This book was decent, but shoving four stories into one book makes it impossible to have any real plot or character development. The best novella in this collection was definitely the last one by Carolyn Twede Frank. It had the most solid plot line and endearing characters. The others fell short.

such great short stories! Shorts are often a miss for me because they lack character depth, but these stories take you right the wild Wild West and do a great job capturing the heart, the struggle, the grit and the determination!

I think I would have enjoyed these stories more if fleshed out into a longer story. I have nothing against novellas. I read a lot of them. But sometimes there just needs to be more. Each had something good about it but I wanted to like them more than I did. I liked some characters more than others which is to be expected I suppose. Some characters showed good growth over the course of their story. I believe my favorite part of the book was in one story where the "bad guy" got a real comeuppance. I always hate it when bad people get away with the garbage they are doing and in one story in particular the comeuppance was pretty spectacular. I loved it. In each story, I felt the dirt and difficult life many experienced while living on the frontier. It was not a fluff life. A big plus to having a novella collection (and the reason I chose to read this when I did) is that you can finish a story without staying up all night as I am prone to do.

No sex or language
Mild violence
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book through NetGalley and voluntarily chose to review it.

This is a great collection of four sweet romance novella's. Each of the stories is well written with interesting characters. This is a perfect book for those that want a great story but don't have time to read a whole novel.

Yes - read it!!

4 delicious little stories you can read before bed, waiting for kids or enjoying a moment to yourself.

The stories are interesting, good characters and not always predictable. Honestly, the first story had so much drawn me in, I was rather peeved when it ended!

I received an ARC from Netgalley and Covenant Communications to prepare for my review.

"Had he seen what she’d seen in this territory? That its rawness didn’t allow it to pretend it was something it was not? Did he find it as freeing as she did?" -Brittany Larsen

The Gamble: Brittany Larsen ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Gamble by Brittany Larsen was a wonderful introduction to this anthology. Thomas' story ends very differently from what he excpected going in. When he gets to America he realizes that not everything is as it seems and sometimes, advice comes through the most unlikely person. Thomas and Ella were engaging and believable characters and who doesn't love a good enemies to lovers story?

Her Frontier Bandit: Jen Geigle Johnson ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This one started out strong. The characters were well developed with strong backstories that helped the short story feel more rounded out and less rushed. But somewhere along the way it lost me. I'm not sure if it was over dramatized or if I just lost touch with the characters but while it was an enjoyable story, some scenes felt out of place and it just didn't resonate with me.

Sagebrush Sally: Jennie Hansen ⭐⭐⭐
This was the shortest story in the collection which also happened to be its downfall. It had all the elements of a good story, but it was so rushed that I thought we were just saddling up to get started, when the ending jumped up on me. In hindsight, it followed all the right plot arcs, but they happened so quickly I just couldn't find my footing. I love a good romance as much as the next reader but all my "YOU CAN'T MARRY A MAN YOU JUST MET" red flags went off during this short story. Sorry. It's a no from me.❤

Celebration for Celia: Carolyn Twede Frank ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Heart of the Frontier finished strong with Carolyn Twede Frank's story, Celebration for Celia. I loved how Bruce's character slowly unfolded (it something of an 'ugly duckling' trope on his part). I enjoyed watching him and Celia get to know each other and his frank way of approaching uncomfortable subjects no matter which member of the family he was talking to. And I loved how he slowly warmed up to Celia's family and proved himself to them, as well as to her.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 for this wonderful collection. It kept me engaged and coming back for more.

Great book. Easy to read. I enjoyed some stories a little more than others, but all of them were entertaining.
I love collections like this. It gives you the feel of a full length novel, but it takes less time to finish a than a full length novel.
All of these authors are fantastic so I knew I would enjoy this!

I really enjoyed Heart of the Frontier! What a great collection of frontier stories. This is an anthology by a group of talented authors; Brittany Larsen, Carolyn Frank, Jen Johnson, and Jennie Hansen. These are stories of love, danger, deception, hope and justice in the wild west. What more could you want but beautiful young women, handsome men, dangerous situations, and happy endings? I would definitely recommend this book especially if you like novellas.

I would like to thank Netgalley for allowing me to read and review Heart of the Frontier.

This book was full of unique, heartwarming stories about life on the frontier. Each story drew me in and tugged at my heart strings. It was a great read!

I enjoyed being taken back in time to the western frontier. Each novella has a strong, courageous woman who faced her own set of challenges and finding love.

