This was a fun and entertaining set of novellas focused around different aspects of the Pony Express. I always loved reading about the Pony Express as a child, so it was alot of fun to read some engaging romance novellas about this era in history. I enjoyed the different authors' flavor and the extra mystery and suspense that many mixed in as well. I received this novella collection from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love stories about the Pony Express and this collection of novellas did not disappoint. The pony express added an extra element of drama to the stories, though there was still plenty of sweet romance as well.

I'm not a big fan of romances so I did get bogged down reading through this book; however it is a great value to receive nine novellas in one book and would be enjoyable to intersperse amongst other reading. I liked the Pony Express theme and seeing how each author would work with that topic.

Each story kept me wanting more.   All of the authors did an excellent job.

It’s amazing to think that something as ingrained in American history such as the Pony Express was only in operation for 19 months! “The Pony Express Romance Collection: Historic Express Mail Route Delivers Nine Inspiring Romances” is full of interesting facts. For example, they looked for riders who were quite young: between 12 and 18. The smaller and lighter, the better. They also preferred orphans and women were not even considered. You will find these and other interesting facts in the book.

As mentioned in the title, the book contains nine short stories. They all take place within a short time frame and each romance centers around a Pony Express station/stop and tackles issues like bigotry, racism, slavery, prostitution, abuse. The primary characters are also concerned with new telegraph line being constructed as it signals the end of the Pony Express and their jobs.

The common theme throughout these stories, other than the Pony Express and romance, is a character believes that God either does not love them/care about them or does not listen to their prayers. Throughout the story, the character finds him or herself praying/seeking God and realizing His love for him or her. Great reminders that “When god doesn’t answer the way we want Him to, it’s because He knows what’s best for us better than we do.”

I enjoyed “The Gambler’s Daughter” and it’s reminder that “God never leads us to sin”. Set on Christmas Eve in 1860, it is the story of a young lady who sets out to find her father and instead finds romance.

I found that some of the stories seemed to have a similar storyline and appreciated the last couple as they were a bit different. Women were not prized for their ability to cook and clean, but as a horse whisperer and stable hand. However, this is still a good book and would be great for any age as it is clean and has good lessons.

Release/Publication Date:  March 15, 2017

Genre:  Christian Fiction, Western, Romance 

Cover: Perfect.

Source: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you!

Rating: 4 stars

This collection offers up nine novellas, each noted below:

1. A Place to Belong by Barbara Tifft Blakey: This novella dealt with someone who was willing to give God all but yet struggling to determine their purpose. The revelations in this one as to scripture were enlightening. The female lead is a very likable character, also struggling, but this time with her place in the world. Nice story. 4 stars

2. An Unlikely Hero by Mary Davis: I had some trouble getting into and staying focused on this novella, but appreciated its story of things not always being as they might seem on first glance. I'm not an artist, so that portion of the story was lost on me, but otherwise sweet. Quick, but believable, resolution to the story's conflict. 3 stars

3. The Gambler's Daughter by Darlene Franklin: this was an intriguing story about finding a lost loved one, reading journals, finding new love and new friends, and beating an addiction for good -- all worth angels at your side! A bit unrealistic on the Christmas presents though -- whipped those up quick! Enjoyed it. 3 stars

4. Her Lonely Heart by Cynthia Hickey: This one was about a widow running a pony express station on her own and a doctor who comes looking for a younger brother who signed up without telling his family. The connection between Sadie and Luke was enjoyable to "watch". Oddly, their relationship seemed a little rushed at times, while too slow at other times. I was confused about how Sadie could be an heir to the famous Mathewsons, if that was only her married name -- seems unlikely that her late husband's family would leave their fortune or reputation to her, contrary to what Luke's dad implied. 3 stars because Luke and Sadie are such upstanding people

5. My Dear Adora by Maureen Lang: This was an interesting story about one man's quest to fix things for his brother and finding love along the way. I liked the twist with Adora's inheritance, and was impressed by Chip's devotion. 4 stars

