This book is a good fit for readers who enjoy heartwarming and uplifting stories about finding love and overcoming personal challenges in a rural setting.

In A Heartwarming Romance Collection, best selling author Wanda Brunstetter offers three romance novellas. I really enjoy the author’s style of writing. It is easy to follow and draws readers in early. These three stories offer romance, inspiration, and intrigue. While I enjoyed all three, one was my clear favorite.

It is nice to ready a complete story and still have two more left to read without rushing. I highly recommend this and rate it 5 out of 5 stars.

I received an ARC from Barbour Publishing, via NetGalley. This review is my personal opinion.

I must say this is the first I read of Wanda E Brustenter. All do she is known for being a Christian fiction Amish, this collection is contemporary romance. On these three-story and what I believe makes it different from others. Is that all do we have romance, I think is not the main focus. But the characters and how they change through the power of redemption and a second chance. I think this collection is a good choice for those who are a fan of her and also for those who want to read a great story with Christian values.

A heartwarming and enjoyable collection of some of the author's first novels. I enjoy this author's Amish novels, and this was a little something different. A good way to while away a few hours. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

I wonder what it feels like to be a decorated, well-known globally-published fiction author for more than 30 years. Wanda E. Brunstettler would know. By the time I found one of her best-selling Amish fiction titles in this sadly archaic building once called a "Christian Bookstore" back in the 1990s, she already topped the famous author's A-list for years on end.
I collected her titles in those days and snuck them out late at night when my mind was still racing and my family was asleep.

It's nice to know that some things never change. Or do they?

Brumstettler's new title, "A Heartwarming Romance Collection," delivers on its title perfectly. This set of three novellas is … well … interesting, as my father would say with his nose in the air.

This collection of romances are not bad in any way. I certainly don't want to harm her brand or her God. (Kidding about God. He's my God too.) This collection just feels … well, … unpolished.

Don't get me wrong. A Heartwarming Romance Collection is in perfect alignment with every other cliché romance tome so popular with women today. But to me, it feels rough.

These character's motives, actions, thoughts, are obvious, predictable, and well … let me just say it … cliché. Ouch.

This collection makes me wonder if these stories were generated from the author's early-career practice file and pulled out at the last minute, then thrown into a desktop publishing template for quick production.

I feel guilty for suggesting these stories could be better with a little more attention to the subtle transition toward what we all thrill to learn the story's final outcome.

I swear - when I finally get my own fiction series in print, this aspect of publication will be a particularly important point of contention.

I am also going with characters who possess at least an adequate level of self-esteem.

Common people. Don't you know these readers dive into this fiction, then pretend it's real life? At least mentor a healthy self attitude for them. I get the arch theory of change in storytelling. I get the satisfactory resolve. But please! Find a different device.

I know my characters can operate without drowning in self-pity or being hell-bent to net themselves a man in order to be happy.

I must not be too hard on this title. After all, authors give the public what the public wants. And Lord, I don't want to blackball my own self from these wonderful review opportunities.

But I do think today's reader is moving on from the place of low self-esteem, and into a mindset of more confident life assessments and positive moving forward.

All that negativity said, A Heartwarming Romance Collection is a gentle, predictable, safe read for Brustettler fans and man millions of light-fiction fans around the globe.

I have no doubt this title will hit the bestseller's list and stay ensconced there for weeks into the future. And I am glad for that.

Perhaps I am petty and jealous. This cliché fiction is outrageously popular. Thus the word cliché. Or, perhaps … pause … pause … pause for dramatic emphasis … it's time for a change.

Boy meets girls, falls in love, and rides into the sunset … blaug. Where is the tragic and traumatic ending?! Just kidding. Don't we all yearn for this scenerio?


ml@michellelovato.com BoutiqueBooks@hotmail.com

Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him. You will enjoy what you work for, and you will be blessed with good things. Psalm 128: 1-2

A Heartwarming Romance Collection is a collection of earlier novels written by beloved author, Wanda E Brunstetter. They include:
Clowning Around
The Neighborly Thing
Talking for Two
I enjoyed every one them. I highly recommend it. Five stars.

I really enjoyed this Heartwarming Romance collection. A clown, a new neighbor and ventriloquist... Wonderful set of characters! Wanda is one of my favorite Amish authors and although this collection is not Amish, I found these a delightful more modern romance collection.

Good books! I would recommend this to everyone.Wanda books are always good to read. They are an easy read and you can read and enjoy them.

