The Blue Ribbon Brides Collection
by Cynthia Hickey, Gina Welborn, Jennifer Atlee, Angela Breidenbach, Darlene Franklin, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Amber Stockton, Niki Turner, Becca Whitham
Meet nine men and women whose competitive goals take them to state and county fairs between 1889 and 1930. From baking pie to polishing pigs, from sculpting butter to stitching quilts, everyone has something to prove to themselves and their communities. But in going for the blue ribbon, will nine women miss the greatest prize of all—the devoted heart of a godly man?
MY REVIEW: Blue ribbons are a coveted prize at county fairs. I remember competing myself with many exhibits in our Five-County Fair. I entered a sweetheart cake, many clothing items I had sewn, and I modeled an outfit that I had sewn. I did win several blue ribbons as well as some white and green ribbons. Our fair also awarded money for each prize, a delightful gift for one who did not have much if any spending money. The nine women are eager and excited participants in the fair.
I rate this book 5 stars and highly recommend the novella collection written by nine talented authors.
I received a copy of this book from netgalley and Barbour Books. I was not given any monetary compensation for my review.
About the Authors:
Born
in Hollywood, CA, The United States
Website
Twitter
Genre
Member Since
May 2009
URL
https://www.goodreads.com/JenniferAlLee
Jennifer AlLee was born in Hollywood, California, and spent the first 10 years of her life living over a mortuary one block away from Hollywood and Vine. An avid reader and writer, she completed her first novel in high school. That manuscript is now safely tucked away, never to see the light of day again.
She has worked in numerous fields, including as a church secretary and as an administrative assistant at a cable company, but wherever she works, writing always becomes part of the job description.
Her first novel was published in 2007. Since then, she's published 11 novels and quite a few novellas with five different publishing houses. While she's thrilled to be living her dream as author, Jennifer considers raising her amazing son to be her biggest creative achievement.
She lives in southern Nevada with her husband, Nic, who is a hunky Englishman and the best cabbie in Las Vegas.
Born
The United States
Website
Twitter
Genre
Influences
Bible & faith, Tracie Peterson, Sunnie Jeffers, Margie Lawson, Tos ...more
Member Since
October 2009
URL
https://www.goodreads.com/AngelaBreidenbach
Angela Breidenbach is the host of Lit Up! on Toginet.com. She's a Montana author of romance through the ages in historical and contemporary fiction. Other works by Angela include Gems of Wisdom: The treasure of experience, compilation books and devotionals from David C. Cook (The Quiet Hour), Guidepost, Group, and articles in magazines, e-zines, greeting cards, and newspapers. She's the Christian Authors Network president. Don't miss the hijinks of Muse, the famous fe-lion, as he sasses Writer on Angie's blog, A-Muse-ings, and on Facebook.
Interact with or learn more about Angela Breidenbach:
http://www.AngelaBreidenbach.com
https://toginet.com/shows/litup/
All social media: @AngBreidenbach
Website
Member Since
June 2010
Award-winning author and speaker Darlene Franklin lives in cowboy country—Oklahoma and loves writing about the American West. Oklahoma also has the benefit of being the home to her son, his wife, and their four beautiful children. Darlene loves music, needlework, reading and reality tv. Talia, a Lynx point Siamese cat, proudly claims Darlene as her person. Darlene is the author of seventeen contracted books and novellas, as well as several hundred short pieces. Two of her books have finaled in ACFW’s Book of the Year (now the Carol award) contest: her novella, Dressed in Scarlet, and her cozy mystery, A String of Murders.
Born
in The United States
Website
Genre
Member Since
January 2012
Website at www.cynthiahickey.com
Also www.forgetmenotromances.com
Multi-published and Amazon and ECPA Best-Selling author Cynthia Hickey had three cozy mysteries and two novellas published through Barbour Publishing. Her first mystery, Fudge-Laced Felonies, won first place in the inspirational category of the Great Expectations contest in 2007. Her third cozy, Chocolate-Covered Crime, received a four-star review from Romantic Times. All three cozies have been re-released as ebooks through the MacGregor Literary Agency, along with a new cozy series, all of which stay in the top 50 of Amazon’s ebooks for their genre. She had several historical romances release through Harlequin’s Heartsong Presents, and has sold close to a million copies of her works since 2013. She has taught a Continuing Education class at the 2015 American Christian Fiction Writers conference, several small ACFW chapters and RWA chapters. You can find her on FB, twitter, and Goodreads, and is a contributor to Cozy Mystery Magazine blog and Suspense Sisters blog. She and her husband run the small press, Forget Me Not Romances, which includes some of the CBA’s best well-known authors. She lives in Arizona with her husband, one of their seven children, two dogs, two cats, three box turtles, and two Sulcata tortoises. She has eight grandchildren who keep her busy and tell everyone they know that “Nana is a writer”.
