Courting Calamity is a collection of four stories. These stories were all clean, sweet and heartwarming. I recommend it. Four and a half stars.

These stories are delightfully written by great authors.  Even though they are shorter in length, the stories seem complete.  The characters in each of these stories are great, and help draw you into each story.  This collection of stories go very well together, and I’d be interested in reading another collection from this same group of authors.

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

Excellent Historical Fiction Read! 

Each individual novella contained within is masterfully written and keeps the reader engaged to the moment. 

Some of the stories have hilarious moments and others are heartbreaking at times. 

Each individual story deals with a specific time period in the United States of America: taking place between 1874 and 1900's in the states of California, Texas, Minnesota, and New York.
I very much appreciated the variety of locations and settings for the tales held within this Novella collection.

There was not one badly written story in this collection and it most definitely deserves 5 stars! (I would give it more if it was an option)

One last thing I would like to point out, as the title indicates "Courting Calamity" does have stories that involve peril and tragedy.
Not all of them, but some.
However, I found it rounded everything out into a nice collection and if you like historical fiction -
I would recommend checking out this Novella Collection!

***Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book. All views and opinions expressed in this review are my own.***

Courting Calamity is a collection of four historical novellas about four women who ran into a whole lot of trouble. Amanda Barratt, Gabrielle Meyer, Jennifer Uhlarik, and Kathleen Y’Barbo take us back in time to vary different scenarios, but in each, the female was (in) some sort of trouble.

The first three stories were highly entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed them. The fourth did not belong in this collection. It was overly graphic and tragic (and definitely needs a trigger warning) and while based on a true event, it was like reading a history book with a devastating ending. One I couldn’t even read. Frankly, it ruined the whole collection for me because it was not the type of story I wanted to read when I chose to pick up this book.

Last story aside, the other three are definitely worth reading. The humor that shows through the difficult situations the women find themselves in keeps the stories light. And the men in those three stories are fantastic heroes.

So I do recommend the first three-fourths of Courting Calamity, but if you chose to read “Echoes of the Heart,” be prepared to read a tragedy that felt more akin to Romeo and Juliet that a happily ever after historical romance.

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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.”

Courting Calamity is a compilation of four wonderful Christian historical romance stories. The stories take place between 1874 and 1900. The women in each of the stories are strong and independent women who live a life of helping others and trusting God. And there are strong men to help support each of the women. The stories are well written short stories that can easily be read in a long evening. Each of the stories have a good message within them.

The parts of each book that stand out to me are:

Lady and the Tramps -The story mainly focuses on Mattie and her orphans, yet the ending focuses on Jake and how far some people will go to protect their own.

The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek – Zeke returns to marry the beautiful girl from his childhood. When he finds she has left, he befriends her strong, helpful, smart sister, who is much more suited to him.

The Bride of Basswood Hill – Charles was able to look past the expectations put on him and marry the granddaughter of a man dear to his heart.

Echoes of the Heart – Aileen will do anything to protect her sister, even taking her spot on the picket line, but she can do nothing to protect her in the very end.

I totally enjoyed reading each of these stories. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Courting Calamity is a collection of historical fiction short stories. Each story has it's own timeframe and location. Each story is a great stand-alone story that draws the reader in. While there are levels of tragedy in each of the stories, there is redemption, too. I recommend this book for anyone who loves a good clean historical story based on an event that actually happened in the past. 
Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book for my honest opinion.

This Novell series was so delightful. Sometimes books can have too much detail and a reader gets lost in the overwhelming set up of the scene or character development but not so with these short stories. They give just enough plot development and description of characters to draw you in and pique your interest. I highly recommend this one, as all four short stories are well written and uniquely different.

Courting Calamity (4 Historical Stories) by Amanda Barratt, Gabrielle Meyer, Jennifer Uhlarik, Kathleen Y’Barbo

Published by Barbour Publishing July 01, 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Pages: 449

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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Publisher’s Description

Despite determination to be strong and independent, four women of bygone days are in need of a hero.
 