In The Gamble, spunky Ella Merriweather determines to confront Mr. Jasper Howe and expose him for the weasely businessman who takes people’s money. Sir Thomas Clayborne’s trusting nature and honesty find him as one of Howe’s victims. Together Ella and Thomas confront him about his shady activities. The way that Ella shows evidence of what Howe is truly like made me cheer to see that he would not be able to continue his scheming.
In Her Frontier Bandit everything is not as it seems. Rebecca Bailey and her father travel to a small Idaho town for him to practice medicine. Imagine Rebecca’s surprise when she discovers that her ex-boyfriend, Ray Harrison, robs the train on which she is traveling! Adding to the confusion is he is the town’s sheriff. I was swept along as the story unfolds and I witness Rebecca’s new respect and love for Ray grow.

In Sagebrush Sally life is far different living in Idaho for Sally Cranston than what it was living in England. She is truly a greenhorn with frontier living. Thankfully, she has Gabe Jensen to help get her out of multiple scrapes. Sally becomes entangled in discovering who is rustling cattle on her uncle’s ranch and helps bring them to justice. I enjoyed riding along with Gabe and her as they face dangerous men and circumstances. It was exciting to see that she was a part of the adventure and I was happy that she was going to have a wonderful new life.

In Celebration for Celia I saw that war changes not only the soldier, but their family as well. Sweet and caring Celia Edwards tries to engage her father in returning to life. The tasteful way that Ms. Frank portrays the grief and disappointment of Celia and her family was well done. With the love and thoughtfulness of Bruce Pickett, Celia has a wonderful surprise and new hope for her family.

Four amazing authors, four sweet love stories. Each story has its own beauty as they show us a kinder side of the old west. I'm not big on westerns but these are beautiful stories.

First of all, the book cover is beautiful! One of the reasons I wanted to read this book aside from the authors in it.

Larsen's first story was actually very engaging.. and Miss Howe is just so (I just couldn't describe it). The title fits the plot. I love that the story has mystery and a little bit of suspense. The hero was looking for a trophy wife, but I really like the character development. I certainly appreciate the heroine's personality. She is strong and resilient and ready to help those in need. I wish it were longer, but glad it was straight to the point and no fuss. It's a 4/5 for me.

Johnson's story at the beginning was intriguing..and the heroine's relationship with her father was also mixed into the story. It was exciting and filled with mystery. I think there are some unnecessary scenes. I just didn't like how the heroine was at times. I would give it 3/5.

The third story by Hansen started with describing the place perfectly. The plot, however, was nothing new. I have read similar stories. I'm not a fan of love "triangle," and there was too much suspense..not meant for a short story, I think..the ending was a bit rushed. So. I'll give this story a 2/5.

Frank's story had an engaging intro, then it got a little bit predictable in the end. I'll also give this a 2/5.

Heart of the Frontier is a compilation of four novellas written by four different authors: Brittany Larsen, Jen Geigle Johnson, Jennie Hansen, and Carolyn Twede Frank. The setting for all of the stories was in the old west in the late 1800s.
It was a fast read with enjoyable stories. My favorite was the first story, The Gamble, by Brittany Larsen.
If you are a fan of westerns I think you would really enjoy this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review HEART OF THE FRONTIER. I’m a sucker for western type books, so seeing the title of this book I jumped at the chance to read. I did not truly know that it was four stories within one book. I also did not know they would be romance. I’m not a huge romance fan, but I gave it a go!

The first story is about a gambler, Mr. Clayborne, who met a cattle rancher and his beautiful (albeit pretentious) daughter. The cattle rancher, Mr. Howe, convinced him to move to America and invest in their cattle industry. Things are not always as they seem…and upon landing in New York to travel to Wyoming, Mr. Howe’s daughter asks Mr. Clayborne to escort an “orphan”. That “orphan” turns out to be a 23 year old woman, which leaves Mr. Clayborne in a very peculiar situation and worrying about the way the Howe’s see people and do business.

I liked this short story! It flowed easily.
~
The second story is about Dr. Bailey and his daughter, Rebecca, who move from Boston to Grant’s Landing out west. Her father was to be the new doctor in this dangerous town. Low and behold, Rebecca comes in contact with the man who she was in love with but disappeared two years ago.

