Christian Historical Romance. Wow. What unique stories. A book of substance. The only thing in common between the stories was women who left home to make a new start. Interesting information contained in them, like what it took to make a soddy. Different areas of the country, each with pluses and minuses, each with beauty and danger. Nothing simple about any of the situations. It's easy to become completely immersed in each tale. Special people involved in quite individual lives, using their skills and adapting as needed, each with special people to love. Excellent, deep read.
I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#TheHomesteadBridesCollection #NetGalley

Travel through the 1880’s on the promise of a new life as these couples whether acquaintances or know each other they’ll have to work together to build the life God has meant for them. These nine stories will take the reader of this Christian Anthology takes you all over the mid-western part of the United States. Two people come together to make new families, and couples to change their lives forever with God’s help. Men and women looking for a better life and a chance to start over. These nine women will fall in love and become The Homestead Brides.

A nine story Christian anthology called The Homestead Brides takes the reader into the 1880’s and the tough life of Homesteader in Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. Strangers and couples will fall in love with each other and find the life God has meant for them. Lives will forever change as new families are made. Determination and courage will be needed to face the life of a homesteader. These stories bring the reader on a trip through time and into what live may have been starting over in an unknown part of the country. New beginnings, and love go hand in hand as the couples face adversity, danger, illness, and love to find the life that God has in mind for them. The Homestead Brides keeps the reader engaged in these nine stories of love of each other and God. These couple find that they can face anything with each other the love of God. Lives will forever change as these God sends them on a path they were meant to take, You’ll feel these couples happiness and sorrow and pain as they blaze a trail through the South Midwest of the United States to find their new start in life. The Homestead Brides nine short stories that will keep the reader wanting to read each story again and again.

If I had to pick one favourite story, it would be the one by Erica Vetsch. Really enjoyed that one! In fact, in the middle of reading this story, as I occasionally do, I went to look at what other books she has. Might buy one of them!

That's the great thing about collections like this, you sometimes discover great authors you didn't know about.

I also loved the stories by Mary Conneally (Humorous. I LOL'd) and DiAnn Mills (heart wrenching.)

Nice book for those who like clean historical romances with a bit of adventure and inspiration.

This is my honest opinion based on the review copy I received from the publisher.

Review of The Bogus Bride of Creed Creek by Kathleen Y'Barbo: Y'Barbo has long been a favorite ... And this novella was no different!

I love short story anthologies. Anytime I can find a collection of stories all in one book, it makes me feel like I’ve hit gold. And discovering this particular anthology definitely lived up to those expectations.

The Homestead Brides Collection is a historical romance anthology of nine short stories surrounding couples who meet while staking claims in the Great Plains during the 1800s. The stories are authored by: Mary Connealy, Darlene Franklin, Ruth Logan Herne, Carla Gade, Pam Hillman, DiAnn Mills, Erica Vetsch, Becca Whitham, Kathleen Y’Barbo.

I liked that each story was by a different author. It provided a great opportunity to experience each writer’s personal style. There wasn’t a story I didn’t like and if someone pinned me down to pick a favorite, I would still be torn between two or three. But Jack’s mother in “Prairie Promises” by Ruth Logan Herne definitely won the category of best line.

“Lots of places start out rough…. And then faith and good women demand better.” - Mary O’Donnell, “Prairie Promises” by Ruth Logan Herne

The Homesteading era of U.S. History was fraught with challenges, prejudices, hopes, dreams, and new beginnings. For the characters in the pages of this anthology, finding love is only the beginning – and many doubt they will ever find it. Nature bogs them down. Enemies wish to take. And necessity, propriety, and family require much. Will they find the faith and hope they need to find love?

If you like sweet romance mixed with hard work, sod houses, and strong characters, I recommend checking out The Homestead Brides Collection. You might even find a new author or two whose other books you’ll want to read.

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I received this book free from NetGalley and Barbour Publishing in order to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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.”

Homestead on the Range


This story was so adorable! I love Mary Connealy's writing! She always writes with such spunk!

Elle is a fierce and determined lady who has endured the hardships of prairie life but is still a kind and tenderhearted woman! Colin is a wonderfully kind doctor who gets in a little over his head with prairie life. Together they form a team that is unbreakable and completely wonderful!


Priceless Pearl


Rick & America's story was very well written. I loved how Rick always seemed to come to the rescue even if sometimes it exasperated him. America was determined to be a good prairie woman and learn all she could. She seemed to have more sense about prairie life then her parents. Rick had big dreams and was doing all he could to attain them.


Proving Up


Ok I loved Nils & Elsa's story. It was full of laughter and warmth. I thought Nils was such a gentleman and had such big dreams. Even when it seemed like everything was falling apart he never the less persisted. Elsa was such a kind and compassionate lady, I picture her with a lot of spit and spunk. She could stand up to her brothers and anyone really. It was such a beautiful story!


Prairie Promises


Bridget is as tough as nails but as compassionate as ever too. I loved how she met Jack, way too funny. Jack is a very stubborn man but he has a heart of gold. I loved how this book dealt with all sorts of issues, war, prairie life, widowhood and learning to be kind. It was so well wrote and I wasn't ready for it to end.