Lady and the Tramps by Jennifer Uhlarik 
California, 1874
When outlaws steal a deed from Mattie Welling, her dreams for her eight orphan charges from New York City are dashed. Can Wells Fargo detective Jake Hickens be trusted to pick up the pieces?
 
The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek by Kathleen Y’Barbo
Texas, 1890
When Zeke Wyatt returns home to Polecat Creek intent on making good on his promise to marry his childhood sweetheart, he finds she’s run off in his absence, leaving her kid sister to care for her aging parents and the mercantile. Can Zeke finally settle down, or will he leave another sister with a broken heart?
 
The Bride of Basswood Hill by Gabrielle Meyer
Minnesota, 1900
When wealthy lumber baron, Charles Alexander, unexpectedly finds himself married to an Italian immigrant, Sofia Bellini, he must do all he can to protect her from the society she’s ill-prepared to navigate. But when he falls in love with his pretty bride, he will have to make a difficult choice: will he go through with the annulment they had planned?
 
Echoes of the Heart by Amanda Barratt  New York City, 1909 Irish immigrant Aileen O’Connor is willing to work to make a life in America. But even the land of opportunity is paved with hardship, as she discovers firsthand the injustices faced by factory workers. When she meets Lorenzo Favero at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, her heart is stirred by the kindness he shows her. When tragedy engulfs the city, will their newfound love survive the flames?

______________________________________________________________________________

Four authors offer up historical romances that span the US but not all of them are worth the read.

It’s always hard to write a complete story when you have fewer pages allowed you. Some are better than others at using that space well as can be seen in this set of stories. In Jennifer Uhlarik’s story, the characters are well written and the story told with completeness. I loved the plot and the pacing of the story. The hero was a really good man who showed both kindness and strength while dealing with the sometimes troublesome children. Between he and the heroine, they were able to help the children find both healing and a home while finding love in an unexpected place. Kathleen Y’Barbo’s story was cute and fun but needed more page time to really tell the story. Everything happened to fast to seem real so that made the story a bit ridiculous. I did like the characters and the plot lines and know it could be expanded into a full-length book easily. I also liked the sarcastic conversations between the main characters that made up a lot for the shorter story. I laughed quite a bit at the happenings and overall enjoyed it. Gabrielle Meyer brought readers into the world of immigrants and finding a forever home. The plot is not a new one but I did like that she kept adding little twists to make it seem new. The characters were likable and I enjoyed watching them grow through the pages. It was another story that would probably do well as a longer book but Ms. Meyer crafted it well enough that it seemed very complete by the end. The final story by Amanda Barratt was probably my least favorite story as it jumped too much time and was not my style at all. It was overly realistic in its fictional account of a young couple during the 1910 New York Triangle Shirtwaist strikes and fire. The story focuses on two immigrant workers who work in the factory and fall in love amidst tough times. As a longer book this could really have been a good one as there was much to learn about that time period. But the action would be fast and furious then the next chapter would jump ahead several months, spoiling the tension. It was like being on a kiddie ride at an amusement park that had no point and just randomly jerked you around. Not a story I would recommend at all. So while most of these were good, the ones that weren’t really brought them down. It makes it a bit unfair for a better author to be side-by-side with a poor one and therefore have their work seen as lacking. I don’t think I’ll be recommending this set of stories but I will recommend the ones that were good.

I received this temporary, complimentary E-book from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Excellent read!  Each novella is well written and will keep you engaged to the end.  Some have funny twists, others are heartrending.  Each tale covers a unique time period in our country.  The only tough part for me, is the very quick marriages and how I was left with the impression that every issue in a new relationship is smoothed out easily, which isn’t realistic.

This collection of four historical novellas has just the right dose of heroes, danger, and dashing rescues to make the hopeless romantic in you swoon! A beautiful compilation of four stories of heroes saving the day in varied historical settings, this Christian fiction collection is perfect for those readers who want reading material with a riveting plotline and a sweet romance in small packaging.

Travel west to California in the 1870s for the story of Wells Fargo detective Jake Hicken and orphan train escort Mattie Welling and her wards as they experience train robbery, kidnapping, and posse rescues.