This story (and I hate to give a negative review) was choppy. I was lost with the conversations. Rebecca, to me, seemed flaky and ignorant. This story just didn’t do it for me and I was anxious to get through.
~
The third story was sweet. It was about a father, Arthur Cranston and his daughter, Sally, who move from England to America to find work on his brother, John’s ranch. Once there, Sally is a bit disappointed with the ‘wild frontier’, but meets Gabe who she becomes attracted to. When her uncle and other surrounding land owners start losing cattle they band together to try and find out who is responsible. Due to lack of men to help patrol, Gabe enlists Sally as an extra hand.

This was a charming little short story! There were times, unfortunately, when the buildup to something exciting and treacherous left me on the edge of my seat only to leave me disappointed…the overall story was good.
~
Finally, the fourth story was probably my favorite!

After saving Celia’s sister, Bruce has a broken leg and is being nursed back to health by Celia. Bruce is happy as a lark because Celia is kind and pretty. However, Celia is promised to Wesley who is currently attending Harvard to become a doctor. Celia and Wesley haven’t seen each other in three years and his last letter seems distant.

Celia notices how Bruce looks at her and she is very much attracted to him. To keep the distance and her thoughts pure she tells him how she loves the fourth of July and wishes that her family would celebrate the holiday in the fashion that they used to before they moved here and her father became all work.

Well sparks fly as Bruce plans a fourth of July celebration …
~
I really did enjoy all of these stories. They were feel good, down home western romances. I don’t often read romances so it was a nice change! If you enjoy romance and western style books, this is four short stories that will fill your heart!

Happy reading!!

#HeartOtTheFrontier #Netgalley

Heart of the Frontier is a compilation of stories by four authors. The stories are set in the raw west, when towns were small and people wanted to find land and a place to call their own. Each story is a stand alone and are not connected. This was a quick read.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!
It is always difficult to decide how many stars to give a book when it’s a collection of stories. I rounded up to 4 stars, but only the last novella of the four deserved it, in my opinion.
“The Gamble” 3,5 stars
“Her Frontier Bandid” 3 stars
“Sagebrush Sally” 2,5 stars
“Celebration for Celia” 4 stars
There’s nothing fatally wrong with any of them. I had a lot of fun with the first two, “The Gamble” and “Her Frontier Bandid”, but there were also a few things in them that bothered me a bit. I found both stories to be fun and entertaining, they even made me laugh at times and I did ship both couples. “The Gamble” was my favorite of the two, though it was very nearly a tie. That’s just because of my own need of ranking stuff, really. I quite enjoyed the banter between Ella and Thomas, just wished there were less ‘she’s not like other girls’ moments. Also, I felt a bit uncomfortable with them talking about “Indians” instead of “Indigenous people”, but that might be a stretch for a story set in 1878.
“Her Frontier Bandid”, however, did try to fit way too much history in such a short novella and I noticed that Rebecca, the main character, kept making decisions that never went anywhere. Besides that, the lack of conversation and the promises to come clean from Ray–which he never did–annoyed me after a while, since I could clearly see it was just a ploy to stall the story a while longer. It was very frustrating being left in the dark just because the character didn’t say what he actually meant.
The third novella, “Sagebrush Sally”, was the least interesting one in my opinion. I knew nothing about the authors before, but this novella, though it had many compelling moments and a few engaging scenes, was built on such a flimsy foundation that it felt like it was one of the author’s first stories. The love triangle was weak and so unnecessary that it was discarded as soon as possible. The background of the characters was also quite random and generic. Not only that, I think the portrait of the Chinese character here was borderline offensive and needs serious reconsideration. This was the novella that made me rethink how many stars I would give this book overall.
But that wasn’t the only thing, really. It was the fact that all three of these novellas had at least one scene in which men tried to grab and/or abuse the main character and the girl would be saved right on time by the love interest. These kinds of scenes come across so phony and sexist nowadays, I’d really hoped the authors knew better. I’m not saying that portraying the abuse women suffered then is a bad thing, it was the way it was solved, by another man, making it clear that the woman needed him to defend her. It would have been so refreshing to see each of these three girls who went through that defend themselves and put those men in their places.
“Celebration for Celia” was the only novella of this book that didn’t have a scene like that. It was my favorite for other reasons though, mostly because it focused on the relationship of the characters and because Bruce, the love interest, was so endearing! He was kind and thought he wasn’t good enough to be loved by Celia and, I’m sorry, if there’s one thing that makes me ship a couple, it’s when one of them pines for the other and thinks they’re not good enough. Nothing is better than that moment when they realize they are good enough, that they are loved and get their happy-ever-after too. The plot of this novella is so much simpler and down to earth, but damn! I was enthralled from the beginning to the very end! I wish it were longer. It is sweet and caring like its characters and I will definitely remember it.
Overall, I think this was an entertaining and fun book to read and I’m so glad that I got the ARC for it, though now I want a physical copy of it too! Besides, that cover is striking, isn’t it?

