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Reviews
Winter Collection: Six Historical Short Stories by Heidi Ashworth, Sarah M. Eden, Annette Lyon
channywax's review against another edition
Love these books. Perfect quick read full of romance and wintry stories.
chanizzle's review against another edition
3.0
Well, as soon as I finished the first story I realized I am not a fan of anthologies. In order to really appreciate each story, I had to take a break from reading so I could keep each story separate in my head. I'd read one story in the morning, then another at night. So it took me longer to read this book then I would have liked. Anyways... I'll rate each story:
The Road to Cavan Town by Sarah M Eden ... 4 stars.
It Happened on Twelfth Night by Heidi Ashworth ... 3 stars (I know it's a short story, but I really dislike instant love).
An Unexpected Proposal by Annette Lyon ... 2 stars (So many editing mistakes! At least 4 typos that I counted. But the biggest mistake - the author forgot the main character's last name! First, we hear it as Campbell, then Simpson when a new possible suitor shows up with the last name Campbell, then she gets called Campbell again at the end. That was a really bad mistake - especially considering how short this story is - it should have been an easy thing to spot and fix before being published. Also, I didn't care for the main character. She just planned to flirt and break hearts and "turn down her first few" proposals, even if that included her close friend - never mind his feelings.)
Caroles on the Green by Joyce DiPastena ... 4 stars
A Winter's Knight by Donna Hatch ... 4 stars (Practically an instant love but not as bad because I liked the characters.)
A Fortunate Exile by Heather B. Moore ... 3 (another instant love...)
So overall the stories were ok... fine. Nothing amazing, which I admit would be hard to do in a short story format. I guess if you're looking for something to read in short amounts of time this would book would be ideal.
The Road to Cavan Town by Sarah M Eden ... 4 stars.
It Happened on Twelfth Night by Heidi Ashworth ... 3 stars (I know it's a short story, but I really dislike instant love).
An Unexpected Proposal by Annette Lyon ... 2 stars (So many editing mistakes! At least 4 typos that I counted. But the biggest mistake - the author forgot the main character's last name! First, we hear it as Campbell, then Simpson when a new possible suitor shows up with the last name Campbell, then she gets called Campbell again at the end. That was a really bad mistake - especially considering how short this story is - it should have been an easy thing to spot and fix before being published. Also, I didn't care for the main character. She just planned to flirt and break hearts and "turn down her first few" proposals, even if that included her close friend - never mind his feelings.)
Caroles on the Green by Joyce DiPastena ... 4 stars
A Winter's Knight by Donna Hatch ... 4 stars (Practically an instant love but not as bad because I liked the characters.)
A Fortunate Exile by Heather B. Moore ... 3 (another instant love...)
So overall the stories were ok... fine. Nothing amazing, which I admit would be hard to do in a short story format. I guess if you're looking for something to read in short amounts of time this would book would be ideal.
saradavcamp's review against another edition
4.0
This collection was sweet and romantic. Each story is set in the winter, so grab a blanket and a warm drink before starting! Every story is set in a different time period and place varying from New York in 1901 to England in the 1100's. All of them were interesting and fun to read. I think they were all well written and had great characters and unique plots. I'd recommend this set to anyone who enjoys fun, quick, romantic reads.
valeriew's review against another edition
4.0
I really don't like novellas. The first few books I didn't like. I LOVED the last couple of stories. I just wish they were longer
raejeanr's review against another edition
4.0
Fun to read, sweet stories. I especially like the ones by Donna Hatch and Heather Moore.
aublar's review against another edition
3.0
I can’t be too harsh because the book accomplished what it set out to do and telling an entire love story in a novella is tough. However, only a couple of the stories were good, a couple others were quite cheesy, and one was just dull.
ghumpherys's review against another edition
5.0
Some of my favorite authors contributed short stories to this collection of historical romances. All the stories were different and due to the nature of short stories, some of the relationships developed rather quickly, but overall I loved it!
