Sunday, December 28, 2014

A Timeless Romance Anthology: Silver Bells Collection

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Goodreads Summary
Six Award-Winning Authors have contributed new stories to A Timeless Romance Anthology: Silver Bells. Readers will love this collection of six historical novellas, all centered around the Christmas season with one thing in common: Romance.

In NY Times & USA Today’s bestselling author Lucinda Brant’s delightful novella, FAIRY CHRISTMAS, Kitty Aldershot is orphaned and forced to live on others’ charity. Offered a home under the generous roof of her relatives, the Earl of Salt Hendon and his countess, Kitty wants for nothing, not even the affections of Mr. Tom Allenby. But when Kitty stumbles across a letter written by Lady Caroline that reveals how Mr. Allenby would be ruined should he marry the likes of Kitty, she realizes she has been fooling herself all along. Kitty’s world crumbles around her as she recognizes she will forever be alone with no prospects at all.

Sarah M. Eden’s charming romance novella A CHRISTMAS PROMISE, Sean Kirkpatrick is trying to get to his new place of employment, Kilkenny Castle, in order to start as the new stablehand. His only requirement is to drive a team of high-spirited nags from Dublin to Kilkenny in a certain amount of time. Unfortunately he winds up in a muddy field, stuck, lost, and running out of time. He’s about to lose the job before he can prove himself capable of finishing his first assignment. When Maeve Butler arrives on the scene, Sean isn’t sure if she’s intent on rescuing him or bent on torturing him with her fiery wit and lovely dark eyes.

In Heather B. Moore’s enchanting novella, TWELVE MONTHS, Lucien Baxter’s best and most incorrigible friend, Will, dies unexpectedly, leaving behind his new bride and unborn child the week before Christmas. Will’s last request is that Lucien watches over Cora, not just as a benefactor, but as a husband. When Lucien does his duty and proposes to Cora, he’s turned down flat. But over the course of the next few days, Lucien discovers that marrying Cora wouldn’t be any sort of duty after all, but a matter of following his heart.

In Lu Ann Staheli’s sweet romance novella, A FEZZIWIG CHRISTMAS, Dick Wilkins and his best friend Ebenezer Scrooge have been looking forward to the annual Fezziwig Christmas dance for weeks. Ebenezer is practically engaged to Annabelle Fezziwig, and Dick hopes to start courting her younger sister, Pricilla. Once the dance starts, and Pricilla arrives, as pretty and charming as ever, Dick discovers that he’s not the only man vying for her attention. His best friend advises Dick that he has to win Pricilla’s heart, as well as her mother’s favor. Losing his heart has suddenly become very complicated.

A TASTE OF HOME, a captivating romance by Annette Lyon, we meet Claire Jennings, who’s on her way to spend Christmas with her family. As she rides the train with William Rhodes, who grew up across the street, memories of Christmases past flood her mind. He may be twenty-one now, but she can’t forget his torturous teasing from their school years. At the rail station, Claire discovers that her home is under quarantine because her little brother has measles. She's stuck in town, away from her family, on her favorite holiday. William stays behind with her, and as Christmas Day approaches and her homesickness deepens, she discovers that perhaps he has changed in more ways than one.

Becca Wilhite’s entrancing novella, MY MODERN GIRL, follows Margie, who lands her dream job as a clerk at Macy’s department store in New York City. Margie might be new in town, but she’s determined to succeed and prove to Henry that moving to the city was the right decision. As the Christmas season approaches, Margie realizes that being a “modern girl” might not be all she had dreamed of and Henry might have more to offer than she ever imagined.

My Review
I loved every story in this Christmas collection! They were all delightful and worth 5 Stars! Each one is different, they aren't connected in any way so if you wanted to you could read them out of order. Each one took place in a different location or taught me about a Christmas tradition or time in history. Though these stories were shorter, they all had relateable characters and just enough happened to make it all flow and wrap up beautifully in the end!
(Each picture has a significance to the story)

Fairy Chirstmas by Lucinda Brant

Kitty was so kind and exactly how I would imagine a Christmas fairy in love would be! She loved Christmas so much, though she barely had family left she was determined to make the best of things and her Christmas spirit would be catchy to even a present day Scrooge - bah humbug! Her kindness shown, even in the midst of her confusion and the hurt brought on by a big misunderstanding. I did see through it, and I was surprised that Kitty didn't pick up on it sooner because it was right in front of her, but she was in love and that always seems to complicate matters! The other characters were very interesting as well, and I loved hearing about all of their conversations and secrets! Plus I finally learned what a Yule Log is!

A Christmas Promise by Sarah M. Eden

Some of Sarah M. Eden's books have been on my wish list for a while now, and I was excited to read a story written by her! I was not disappointed! This story was so full of wit and humor, love, and hard work, Ireland, history, and beautiful page gluing writing! If you don't smile and laugh a little while reading the fiery banter between Sean and Maeve, then there is something seriously wrong with your sense of humor!

Twelve Months by Heather B. Moore

This story was beautiful. Parts of it were heart-wrenching - her husbands actions, Cora having given up on falling in love before she married. I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this story as much as the others at first, but I fell in love with Lucien and Cora! Through their process of getting to know each other, their playful banter, music, and Lucien's sweetness, I fully enjoyed every minute of this book. It was so sweet and beautifully written!

A Fezziwig Christmas by Lu Anne Staheli 

This was a sweet story full of dancing, London society, two friends finding their true loves, and refusing to give up in the midst of trying circumstances and trusting in love! I enjoyed the different perspectives throughout the story and thought everything tied together nicely. The theme of family and acceptance was very prevalent throughout the story.

A Taste of Home by Annette Lyon

I loved this story! Claire loves Christmas - spending it with her family and the little traditions that combine to make Christmas the perfect time of the year. When she gets stranded in the city with Will her childhood tormentor, she is devastated. Over the next few days, as Will tries to make Claire forget about what she's missing and enjoy Christmas anyway, she realizes that maybe Will has changed and is more than he seems. But can she truly forgive him for the past? I loved their sharing of memories and verbal sparring, their real talk, and his sweet actions and plans for adventures around the city for helping her have a true Christmas regardless of where she was. He was so sweet!

My Modern Girl by Becca Wilhite

One of Becca Wilhite's books has been on my TBR wishlist for a while, and now my wish to read it is renewed! My Modern Girl does a fantastic job of making the early 1900's come alive, where girls are beginning to make a way for themselves. Margie is convinced that her dream of being a modern girl is just what she needs, so she sets off to work at Macy's. But after a while the bright gleam of being modern, and working for herself, starts to fade, and she starts to miss home, and Henry, wondering if she made a huge mistake. This is a story of spreading your wings and learning to fly, but never forget where home is, never giving away your true dreams. Henry was so sweet and faithful, but he also had a secret that I eventually uncovered, but it was so perfect!

Read these stories, trust me you won't regret it!

Have you read this book already? What story/stories did you love the most?


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