Lumberjacks and Ladies is a compilation of four well written stories by four different authors. Each of the stories focus on lumber companies, their worker and ladies who catch a lumberjack’s eye. These are all sweet stories that can be read in an evening. They are well written with likable characters.

I enjoyed reading all of these stories. The stories not only involved romance but there was suspense and mystery written in the stories as well.. One of the things that stands out to me is that men were willing to do a very dangerous job to make life easier for their families or to save to make the life they envision. I especially loved the strength and determination Winifred had to keep the lobstering business going while her father and brothers were gone. And I totally enjoyed how Maggie went about trying to keep the farm she and her first husband started.

I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley, this is my honest review.

In the 1800s, four independent women reluctantly fall in love with four handsome lumberjacks across America.

All That Glitters is set in 1851, Maine. With her father and brothers away, Winifred is struggling to run the family lobstering business when she meets a local lumberjack. This is a story that really needed more time to develop the romance. It was my least favorite of the four and I almost didn’t keep going.

Winter Roses is set in 1865 Michigan. After losing her teaching position, Elizabeth returns to help her mother cook for a logging crew, determined to resist the attraction between her and a new logger on the crew. This one was okay. While I appreciated our two main characters had more time to get to know each other, I didn’t find it very memorable.

Not for Love is set in 1881, Wisconsin. Widowed Maggie seeks a husband—in name only—from the logging camps, hoping someone who knew her husband will be willing to work the land. This was my favorite of the four. I found both main characters believable and sympathetic. I would have loved to have had a full novel of them getting to know each other.

Undercover Logger is set in 1890 Idaho. Carrie is alarmed to learn her husband’s logging camp is losing money and is determined to find the answer. This was another story that I felt needed time to really take advantage of the plot. Other than that, it was an enjoyable read.

Each story was well written and fit the bill of “lady meets lumberjack”. I appreciated the variety of settings.

Readers looking for sweet historical novellas will no doubt enjoy this one.

A great collection of four stories, very sweet and romantic. There is some adventure, mystery and history in there as well, and I felt the characters were well developed and enjoyable. The first and third novels in this set are my favorite and if you like sweet romances then you'll enjoy this entire set.

All That Glitters
By Candice Sue Patterson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In “All That Glitters”, not everything you see is gold. In the small fishing town of Lubec, Maine, Wini finds her life taking care of her entire family while the men have headed out west to strike it rich. While Wini is our finishing, she catches herself a lumberjack instead. Jess Lee is owner of his own lumber jacking company and mill. Both end up finding themselves in the middle of a very “fishy” business deal that claims gold is everywhere. But is it?

Winter Roses
By Pegg Thomas
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A sweet story about two individuals who find themselves in places they’d rather not be, a lumberjack camp. Wes wants to escape war and start up his own horse farm. Eliza Beth misses her position as a teacher, and looks for a way out of cooking at the lumber camp. What neither anticipated was finding love amidst the winter months.


Not for Love
By Naimi Musch
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A widow is seeking a husband, not for love but for her farm. Too many solicitors are coming to Maggie’s farm, but all she wants is to keep her and her husband’s dream alive. That is, until Jack McAlister’s presence on the farm. He wants to move on from logging and into farming, and he is taken right away with Maggie. It takes a few weeks, but after their marriage, things begin to change between Maggie and Jack.


Undercover Logger
By Jennifer Lamont Leo
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Michael Tate is living off of his fathers money. When his bad boy nature lands him on the the front page of the newspaper, his father ships I’m from Chicago out west to Idaho and his brother’s banking site. Upon arrival, Michael’s uncle puts him undercover at a logging camp to discover why the Widow Coker is struggling to pay back on her husbands loan.

Mrs. Carrie Coker is recently arrived back to Idaho to figure out what is wrong with her books as well as finally plan to establish Camp Harmony, a summer camp for musicians.

Will Michael (undercover he’s Mike Taylor) and Carrie figure out why the Coker Logging Company is underproducing before it’s too late?

This is a great collection of four historical romance stories that I enjoyed. These are written by four great authors that kept the story engaging and entertaining to read. Each story is unique and well written. Four women who take the chance to help four lumberjacks but may have found more than what they thought. I found this book to be inspiring with strong women characters. I enjoyed what they brought to the story. It is a great collection that you don't want to miss. It will take you back to the 1800s and the life back then. I highly recommend this book. You will find a story or two that you will enjoy for sure.