Heart of the Frontier is a lovely collection of historical novellas set in the West of the United States.

The collection comprises four novellas: The Gamble by Brittany Larsen, Her Frontier Bandit by Jen Geigle Johnson, Sagebrush Sally by Jennie Hansen, and Celebration for Celia by Carolyn Twede Frank. All are new-to-me authors, and I truly enjoyed their stories.

-- The Gamble by Brittany Larsen

Sir Thomas Clayborne was the 4th son of a baron. After gambling away part of his heritage, he decided to immigrate to America and become a cattle baron.

The plan had two advantages: he would finally leave the shadow of his more prominent brothers, and; he would be able to court the beautiful Clara Howe, the daughter of the rancher who was guiding him in his investments.

His mind changed when Clara asked Tom to escort her friend Ella Merriweather from Boston to Cheyenne. Miss Merriweather did not have Clara's height, gold locks, or refinement, but she had an intelligence (including business acumen) and a free spirit that enchanted Thomas.

The story was very romantic, and Ella was a wonderful heroine. Thomas had his flaws, but he recognized them and made efforts to improve and change.

Lovely Novella!

-- Her Frontier Bandit by Jen Geigle Johnson

When Rebecca Bailey arrived in the west with her father, she was shocked by the lack of minimal comforts, the danger, and the absence of friends or society.

She was surprised to find out that the man she loved but refused to wed was living in the same end-of-the-world town and was actually a bandit!

I have to confess that I could not warm to Rebecca; she was a little passive for my taste. On the other hand, I loved Ray right from the start. He was so sweet and yet so strong and confident. I wish Ray's situation had had a little more room to develop.

I'm a fan of second-chance romances, and it was a sweet read.

-- Sagebrush Sally by Jennie Hansen

Sally immigrated to Idaho from England and was homesick, living with her father at her uncle's farm. The only good thing about her new situation was the two handsome cowboys who seemed interested in her: the lovely and helpful Marvin and the brave and friendly Gabe.

As the story progresses, the love triangle yields to a true adventure amidst the rocked terrain of the area involving a bobcat, a snake, a river crossing, and even some fighting with thieves.

It was very immersive, adventurous, and romantic. I loved it!

-- Celebration for Celia by Carolyn Twede Frank

This was such a delightful story!

Bruce was a man alone in the world. He was dirty and tired but could not stop himself from warning two sisters about the danger of rock sliding in the area they were visiting.

When a rock fell from the cliff, he jumped to save one of them and got severely hurt. Celia, the older sister, stayed with him while Sally went for help.

Taken to their ranch, Bruce fell in love with Celia and her whole family. Unfortunately, Celia was practically betrothed to a rich man from Boston and could not return his feelings.

Bruce is the loveliest of heroes. He was so loyal, kind, hard-working, and so committed to thank Celia and her family for taking him in and nurse him back to health.

Celia was so caring and compassionate. Her love for Bruce was pure and kind.

This is one of those stories that leave a smile on one's face and brings light to one's heart.

My favorite story in the book!

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*This review will be posted on https://lureviewsbooks.com on 07/01/2021*

I really enjoyed this collection of Novellas. I enjoyed the frontier locations of the stories. I also loved that I was able to experience a couple of new (to me) authors. I have read other books by Jen Geigle Johnson and Carolyn Twede Frank and have loved those, so it was no surprise to me that I loved their additions to this collection. I enjoyed getting to experience Brittany Larsen and Jennie Hansen and I look forward to finding and reading more of their books. Overall, I enjoyed each of the stories, while I have my favorites, they all were engaging and well written. I cannot wait to read more from these wonderful authors!

The length of these stories were great when I had a short time to read but really needed a story to escape into. My favorite story was Sagebrush Sally. I enjoyed that the women were good characters I liked reading about. I had to laugh about all the dust everyone experienced in the stories. It made me appreciate modern convinces. I wish some of the stories had more to their endings. Overall a great book.

These stories were all fun and sweet reads. I loved that they all were set in the old west. If you are looking for a quick read these novellas are a great choice. I enjoyed each of them.
#Heartofthefrontier #netgalley