Head to Texas in 1890 for the unfolding courtship of Zeke and Lizzie after Zeke saves her and her family business from disaster!

Follow along to Minnesota in the year 1900 for the sweet story of Alex and Sofia, and read how their marriage of convenience turns into a tale enduring love.

Finally, visit New York City in the early 1900s to witness the heart-wrenching story of the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, and the love of two workers fighting for survival and a future together.

This collection is a real treasure, so don’t miss it! I normally don’t read novellas, but this collection made me a believer in the merit of a well-told short story with the right amount of romance and adventure. I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to those who love Christian historical romance.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher to review, but my thoughts are my own. I really did love it!

Four mini novels in one book. Each story with a brave young lady who ends up in a situation where they must take drastic measures. A gentleman who is ready to help.
The different authors have taken several moments in history to base their stories. The first 2 stories are more rosey style, the third story I wish the writer had elaborated a bit more on the story.
Many people have complained about the last story for being a bit shocking, in my opinion it is a good plot and a good story to be told. I would have liked to read it as a novel instead of being part of this volume though.
Overall I liked this book.
I received this ebook from NetGalley for review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Cuatro mini novelas en un libro. Cada historia con una valiente señorita que termina en una   situación donde deben tomar medidas drásticas. Un caballero que está listo para ayudar. 
Las diferentes autoras han tomado varios momentos de la historia para basar sus relatos. Los 2 primeros relatos son más al estilo rosa, el tercer relato me hubiese gustado que la escritora hubiese elaborado un poco más la historia.
Muchas personas se han quejado de la última historia por ser un poco gráfica, A mi parecer es una buena trama y un buen relato. Me hubiese gustado leerla como novela en vez de ser parte de este volumen. 
Recibí este libro electrónico de NetGalley para su revisión. Todas las opiniones expresadas son completamente mías.

With four talented authors, I couldn’t resist adding this novella collection to my NetGalley shelf and I enjoyed each of the stories. 

A job gone wrong brings together Jake, Mattie, and the 8 children not adopted by the end of an orphan train in Lady and the Tramps by Jennifer Uhlarik. Danger, mutual attraction, and family keep them together with Miss Mattie determined to care for the children in her charge & the man they dub “Hiccup” is determined to keep them all safe while bringing the train robbers to justice. 
Prayers are answered in this quick, entertaining read that’s a bit heavier on the calamity than the courting of the series title. 

The second of the four novellas, The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek by Kathleen Y’Barbo has my favorite title and this story description is the one that convinced me to request it on NetGalley. Lizzie & Zeke’s romance has more than one calamity adding up to a slightly contentious but ultimately adorable marriage of convenience story. The story is slightly different than the way it is described, and Zeke’s motivation and resulting dilemmas are a bit of a surprise. I always enjoy Kathleen Y’Barbo’s novellas, and I find it interesting that this has the feel of secondary characters getting their own story.

The Bride of Basswood Hill by Gabrielle Meyer begins with a calamity that sees Charles and Sofia married on the day they meet. As their different social classes and secrets come between them, the annulment one of them wants becomes a stumbling block as the possibility of love at first sight is questioned. A sweet story of two people wanting to protect each other from hurt, this is the happily ever after story for a character Gabrielle Meyer introduced in her contribution to the Of Rags and Riches Romance Collection. 

Echoes of the Heart by Amanda Barratt begins with Irish sisters being processed through Ellis Island and finding work at the Triangle Shirt Factory, where older sister Aileen finds love with an Italian immigrant, Lorenzo. If you know the history the author has incorporated into her story, and how well she does this, then you know this story is not for the faint of heart. A melancholy finish to this collection, with Aileen and Lorenzo’s happily ever after coming after calamities that were true tragedies.

