The American Dream Romance Collection is a collection of nine stories, which includes:
Carving the Future by Carla Olson Gade Trading Hearts by Amber Stockton Over a Barrel by Laurie Alice Eakes Impressed by Love by Lisa Karon Richardson When the Shadow Falls by DiAnn Mills New Garden's Hope by Jennifer Hudson Taylor New Garden's Crossroads by Ann E Shrock Free Indeed by Kristy Dykes A Mother's Cry by Jane Kirkpatrick All I can say I loved this collection. There were multiple authors I have not heard of before in this collection and I will be definitely be looking for more by them in the future. I think my favorite story is Kristy Dykes's Free Indeed. Another fabulous collection from this publisher.
5 plus stars.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 Blue Ribbons at Romance Junkies!

SNIPPET: A great Christian romance anthology filled with nine captivating novellas that are perfect for those who love early American history.

REVIEW:

I requested this book when I found out there was a story that takes place in 1753, because I love that year in colonial America more than anything. This collection is a treasure trove of stories with a diversity that's sure to please a wide variety of historical romance lovers. An enjoyable way to find new-to-you authors and historical stories you've been craving.

CARVING A FUTURE by Carla Olson Gade is the story that pulled me in to read this anthology. Constance Starling, a Lady of means, is captured in London and transported to Connecticut as an indentured servant in 1753. Nathaniel Ingersoll, a carver, barters his services with the ship captain who plans to sell Ms. Starling's indenture. Starved and barely alive, she will work her way out of his debt and into Nathaniel's heart. CARVING A FUTURE reminds me of the POLDARK series I've been watching on PBS. Great story and I'll look forward to reading more by this author.

TRADING HEARTS by Amber Stockton takes place in 1754 in the Connecticut River Valley when Nathaniel's brother, Captain Jonathan Ingersoll, encounters high water, endangering his ship's passage. Captain Ingersoll makes port and finds an inn where he meets Clara Marie Preston, the innkeeper's daughter. Will Clara's brother accept the captain's sincerity toward his sister, or will his own experience with traders ruin all her dreams? This story was more formal than I expected and Jonathan seemed so different from his brothers, but I liked the scenes with the Ingersoll family. I also enjoyed this couple getting to know each other better through letters.

OVER THE BARREL by Laurie Alice Eakes introduces us to the third Ingersoll brother, Micah, who ran off to war and came home injured by a musket ball, which has left him with a limp and in considerable pain. Micah spends his time baking bread for sale. When Micah finds Sarah Chapman's daughter hidden in a flour barrel, he's determined to save the child from the woman who claims she's her mother. Will Micah believe that Sarah is a widowed heiress on the run from the man insistent on becoming her next husband? Such a clever story. I liked that the hero enjoyed baking and so did the heroine.

IMPRESSED BY LOVE by Lisa Karon Richardson kicks off when Doctor Alden Ingersoll, the fourth brother, is impressed into service by the English Navy when a ship captain's niece fears for her uncle's life in 1762. Once Alden performs an unusual procedure with Phoebe's help to save her uncle's life, will his impressment be over, or is he doomed to serve for years in the war as a doctor on a ship? Both characters are well-written and the storyline gripped me from the start, earning it a spot as one of my favorites in this anthology.

WHEN THE SHADOW FALLS by DiAnn Mills seized me by taking place on Michilimackinac Island and because the heroine is a trapper like her father in 1763. I love trapper stories but I have never read one about a woman who was so capable in such an isolated place. Ninette Curvier lives a lonely life without other women to talk to, but she loves her father and does her best to please him. When she discovers an English soldier near death, will she help heal him, or leave him to die as her French father would wish? Great conflict and adventure all the way to the last page. Another favorite.

NEW GARDEN'S HOPE by Jennifer Hudson Taylor is a love story about two Quakers who postpone their wedding twice, hoping for the perfect time. Shopkeeper Josiah Wall only wishes to postpone his wedding until after the 1808 election, due to his involvement with the Federalist movement. Ruth Payne refuses Josiah's plea to reschedule, because how can he have time for her when he's so focused on politics? Josiah is determined to prove his love but will their political differences continue to tear them apart? An interesting twist for a Quaker story and I'd like to read more about this couple.

NEW GARDEN'S CROSSROADS by Ann E. Schrock was a bit harder to understand because of some of the nuances of the Quaker faith and history, but I loved that it focused on freedom for slaves. Nathaniel is a slave hunter who meets Deborah when he's chasing slaves for their bounty. Deborah's family hides and abets the slaves and Nathaniel suspects. When he's injured in a flood while chasing escaped slaves, will his Quaker faith be renewed due to his thankfulness to the Friends who save him? Having a hero as a repentant slave hunter was a twist I never expected, but it kept me captivated, wondering how the hero would be redeemed.

