AN AUTUMN KISS by Laura Rollins, Annette Lyon & Lisa . Catmull
SERIES: Timeless Victorian Collection #7
GENRE: Historical/Victorian Romance (clean & wholesome)
PUBLISHER: Mirror Press
RELEASE DATE: September 20, 2022
PAGES: 275
An Autumn Kiss is the seventh book in the Timeless Victorian Collection, a bestselling anthology series from Mirror Press. The book features three novellas from acclaimed historical romance authors whose stories reveal if one kiss will change the lives of the three heroines.
“The Plucky Miss Ruth,” by Laura RollinsMiss Ruth Hughes is certain she’s caught in a time loop—every day she wakes to find it exactly as the one before. A thrilling prospect to be sure. If the many books she reads on time travel has taught her anything, it is that to break free she must complete an all-important task. For Ruth the task is straightforward: reunite a couple, once desperately in love but forced apart by society. Unfortunately, things are not always as easy as they first appear. Struggling, Ruth opens up to the handsome Lord Lambert and he readily agrees to help. With autumn on the brink of turning into winter, time is running out for Ruth to help the ones who need her most. And, with a bit of luck, perhaps she can even find a little time for her own happily ever after.
“Mr. Dowling’s Remedy,” by Annette LyonCrandall Dowling’s aspirations of becoming a physician collapse when he develops symptoms that land him in an asylum. He’s been at Sherville Retreat long enough for autumn leaves to appear when Beverly Stanton arrives. She’s held under the dubious diagnosis of “hysteria” but seems perfectly sane, unlike Crandall, though his verbal and physical tics don’t seem to scare or even bother her. Beverly and Crandall develop a friendship fueled by an undeniable attraction that under other circumstances could become more. But in an asylum, one cannot plan a future, let alone one of love or marriage. Then tragedy strikes, testing staff and patients beyond anyone’s training. When the dust settles, Beverly’s diagnosis may be reversed, but if she leaves, what will become of her? What of Crandall? And what of their autumn-born love?
“A Railway Through the Roses,” by Lisa H. CatmullMr. Adrian Everard has tried everything to keep his father’s factory open, but a single solution remains. Marry an heiress before Christmas to fund the desperately needed railway. The local landowner, Lady Anne Baxter, will not agree to sell her garden—or her heart. Indeed, his childhood friend is determined to sabotage all his efforts to find a wife. As the deadline for Adrian to choose a bride draws close, one thing becomes painfully obvious. Saving the factory will mean losing the woman he loves forever.
Since 2015, Mirror Press has been presenting the Timeless Romance Collection, a curated anthology of novellas and short stories featuring bestselling authors from the contemporary and historical romance genres. The collection has hit the USA TODAY bestselling list and charted at #1 at Amazon.com. Learn more about the series and other anthologies published by Mirror Press at their website.
I always enjoy these romance novella collections from Mirror Press. I’ve read several, from the different ‘lines’ (Timeless Victorian, Timeless Regency, Timeless Romance, etc.) and every single collection has been superbly curated. An Autumn Kiss is no exception.
“The Plucky Miss Ruth” by Laura Rollins had a first kiss I’m still swooning over – sweet and gentle but with loads of breathless tension – and a fun bookish angle, a la The Time Machine. Also, who in the last two years hasn’t felt like they were stuck in a bit of a continuous loop like Ruth does? In “Mr. Dowling’s Remedy” by Annette Lyon, our hero (who suffers from what we now know as Tourette’s) and heroine (who is falsely committed by her greedy stepfather) are both patients in an insane asylum – definitely a unique setting for a HEA but Lyon pulled it off to perfection. The historical insight into mental health here is fascinating, by the way. Finally, Lisa H. Catmull’s “A Railway Through Roses” combines two of my favorite tropes – a friends-to-more focus with a little bit of marriage-of-convenience flavor thrown in too. The angst of their respectively suppressed feelings was tangible through the pages, and I was rooting for them to figure things out!
Bottom Line: I fell in love with An Autumn Kiss – from its delightfully autumnal cover to each romance on its pages. It was truly a pleasure to watch every couple in this collection find their happily-ever-after. The stories all had something to set them apart from other romances, and the overall collection gives you a nice taste of each author’s style. Not to mention, you’ll be entertained from beginning to end. And with fall in the air – or trying very hard to be – here in Georgia (praise the Lord!), this autumn-tipped collection hit the spot!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)
My Rating: 4.5 stars / loved it!
KissingBook Level: 3 / may forget to breathe on occasion
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Laura Rollins has always loved a heart-melting happily ever after. It didn’t matter if the story took place in Regency England, or in a cobbler’s shop, if there was a sweet romance, she would read it.
Life has given her many of her own adventures. Currently she lives in the Rocky Mountains with her best friend, who is also her husband, and their four beautiful children. She still loves to read books and more books; her favorite types of music are classical, Broadway, and country; she loves hiking in the mountains near her home; and she’s been known to debate with her oldest son about whether Infinity is better categorized as a number or an idea.
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Annette Lyon is a USA Today bestselling author, a 9-time recipient of Utah’s Best in State medal for fiction (three times for novel-length works and five times for short fiction), and a Whitney Award winner for BAND OF SISTERS. She’s the author of over a dozen novels, at least that many novellas, a cookbook, a popular grammar guide, and over a hundred magazine articles.
She’s a founder and regular contributor of the Timeless Romance Anthologies line of sweet romance stories, which she served as editor for its first three years. She’s also one of the four co-authors of The Newport Ladies Book Club series. She graduated cum laude from BYU with a degree in English.
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Lisa Catmull writes clean and wholesome romances in the Victorian era and sweet contemporary romances. Her books have been nominated for Swoony, RONE, and Whitney awards.
She taught Middle School English and History for seven years before pursuing screenwriting and writing. She currently lives between a canyon and a lake in Utah with her husband, two cats, and two rambunctious children.
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What about you? What makes you want to read An Autumn Kiss by Laura Rollins, Annette Lyon & Lisa H. Catmull?
Such a pretty cover. Thank you for sharing.