The first story, Talking for Two, is about Tabby who has terrible self esteem. Her world was perfect until her parents had a second child, another daughter, whom the dad totally doted on and left Tabby out. Her dad was verbally abusive to her, constantly putting her down. The little sister eventually joined in and the result left poor Tabby with little to no self-confidence. Their mother ignored and allowed the abuse.
Tabby lives with her childhood best friend with both young women working in their church's daycare. Tabby's low self esteem has left her with a stutter. She does puppet shows for the daycare children, and feels safe hidden out of sight while her puppet does all the talking. She ends up taking a ventriloquist class and meets the teacher, Seth.
Seth has never met anyone so bashful and wants to help her.
This story fell very short for me. Honestly, it was a struggle to finish it. Tabby, who is shy, doesn't want to talk when she's feeling ill at ease or uncomfortable, seems to have no problem yelling and running her mouth at Seth when she's upset. It just made no sense. I love Wanda Brunstetter's books, but this one didn't feel like it was written by her.
Book 2: Clowning Around continues the story of Tabby, Seth, and her younger sister, Lois. This one focuses more on Lois. Things had fallen apart with Lois and her rich fiancee', and now her confidence has been shaken. Tabby is the one who is now happy and confident. Lois has became a Christian and would like to find a way to better serve God.
Then, Joe shows up. Joe puts on a clown costume and a smile (often fake) and does birthday parties, as well as programs with a gospel message in it. Lois had just told herself that God would have to drop a man into her lap if He wanted her to have one. And...during Joe's routine, an accident occurs, and he ends up off the stage and in her lap!
Joe has a sad past that he hides by dressing as a clown. Even when not in costume, he can never be serious. He turns everything into a big joke. Is there a future for him and Lois when he won't talk to her about his family or anything serious?
I enjoyed this book better than the first one, although, it didn't seem up to the author's writing abilities.
Book 3: The Neighborly Thing. Sinda has moved into an old, large home in need of many repairs to be near her childhood best friend, and to do her business. She operates a doll hospital in which she repairs dolls, many are very old and very expensive, for people.
Next door is a widowed man and his young daughter. The daughter is nosy, disrespectful, and hateful. Her mother died when she was a year old, and her father has spoiled her terribly.
For the first time since his wife died nine years ago, Glen finds himself attracted to another woman. Sinda has no interest in a man, although she does find herself attracted to Glen. She has trust issues. Her mother left her and her dad when she was a young girl, and she suffered mental and physical abuse at the hand of her father. He has now passed away, but the problems remain.
Glen's daughter, is always spying on Sinda and doing things to sabotage their relationship. I, personally, felt Glen should not have spared the rod on his child. Sinda was very patient with the girl. You'll be pleased with the ending of this story.
I did enjoy this story.
I was given a free ecopy of this by the publisher, Barbour Books and Netgalley. I was under no obligation to leave a positive review.

I know that Wanda E Brunstetter writes Fantastic, Amish Romances. But I wasn't aware she could write Outstanding, Contemporary, Christian Romances too! The first 2 of the 3 Stories, in this Collection, share characters. All three Novels are Wonderful, Engrossing, and Inspirational. I Highly Recommend You 📖 this Collection! ❤️📖

A Heartwarming Romance Collection by Wanda Brunstetter contains three of her first novels in one book! They are not the Amish fiction I have come to love by her, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. Each story was a lot of fun, but more importantly, they each contained a message of hope in God. The first story was Talking for Two. It was about Tabby, a young lady who has a fear of others that causes her to stutter terribly and she feels very self conscious. When she meets Seth, a ventriloquist who uses his talents for Jesus, she wishes she could speak without stuttering and longs for the chance to get to know him. She discovers, to her amazement, that she can speak through a dummy without stuttering. And, even more wondrous, Seth likes her too! However, can she trust herself to be in a relationship? In the second story, Clowning Around, Tabby's younger sister Lois is a new Christian who wants to find a way to serve God. When she meets a Joe, a gospel clown, she really likes him. However, he seems to be joking around all the time and she is more reserved. Can the two of them make a match? And, together, can they find a way to serve? In the last story, Glen Olsen is a single dad to Tara, a ten year old spy in the making. Tara is convinced that something is wrong with Sinda, their new neighbor, while Glen just wants to get to know her better. Sinda does have some secrets in her past though, stemming from an abusive father. Can she let down her guard enough to trust Glen, and her heavenly Father as well?
I really enjoyed these. They were all great reads and it was great to see a different side to Wanda's writing style! I would definitely recommend them. The title is very apt...Heartwarming they are!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. All opinions are my own.

loved reading these early stories and found them touching and inspirational. I like that they had a Christian theme. Reading them was a great escape.
Many thanks to Barbour Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I haven’t read any of Brunstetter’s novels before, so I was happy to start with the first of her published books.