All That Glitters by Candice Sue Patterson
I liked they mystery element as Wini and Jess tried to uncover possible fraud. I wish it was longer, though, so I could have more time with Jess and Wini. They’re well-developed characters, and I loved them as soon as they walked on the page. Although, there is something Jess did at the beginning that had me shaking my head. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say I had a hard time believing someone would actually do what he did. But overall, this was a sweet story and I enjoyed it.

Winter Roses by Pegg Thomas
I think this was one was my favorite. I liked how Wes wasn’t exactly smooth but was a complete gentleman and thoughtful. Eliza Beth at times irritated me, but her relationship with her mom and Louie made her relatable. This one I definitely wished was longer. I would gladly enjoy a whole novel with these characters. Maybe we could have a follow-up with Louie!

Not for Love by Naomi Much
This was an interesting take on the marriage of convenience trope. I liked seeing Jack’s relationship with Maggie develop. But I wish more time was spent on them and less on the pastor’s POV.

Undercover Logger by Jennifer Lamont Leo
This story was amazing. I would definitely say it was my second favorite of the collection. I loved watching Michael and Carrie’s relationship develop as well as the suspense. Of all four of the novellas, I wish this one was a full-length novel the most. But the ending left me satisfied and happy. I haven’t read this author before, but I’m going to have to check out her other works now.

Overall, Lumberjacks & Ladies is now one of my favorite novella collections. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves historical romance and northern settings.

Lumberjacks & Ladies: 4 Historical Stories of Romance Among the Pines is a wonderful collection of four stories. These stories include;
All That Glitters by Candice Sue Patterson
Winter Roses by Pegg Thomas
Not for Love by Naomi Much
Undercover Logger by Jennifer Lamont Leo
I enjoyed every one of these stories and loved being introduced to a couple of new to me authors. If I had to pick a favorite of the four, it would be Jennifer Lamont Leo's Undercover Logger.
Five stars.

Anthology of brawny Lumberjacks and the ladies with gumption who catch their heart.

Synopsis:
Each story moves us further in time, from mid 19th century through the Gilded age, and from east to west US.

1. All That Glitters by Candice Sue Patterson
North Lubec ME, Summer 1851
I requested this ARC on account of this one Maine story, I could hardly do otherwise as an erstwhile Mainer- Shout out to Wiscasset!- this one hit that nostalgic sweet spot. As a fifth grader and with the ME school curriculum being thinly veiled Lobster propaganda, I fancied a career as a Lobstahman when I grew up- taking into account I'm Jewish and was a girly girl always decked out in pink, my ambitions got a lot of laughs. In my defense, Lobstering is wicked romanticized to suggestible children, but not in the manner it is romanticized in All That Glitters...

Wini Hayes, who never learnt how to swim, has to take over supplying the Lobster for the local prison since her brothers and father left for the gold rush in Cali. She bravely ventures out alone every morning to empty the traps- which are heavy- having the wives of her brothers, their children and her mother dependent on her. Jess Lee, owner of a Lumberjack concern, jumps into the ocean when he witnesses a Lobsterman fall out of his boat, he is surprised to find it's actually a Lobsterlady. Needless to say the honor of 'Best Meet-Cute' of the anthology goes to this one.

There is a fascinating conspiracy plot that is uncovered by the protagonists, based on a true event, interesting historical details, and in my very biased opinion, the best setting. The imagery of Maine in the summer, the water, the natural beauty, was evocative throughout.

2. Winter Roses By Pegg Thomas
Michigan, Winter 1865
Wesley Fisk a Union sergeant veteran is arriving via ship from Buffalo NY to Michigan to earn some money as a lumberjack. Eliza Beth Edmonds is also on said ship and they both have the same destination. After being dismissed from her teachers position in favor of a man returned from war, Eliza Beth has no choice but to rejoin her mother as cook for a lumbering camp. She worked hard for her education and does not desire to return to the isolated camp. The profession claimed the life of her father, and she does not want to live surrounded by that life and death uncertainty. So when Wesley starts to intrigue her, she must guard her heart, she could not bear loving a lumberman, no matter how charming.

This one had a really cute development between the leads, cute romantic gestures, and incredible winter imagery.

3. Not For Love by Naomi Musch
Wisconsin, Winter/Spring 1881
Maggie Duncan at 22 years young is 2 months a widow from a love match. However if she does not find another husband to help her run her farm, she won't be able to afford it, and with a persistent buyer closing in, she can't afford to observe a full mourning. She enlists the help of a kindly traveling priest to take a letter she wrote detailing her predicament up to the lumber camps he will visit. The priest and her brother are rightly worried who may answer the ad and how honorable their intentions may be.