This review refers to an e-galley I voluntarily read through NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is such a good novella series group. As with all collections, one or two stories stand out. I enjoyed all these, and especially Amanda Barratt and Gabrielle Meyers contribution. Honestly, be ready for Amanda’s! There are feel good, informative and emotional stories. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. All views stated here are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed each novella in this captivating historical romance collection. There is something for everyone from kidnapping and destructive factory fire to a union strike and a train robbery, readers will never lack for adventure and have little reason to put this collection down. I admit I was drawn to Courting Calamity because I love Amanda Barratt's storytelling. Echoes of the Heart continued to demonstrate the author's ability to make real-life events come to life on the page as we get an up close look at life for immigrants in an NYC factory. Jennifer Uhlarik's, Lady & the Tramps, was my first read by this talented author who will now have a place on my must-read list as she captivated me with her emotionally gripping and descriptive story-telling. The Bride of Basswood Hill is was a lovely rags to riches story but its also about the triumph love over difficult obstacles. The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek gets the prize for best title in the collection and had me rooting for Zeke & Lizzie from the start.

I received a free eBook version of Courting Calamity from Net Galley. I was not required to leave a favorable review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a great collection of four historical stories where women find themselves in dire situations. There is adventure and romance along with heroes. The stories were well written and enjoyable.  
Many thanks to Barbour Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Courting Calamity by Amanda Barratt, Gabrielle Meyer, Jennifer Uhlarik, Kathleen Y'Barbo 
     Each story in this collection is so different that I will rate each one separately.

Lady and the Tramps by Jennifer Uhlarik
     The collection opens with the sweet story story of Mattie Welling who needs a hero to help her corral her eight charges and recover a stolen deed;  A deed that will provide a home for her and the kids. Jake Hickens is the man for the job, or is he? He certainly didn't apply and is pretty sure he wants no part of the whole thing. However, being the gentleman that he is, Jake can't leave this damsel with eight young'uns in tow in distress!
     What a great way to open this collection of stories! It left me wanting to read others just like it. It gets  4 Stars.

The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek by Kathleen Y'Barbo
     The second story finds our hero, Zeke Wyatt, coming back to Polecat Creek (the name evokes some interesting mental images, doesn't it?) to make good on a promise to marry his childhood sweetheart. There's just one problem. When he arrives, he finds his intended gone...leaving her younger sister alone with the responsibility of caring for aging parents. Lizzie was just the little kid sister when Zeke left, but she sure isn't a kid anymore! Perhaps God's plan is going to work out as it was supposed to all along. We'll see.
     I liked this story even more than the first one. I found myself mad at Lizzie's sister for leaving, but cheering on the budding romance blossoming between Zeke and Lizzie! This story gets 4.5 Stars.

The Bride of Basswood Hill by Gabrielle Meyer
     This turned out to be my favorite story in the collection. Gabrielle Meyer is a new-to-me author, but thanks to reading this story, she will soon become a familiar name on the books in my TBR pile.
     This story is somewhat a rags to riches tale which draws me in every time! Charles Alexander is a wealthy lumber baron. Mr Alexander is also a man who keeps his promises. Sometimes keeping promises can complicate one's life as Charles soon realizes. In almost the blink of an eye, he finds himself married to Sofia Bellini, a recent immigrant and life throws the new couple more obstacles than they are prepared to navigate. However, with plans for an annulment in the fine print of their agreement, they think things will work out just fine...but they never considered love might void their escape clause!
     I loved everything about this story and want to read more by Ms Meyer. This story gets 5 Stars!

Echoes of the Heart by Amanda Barratt
     This is a story that was difficult to read, but not due at all to bad writing! In fact, the writing was good...so good that the writer made me feel as if I were there in the sweatshops working along side those who had come to America just wanting a better life. It is a story that needs to be told, just not in this particular collection of stories. I feel the editor(s) did a great disservice to this author by including a story full of drama and tragedy in a collection of short stories advertised to be lighthearted adventure/romance. SPOILER ALERT:  Do not read any further if you do not want to know details that led to my conclusion! Echoes of the Heart was anything but light. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory catching on fire was bad. However, when 2 of the characters I had come to know  jumped to their deaths to escape the fire, that was it for me! I could read no further.  I felt somewhat deceived.. I almost never choose to read tragic or suspenseful stories since I read to relax. Reading about people dying in a fire is not my idea of light, relaxing reading.  
     Echoes of the Heart deserves 5 Stars for the writing. However, I give the editors of this collection of stories 2 Stars for including this particular story in Courting Calamity.