nicolepeck's review against another edition
4.0
The Road to Cavan Town by Sarah M. Eden: This novella seemed very familiar to me. After looking back through my reviews, I did read it in another anthology, Sarah M. Eden's British Isles Collection. I enjoyed reading this again. Eden is one of my favorite LDS authors. She displays such wit in her writing but still deals with heavier topics at the same time. I've copied and pasted my original review from April 2019 here:
Another setting I absolutely love - Ireland!!! I loved how the author tried to convey the Irish brogue through the characters' conversations. The concept of all the men coming to court Miss Kilchrest seemed a bit far-fetched to me, but maybe that was a common thing in the late 1800s. However, the characters were well developed and I was on Alice's side rooting for her and Isaac, and totally agree that men are often dim-witted! ;) She was a great character, so sweet and understanding and good. Her travels back and forth every week to Cavan Town between her grandparents and to work must have been taxing, yet she looked forward to that time to be with Isaac. I wanted to know more about the party/gathering that Isaac stumbled upon with the music and dancing. Billy was another great addition to the story and Alice's defense and support of him. Really great story!
It Happened Twelfth Night by Heidi Ashworth: While I liked the characters and the descriptions, I felt like I was lost in this story, like chunks of it were missing. After the first chapter, where we're introduced to Luisa and Percy, the next chapter then jumped forward in time and mentions something about Luisa's shame within the village with no explanation of what occurred, so I'm wondering if my Kindle copy accidentally has a chapter left out? Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions and the Christmas traditions described in this novella. The romance develops super quick (like one evening into the next morning), so that was pushing the timeline believability for me a bit. I still enjoyed the novella, just think I was missing a portion of the background and character development for Luisa and Percy with all of a sudden Mr. Flynn jumping into the picture. I needed more from this short story to connect with the characters and the relationship, but I did enjoy the author's writing style. My very favorite part of this novella was actually all the Irish proverbs/sayings that Mr. Flynn kept quoting!
An Unexpected Proposal by Annette Lyon: This novella takes place in the 1800s at a lumber (I'm guessing since it keeps being referred to as the wood camp) camp in Logan canyon in Cache Valley, Utah, with Caroline working at the camp to help cook for, clean for, etc., all the workers at the camp. When she runs into a bit of trouble with a worker, her childhood friend James comes to her rescue, but in the process startles Caroline when he unexpectedly declares his love for her. This novella deals with a heavy subject well in a short amount of time, focusing on the good in people in helping Caroline deal with what could've been a lot worse than it was. Fun setting and time period for a story between lifelong friends in a time when women's rights were not commonly respected.
Caroles on the Green by Joyce DiPastena: I don't think I've read a book before set in the 1100s, so this was an interesting setting and time period for me to read about. I struggled with how stubborn Isabel and how long it took to be revealed with why she was so mad at Lucian. For a part of the story, it got very hectic, when Isabel went to go cut down some mistletoe. It was a cute story. I probably need to re-read this one again to fully appreciate and understand parts of it. Again, there was a lot going on, but I did still enjoy reading this one!
A Winter's Knight by Donna Hatch: A bit of a fantasy with this novella, about a cursed family where every man in the family will have his wife die within a year of their marriage. As Clarissa's carriage breaks down on the road in front of the cursed castle and is rescued by the owner over Christmas, she never expected her fascination with the story of the men murdering their wives to land her actually inside the castle. I enjoyed this one. The romance was very rushed over the about 2 days the story takes place, so I struggle with the believability of that part of it and also how simple it was for the curse to be broken, but there were sweet moments when the Earl tries to host a Christmas for Clarissa while she's stranded in his home with her aunt and the Earl's brother-in-law and servants. I would've loved this one to be longer, but it was still an engaging read.
A Fortunate Exile by Heather B. Moore: Cute love story, but it felt extremely rushed to me as far as the time frame. It also seemed a bit scandalous for the time period as far as the time frame and quickness of the two characters falling in love as well. I would have liked more time and details for this story to develop more and really set the foundation for Lila and Henry's relationship and how it would be accepted with the scandals surrounding both of their recent past relationships.
Overall, another fun anthology from this series. This is an older one I hadn't read previously. These stories are always clean reads, as well as entertaining and a fun introduction to new authors and also several return authors between the anthologies/collections in the series.
