The Carol Award contest.
Sherri Shackelford is an award-winning author of inspirational, Christian romance novels for Harlequin/HarperCollins Publishers. A wife and mother of three, Sherri’s hobbies include collecting mismatched socks, discovering new ways to avoid cleaning, and standing in the middle of the room while thinking, “Why did I just come in here?” A reformed pessimist and recent hopeful romantic, Sherri has a passion for writing. Her books are fun and fast-paced, with plenty of heart and soul.
Tour Schedule
Launch
Reading Is My SuperPower
Uplifting Reads
July 24th:
Cafinated Reads
Remembrancy
July 25th:
Christian Bookshelf Reviews
Locks, Hooks and Books
July 26th:
Heidi Reads...
Splashes of Joy
July 27th:
Among the Reads
Brittany McEuen
July 28th:
Grand Finale
Tour Giveaway
1 winner will receive a $50 Amazon eGift Card
Open internationally
Thanks for reading and reviewing the anthology, Andrea! So glad you enjoyed the different novellas!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reviewing our collection, Andrea!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words! I had a fun time writing Georgie and Logan :)
ReplyDelete