Jack McAllister is read the letter, and begins to entertain the idea. He always wanted his own farm, and was friends with the widow's husband, from who he heard good, domestic blissful things about Maggie, so after much deliberating he's like, 'Sure, I'll marry her!"

This one was the most poignant, featuring beautiful prose, and overall quite moving. The slow burn here was executed to perfection.

4. Undercover Logger by Jennifer Lamont Leo
Chicago Illinois, Winter 1890
Michael Tate, is the son of a wealthy banker, when he gets on the newspaper headlines for drinking, partying, and roughhousing his father exiles him to the Idaho branch of the bank as punishment to work under his uncle who runs it. Michael is far from thrilled to be sent from his cushy city life to the sticks, leaving behind the lady he thought he may one day marry.

In the train ride over, Michael meets a lady who reminds him of one back home he had been courting. Carrie Coker at 23 years of age is a widow fresh out of mourning. She is returning with some urgency to the business her husband left her, Coker Lumber, after being alerted she has 60 days to pay a bank loan she wasn't aware was outstanding. Out of depth with how one runs a business, she had been relying on the aid of her husbands cousin, Reed Coker, for the past year.

Michael's uncle assigns him some unorthodox work, having him go undercover in the Coker Lumber business to see how it is possible it is performing so poorly. The conspiracy was creative & clever, the chemistry between the leads was palpable, and the resolution utterly satisfying.

The Brass Tacks:
I am actually not huge on short stories, but I had to pick up a story that included my dear Maine as a setting. To my immense delight this exceeded my expectations and I adored all the stories. I highly recommend this collection. I tend to read HR's that feature Heiresses and gentry, so this story full of self made heroes and heroines, who work the land, who live in challenging, humble circumstances was a breath of fresh air.

There was not a runt in this litter of yarns, I loved them all! Considering they are each around 120 pages give or take they did an excellent job fleshing out the characters, the atmosphere of the time, and each featured admirable protagonists, especially the ladies, who were strong and self sufficient. They were not looking for romance, they were realists in a tough time.

I liked how the love interests only complimented them, rather than completed them, for they were already capable all on their own. They were partners, each pulling their own weight, as it ought to be.

Most intriguing plots: Undercover Logger & All that Glitters
Best Setting & Meet Cute: All that Glitters
Favorite female protagonists:Winter Roses & Not for Love
Favorite male protagonists: Undercover Logger & Not for Love
Best Chemistry: Undercover Logger & Winter Roses
Favorite Prose: Not for Love

What a wonderful collection of novellas! Each story is well written and holds your attention. The novellas are the perfect length to curl up with after a long day. They have adventure, mystery, and sweet, clean romance. I loved reading this book and taking a step back in time.
I received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love reading anthologies because it is a great introduction to new authors. In this collection, I have added three authors to my TBR list. I love how all of these stories are set in different states and I enjoyed each of them. While fiction, 'All that Glitters' revolves around an actual event in Lubec Maine. It was interesting to learn about the history behind the story. I love marriage of convenience that turns into love stories, which is the second story. In 'Not for Love' , widowed Maggie seeks a husband to be her partner in her farm. This is my favorite story in the collection. In the third story ' Winter Roses' is one of my favorite book boyfriends Wes. He is so sweet and always there for Elizabeth. The last story 'Undercover Logger' Carrie and her undercover clerk try to determine why her late husband's lumber business is about to go under. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I didn't realize before I read this collection that logging in the past was only done during certain seasons. I love all the stories and look to read more by these authors.

We are offered four different stories, all revolving around lumber, and all giving us some sweet romance!

We travel from coast to coast with this novellas, and you quickly become involved in the lives of these people.

From dips in the cold Atlantic off the coast of Maine, then to icy, snowy Michigan, and getting meals to the loggers, from there we journey to lumber yards in Wisconsin, with a stop at farm country. Lastly we are in Idaho, and at a logging camp, one that is loosing money, and yet full of rich timber!

You will not be able to put these down once you turn your first page! This is a treat!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Barbour, and was not required to give a positive review.

We can plot and plan and map out our futures all we want, but sooner or later, we have to acknowledge that only God is truly in control. - Winter Roses

An intriguing thought - that God would take any interest in people’s day-to-day affairs. - Undercover Logger

Travel with our authors across this great country, learning with wonderful detail all about those brave men and women that opened up the country for the rest of us. Beginning in Maine, our heroine uncovers a mystery in her small town with the help of a lumberjack. Move on to northern Michigan where dreams do come true when God is truly in control. The dangerous job of the lumberjack has left Maggie a widow in Wisconsin with a lovely farm to run on her own. Can she do it without the help of a man? Another widow and the dream of a music camp in Timber Coulee, Idaho brings this wonderful collection to a close. But first there is the conundrum of missing lumber that appears to bring disaster with it.