The books were Christian-themed, just as a heads up in case that’s not your thing. I liked all three of the novellas. I could tell they were some of her first books since they were pretty basic, but they were enjoyable nonetheless. My favorite was Talking for Two. I enjoyed learning more about ventriloquism. I felt for Tabby due to her stuttering, and was happy that ventriloquism, and Seth helped her self-confidence improve.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-copy in exchange for this honest review.

As a long time reader of Wanda Brunstetter's books I found this book fun and inspirational to read.
It is a collection of three novella length contemporary stories of hers that are older.
Sweet romance stories will draw you in and make you want to read other books by this author.

Pub Date 01 Jul 2020
I was given a complimentary copy of this . Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

This book is a collection of three previously printed Christian romance novels. A wonderful author and beautifully written.
I received an advance copy from the publisher and netgalley in return for my honest opinion.

I am a huge fan of the Brunstetter family of authors, whether cookbooks or romances, their books are written with heart. This book happens to be a reprint of 3 short romances. They are good, clean, warm romances that you will be glad you read.

Talking for two.
I definitely learnt a new word here: ventriloquism! Ha! Just saying it makes me feel smart!
This story was one of joy, love, a few tears and lots of glee. I felt sorry for Tabby and the way she had been treated causing her to have a terrible low self-esteem. But i was grateful for the wonderful friend Doona God placed in her life and for her faith in God. It was refreshing to read how great change happened in her life and in Seth's by just relating with each other. I loved how God turned the tide for both of them.


Clowning Around
Tear-jerking story for sure!
Lois was the younger sister of Tabby, her life changed drastically after her sister got married. I admired the zest she has for her new faith, how she desperately wanted to serve God with her talents. My heart broke for Joe and all he went through growing up. It was amazing to read how he made lemonade out of the lemons life threw at him.
This amazing story illustrates God's healing and redemptive power.


The Neighbourly Thing.
This was my favorite story in this book. Maybe because it deals with broken people in need of a Savior.
Sinda's srory was heartbreaking, the pain, abuse was just hurtful on all levels but i admired her gusto to make a life for herself despite it all. I loved the happiness Glen brought into her life together with his spunky daughter Tara! I loved how she made her way back to God and how Glen never gave up on her.

This book and the stories in it will always be close to me heart.

I received a copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.

I've always been a huge fan of Wanda Brunstetter's books. I've read the majority of her Amish fiction, and can't think of a single one that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed.

Unfortunately, A Heartwarming Romance Collection fell far short of my expectations. It is made up of three different short stories; one about a ventriloquist and a stuttering daycare worker, one about a gospel clown and a Sunday school teacher, and the final one tells an unrelated tale of a single father and his new neighbour.

I appreciated that Brunstetter showed her characters overcoming personal issues and finding self-worth, as well as strengthening relationships with their Heavenly Father. However, I struggled with believing the majority of the storylines. They seemed rushed, unrealistic, and in some instances, unhealthy. Personally, I can't imagine accepting a proposal from someone who put me on the back burned and didn't talk to me for months at a time before suddenly showing up out of the blue and declaring his undying love. I think each of these stories had the potential to be great full-length novels, but I didn't see the character or relationship development I would have liked.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book through the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had never read this author before and was curious about the book. I found the stories in this book sweet and refreshing. They each have a story to tell about finding Christian love and romance when God leads you there. They are all quite simple and a little old fashioned in some ways, but each character has their own obstacles to overcome from their past hurts and family issues and learn to trust in the Lord to lead them in the right path. Since they are Christian themed you wouldn't mind your young teenager reading these books. They all have stories of the romance and love that every little girl hopes to find one day.
I was provided an Advanced reader copy of the book and was under no obligation to provide a review of the book.The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author, Barbour Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Out of the 90 some books Wanda Brunstetter has written, I have only missed a few. She is the type of author that captures your attention in the first few paragraphs. I can always count on her novels being clean, fun, interesting and a thread of faith woven throughout. In each of these stories the characters are carefully crafted and you develop a genuine concern and interest in them. Although I enjoyed all three of these books, my favorite character was Tabby. I sympathized with her shyness and stuttering. If you like Wanda's other books, you will love these.
I received a copy of this book from Barbour Books through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.