6. Ride into My Heart by Debby Lee: This novella follows two people with Native American and European ancestry, it what would have been a very difficult time to be of mixed descent (probably still is to some degree). For some reason though, I could not connect with these characters or their story. There wasn't enough Native American culture and background in the story to make that component interesting, and then there was discussion of going to Washington DC to share the difficulties experienced by Native peoples at that time, but no detail was given on that front either. It seemed like the whole fact that they were part Native American was extraneous to the story. Then, there was the diptheria scare -- other than pointing out how quickly and easily it could be transmitted, that didn't seem like much of a scare. I wasn't worried for her and skimmed through a lot of that part. Didn't like this one. 1 star

7. Echoes of the Heart by Donna Schlachter: This novella involved numerous misunderstandings based on overhearing snippets of conversation. This construct could have been funny, but the author played it straight and it was touching because it reflected how the two main characters were feeling about themselves. I admired the strengths each character brought to the table, despite their flaws. 4 stars

8. Abundance of the Heart by Connie Stevens: This novella was excellent in its description of the horses of the Pony Express and the hard work they did. I was disturbed at the outset by the mistreatment of the animals, but that was the point. Mercy has a special gift with the horses, and I'm a sucker for that kind of story. Fletcher was honorable, patient, and Christian. Such a quiet hero. Answered prayer and unanswered prayer. I would read a sequel to this novella. 5 stars

9. Embattled Hearts by Pegg Thomas: This novella was an interesting story featuring the transition from the Pony Express to wired communications. I liked that the story wasn't focused on how awful it was for a woman to remain alone somewhere with a man -- even though I understand that it would have been scandalous back in the day. I very much liked the reason for not joining up in the Civil War and the love shared between siblings. 4 stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley to read and review. Thank you NetGalley!

From the moment I saw the book cover, I knew I wanted to read this book. I was excited to receive The Pony Express Romance Collection from NetGalley. If you love horses, history, and the Pony Express then this is the book for you. There are nine stories in all. And they are short novellas, so each is perfect for a quick read after the kids are in bed. (That's what I do anyway.) 

I think my favorite story in this collection was An Unlikely Hero by Mary Davis.

So, grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and take a trip back to the wild west!

I love stories about historical events - and the pony express is something that I have not read a lot of. 
I loved this book. I love the time period that it is written in (1860-1861) 
I loved meeting riders, station masters, horse trainers, and more via the Pony express. If you love history, pre civil war time period and the wild west - this is for you. 

I received a copy of this book via net galley - all opinions are my own.

I received an advanced reader copy (ebook version) from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. One of the authors, Maureen Lang, is a friend of mine.

I would probably never have started reading these themed novella compendiums if I didn't have a friend who wrote for them (see above). But I've got to admit that I jumped straight on the opportunity to read The Pony Express Romance Collection because right here is the equivalent of watching Downton Abbey reruns on TV. Pure relaxation with few surprises--they're romance stories so there's a 100 percent certainty of a happy ending (meaning marriage, because this is inspirational fiction) and the fun is in finding out how each writer works a romance story around the common setting.

All of the stories are set within a narrow time frame, just before the completion of the telegraph lines rendered the Pony Express obsolete. It's 1860-61, so the Civil War is looming and at least one author uses that historical fact in their story. I liked the fact that the tales were so limited in time, as it offered an opportunity to compare what was happening, historically speaking, from one story to the next.

I found some of the novellas a little loose in terms of structure and writing, especially at the start of the book. The first few stories were also very alike--the heroines were all valued for a) their looks and b) their cooking, not necessarily in that order. I breathed a sigh of relief when I reached Maureen Lang's My Dear Adora and discovered that Adora had at least headed west as a teacher . . . even if she did end up doing the cooking. I also liked the way this story varied the theme by taking the reader to the drawing rooms of San Francisco, with a lost Pony Express letter bridging the gap.

I also enjoyed Debby Lee's Ride Into My Heart very much because it focuses, refreshingly, on two half-Indian characters, and Pegg Thomas's Embattled Hearts rounds out the collection with a fast-paced tale that brings in both the end of the Pony Express service and the onset of war, a fitting conclusion to the series of stories.

Overall, this volume of Barbour's romance collections has a somewhat rushed feel to it, an impression reinforced by the appalling formatting of the eARC. I felt that the quality of the work was left very much up to the individual authors, with little editorial interference. This is, of course, a compliment to those authors--Lang, Lee, and Thomas among them--who shine, and it's a pity they are in the latter half of the book.

