The Homestead Brides Collection

I absolutely loved this novella collection! Each story was unique and had great characters, conflicts, and themes. When I read novella collections, sometimes I find myself skimming the stories for the good parts, but each one grabbed hold of my attention from beginning to end. I truly enjoyed each author's take on life for the early settlers.

(I received an e-copy of this book from Barbour Publishing, Inc and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I have given.)

this will post on 3/19/15

Homestead on the Range Widower Colin Samuelson has his first pangs of feelings when he runs into his new neighbor Eleanor Winter. Until he finds that she has more children than he does! Now he’s avoiding her like the plague.
Eleanor has been on her own with four children since her husband died five years ago. When she sees the poor doctor moving in she can’t help but to help.
Will the plains drive him away before he changes his mind?
Review: Adorable! With Mary Connealy’s usual wit and irony this cute novella is the perfect afternoon read. Don’t miss it!
Author: Mary Conneally Grade: A Ages: 18+

Priceless Pearl America Barton met ​Rick Eady just moments before the start of the ​Cherokee Strip Land Rush and he ended up on the plot next to her family. Can her well-to-do parents ever see that Rick’s faith and hard work​ are more important to America than his lack of formal education?Will Rick be able to keep her parents from killing themselves in this harsh wilderness​?
Review: This is a beautiful love story. There are times that it seems a bit long, but it’s just right.
Author: Darlene Franklin Grade: B+
Ages: 16+

Proving Up
​Nils Svensson hasn’t seen his wife for years. So he’s shocked and excited when he sees her walking through his trees. It’s not until he kisses her that he realizes his mistake — it’s Elsa Lindstrom, not his wife.
No matter, Nils only has one objective to prove up on this land and buy the adjacent property. Except, it’s now owned buy the very beautiful Elsa.
Review: ​I really enjoyed Proving Up. It only was this a sweet romance, but I learned a lot about Nebraska, the Timber Culture Act, and Swedish Immigrants. I also loved how, even though raised with the same GOD Elsa and Nils saw Him so differently.
Author: Carla Olson Gade Grade: A Ages: 15+

Prairie Promises
​“Pay heed to the land and the good Lord, son, and everything else will fall into place.”
Following his grandmother’s advice has given Jack O’Donnell a firm foundation and money in the bank. Well, at least that part about the land. Jack abandoned the Lord on a battle field years ago. He’s only left his holdings in order to bring his mother, Mary, back east from her Nebraska plains home before the land kills her.

Not only is she refusing to join him but her neighbor, Bridget Murphy, is dependent on his mother. How is Jack to take Mary home when Bridget looks ready to give birth any moment?

Review:​ So sweet. A beautiful reminder to trust God with each moment.
Author: Ruth Logan Herne Grade: A Ages: 14+

This Land Is Our Land
​As the oldest of the seven Jameson children, Mollie is at her wits end when she encounters Lasso McCall at the beginnings of a Nebraskan snow storm. With just get siblings and her grandfather in their small wagon and no shelter in site she’d given up.
Fortunately, Lasso knows of a shelter nearby that should get them through the worst of the weather, but does he know a way to release them from the dire circumstances in which they’ve found themselves?
Review: ​I loved reading This Land is Our Land. Not only was it a beautiful romance but, it was so heartwarming to watch Mollie’s siblings grow up in this short story.
Author: Pam Hillman Grade: A+
Ages: 16+

Flaming Starr
​Starr Matthews won a hundred and sixty acres outside of Texas in a contested had of cards. Sneaking out in the middle of the night to escape the shameful life she’s lived and the cheating gunslinger that refuses to believe he’s lost.
Starr arrives at her amazing new property only to find Aaron Conrad and his family with a properly sealed Texas deed.
It looks like Starr will be starting over once again…
Review: ​I think my favorite quote is “Seems like life is a progression of always starting over.” It really sums up the story. As does wondering whether you’ll stay over alone or with the Lord by your side.
Author: DiAnn Mills Grade: A Ages: 16+ | ​Starr’s status as a soiled dove is discussed and remembered. Not detailed.

A Palace on the Plains
​Hired to sew up a trousseau as a wedding for a newly engaged couple, Julia Farrington is shocked when she’s delivered to the home of Cyrus Haskell, brother of the gifter. Do they really expect her to work in a soddy? She’ll be living in a house smaller than her father’s parlor!
Review: ​I really enjoyed this but what I loved most was the advice Nan gave on marriage. It’s perfect and beautiful.
Author: Erica Vetsch Grade: A Ages: 16+