This Land is our Land


This story is one that just makes your heart flip! It is so adorable! I loved every second of it and did not want it to end at all. Seriously this story can go on for several books as long as it is centered on Lasso and Mollie. Mollie is so brave taking her family across the country on her own. She never looses faith in God. Lasso is a true cowboy. Seriously how could you not fall in love with him. There story is just so beautiful and I loved it.


Flaming Starr


I loved this story of God's love and redemption. God will forgive sin from a repentant soul. Starr was trying to flee her past on her own, little did she know that she needed God to forgive her and help her along the way. Aaron was trying to raise his children on his own the best he could. God gave him more than he thought to ask for. This story is a definite must read.


A Palace on the Plains


Elizabeth was pure spunk and sass. She had no trouble standing up for herself. I loved how kind she was and that she was always willing to learn and help. Cyrus was such a kind man who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. God brought them together at just the right time. This story is so good and I honestly didn't want it to end.


Waiting on A Promise


Oh I enjoyed the mystery and intrigue of this story. I loved how stubborn both Marta and Karl are. They are absolutely perfect for one another! I now want to make strudel. I loved how Karl wanted to protect Marta no matter the cost. Marta wanted to help but sometimes trusted people a little too much. There story was so lovely and I am glad that they included an epilogue.


The Bogus Bride of Creek


Well I wasn't sure where this story was going to end up. It was really good. I liked Iz slot. He was such a kind man regardless of the situation and he always wanted to do the right thing. Cora learned that lies eventually catch up with you. She was trying to correct a wrong but learned the hard way that honesty always is the right way to go.


I recieved a copy of this book in return for an honest review. Thoughts and opinions are completely mine

4 Stars: 4/5 Star Rating
Ohhh, I love novella collections! I can read them quickly and I can pick the book up and choose one when I only have a short time to read. It fits this busy grandma's life for me! I also like getting to meet so many different characters and different circumstances.
The Homestead Brides Collection takes us to a different time in our country's history and allows us to experience life as new homesteaders were putting down roots. Life wasn't easy and it definitely wasn't easy for our delightful heroes and heroines, but that makes it more realistic.
I highly recommend this novella collection to romance lovers and those who love historical fiction.
I received a complementary ARC from netgalley and Barbour Books. I was not required to write a review and all opinions expressed are my own.

This was a wonderful collection of pioneer stories with romance. This introduced me to new authors and I appreciate their work. It was a great escape for an afternoon at the beach.
Many thanks to Barbour Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a great collection of novellas! I enjoyed each one. I'm definitely going to seek out some of the Authors I've never read books by.

Each one made me smile!

I have received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

I was super excited to start reading Homestead Brides! However once I started reading the first story I was unable to get into the story and felt like key events in the characters lives were happening at warp speed!! It was really unfortunate because each of the novellas seemed to have been set up for success with the plot lines. In my opinion, In order for books complied stories like this book to work, there needs to be less stories and more pages given to each author so they adequately flush out characters and story.


I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC of this book from Barbour Publishing, Inc. via NetGalley, this review is my personal opinion.


So prepare yourself for a treat, on this collection we have nine with great authors and different stories of men and women that decide to homestead and the challenges they face in order to reach their dreams. Fullied with faith, family, romance, drama, funny situations I believe that this collection is no doubt a great choice for Christian historical fiction lovers.

I enjoy these novella books more than any other novellas I’ve read. The stories aren’t cheesy like other collections I’ve read.
I like that you can read each one in an evening.

Homestead on the Range by Mary Conneally is a cute story about two widowers in the wilderness of Nebraska with seven children between them. Probably my favorite in the collection because I loved the whole Parent Trap thing that happened.

Priceless Pearl by Darlene Franklin showed how hard homesteaders worked. This one was a little harder for me to enjoy as the girl was so young for marriage.

Proving Up by Carla Olson Gade had some good awkward moments, also some sad moments. I liked the unexpected kiss and the unexpected twist.

Prairie Promises by Ruth Logan Herne I enjoyed and it was more or less believable that living out on the prairie taking care of his mothers farm a man would fall in love with the women helping his mother. This story flowed well and I liked how it came together.

This Land is Our Land by am Hillman is a good one about the land claim and blizzard.

Flaming Starr by DiAnn Mills didn’t keep my attention as much as the others and I ended up skimming.

A Palace on the Plains by Erica Vetsch I liked how the sewing machine usage was portrayed. This one wasn’t as exciting to me.

Waiting on a Promise by Becca Whitman I loved Marta’s stubbornness in this story. Their drama kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. I enjoyed this one a lot probably because of their banter-and the sleazy guy.

The Bogus Bride of Creed Creek by Kathleen Y’Barbo confused me at first because I didn’t know who the main character really was so I didn’t know if I could trust her. Not as relatable as others in the book.

Overall this book is perfect if you like historical happy endings, a little humor, a little suspense, but something light and quick to read when you don’t have time to delve into a long novel.

