I was provided this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I selected it because I am a fan of Laurie Alice Eakes.

"The Carpenter's Inheritance" by Laurie Alice Eakes and "A Love So Tender" by Tracey V. Bateman are together in this 2016 volume published by Barbour Books. "The Carpenter's Inheritance" (2012) and "A Love So Tender" (2005) are re-releases of two previous Heartsong Presents books. I thoroughly enjoyed both stories, and will review them separately below.

"The Carpenters Inheritance" by Laurie Alice Eakes, set in 1893 Loveland, Massachusetts

5 stars

Lucinda Bell, a "lady lawyer" fresh out of law school, is new in town. Women are not yet widely accepted as lawyers, and it's only legal in some states. Lucinda would rather be near her family, but she's very committed to being a lawyer, particularly to represent "ladies' plights," and so has settled in Loveland. However, as a newcomer and as a woman, Lucinda is finding it a challenge to fit in, and is concerned about her ability to get enough cases to make a living.

Lucinda's office space is shockingly in need of cleaning and a bit of carpentry. She finds a very talented carpenter, tall and confident Matthew Templin, by crashing into the man. Matt, 26, is lonely and is very drawn to Lucie, noting that she "was kind, appreciative, [and] beautiful." Lucie frequently notices Matt's kindness and likes him very much.

What I liked:

*Matt is one of the sweetest heroes ever, and both Lucie and Matt are extremely likable characters. Watching their relationship grow early in the story was so pleasing. There were no huge misunderstandings to deal with, and the romance felt natural. I was truly delighted.

*The secondary characters (as well as the main ones) were awesome!

What I didn't like:

After finishing the story, I realized that I had a lingering question about a minor detail in the conclusion and had to go back and re-read a section. That's as close to a dislike as I came.

------------------------------

"A Love So Tender" by Tracey V. Bateman, set in 1875 in Oregon City, Oregon

5 stars

Aimee Riley has had an unrequited love for her cousin Greg for years, and everyone knows it. Once he makes it clear that he wishes to court another lady, she feels that she needs to leave town. Aimee leaves her family's home without warning to anyone and appears at her aunt and uncle's house unannounced. She decides to give them much needed help in caring for their home full of orphans. On the very night of her arrival, Aimee is entrusted with the care of a new orphan: an infant whose mother died in childbirth. The baby's mother has named him Georgie, and Aimee becomes his foster mother. However, it turns out the child is not a true orphan. Georgie's father, Rex Donnelly, was away from his wife when the tragedy occurred. He is searching for Georgie and is determined to be reunited with him.

This story is a romance, so I don't think it's a spoiler to say that Aimee and Rex gradually transition from an antagonistic relationship to a caring one. The subject matter is dear to my heart as a foster and adoptive parent, and I think the feelings and concerns portrayed in both parents are written realistically. Georgie's reaction to Rex seemed true-to-life, as well.

What I liked:

*The gradual change in Rex and Aimee's relationship was written so skillfully. It happened over time, time enough for each to understand the other's viewpoints and to start to truly know one another.

What I disliked:

*This book is a bit more angsty than I prefer, but I didn't feel overwhelmed, so Bateman must have done a good job!

I'd recommend this book to fans of sweet historical Christian romances. I was already a fan of Eakes, and now another Bateman book will definitely be on my to-read list.

I really love historical books and this one has two in it. I enjoyed both! The first book is a bit of a romance and a mystery. I loved reading about a lady lawyer trying to make it in the days when it wasn't acceptable for a female to be in that vocation. This was an easy read and I highly recommend it. The second book was a precious story about a woman who adopts a baby only to find out that the baby's father has been searching for him for six years. The sparks fly and it was fun to see the romance build between the boy's father and his adoptive mom. It too was an easy read and a sweet story. I highly recommend it. I was given this book for an honest review.

This is a sweet romance that is perfect to curl up with and be swept away.

The Carpenter’s Inheritance by Laurie Alice Eakes and A Love So Tender by Tracey V. Bateman are two short stories combined into one book. Both stories are set in the late 1800’s.
In The Carpenter’s Inheritance Lucinda Bell is opening her law practice in Loveland MA. She is there because her home state of VA will not allow women to practice law. Her father has told her if she has any questions to ask Gertie who runs a local diner. She goes to Gertie when she needs someone to build bookshelves and do some other repairs to her office. She hires the carpenter, Matthew Templin, who is a bit of an outcast in the town. They become close friends as he works so closely with her. Not everyone in town is as welcoming to her and some want her out of town for good for a variety of reasons. Her first clients are two eccentric twin sisters who wish re-do their wills. Their influence in the town helps Lucinda to become more accepted and gain more clients. There are several questions that will be answered by reading this story. Will Lucinda and Matt develop a deeper relationship? What is the carpenter’s inheritance? What will happen when two potential clients want Lucinda to represent them but their cases will conflict? A Love So Tender begins with Aimee being rejected by the man she loves. She goes to another town to assist her Aunt and Uncle in running an orphanage. She becomes attached to all of the children and loves being able to help them. One night a lady, Mrs. Carlton, comes to the door with an infant, Georgie, and tells Aimee that the mother died in childbirth and the lady can no longer care for the child. She tells Aimee that the child’s father went back east to assist with family business but she doesn’t know exactly where. She also tells Aimee he had been gone for some time before the birth. Aimee takes the child in and raises him as her own. Aimee is the only mother he has ever known. She takes him with her on visits to her family at their farm and they accept him as their grandchild. Meanwhile, the father, Rex Donnelly, returns to find the home where he left his pregnant wife has burned down and a neighbor telling him his wife died in childbirth and that Mrs. Carlton has left the area with George to live with her sister somewhere. Rex is a well off attorney who hires detectives to search for Mrs. Carlton and his son. The search takes six years before he finally connects to George and Aimee. Aimee is devastated when he wants to take his son from her. George is not happy to be told he will be taken from his mother. Will they be able to work out a plan to share George? Will Rex insist that George leave Aimee and live with him? There are many interesting twists and turns along the way to a solution.
I enjoyed both of these short stories. There is the issue of class rankings in both stories. Matt and Aimee were both raised as working class while Lucinda and Rex were both raised by lawyers and families that were considered high society. It is interesting to read how this affects their interactions and their pre-conceived notions of the other. I often wanted to hug Aimee throughout the book; her pain was evident in many parts of the story for reasons beyond possibly losing George. I guess I tend to root for the underdog because I also related to Matt when he was rejected by some people for reasons beyond his control. Lucinda comes off as more likeable at first than Rex but can he redeem himself before the end of the story? I did thoroughly enjoy this book and did not want to put it down until finished. I received an advance copy of this book free in exchange for my honest review.