FREE INDEED by Kristy Dykes introduces us to Winkie, who has lived her life as a slave and then is freed by her owner in 1856. Winkie makes a life for herself and her daughter, living with grief and anger over her husband's death. When she meets Joseph, a handsome carpenter and slave, Winkie believes her life will improve by marrying this man. But Winkie can't accept Joseph's deep faith and Joseph can't accept Winkie's lack of it, so how can there be a future for this couple? The vernacular in this story was difficult sometimes. The faith message seemed deeper than the other novellas, so I was troubled by this couple's journey. I wanted Joseph to be more understanding but by the end, I understood Winkie better. This story will appeal to those who enjoy a romance that is fraught with religious conflict.

A MOTHER'S CRY by Jane Kirkpatrick delves into a midwife's life in 1843 in the Wisconsin territory and how one mistake in her past troubles her future. Years later, Adele, a recent widow, and her daughter are midwives together when they meet another woman with a similar health concern to the first mother Adele lost in childbirth. Will Adele accept this woman's brother's request to treat his sister? Will Adele follow her past, or her unexpected future? Great story that left me wishful for more. I hope there's a sequel because I really want to read more about these characters.

The first four novellas in this anthology are connected by heroes who are brothers so it's like one continuing narrative about the Ingersoll family. Some of the novellas include recipes from a historical cookbook that are related to something within the tale. I had hoped all the stories had that connection, but they didn't. It would have been a nice touch. Religious beliefs and sweet romance are another thread these stories have in common. Faith plays a key role in this collection, with a wide variety to meet every preference from just a sprinkling of faith to stories filled with numerous bible verses to ponder.

As with any anthology there are novellas I enjoyed more than others, but the talent and background of each author is impressive. I would readily read another book by any of these authors because they all added value to the anthology as a whole.

THE AMERICAN DREAM ROMANCE COLLECTION will delight romantic history lovers. A carver, a sea captain, a baker, a doctor, a soldier, a political activist, a slave hunter, a slave, a banker – nine heroes will satisfy a varied readership. The heroines are just as diversified so you'll find a good variety of attributes to admire. If you enjoy Christian early American historical fiction, then grab this anthology for hours of reading pleasure.

A wonderful collection of novellas set across early America, from Colonial times up to the Civil War! I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of settings and the interesting history behind each story, especially the first set, which revolved around four brothers: a ship's carver, captain, baker and doctor. The following tale, set on Mackinac Island during the French Indian War was one of my favorites, with an English soldier torn between his duties and heritage, falling in love with a French fur trapper's daughter. The next few stories were connected by a Quaker family, who later helped runaway slaves. Found myself falling for the prodigal blacksmith in the second one, who finds his way back to faith and hope for a future. The next tale told from the first person of a freed slave was unusual, but worked well with the previous stories. The last novella about the midwife was my favorite of the collection, with a widow finding a new love and learning to face her fears.
The insertion of faith, hope, redemption, love, and trust in God made this an inspiring set of historical tales. I savored each one, taking my time to read through them. Found a few new authors to read, and some delicious sounding recipes to try out from a Colonial era cookbook too.

Recommend this well-written collection of tales from early America, especially for historical Christian romance fans. 4.5 stars
(Note: The first four novellas were previously published as Colonial Courtships, and the last one appears in The Midwife's Legacy. Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for the book provided in exchange for my honest, original review.)

Nine authors submitted their novellas for this collection and put together quite a fun read. There are a couple of series included in this collection, and books I have read before, but I still enjoyed the stories. Beginning in the seventeenth century with a girl kidnapped and impressed into indentured servitude and running to the Civil War and the Westward Expansion with a midwife who wants to move west after a misunderstanding with a patient's brother, this collection shows how these women found love in most unexpected ways.

The characters have such beautiful personalities that are well developed in spite of the shortness of the novellas. The settings only add to the winsomeness of the stories, and the plots are well-paced. This is a perfect book to read when you just want to fill a few stolen minutes and still read a full story.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a dream to call your own.

My thanks to Barbour Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed it. I love the Romance collection Barbour does to begin with and this one is not exception

A wonderful collection of Romance, love and family.....Each story had its own beauty.
I love collections like this....very satisfying.

wonderful stories. With great historical insight of unusual situations, I greatly enjoyed these stories about life in early America. While there are 9 stories and 450 pages total, The first 4 stories follow the same group of characters, a delight to see different love stories develop and you get to see characters through different perspectives and what happens to them down the road. The last 5 stories stand alone as quick and interesting reads. NIce historical christian romances!

Wonderful book