I truly enjoyed this collection, and felt like there wasn’t a weak link in the entire book. Each author had their own unique point of view, while keeping the common thread of romance and homesteading. I particularly enjoyed Mary Connealy’s story, since it was full of humor and wit, setting the tone for the rest of the novel! I enjoyed the settings especially, and felt like I learned a lot about travel in the American west and mid-west, and what living in a soddy must have been like. I have read several of this series, and thoroughly enjoy them as light, yet uplifting reading.

I really enjoyed this collection of Homesteading stories. Each story was well written. It was nice that they were not cookie cutter stories and were all very different. A great collection of authors.

The Homestead Brides Collection is a collection of 9 short Christian romance stories set in pioneer days, when Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Texas were first being settled. Each of the stories is about 50 pages long, and each is by a different author.
For the most part, I did enjoy reading the Homestead Brides Collection. Of course, each author has a different style, so there were some stories that I connected with more than others. My only real criticism is that 50 pages doesn’t give a lot of room for character and plot development, so the story lines have to stay fairly simple. (I would probably prefer there be fewer, maybe 3 or 4, novellas that are 150 pages each and have a little more character and plot development.) But overall, the stories were enjoyable, and each of them had a strong focus on God and Christian principles.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love historical fiction to begin with and these authors are the best at what they do! Each story will hold you a little closer and find you cheering along and a couple I even found myself shedding a happy tear! I love the length of each story. I didn't feel rushed for the ending as can happen with some shorter stories. I felt like the entire story was there beginning to end. Great book to read and share with friends that love reading but might find the time in their life where a full novel is too much for them as in the case with myself lately. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book and my review is my honest opinion.

The Homestead Brides Collection was indeed a exceptional book! I found each story to be just as wonderful as the one before. The characters were so relatable. I enjoyed learning about how hard homesteading was and all the hardships that went with it. The romance in each story was sweet and tender. The couples worked beside each other to run households and work the land. I had to stop between each story and just ponder on what I read, I didn’t want any of the stories to end. I would love to be able to give this book 10 stars, beautifully written!

Barbour Publishers has once again gathered some heavy hitter novelists to participate in a collection of novellas about settling the western frontier. From the plains of Nebraska to the Oklahoma Land Rush, there’s plenty to read about as pioneer women and the men in their lives fall in love while working hard to claim the land they want.
I enjoyed each story, but the ones that stayed with me were Homestead on the Range by Mary Connealy, and Prairie Promises by Ruth Logan Herne. The heroes from these two particular stories were strong and well-intentioned, but definitely scared off by things out of their control that didn’t seem to faze the women too much (ahem, sheer number of children or child birth anyone?).
Stories included:
• Homestead on the Range – Mary Connealy
• Priceless Pearl – Darlene Franklin
• Proving Up – Carla Gade
• Prairie Promises – Ruth Logan Herne
• This Land is Our Land – Pam Hillman
• Flaming Star – DiAnn Mills
• A Palace on the Plains – Erica Vetsch
• Waiting on a Promise – Becca Whitham
• The Bogus Bride of Creed Creek – Kathleen Y’Barbo
I hope Barbour keeps these collections coming. I’ve read several of the collections already and haven’t been disappointed once. I prefer longer novels, but these novella collections are convenient when one wants a “quick” read. It’s also a great way to discover new-to-me authors.
I received an ecopy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sweet and clean stories with inspirational messages to read this fall and each can be read in one sitting. These stories are all about homesteading out west and the trials and romance that came along the way.

When this novella collection from Barbour appeared on NetGalley I requested it instantly, thinking I would enjoy it based on the description and even more on the list of authors. I was right.  Because it is a new edition of the very first Barbour novella collection that I read and reviewed through NetGalley in 2015.
Reading back through my review (which you can read here), I found myself agreeing with slightly younger me.  The brief descriptions brought the stories right back and some of the opinions about the authors or their writers now seem slightly prescient.    

While “Homestead on the Range” was not the first story I'd ever enjoyed by Mary Connealy, I've gone on to read every new release of hers since.  And loved them.  I've also gone on to read more novellas by Carla Olson Gade, whose Scandinavian homesteaders I enjoyed in "Proving Up," and by DiAnn Mills whose "Flaming Starr" I described as being the closest to conveying a true sense of danger, not knowing that she is also an accomplished suspense author.  And after reading “The Bogus Bride of Creed Creek” by Kathleen Y’Barbo, Darlene Franklin's “Priceless Pearl,” "Prairie Promises" by Ruth Logan Herne, “A Palace on the Plains” by Erica Vetsch, "Waiting on a Promise" by Becca Whitham, and Pam Hillman's "This Land is Our Land," I've gladly gone on to read more by each of these then new-to-me authors.

All this to say, this collection was a great choice for reprinting on Barbour's part and for readers who enjoy historical inspirational fiction novellas.  And it is may also, based on my personal experience, serve as a good introduction to nine talented authors.  Dare I say it, even new favorite (cough, Pam Hillman, cough) authors?

The publisher graciously approved my request on NetGalley once again, but this post is mainly based on my original review of a digital galley read in 2015.  All opinions expressed are my own.  Again.