Women who have lost at love and think they are doomed to be alone forever receive a second chance at love in this sweet novella collection. From 1777 to 1944, romance flares and flames ignite for nine lonely women. I really enjoy novella collections as they are quick reads. I like being able to finish each novella in a short period of time. They are great for busy readers. I also love historical fiction and this book will satisfy lovers of romance and historical fiction.
I am rating this novella collection 4 stars and highly recommend it to readers.
I received an ebook of this novella collection from netgalley and Barbour Books in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this collection is by far a great success. I couldn’t have paired better stories together, or with better authors. Each provided meaningful and heart warming stories that remind us all love comes at different times, and for each other differently!

I seldom read short stories collection, but I found this book collection enjoyable. The storyline and characters were great in all the stories, but my favorite short story is "Married by Mistake" by Author Laura V. Hilton. All the writers are great and I would read any of their books. This is a fantastic book to read, especially if you're looking for an author to read.

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley. This review is one hundred percent my opinion.

This was a good selection of novellas and I would rate it a 4/5 stars.

Love in the Crossfire by Lauralee Bliss

Gretchen is engaged to Rolf, a Loyalist sympathizer who dies fighting in the war. Yet, she struggles with what side of the war she believes in. On the same day that Gretchen finds out her fiancé has died, she meets Jake Rowlings, a man with the Continentals hiding out in her barn trying to stay warm.

-Gretchen kissing and falling in love with Jake so soon after her fiancé died seems wrong.

-I found Jake entirely too full of himself. He seemed to think he single handedly would win the war.

-A lot of the book seemed very unrealistic and there was too much focus on the war instead of developing real relationships between the characters


Fanned Embers by Angela Breidenbach

Montenegrin Lukas Filips has left his homeland and his title for the opportunities in America. He takes a job working as a mining foreman to earn enough money to support his mother and sister back home.

Juliana's husband was killed by a Montenegrin and now she lives as a widow baker to earn money. She dreams of one day earning enough money to open her own bakery.

-This was an interesting story that had action as well as romance. It was very well developed, especially for a novella.

-I would love a continuation of this story. I would be interested in their story as well as hearing more about Lukas' mother and sister.


Daughter of Orion by Ramona K. Cecil

Widow Matilda must make money to cover the debt her Captain father and seafaring husband have left her after they died, so she poses as a cabin boy where she meets Tom a harpooner.

Matilda has vowed to never again give her heart to a seaman. Tom is hiding the fact that he is the reason for the death of Matilda's father and husband. Will their pasts keep them apart?

-There are a lot of disgusting things that happen in whaling but I thought the author did a good job with the way she wrote about it.

-I love that Matilda was so committed to bringing Tom's heart to God.


The Substitute Husband and the Unexpected Bride by Pamela Griffin

Cecily plans to enter a marriage of convenience with Zeke, a boy she knew of from her hometown in Massachusetts. After her long journey to Seattle, she learns that Zeke has died.

Due to the guilt that Garrett feels for the part he played in Zeke's death, he offers marriage to Cecily.

Cecily thinks that Garrett would be happier married to the widow Brown who looks perfect to Cecily but makes rude comments. Garrett believes Cecily doesn't return his feelings, so he hides himself away. Will their misunderstandings ruin any chance of a happy marriage?

-I like the characters, but I wish there were more interactions between Paul and Gwen. Paul and Gwen seemed to lack some personality.

-The widow Brown's mention of how in love Garrett and his first wife, Linda, were was the perfect way to unnerve Cecily.


The Widow of St. Charles Avenue by Grace Hitchcock

On the day Colette starts to come out of mourning her late husband, Robert, she runs into Norman Hartley the former boy next door who had moved to New York when he was twenty.

Robert had forbid Colette of doing charity work but after his death she decides to teach Bible class. She meets the pastor's con, Malcolm Reilly, who wants her to help teach a boy's Bible class.

One man believes in her dream of building a school for the orphan boys but one doesn't. Will she make the right decision?

-I'm curious as to how the boys who got to attend the school were chosen. It is obviously a huge benefit to live at the school instead of the orphanage.

-The story of the ink ribbon was cute.

-This novella had things that were predictable but I enjoyed the story.


