This was a very nice collection of novellas spanning many centuries, from the 9th century to present day. My favorites were the offerings by Heather Gilbert and Joanne Bischof

Message in a Bottle Romance Collection, written by Heather Day Gilbert, Amanda Dykes, Maureen Lang, Jocelyn Green and Joanne Bischof.

This collection is a book of love and HOPE spanning in time from 1170 with The Distant Tide. Gilbert takes us to Ireland...an Irish Princess finds herself in the midst of war...where could hope be found with a Viking raiding the castle?! Then we go to 1717, A Song in the Night, and Dykes takes us to Scotland! I love Scottish stories! Here's a quote I grabbed from this book by Duncan, "There is a difference between fleeing"...."and flying." Loved this! Can Meg find the hope she needs?! We then find ourselves in New York in 1798 in The Forgotten Hope. Lang introduces us a to a doctors family...namely a woman doctor and her father who wants her to stop doctoring and find herself a husband. Is there any hope she can find happiness giving up helping the sick to take care of a husband?! Next, we're into 1864 with Jocelyn Green's A River Between Us in Roswell, Georgia. This is such a moving story...South to North to South in the midst of war and uncertainty...where to find hope?! Then we finish off the book on Coronado Island, California in The Swelling Sea by Joanne Bischof. This was a challenged young woman and man both with their own medical issues...hope?!
Most of these books I found that hope that was depicted within the stories and the message in the bottle! They were well written and most compelling to keep those pages turning.
This book would be great for teen and up. Inspirational, romantic and full of hope! Recommended!
I received this book from Netgalley. All thoughts and comments are honest and my own.
4.5 stars.

This book really, really impressed me! 5 romantic stories spanning the centuries and the stories are connected through one bottle. Spero,Latin word meaning Hope,carved into the neck of the bottle.
The stories take place in North of Ireland,Scotland,New York,Georgia and California. I loved that the stories took place in a wide variety of settings and time periods in history. It was especially interested to me to read about the Vikings in Ireland and the story taking place in Scotland. I will be looking to read more books by authors Heather Day Gilbert ( I want to read more of her Norse tales, I was fascinated) and Amanda Dykes ( both of these authors are new to me and their stories caught my attention.) Maureen Lang I have read before and her books are always interesting. Jocelyn Green, I loved reading her Civil War series and it was excellent to see another short story here about it. Joanne Bischoff, I have read her books and they are not to miss.
All the women in these stories posses integrity,strength and faith.
I highly recommend this story collection to lovers of Romantic Historical fiction.
Expected publication: March 1st 2017 by Barbour Books

Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Books for providing me with a copy of the book . I have given my honest opinion here.

The Message in a Bottle Romance Collection: Hope Reaches Across the Centuries Through One Single Bottle, Inspiring Five Romances is a wonderful collection. This collection includes the following stories:
Prologue by Heather Day Gilbert
The Distant Tide by Heather Day Gilbert
A Song in the Night by Amanda Dykes
The Forgotten Hope by Maureen Lang
A River between Us by Jocelyn Green
The Swelling Sea by Joanne Bischof
Epilogue by Joanne Bischof
I enjoyed all of these sweet stories. There were a wide variety of settings and time periods in history. From 1170-1890 and in Ireland, Scotland, New York, Georgia, and California. If U had to choose a favorite of the five, I would definitely go with Joanne Bischof's The Swelling Sea. She is a favorite author of mine and this story is just another reason why.
Highly recommended.
5 plus stars.

The Message in a Bottle Romance Collection has a lot of good reading, five romances written by five Christian authors. All of the five romances have an ancient brass bottle withe words Hope written in Latin on it. Somehow down through time it is washed up, passed on in the different stories with a different time era.....The first in the collection is by Heather Ray Gilbert who brings some Vikings into her story. Very good one about an Irish princess whose parents were murdered along with her only brother. She joins up with some roving Tinkers to escape and stay hidden. She finds out her friend/protector is actually from the clan that murdered her family. This story has a wonderful ending.......Then there is the story of the Scottish Weaver, the bottle with Hope written on it brings hope at a needed time.........Next a post Colonial nurse who is the same as a doctor who studied with her doctor father. A doctor from the islands joins her father;s practice during a time of a yellow fever outbreak. He has hardened his heart to all, especially to this young nurse/doctor. A dying patient gives him this ancient bottle and thus through hope he learns to care and even let love bloom in his heart.......Then during the civil war a young mill worker is captured and taken to Georgia , after her home was overtaken to be used as a hospital. A young union soldier takes her to protect her and on the journey he finds himself caring what becomes of her. A very interesting read....... The next story takes place on Coronado Island in California. A young maid from the hotel is on the beach when the ancient bottle washes up and is picked up by a young man, who is a guest at the hotel. She has lost the memory of 10 years of her life and walks the beach in hopes that she will remember something from the years she lost. A beautiful story, but to me the ending was too soon with telling too little............ each receive a message from the bottle just when they need their hope restored.

A few years ago there was the big tsunami in Japan and even to this date we can still find items washing ashore on the Pacific Coast beaches. I've walked those beaches and thought, what would it be like?
Have you ever found something and wondered where it has been and what stories it could tell?
Well, this collection of stories deals with that idea.
Found, is a bottle.....a very simple bottle with a very special message. "SPERO"...."HOPE."
Within this collection of stories there is the presence of the bottle. Each author connects with the other stories in such a way that it feels like we're following this bottle on it's journey to bring hope to anyone who needs it!
I loved how the stories cover a large span of time and different places. Each author uses colorful word pictures to bring the stories to life.
There is sadness, healing, suspense, humor, sweet moments of romance and wonderful examples of God's redeeming love and hope.
I highly recommend this book set. You won't be disappointed!