My two favourite short stories from this collection are: An Unlikely Hero by Mary Davis which told the story of Beth Ann and her sister, she was running from a debt and thought she'd need a strong man to defend her but truly it was an intelligent one, then my second favourite is The Gambler's Daughter by Darlene Franklin, where Caroline is looking for her father and is left facing a Christmas without him once more, but she finds love in the station as well as understand what her father was protecting her from. I loved this collection, it was the usual great standard and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A common thread of fast horses and skilled riders brings these couples together in this fast paced western collection.

A Place to Belong--Jacob is a man of faith who feels God calling him to be a missionary, but in the meantime he is working at a Pony Express station waiting for God's direction. He's also waiting for the stationmaster's niece, Abby to notice him. I liked how he took the time to get to know her and find ways to make her life better.

Unlikely Hero -- Fox is an express rider who saves Beth Ann's sister from being run over by a horse. Beth Ann overlooks him at first, but realizes that perhaps love can be found in second glances.

The Gambler's Daughter-- Mrs. Gibbs brings Christmas to the Pony Express Station when she learns that Caroline was left there by the stagecoach. Caroline is looking for her father, but finds Martin running the station, and Mrs. Gibbs saves her from an embarrassing situation.

Her Lonely Heart-- Sadie is a strong woman who runs a station by herself, she is surprised when a city doctor named, Luke comes looking for his little brother. He stays on and help her run the station, but she knows that it's a matter of time before he moves on. I really liked Eagle, who comes and helps when there trouble at the station. 

My Dear Adora-- Chip Nolan is looking for Adora because of a letter that was stolen when his little brother, who is an express rider, was attacked. After reading the letter, Chips knows that he must find her. He is brave and when he figures out what is going on, he helps her find a safe way home. 

Ride into My Heart-- Cynthia is a reporter doing a story on the Pony Express, and befriends Kimi and Gabe. She helps Kimi deal with her sister's death, and talks to her about her faith.

Echos of the Heart-- Catherine stays on despite Benjamin insisting that he never placed an add for a mail-order-bride. She does her best to live her new faith, cooking and cleaning, teaching the riders to read, but's not easy when Benjamin makes it clear that he wants her to leave.

Abundance of the Heart-- Mercy and her brothers train horses for the Pony Express, when she discovers many injured horses at the Cold Springs Station she decides to stay on there and help them. The stationmaster, Fletcher, isn't pleased about the idea. They get off on the wrong foot, but will Fletcher be able to prove that he's not such a bad guy.

Embattled Hearts-- Alannah and her brother find a safe haven at Stewart's Pony Express Station. Stewart agrees to help them out, and Alannah dons male attire to pose as Stewart's assistant. As they get to know one another their friendship grows into something more. 

I liked some of the stories better than others. I think that  Abundance of the Heart was my favorite! Though I will admit that the specific theme did make some of the stories feel similar after a while. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

I had great expectations for this book, but felt as though most of the time I was struggling on my very own pony trying to catch up. I believe there were great plots within, but the style of writing just wasn't my cup of tea. There are many who will love, and relish the stories within this collection of authors.

The Pony Express Romance Collection Historic Express Mail Route Delivers Nine Inspiring Romances by Barbara Tifft Blakey, Mary Davis, Darlene Franklin, Cynthia Hickey, Maureen Lang, Debby Lee, Donna Schlachter, Connie Stevens, Pegg Thomas published by Barbour recently are beautiful short tales involving the pony express orphans and their race across a territory, the one of the USA, immense.
The service was active for just 19 months, covering the West and East Coast of the USA.

The tales are all human, simple, adventurous, accompanied by a Christian perspective.
God is everywhere.
In the hope of the protagonists, in the mind of the various believers. You'll meet the most diversified situations and plots but each of these authors will be in grade to donate you with their short tales a moment of reflection and beauty, an immersion in the past reinvigorating.


I thank NetGalley and Barbour for this ebook

Great collection of heartwarming romances set around the Pony Express days!  Just long enough to entertain and short enough to finish in one sitting.  Highly recommended for historical romance lovers.