The Prickly Pear Bride by Pam Hillman

Evelyn is the topic of town gossip when she leaves Ollie at the altar because she knows he is in love with another woman.

Cole is new to town and looking to build a cattle ranch when he is called upon to help Evelyn with shepherding.

-I liked the scene at the beginning of the book with how Evelyn and Cole met.

-Ollie and Angie never should have allowed Evelyn to take the blame for backing out of the wedding.

-I don't really understand why Evelyn is described as prickly.

-I enjoyed this novella but it seemed to end abruptly.


Married by Mistake by Laura V. Hilton

Thomas Hale has been hiding out after a girl he formally courted ruined his reputation by lying and telling everyone he was a spy and had an improper relationship with a maid. He lives in seclusion until he meets Bessie O'Hara. Archie notices his best friend's interest in Bessie so he arranges a "pretend" wedding for an advertising campaign that turns out to be real.

-The courting period and falling in love after the wedding was rushed and skipped over.

-Since they were already married, I understand Thomas and Bessie respecting their parents but getting their permission didn't make sense to me.

-Even after the marriage, Bessie seems to think she would have been happy with any random husband she had handed to her.

-I enjoyed the plot and the beginning of the story but didn't like it as well at the rushed parts.


Love in Disguise by Amber Stockton

Anna St. Claire leaves her life in New York to move to Breckenridge, Colorado in order to escape living in her sister's shadow.

Trevor leaves his business life in New York and moves to Colorado to live as a cowboy.

Anna had feelings for Trevor in the past but he never noticed her, so when he meets her in Colorado, Anna hides who she really is from him.

As a highly eligible bachelor, Trevor is overcome by numerous women he has no interest in. Anna agrees to pretend to be courting him in order to fend off the other women.

-I found it unusual that Trevor would ask someone he thought was a stranger to fake a courtship with him as soon as he meets her.

-Anna having her picture in the paper and the description written about her also seemed odd.

-I have lots of questions about their future and wonder how their relationship issues would have been resolved without the fire happening.


What the Heart Sees by Liz Tolsma

Miriam Bradford spent a summer with her mother in Germany where she met and courted Paul Albrecht. Five years later they meet again when Paul is a German POW in Miriam's American hometown.

-Miriam convincing Paul to break the rules and leave the camp was wrong. She seemed to do it because she was bored and wanted to have an adventure.

-I really like that the preacher is holding services for the POWs and is really concerned with their spiritual health regardless of the town's opinion on the matter.

-The author makes good use of the passage of time to advance the story along.

-A lot of times I like reading more lighthearted novels and this wasn't one. However, I really enjoyed it. It was interesting and made you think.

-I haven't read a lot of stories from this time period and am not a fan of war stories but this was really well done.


I received an ARC but the opinions expressed here are 100% my own.

Second Chance Brides is a delightful collection of nine historical romance stories, and they will be keeping you reading long into the night.
Whether you have just a few minutes, or several hours to read, this book should fit the bill, you can quickly read one, or continue on to the next.
These stories span decades, and not only do they provide a great time to get lost in; they offer many historical facts, which I loved. From on to the next they varied as to the time period, and kept my interest right to the end.
I also found myself with a few chuckles, watch for the names of some of the characters.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Barbour, and was not required to give a positive review.

I very much enjoyed all the books in this collection. Thanks to the outstanding authors coming together to share a wide span through history of love and circumstances for couples searching for a second chance to marry.  All along the Lord is leading. Barbour Publishing has become one of my favorite go to publishers for Christian historical fiction. Always feeding my appetite for a good read.

A noteworthy collection of inspirational historical romances, set between the Revolutionary War up to World War 2. Women and men who find their lives changed by a new encounter or reacquaintance, get a second chance at lasting romance.
Some of the stories had a real depth and seriousness, set during a time of war or great difficulty. Some of the women found themselves backed into a marriage of convenience out of need, while others fought to overcome prejudice and societal norms to be with the person they'd chosen. All were good reads, but I especially liked Fanned Embers, Daughter of Orion, and the Prickly Pear Bride. What the Heart Sees was very good too.
Recommend for readers who enjoy Christian historical romances. 4.5 stars

Seriously fantastic group of stories! Each so different from each other and no much hope and love! Unique story lines, very interesting plots, well developed characters... read this collection all the way through. They didn't dissapoint!

