THE HOMESTEAD BRIDES COLLECTION book review

The Homestead Brides Collection
by Mary Connealy, Darlene Franklin, Carla Olson Gade, Ruth Logan Herne, Pam Hillman, DiAnn Mills, Erica Vetsch, Becca Whitham, & Kathleen Y'Barbo

Through nine historical romance adventures, readers will journey along with individuals who are ready to stake a claim and plant their dreams on a piece of the great American plains. While fighting land disputes, helping neighbors, and tackling the challenges of nature the homesteaders are placed in the path of other dreamers with whom romance sparks. And God has His hand in orchestrating each unique meeting.


Homestead on the Range by Mary Conneally
Widower Elle Winter meets new homesteader Colin Samuelson on the Nebraska prairie, but the attraction between them is soon dampened by the discovery that they have seven children between them. Soon their children are working against them to bring the two families together.

Priceless Pearl by Darlene Franklin
Rick Eady grew up knowing how to make do with little, while America Barton grew up having plenty. When they secure claims near each other in the Oklahoma Land Rush, Rick often comes to the aide of the inept Barton family and their pretty daughter.

Proving Up by Carla Olson Gade
Elsa Lindquist applies her scientific theories to growing trees on the Nebraska plains, intruding on a handsome homesteader’s hard work and experience. Will their dreams come to ruin, or will love prove their success?

Prairie Promises by Ruth Logan Herne
Jack O’Donnell storms onto the Nebraska homestead determined to take his widowed mother back East with him. But he finds her fit and determined to stay; plus she has taken a pregnant widow—rumored to be crazy—under her wing who wouldn’t survive without his mother’s help.

This Land Is Our Land by Pam Hillman
Caught in an early blizzard, orphan Mollie Jameson is frantic to make it to Lincoln, Nebraska, to claim land her father homesteaded six months ago. If she can’t get there in time, her family will be homeless. Then in steps a foot-loose and fancy-free cowboy willing to help them along the trail, but can they trust him to race for the land office with their deed?

Flaming Starr by DiAnn Mills
Starr Matthews arrives at her Texas homestead only to find it already claimed by a widower and his children, who have been praying for a mother. Starr has money, but she has no skills; while Aaron Conrad has the homesteading skills, but no money for supplies. Can they work as a team?

A Palace on the Plains by Erica Vetsch
Julie Farrington arrives at a Nebraska homestead as hired seamstress for an upcoming wedding. Cyrus Haskell is content being a widowed father and doesn’t need to be distracted by who he considers a high-falutin’ city girl—until a natural disaster puts her worth to the test.

Waiting on a Promise by Becca Whitham
Marta Vogel’s fiancé left over a year ago to claim land in Oklahoma, and she is tired of his excuses that keep her from joining him. Karl Reinhart is locked in a bitter land dispute. When Marta arrives uninvited and unannounced, her presence is more than a trifling distraction. She just may cause him to lose everything.

The Bogus Bride of Creed Creek by Kathleen Y'Barbo
The last thing Iz McBride expects to find when he returns home to his Texas ranch is a pregnant wife. Apparently, his pregnant wife. Yet everyone in Creed Creek seems to love Cora McBride. The only trouble is, she’s an imposter. Now Iz must decide whether to evict the woman or marry her.

MY REVIEW: 
4 Stars:  4/5 Star Rating
Ohhh, I love novella collections!  I can read them quickly and I can pick the book up and choose one when I only have a short time to read.  It fits this busy grandma's life for me!  I also like getting to meet so many different characters and different circumstances.  
The Homestead Brides Collection takes us to a different time in our country's history and allows us to experience life as new homesteaders were putting down roots.  Life wasn't easy and it definitely wasn't easy for our delightful heroes and heroines, but that makes it more realistic.  
I highly recommend this novella collection to romance lovers and those who love historical fiction. 
I received a complementary ARC from netgalley and Barbour Books.  I was not required to write a review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Mary Connealy


Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys always with a strong suspense thread. She is a two time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader's Choice finalist.
She is the bestselling author of 48 books and novellas.
Her most recent three book series are: Cimarron Legacy, Wild at Heart, Trouble in Texas, Kincaid Bride for Bethany House Publishing. She’s also written four other series for Barbour Publishing and many novellas and several stand-alone books for multiple publishers.
Mary will be a published author for ten years in 2017 with nearly a million books in print. She has a degree in broadcast communications with an emphasis in journalism and has worked at her local newspaper.

Find Mary online at:
Seekerville
Petticoats & Pistols
Mary's Website

DiAnn Mills:


DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She weaves memorable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure?

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, Mountainside Marketing Retreat, Mountainside Novelist Retreat, Mountainside Nonfiction Retreat, and Mountainside Speaker's Retreat with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion for helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

Stay Connected with at:
Her website: https://diannmills.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diannmills
Twitter: https://twitter.com/diannmills
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/diannmills/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/81...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diannmillsa...



Erica Vetsch:



Best-selling, award-winning author Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. She’s a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota, and she married her total opposite and soul mate! When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks. You can connect with her at her website, www.ericavetsch.com where you can read about her books and sign up for her newsletter, and you can find her online at https://www.facebook.com/EricaVetschA... where she spends way too much time!

Kathleen Y'Barbo:


Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee of more than eighty novels with almost two million copies in print in the US and abroad.

A tenth-generation Texan and certified paralegal, she has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award as well a Reader’s Choice Award and is the winner of the Inspirational Romance of the Year by Romantic Times magazine.

To connect with her through social media, check out the links on her website at www.kathleenybarbo.com.


Darlene Franklin:



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.


Carla Olson Gade:


Native New Englander Carla Olson Gade writes adventures of the heart with historical roots from her home amid the rustic landscapes of Maine. With ten books in print, she is always imaging more stories and enjoys bringing her tales to life with historically authentic settings and characters. An avid reader, amateur genealogist, photographer, and house plan hobbyist, Carla’s great love (next to her family) is historical research. Though you might find her tromping around an abandoned homestead, an old fort, or interviewing a docent at a historical museum, it’s easier to connect with her online at http://carlagade.blogspot.com


Ruth Logan Herne:




Multi-published, award-winning, bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne is living her dream of being a published author and having the time of her life doing it. Born to a poor family in Rochester, NY, Ruthy draws on her early years and her many years of dealing with today's young families and businesses to create beautiful, heartfelt small-town stories of faith, hope and love... while adopting her favorite non-Scripture quotes "Plenty of time for rest in the grave" (Ben Franklin) and "No one can make you feel inferior without your permission." (Eleanor Roosevelt) and one can always depend on Yoda "There is no try. There is do or do not." Succinct... and true. :) She loves chatting with readers on facebook at Ruth Logan Herne or follow Ruthy on Twitter, visit her website or stop by Seekerville (www.seekerville.blogspot.com) or pop by the Yankee Belle Cafe where Ruthy and several lovely authors share recipes, facts, photos and just plain old life! (www.yankeebellecafe.blogspot.com 


Pam Hillman:



CBA Bestselling author PAM HILLMAN was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn't afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove an Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn't mind raking. Raking hay doesn't take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that's the kind of life every girl should dream of.www.pamhillman.com



Becca Whitham



Becca Whitham (WIT-um) Award-winning author, paper crafter, and Army wife, Becca and her twelve-foot long craft cabinet follow her husband of thirty-five years wherever the army needs a good chaplain. She thinks the cabinet should count as a dependent. So far, neither the army nor the IRS is convinced. In between moves from one part of the country to the other, she writes stories combining faith and fiction that touch the heart. She's a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. You can find her online at www.beccawhitham.com