My Thoughts on the collection: I wanted to like this collection so much more than I did. While there were some areas to be commended, overall I was really disappointed. I first fell in love with the concept behind this collection. The Pony Express Romance Collection will appeal to those who enjoy a clean western. I loved the idea of focusing on this one area in history. Each of the authors did a great job in bringing the setting to life. Each story felt authentic, and I was surprised at how vastly different each plot was from one another. I never felt like there was a repeat in the stories even though they worked with the same elements.
With the exception of one or two, the stories lacked depth that left me wanting more. In most cases, the characters fell flat for me, and the plots didn’t have enough space to be properly developed.
In the case of the final three novellas, I was put off by their spiritual journey. Each of these novellas used characters that didn’t believe God cared for them or listened to them when they prayed. They all seemed to be in a state of rejection of God. And each went from thinking God didn’t care to believing that He did. I would have liked to have seen a more clear understanding of salvation in each of these. There’s a difference between believing some things about God and believing unto salvation. In a Christian work, I expect more.

A Place to Belong: I was immediately taken in by Abigail and Jacob. Overall I really liked their story. There was a sweet innocence to it and she carried a strong biblical message throughout the novella. However, I did struggle with two points. There was something oddly simplistic in the dialogue that kept tripping me up. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what wasn’t working for me. And I’m sorry to say that while she kept a great message, I couldn’t agree with where Abigail refers to God as her mother. I understand the concept behind the idea–God is our All in All. But I’m not comfortable with anyone calling God something that He never calls Himself in the Bible.

An Unlikely Hero: Davis crafted a solid story here. I can always appreciate a shy hero and a spunky child. However, the heroine felt flat to me.

The Gambler’s Daughter: There’s a great message here on overcoming sin. Sadly, I had a hard time following the conversations. Several of the conversations didn’t flow naturally.

Her Lonely Heart: The story was very promising, but suffered from one-dimensional characters, especially when it came to the antagonists.

My Dear Adora: Another promising story. I was drawn in quickly but lost interest further in. There was something lacking here that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Ride into my Heart: This one started very strongly, but then fell apart. It felt like large sections of the story was summarized. This is one of those novellas that either the plot needed to be trimmed or given more space.

Echoes of the Heart: I found this one to be highly entertaining. I sympathized with the characters a great deal. Sadly, the characters contradicted themselves way too often, and it weighed on an otherwise good story.

Abundance of the Heart: This was one of the only stories that felt full and complete to me. My struggle here was with the heroine’s hostility. It seemed a little over the top to me considering the circumstances.

Embattled Hearts: Like a breath of fresh air, Thomas really wrapped up this collection in a big way. The plot was the right size for a novella. The characters were spot on. Great job!

~I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley. All thoughts are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Stale, uninteresting, preachy. The issue I have with collections is how so many stories are crammed into one book. There is no time to flesh anything out; everything is spelled out for the reader. I wish collections could feature two or three longer stories with better characterization.

Buckle up and get ready for the unexpected on this wild western Pony Express ride. I had heard of the Pony Express before but I love how in detail it was explained in this collection of stories. I loved the historical aspect of the story, for example it was fascinating to learn most Pony Express riders were between 12 and 18, were small in stature and were orphans. Many things could and did happen along the way so they preferred riders that didn't have family waiting for them. From bad weather to Indian attacks to utter exhaustion these riders went through a lot. The Pony Express didn't last very long for mail and document delivery. (During its 19 months of operation, it reduced the time for messages to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about 10 days.[2] From April 3, 1860 to October 1861, it became the West's most direct means of east–west communication before the telegraph was established and was vital for tying the new state of California with the rest of the United States.) Words in () taken from Wikipedia.
This was an outstanding romance collection that you will need to read and enjoy. I really enjoyed it.
Publish date 01 Apr 2017 
Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing, Inc. for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I always have loved books like this and use to have a huge collection of them. I like that they are quick and to the point. I always fall in love with the characters and wonder about them later about how their lives went on.

I'm a big fan of American historical romance and this collection features larger than life adventures during the relatively short time period when mail and documents were delivered by young male orphans who rode for the Pony Express. It was a dangerous proposition for both the rider and the horse when so many things could and did go wrong due to bad weather, illness and unscrupulous criminals or Indian attacks. I truly enjoyed the creative storytelling of all these fine authors and I was equally pleased and impressed with the wealth of historical details they shared that made this period of our nation's history come alive for me on every single page. I read a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and all opinions expressed in my voluntary review are completely my own.