Nine sweet historical stories.. Each author brings a different, but great story to the collection and settings vary from the great north to the wild west to the south and east. . I enjoyed reading all nine stories They were all short, about fifty pages each, and each were easily read in an hour or two..

I am the author of one of the stories, so I am not reviewing each story individually.

I received a free copy -- all opinions are my own.

Sweet stories of a second chance at finding love. Each author brings a special story to the collection. I enjoyed reading this collection. I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and the authors and this is my personal honest opinion.

Barbour Books is the most prolific publisher of novella anthologies, and this is another one of their quality collections. These olios are best for reading during rainy afternoons or when the reader has a spare hour.

These brides may be a little older, long in the tooth, and a bit more weathered by life. They may be widowed, or jilted, or have lost a fiance through death. Some of the novellas take place during or after one of the wars the US has been involved in. Some of the men are needing wives because they have children, or an inheritance to claim, or for some other reason. Some of the men just see a vulnerable woman and step in to take care of her and end up falling in love.

The authors of these tales are quality writers who have written for Barbour before. The settings are as varied as the authors who write the stories. Post World War I, post Civil War, post Revolutionary War, the eras are as vast as the settings and characters.

This is a five star collection, two thumbs up, and a second chance.

My thanks to Barbour Books for allowing me to read and review this book

This sweet collection of short stories about second chances for nine women set in history from 1776-1944 was a fun pool side read. Each story moves quickly and at first I felt rushed to get to know the characters and didn't like that things moved so unrealistically fast. Do people really fall in love so quickly? Is that real love or just initial attraction? But I supposed that's the nature of short stories. Once I put that into consideration I enjoyed each story more. I really liked that I could start a story and not feel like I had to devote whole night to it. I could read just one and get to bed, or read a few pool side while the kids swam. I like that the stories were about love and second chances, but also about faith. Both the hope and strength it gives people. Each of these stories is a clean read. Death is mentioned in some of the stories, there is some kissing.
Admittedly I liked some more than others. My favorites were The Widow of St. Charles Street, Fanned Embers, and From a Distance.
Would I read it again? Yes
Would I recommend it to adults? Yes
Clean read about love, romance, faith, second chances
3 stars
I received this book from NetGalley. I was under no obligation to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.

It's been awhile since I read short stories. I'm much more of a novel reader, mostly because I like there to be plenty of room for the characters to grow and fall in love. Unfortunately, several of the stories in this book were constrained by the length. I liked all of the plots of the stories, and the characters were almost all appealing, but I felt that as a whole, most of the stories didn't have enough room to really tell the story. I wanted so much more, and before I knew it the story would end with a tied up, pat, happily-ever-after.

The writers were all very talented, and I'd be very interested in reading their other work.

My favorite story was "What the Heart Sees" by Liz Tolsma. It helped that the heroine and hero had been in love in the past, and the story focused mostly on the trials in the present to get them together.

It's not all negative, though. As I said, the writers are all talented, and the plots were all very interesting. I guess in the end I wanted more than short stories. Others may love them much more than I did.

The Second Chance Brides Collection is a collection of nine historical romances that offer new hope for love. These nine romances include:
Love in the Crossfire by Lauralee Bliss
Fanned Embers by Angela Breidenbach
Daughter of Orion by Ramona K. Cecil
The Substitute Husband and the Unexpected Bride by Pamela Griffin
The Widow of St. Charles Avenue by Grace Hitchcock
The Prickly Pear Bride by Pam Hillman
Married by Mistake by Laura V. Hilton
Love in Disguise by Amber Stockton
What the Heart Sees by Liz Tolsma
These romances are great! I enjoyed every one of them. They are sweet, clean and fun. Each one are only abt 40-50 pages long, making for quick reading despite the size of the book. My favorite story would have to be Pam Hillman's The Prickly Bear. Which is a great title, by the way.
I would highly recommend this book!
5 plus stars

I enjoyed The Second Chance Brides Collection.I was thrilled with the wide range of time and places this book covered. From New Orleans to Mackinac Island romance was everywhere.

Yet another beautiful collection of stories! I loved the theme of second chances, it was nice to see what was in the future for the brides. These collections never let me down! It's an easy to read collection that I struggled to put down on my commute. I can't wait for the next collection!