Waiting on a Promise
​Patience is overrated! Marta Vogel had been waiting practically forever for Karl Reinhardt to propose and she’s not waiting any longer.
Karl left Marta more than fifteen months ago to claim property in the Oklahoma Territory. Sure she’s gotten letters. Letters that are missing something. Letters that aren’t explaining what’s really wrong. So, Marta is going to find out. She’s not waiting any longer.
Review: ​Awesome! I loved this novella. It was great to see how Karl and Marta needed each other. Plus, watching their lack of trust in the Lord and their redemption was awesome.
Author: Becca Whitham Grade: A Ages: YA

The Bogus Bride of Creed Creek Cora Duncan survived a lot to bring herself here. Finally, she can reclaim the land her father lost – their ranch in Creed Creek, Texas. The owner, Isreal McBride is deceased, and Cora has a letter, however fraudulent​ that she’s his wife. Perfect. Until Isreal’s son appears…
Review: This wis a fun novella. It would have been better as a full-length novel though. Too much detail was missing because of the restraint.
Author: Kathleen Y’Barbo Grade: A Ages: 16+

Hott Review of The Homestead Brides Collection:

OH! I’m so sad it’s over! It’s definitely going on my re-reads pile! I really enjoyed each of the stories and can’t wait for more from each of them!

More…

Source:	Barbour Books via Netgalley Overall: Grade:	A+
Overall Steam:	YA

a great collection of stories! I thought this was a great collection of stories. Some of the books were very simple and predictable. But a few of them were also very good to read and full of wonderful characters and sweet stories.

A wonderful collection of novellas with a common theme yet each one is different and diverse.

Some of the stories are about second chances and finding love again, with glimpses into life on the prairies of Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas, and highlight the harsh realities of surviving on the plain.

I loved how there were strong heroes like Lasso in This Land is Our Land and Cyrus in A Palace on the Plains. And great humor like in Homestead on the Range.

I really liked the preacher's wife in Flaming Star, and how she was such a good friend. I also loved the Scandinavian flavor of stories like  Proving Up & Waiting on a Promise.

Prairie Promises was one of my favorites, about a young man who comes to rescue his mother from the wild west and ends up finding the things in life that he didn't even know that he was missing.

Overall, this was a wonderful collection, filled with stories of strong women, that celebrate the pioneer spirit and the people who called the prairie their home. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 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."

In these nine novellas, individuals are forced to encounter romance when neighbor helps neighbor, when land ownership is debated, and when natural disaster blows them off course.
Homestead on the Range by Mary Conneally Priceless Pearl by Darlene Franklin Proving Up by Carla Olson Gade Prairie Promises by Ruth Logan Herne This Land Is Our Land by Pam Hillman Flaming Starr by DiAnn Mills A Palace on the Plains by Erica Vetsch Waiting on a Promise by Becca Whitham The Bogus Bride of Creed Creek by Kathleen Y'Barbo Travel along through the Great Plains on romantic adventures as God helps each land prospector find someone with whom to share the dream—the work—and the love.

Overall: I really enjoyed this collection. Most of the stories involve pretty sweet romances all surrounded by a variety of hardships. Some stories offer a bit of humor and others a bit of mystery. Together, this was a collection that I loved reading, and I certainly discovered some authors I'll be sure to look into reading more from.

Homestead on the Range by Mary Conneally

Widower Elle Winter meets new homesteader Colin Samuelson on the Nebraska prairie, but the attraction between them is soon dampened by the discovery that they have seven children between them. Soon their children are working against them to bring the two families together.

My Review: This was a fun story with all the antics of a large group of children. It was like The Brady Bunch meets LIttle House on the Prairie in many ways. The novella was quickly paced with some big moments.

Priceless Pearl by Darlene Franklin

Rick Eady grew up knowing how to make do with little, while America Barton grew up having plenty. When they secure claims near each other in the Oklahoma Land Rush, Rick often comes to the aide of the inept Barton family and their pretty daughter.

My Review: This sweet story captured the peril that many pioneering families faced when they were ill-equipped for this adventure. But the subtle emotional attachment that forms between Rick and America make for a very sweet story set in Oklahoma.

Proving Up by Carla Olson Gade

Elsa Lindquist applies her scientific theories to growing trees on the Nebraska plains, intruding on a handsome homesteader’s hard work and experience. Will their dreams come to ruin, or will love prove their success?

My Review: For a novella, this one was sure full of a number of surprises! I can't say too much or else it will be spoiled, but this one was a fun read. I even learned a little bit about how the government used incentives to get homesteaders to plant more trees on the Nebraska plains.

Prairie Promises by Ruth Logan Herne

Jack O’Donnell storms onto the Nebraska homestead determined to take his widowed mother back East with him. But he finds her fit and determined to stay; plus she has taken a pregnant widow—rumored to be crazy—under her wing who wouldn’t survive without his mother’s help.

My Review: Living on the frontier took a lot of gumption and willpower. Jack's mother and Bridget both demonstrate their own share, plus the love of the land that they have. Jack clearly becomes attached to the wild land and the "crazy" woman his mother has partnered up with. Again, this one was a fun story to read.