This lovely collection is published by Barbour Publishing with advance availability through NetGalley. These thoughts and impressions are my own and were in no way solicited.

Recently I have been on a search for clean romance books. This book contained four heartwarming, well-written, adventures of women who lived in or near lumberjack communities. Each one was faced with difficult circumstances that cause her to rely fully on her faith to trust and get through. Each story in the book was a reminder of God’s love and provision.

Four novellas pretty delightful and full of adventure and also, of course romance! Weel done to the authors to share faith through short narratives that evoque such good moments to the readers. Looking foward to find more similar books like this one.

Each of these stories was well written and interesting. There were mysteries, marriages of convenience, unexpected love, and terrific characters who were good and noble. Each story had a lumberjack who was selfless and wanted the best for the woman that they loved. I liked each of the novellas with their unique plots.

The historical notes that the authors shared about the ideas for their stories was of great interest. It made them all the more real and would be places I would love to visit.

I would highly recommend you read this if you like clean, wholesome romance, or westerns, you will want to add this to your collection. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of the book. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love these short stories on love and the fact that they are a clean romance makes it even better! You will enjoy these four romance stories - all different and unique in their own way. The only reason I gave this book a 4 star is that a couple of the stories were a little longer than I would have preferred, it took a while to actually get to the love portion which can seem daunting. Otherwise, great read!

This book is a great compilation of four short stories of lumberjacks and the lives they live in the seclusion of of the logging camps. They cut and work all winter to ready the logs to move downstream with the spring thaw. Summers are spent with family or other interests depending on the lumberjack. Each story in this book is set in the 1800's and while fictional some include historical details as well. Each story is unique to its author and set in a different area of the northern states. The characters are all interesting, some quirky, as you might find among a group of people who work together. The form a type of family bond as they learn to trust and depend on each other. All is not rosy though as we learn some of the rough bunch is not trustworthy. I enjoyed the journey through this book and highly recommend it, giving it 5 of 5 stars. I will be buying it for others.
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Enjoyed this book very much. Each story is about lumberjacks. They are novellas and easy to read and the characters are great in each book. These are new Authors for me and they were all great stories. I got a copy from Netgalley and the publisher and the opinion is my own true feelings.

Lumberjacks and Ladies

4 Historical Stories of Romance Among the Pines

by Jennifer Lamont Leo; Naomi Musch; Candice Sue Patterson; Pegg Thomas

Barbour Publishing

Rated: 3- 4

Back of the Book: “Lumberjacks and Ladies Work Together to Build America
Struggling to remain independent in the 1800s, four women reluctantly open up to help from lumberjacks—and love.
All That Glitters by Candice Sue Patterson
1851—Maine
Winifred finds herself running the family lobstering business when her father and brothers join the California gold rush. Will she stubbornly reject help from a local lumberjack?
Winter Roses by Pegg Thomas
1865—Michigan
Elizabeth cooks for a logging crew, determined to escape that life for something better, until reoccurring gifts capture her attention. Will she follow her dreams—or her heart?
Not for Love by Naomi Musch
1881—Wisconsin
Widowed, Maggie seeks a husband—in name only—from the logging camps, but the man who answers her letter is a surprise. Can she open her heart to love again?
Undercover Logger by Jennifer Lamont Leo
1890—Idaho
Carrie will not sell her timberland and allows the banker’s nephew to sign onto her logging crew to ferret out the reason she is losing money at an alarming rate. Will truth be revealed to her forlorn heart?”

Impressions: All of the novellas had interesting plots and characters. The first novella was a bit rushed in the romance department and would have read better if it were longer with more depth in the character's relationship. I wasn’t a fan of the “only thing he could think of to shock her into submission” kiss. The remaining novellas were sweet and easy to read.

Quotes: “‘Honey, listen to me. We can plot and plan and map out our futures all we want, but sooner or later, we have to acknowledge that only God is truly in control.’”

“’...be open to what the Lord puts in front of you, even if it’s not your choice for your future.’”

“’ You both have a faith to build upon, and that’s the most important thing. Yes, that’s the best start anyone can have.’”

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review shared here.

I really enjoyed this clean romance set in different time periods (across the 1800s) featuring lumberjacks and the timber industry. Each story really shows a clear picture of what this life was like - and how freaking difficult it must have been. Both the men and women involved had to be seriously tough. All the heroine's featured are no exception to that rule. Overall - I enjoyed them all and if clean historical romances with a touch of religion are your bag - this is definitely a must read.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.