     I received this ebook from NetGalley for review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

This book was amazing.  I loved each of the stories presented in the book.  Lady and the Tramps pulled me in from the beginning.  Such an amazing journey filled with dangers as Mattie goes across the country with several children.  The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek finds Elizabeth fighting for freedom from the responsibilities she finds herself suddenly in charge of.  She makes the decision to take her sister's place to fulfill a promise that her sister had made to Zeke.  Elizabeth finds a freedom that she never thought possible.  The Bride of Basswood Hill discovers that love does not respect social classes.  Echoes of the Heart was a tender romance that blooms in the heart of NYC where new immigrants struggled to get ahead in life.  The life that the immigrants found themselves was at times worse than what they had left behind.  I love the tenacity of Aileen as she conquers a new city.  This fourth story tugged at my heart and made the unfortunate past very real.  
Each story had its own qualities that made them all very enjoyable to read.  I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves short, sweet, clean romance with strong women characters.  
I received a copy of this book from Barbour books through NetGalley.  This is my honest and voluntary review.

I loved this collection, each story stood out for all the right reasons. Some of the romance felt like a secondary plot and the final story made me cry - partially because of the slightly graphic descriptions of the fire. I'd love a full novel for the third story!

Lady and the Tramps by Jennifer Uhlarik

Mattie Welling is on her way out west to her new home with a passel of orphans when they witness their train being robbed.  Jake Hicken is on the train to guard some money but his attention is divided as he encounters Mattie and the children and gets involved in their troubles.  The story had a few surprises but felt very rushed as is often the case with a novella.

The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek by Kathleen Y’Barbo – The romance in this story went from 0 to 50 in a moment. I liked the premise of the story but it needed the space of the novel to flesh it all out.

The Bride of Basswood Hill by Gabrielle Meyer – I really liked the main characters in this story and would be interested in seeing them in a full length novel.  To appease her dying grandfather, Sophie agrees to marry a stranger.  While he is quickly besotted, Sophie is sure he’ll change his mind once he knows the truth of her situation.  I liked that Alex, the doctor, and a few others had wonderfully gracious responses immediately upon hearing Sophie’s news.

Echoes of the Heart by Amanda Barratt

This is based on the true story of the triangle shirt waist company. It’s sad to read of the horrific conditions people worked in and the resulting tragedy when the building caught fire.  I wish there had been more on the relationship between Lorenzo and Aileen to provide some relief.  There was a gripping reminder that God is with us even in the darkest tragedy.  

I think it’s hard to develop a whole storyline in the space of a novella.  Something suffers.  The plot is weak, the characters don’t have time to develop, or the romance is unbelievably fast.  I felt some of these stories tried to do too much.  I enjoy reading novellas from time to time as I can finish them quickly but these fell a little flat for me.

Thank you to Barbour Publishing for providing me with a free e-copy of this book.  All opinions are my own.

Lady and the Tramps by Jennifer Uhlarik
I was impressed by Uhlarik’s ability to give each of the eight children a personality so effortlessly, while still making the story the focus.  However, the romance felt forced and was skimmed over.  This may have worked better as a longer story, just so each aspect of the plot could be given the attention it needed.  2.5/5 stars

The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek by Kathleen Y’Barbo
A short and sweet romance!  This story has a very interesting premise, and I absolutely loved Zeke.  My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer!  I wanted more of the characters and the story, but readers will still enjoy Y’Barbo’s writing.  4/5 stars

The Bride of Basswood Hill by Gabrielle Meyer
I loved this story!  Alex and Sofia were a wonderful couple, and I would have loved this to be a full novel. 4.5/5 stars

Echoes of the Heart by Amanda Barratt
Amanda Barratt has such a beautiful way of telling heart-wrenching stories, and this is one of her best.  Awful events, primarily the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire as well as workers’ strikes, are described in raw detail, but in an incredible manner that grips the reader.  With rich historical detail and astounding emotion, Barratt does a wonderful job of highlighting important events and issues we all face in some way while still telling a compelling, beautiful story.  5/5 stars

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