This Land Is Our Land by Pam Hillman

Caught in an early blizzard, orphan Mollie Jameson is frantic to make it to Lincoln, Nebraska, to claim land her father homesteaded six months ago. If she can’t get there in time, her family will be homeless. Then in steps a foot-loose and fancy-free cowboy willing to help them along the trail, but can they trust him to race for the land office with their deed?

My Review: I honestly could not move through this story quick enough. It seemed like the family was always in some sort of peril and a deadline for their dreams that looms ever closer add a hint of tension to the story. Against all that, romance blooms between Mollie and Lasso. I adored this novella!

Flaming Starr by DiAnn Mills

Starr Matthews arrives at her Texas homestead only to find it already claimed by a widower and his children, who have been praying for a mother. Starr has money, but she has no skills; while Aaron Conrad has the homesteading skills, but no money for supplies. Can they work as a team?

My Review: God will always turn things to work for good is the theme of this story. Starr and Aaron both have a number of hardships in their past but they can each off something to the other that makes them better off together. This was definitely a sweet story with three little kids who are charming.

A Palace on the Plains by Erica Vetsch

Julie Farrington arrives at a Nebraska homestead as hired seamstress for an upcoming wedding. Cyrus Haskell is content being a widowed father and doesn’t need to be distracted by who he considers a high-falutin’ city girl—until a natural disaster puts her worth to the test.

My Review: This was probably my favorite story of all in this collection. The characters were wonderful and the story beautiful. There was definitely a theme concerning things being how they appeared in this story.

Waiting on a Promise by Becca Whitham

Marta Vogel’s fiancé left over a year ago to claim land in Oklahoma, and she is tired of his excuses that keep her from joining him. Karl Reinhart is locked in a bitter land dispute. When Marta arrives uninvited and unannounced, her presence is more than a trifling distraction. She just may cause him to lose everything.

My Review: There was definitely a bit of mystery in this novella as there were a lot of troublesome things happening to Karl. Marta's arrival certainly complicates things. Both characters need to have a heavy dose of patience and trust in God for everything to work out for them.
The Bogus Bride of Creed Creek by Kathleen Y'Barbo

The last thing Iz McBride expects to find when he returns home to his Texas ranch is a pregnant wife. Apparently, his pregnant wife. Yet everyone in Creed Creek seems to love Cora McBride. The only trouble is, she’s an imposter. Now Iz must decide whether to evict the woman or marry her.

My Review: This was the most difficult story for me to get interested in. But once I got most of the way through, my interest was certainly piqued by who actually owns the ranch and how everyone was connected.

**I received a copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.**

This is a collection of nine stories about homesteading--the act of settling a section of land and proving it up (improving it by cultivating it and building a home on the property). In the midst of these homesteading stories are sweet romances happening among these intrepid homesteaders. One thing about this collection is that each successive story is better than the one before and one of these stories is by a new author!

There are veteran authors like Mary Coneally, DiAnn Hunt, Kathleen Y'Barbo, Darlene Franklin, and more. The newbie is Becca Whithum. The last book I reviewed by Kathleen Y'Barbo I didn't care for as much as others I'd read by her. She asked me to allow her to redeem herself, and with her offering in this anthology has certainly been her redemption. In fact, it is my favorite story in the book. 

Cara wants to reclaim her father's land that he lost in a poker game. She arrives when the "owner" is away, but the housekeeper is there and sees the potential for Cara and Iz. Cara is expecting after a brief marriage to a con man who was already married. Rosie sees what Cara needs is a home and helps her all she can. Kathleen has written a fully developed story in a few pages that grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the story is finished. Her characters have depth and are empathetic, her descriptions of the area only add to the story and do not detract in any way. 

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's a great way to while away a blah afternoon and get a pick-me-up as well. 

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a place to Homestead. 

Barbour Books provided this book in exchange for my honest review. My many thanks to them.

Stories set in the 1800s and early 1900s are interesting to me, which I why I choose to read The Homestead Brides Collection. Having read and enjoyed The Pioneer Christmas Collection by the same publisher, I was sure I would also like their collection of stories about homesteading. The Homesteads Brides Collection has 9 novellas written by 9 different authors. I have never read anything written by these authors before. The authors are: Mary Connealy, DiAnn Mills, Erica Vetsch, Kathleen Y’Barbo, Darlene Franklin, Carla Olson Gade, Ruth Logan Herne, Pam Hillman and Becca Whitham.

Set in the late 1800s, every story is unique to its heroine and location. Each woman is on a journey of making a better life for herself in the unsettled areas of the United States and somehow ends up becoming a bride. Since these are novellas, it is often hard to develop the storyline and character before the story comes to an end. Overall, somehow the authors found a way for me to get to know the characters and care for them. There is good detail given about what is going on in the area at the time and how they went about their day to survive. I could feel the struggles the characters went through trying to carve out a life and place to live and also to “Prove Up”  and receive the land from the government.