Once Upon a Book Club Box 40 Books in 2020 Reading Challenge tag: A Book Chosen with Your Eyes Closed
Another setting I absolutely love - Ireland!!! I loved how the author tried to convey the Irish brogue through the characters' conversations. The concept of all the men coming to court Miss Kilchrest seemed a bit far-fetched to me, but maybe that was a common thing in the late 1800s. However, the characters were well developed and I was on Alice's side rooting for her and Isaac, and totally agree that men are often dim-witted! ;) She was a great character, so sweet and understanding and good. Her travels back and forth every week to Cavan Town between her grandparents and to work must have been taxing, yet she looked forward to that time to be with Isaac. I wanted to know more about the party/gathering that Isaac stumbled upon with the music and dancing. Billy was another great addition to the story and Alice's defense and support of him. Really great story!
It Happened Twelfth Night by Heidi Ashworth: While I liked the characters and the descriptions, I felt like I was lost in this story, like chunks of it were missing. After the first chapter, where we're introduced to Luisa and Percy, the next chapter then jumped forward in time and mentions something about Luisa's shame within the village with no explanation of what occurred, so I'm wondering if my Kindle copy accidentally has a chapter left out? Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions and the Christmas traditions described in this novella. The romance develops super quick (like one evening into the next morning), so that was pushing the timeline believability for me a bit. I still enjoyed the novella, just think I was missing a portion of the background and character development for Luisa and Percy with all of a sudden Mr. Flynn jumping into the picture. I needed more from this short story to connect with the characters and the relationship, but I did enjoy the author's writing style. My very favorite part of this novella was actually all the Irish proverbs/sayings that Mr. Flynn kept quoting!
An Unexpected Proposal by Annette Lyon: This novella takes place in the 1800s at a lumber (I'm guessing since it keeps being referred to as the wood camp) camp in Logan canyon in Cache Valley, Utah, with Caroline working at the camp to help cook for, clean for, etc., all the workers at the camp. When she runs into a bit of trouble with a worker, her childhood friend James comes to her rescue, but in the process startles Caroline when he unexpectedly declares his love for her. This novella deals with a heavy subject well in a short amount of time, focusing on the good in people in helping Caroline deal with what could've been a lot worse than it was. Fun setting and time period for a story between lifelong friends in a time when women's rights were not commonly respected.
Caroles on the Green by Joyce DiPastena: I don't think I've read a book before set in the 1100s, so this was an interesting setting and time period for me to read about. I struggled with how stubborn Isabel and how long it took to be revealed with why she was so mad at Lucian. For a part of the story, it got very hectic, when Isabel went to go cut down some mistletoe. It was a cute story. I probably need to re-read this one again to fully appreciate and understand parts of it. Again, there was a lot going on, but I did still enjoy reading this one!
A Winter's Knight by Donna Hatch: A bit of a fantasy with this novella, about a cursed family where every man in the family will have his wife die within a year of their marriage. As Clarissa's carriage breaks down on the road in front of the cursed castle and is rescued by the owner over Christmas, she never expected her fascination with the story of the men murdering their wives to land her actually inside the castle. I enjoyed this one. The romance was very rushed over the about 2 days the story takes place, so I struggle with the believability of that part of it and also how simple it was for the curse to be broken, but there were sweet moments when the Earl tries to host a Christmas for Clarissa while she's stranded in his home with her aunt and the Earl's brother-in-law and servants. I would've loved this one to be longer, but it was still an engaging read.
A Fortunate Exile by Heather B. Moore: Cute love story, but it felt extremely rushed to me as far as the time frame. It also seemed a bit scandalous for the time period as far as the time frame and quickness of the two characters falling in love as well. I would have liked more time and details for this story to develop more and really set the foundation for Lila and Henry's relationship and how it would be accepted with the scandals surrounding both of their recent past relationships.
Overall, another fun anthology from this series. This is an older one I hadn't read previously. These stories are always clean reads, as well as entertaining and a fun introduction to new authors and also several return authors between the anthologies/collections in the series.
Once Upon a Book Club Box 40 Books in 2020 Reading Challenge tag: A Book Chosen with Your Eyes Closed
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