As y’all may remember, I reviewed books professionally for RT Book Reviews (aka Romantic Times) for three years until it shut its doors. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to share these reviews with you here on the blog as long as they still belonged to the magazine. However, now that it has closed its doors and deleted its website (including my reviews) from its corner of cyberspace, I’m free to share my reviews for those books here too! Today I’m featuring one of my very fave novella collections – With This Ring!
WITH THIS RING
GENRE: Historical/Western Romance novella collection
PUBLISHER: Bethany House
RELEASE DATE: January 5, 2016
PAGES: 384
Sometimes Love is Found in the Most Unexpected Places!
Love isn’t always a fairy tale, and it doesn’t always go as planned. Sometimes the best stories, though, are the ones that are the most unexpected. Join Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, Regina Jennings, and Melissa Jagears for novellas that celebrate the power of love to triumph . . . even when circumstances go awry!The Husband Maneuver
When ranch foreman Daniel Barrett seems ready to leave her life forever, Marietta Hawkins decides to grab the reins on their relationship. But to have any hope of maneuvering him into a proposal, she has to act fast or risk losing him completely.Her Dearly Unintended
Josiah Huckabee just wanted to make sure Katie Ellen Watson was safe, but when the only bridge to her farm is washed out, the two find themselves alone. Alone, that is, until a menacing stranger appears. Maybe by pretending to be newlyweds, they’ll save their reputations–but can pretending to be in love turn into the real thing?Runaway Bride
Hired to help Carrie Halsey escape from a dangerous man intent on making her his wife, Big John Conroy never expected the job to interrupt his solitary Texas Ranger life. But now that he’s promised to keep Carrie safe, he discovers he may just want to make a few more promises.Engaging the Competition
Harrison Gray and tomboy Charlotte Andrews have been rivals for years. With Charlotte intended for someone else, it seems they’ll never settle their differences until an accident changes things completely. When Charlotte breaks Harrison’s glasses–without which he’s nearly blind–she must help with his teaching position, and working together forces these former adversaries to reconsider everything.
Each novella about unexpected proposals gives beloved secondary characters their own chance to find love. In Witemeyer’s “The Husband Maneuver”, Marietta Hawkins tries to wrangle an engagement from her father’s dead-eye ranch foreman. Two longtime friends invent an inconvenient newlywed cover story to protect each other from a mysterious stranger stranded with them during a storm in Jennings’ “Her Dearly Unintended”. Connealy’s “Runaway Bride” stars a desperate young woman in trouble in Texas, forced to rely on a Ranger and his friends for help. Finally, in Jagears’ “Engaging the Competition”, an old friend who needs assistance makes Charlie’s heart less certain about her looming marriage of convenience.
This quartet of authors consistently writes with hilarity, warmth, and toe-curling romance, and their individual contributions to this entertaining collection hold true to form. Connealy tips her hat to long-time fans with a grin-inducing reunion and clever word-smithing. Witemeyer’s ingenious story within a story adds even more humor and drama to her contribution. Jennings and Jagears perfectly complete the ensemble with witty tales of friendship and breathless kisses.
(I was paid to write a review for RT Book Reviews. All views expressed are nevertheless only my honest opinion.)
My Rating: 5 stars / “Top Pick” – In a class of its own!
KissingBook Level: 4 / Keep those fan and fainting couches handy!
you can also buy each novella separately
Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a minor in history. She’s the winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award, a two-time Golden Quill finalist and a finalist for the Oklahoma Book of the Year Award. Regina has worked at the Mustang News and at First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows. She lives outside of Oklahoma City with her husband and four children and can be found online at www.reginajennings.com.
Mary Connealy writes “romantic comedies with cowboys” and is celebrated for her fun, zany, action-packed style. She is the bestselling author of over 50 books and novellas has nearly a million books in print. Mary lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero. Learn more at www.maryconnealy.com.
Carol Award-winning author Melissa Jagears is a homeschooling mom who writes Christian historical romance into the wee hours of the night. She’s the author of the Unexpected Brides series, the Teaville Moral Society series, and Love by the Letter, a free prequel ebook novella. You can learn more about Melissa, her books, and where she hangs out online at www.melissajagears.com.
What about you? Have you read this collection? What interests you most about the novellas? (Or, what did you love most about them if you’ve read them?)
I loved this book!
i did too (clearly) – I need a re-read!!