I think my favorite stories were A Palace on the Plains and The Bogus Bride of Creed Creek. In A Palace on the Plains I could feel the romantic tension between the characters as I read. The Bogus Bride of Creed Creek had a few twists that made it interesting. My least favorite story was Priceless Pearl. The characters didn’t grab my interest like the other stories did. The story was also very slow moving for me.

Each novella is very easy to read, one could be read in a short amount of time. I wanted to keep reading through the whole book though without stopping, which wasn’t possible. The historical facts about the time period and location make the novellas enjoyable to read. All the stories are clean and had me anxiously waiting for the characters to admit their love and get married. Novellas are often happy endings and quite predictable, which is expected with their short length. Life was hard during the late 1800s but hope triumphed over despair in each story. I wasn’t disappointed when each novella ended happily with the marriage of its heroine. Fans of Inspirational Romance and/or Historical Fiction will enjoy this great collection.

The Homestead Brides Collection is filled with novellas that grab and keep hold of the reader's attention.  Humor, love, and the fight to survive give the reader a glimpse into the struggle of the past with hope for the future.

This collection is destined to become a bestseller. All of the novellas were lovely. They made nice bedtime reading. If you enjoy Christian historical romance, you'll love this collection featuring many of your favorite authors! Highly recommend. I received a NetGalley download but I didn't use it because I received a paperback copy from a friend. The book has lovely deckle edges, a pretty cover, and overlapping ends which can be used as book marks. I'd recommend the paperback over ebook because it is such a pretty paperback. It is hefty though. I liked this book so much I purchased a copy for an international reviewer on my blog.

The stories in The Homestead Brides Collection were a delight to read. Each author adds their own style, but all were very well done. It was hard to put the book down. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys historical romances.

The homestead brides collection Promises of free land lure thousands of hardy homesteaders to pull up stakes and head west to establish new settlements on the Great Plains. Follow nine couples as they pursue their dreams, deal with hardship, and encounter romance in their quest to build a bright future. A celebration of true grit and steadfast faith!  I'm a great fan of these 9-in-1 collections.  Homestead on the Range Elle and Collin are instantly attracted to each other till they realize that they have seven children between them and while they both do all possible to avoid each other and their attraction their children go to all measures to force them together. This was the funniest of all!
Priceless Pearl America and Rick meet at the land run in Nebraska and while being neighbors they realize that their attraction will do them no good because while Rick is used to survival America is used to pampering. But when she has to give up even her precious pearl to get food Rick realizes that he is ready to do all possible to win her and get her precious pearl back.
Proving Up  Nill's wife left him to his tree farm and Nebraska wilderness and left back east to live with her parents long ago but he was hoping that when he proves up she will come back but with each un responded letter his spirits go down. What will he do? But one morning while talking to his trees he mistakes his neighbor for his wife and kisses her senseless only later to realize that she was there planning the distraction of his plans. Fun and touching!
Prairie Promises  Jack O'Donnell goes to take his mother back home. Only she is home and has a very pregnant Bridget living with her. Jack is going to threaten all Bridget's plans so she has two choices to shoot him or marry him but for Juck there is really only one choice.
This Land is Our Land On his way to his fathers house Lasso McCall meets Mollie and her brood of brothers and sisters stranded in the storm. Help and guidance turn in to trust, wedding and maybe even love.
Flaming Starr While working the only job avalable for girl in Louisiana, the saloon girl, Starr wins a prime piece of land in Texas in a pocker game. Ready to start fresh and escape the looser she runs to texas never thinking that the land papers might be fake or that the land might be occupied by one very handsome and kind widower.
The Place On Plains Julia, a sim stress, arrives at Denman Nebraska as a surprise for the future bride to sew a fancy wedding gown. Only, first person to welcome her is the grouchy widower, Cyrus Huskell, and his two boys. Cramped into the dogout that cant fit even one of her many trunks what will they do?
Waiting On a Promise Marta is tired of waiting for her fiancé to send for her and take her to the Oklahoma. Besides Karl's letters suggest that he is hiding more then saying, so she packs up and goes to confront him. Only when she arrives, there is more trouble waiting for her then she realized.
The Bogus Bride Of Creed Creek Cora Duncan, single but pregnant and now an orphan as well goes on the mission to reclaim the house built by her father. Only her pretense of being married to the dead owner is short lived for there is a heir to the property with the same name as her dead "husband" only he is engaged to another. What a mess she creates for him to clean up while he is gone.  Awesome short stories i enjoyed each one.  Disclaimer: I have received a free copy of this book from the Barbour Publishing, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.