Born
in Newberry, Michigan, The United States
January 05
Website
Twitter
Genre
Influences
Lucy Maude Montgomery, Bodie Thoene, Louis L'Amour, Louisa May Alcott, ...more
Member Since
June 2011
URL
https://www.goodreads.com/CFPagels
Carrie Fancett Pagels is an ECPA bestselling and award-winning author of Christian historical romance. Twenty-five years as a psychologist didn't "cure" her overactive imagination! She resides with her family in the Historic Triangle of Virginia, which is perfect for her love of history. Carrie loves to read, bake, bead, and travel – but not all at the same time!
Born
in Landover, Maryland, The United States
Website
Twitter
Genre
Influences
Member Since
November 2011
URL
https://www.goodreads.com/AmberStockton
Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of talking entirely too much and possessing an active imagination. Today, she has honed those skills to become an award-winning author and speaker who also works in the health/wellness industry sharing life-changing products and inspiration with everyone she meets.
She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, in Colorado. They have a daughter and a son, and a vivacious flat-coat retriever mix named Roxie.
Amber has sold over 20 books so far with more on the horizon. Other writing credits include over 100 articles for various publications, five short stories with Romancing the Christian Heart, and nine contributions to the book, 101 Ways to Romance Your Marriage.
As a born-again Christian since the age of seven, her faith in Christ has often sustained her through difficult experiences. She seeks to share that with others through her writing.
Born
in The United States
Website
Twitter
Genre
Member Since
February 2010
URL
https://www.goodreads.com/niki716
and is a co-blogger at
www.inkwellinspirations.com. Niki is the Colorado Area Coordinator for American president of the ACFW-CO Western Slope chapter. She currently has eight published novellas.
Gina Welborn
Born
The United States
Website
Twitter
Genre
Member Since
February 2010
Gina Welborn worked in news radio writing copy until she had the epiphany that the news of the day was rather depressing, so she took up writing romances because they always end happily. Gina is a 2009 ACFW GENESIS historical romance finalist and a 2007 RWA GOLDEN HEART® inspirational finalist. As a member of RWA and ACFW, she is an active contest judge and coordinator. Her manuscripts have also finaled in the Daphne du Maurier, Duel on the Delta, Dixie, and Maggie contests. Oklahoma-girl Gina now lives in Richmond, Virginia with her youth-pastor husband and their five Okie-Hokie children. Gina is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. Her debut novella, "Sugarplum Hearts," part of the HIGHLAND CROSSINGS, is a February 2012 Barbour Publishing release. Her second novella, "All Ye Faithful," releases this fall as part of A CASCADES CHRISTMAS. http://ginawelborn.blogspot.com/
Website
Genre
Member Since
December 2014
URL
https://www.goodreads.com/becca_whitham
Becca Whitham (WIT-um) is a multi-published author who has always loved reading and writing stories. After raising two children, she and her husband faced the empty nest years by following their dreams: he joined the army as a chaplain, and she began her journey toward publication. Becca loves to tell stories marrying real historical events with modern-day applications to inspire readers to live Christ-reflecting lives. She’s traveled to almost every state in the U.S. for speaking and singing engagements and has lived in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Oklahoma, Alaska, and South Carolina.
Wow, Rhonda, you really went to town on this post! Thanks for the lovely review and all the author information being shared! God bless!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Rhonda, for the positive and enthusiastic review. Loved hearing about your own experiences at your local fairs. Congrats on your wins at those! Appreciate your time in posting this review.
ReplyDeleteHi Rhonda! I am not sure why my previous comment didn't post. Very grateful for this lovely review and for including all our authors' information! Blessings!
ReplyDelete