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Jun 8, 2014

Sincerely Yours: A Novella Collection by Ann Shorey, Laurie Alice Eakes, Amanda Cabot, Jane Kirkpatrick

Four unique stories each with four unique women..

Sincerely Yours:  A Novella Collection 
by Ann Shorey, Laurie Alice Eakes, Amanda Cabot & Jane Kirkpatrick
Revell, April 2014
eGalley provided in exchange for this review

Book synopsis:

Four unexpected letters. Four intrepid women. Four lives changed forever.
Spanning a century and a continent, these romantic novellas will lead you on a journey through the landscape of love. Four young women find their lives altered after each receives a letter that sets her on a new path. From a Hudson River steamboat to a lush drawing room, from a carousel carver's workshop to a remote hospital, you'll be swept into the lives of women who are making their way in the world and finding love where they least expect it.

Moonlight Promise by Laurie Alice Eakes
Camilla Renfrew is a highborn English lady fleeing false accusations when she runs smack into love on a steamboat bound for the new Erie Canal. But can this unexpected attraction survive the treacherous journey?

Lessons in Love by Ann Shorey
Marigold Montgomery Bentley writes marriage advice for Kipler's Home Weekly even though she is single. Everyone assumes from the initials that "M. M." is a man. When the editor asks to meet Mr. Bentley, can Merrie come up with a ruse to keep her writing job?

One Little Word by Amanda Cabot
Lorraine Caldwell will lose her family fortune to a reckless cousin if she doesn't marry quickly. When she learns her long-lost brother is alive, she hopes she's found the answer to her problems. What she finds instead is a mysterious carousel carver who turns her life upside down.

A Saving Grace by Jane KirkpatrickGrace Hathaway must rescue a dear friend from a remote and notorious clinic that promises healing but delivers only heartache. In a place laced with deceit, where lives hang in the balance, whom can she trust to help her?

With this talented group of Christian fiction writers behind this book it is four times as nice! Although the stories are not related to each other, they are all memorable and heartwarming and complement each other nicely. Each story was enjoyable but if asked to pick a favorite it would be tough! There was a different style to each one, but the most daring storyline came with the last novella in A Saving Grace by Jane Kirkpatrick which features a twisted doctor helping mentally unstable patients and Grace must find a way to rescue her friend from the hands of evil. 
One Little Word by Amanda Cabot packs a bit more punch than the small description allows, and will touch your heart with its whimsical carousel carver and his intriguing character. Lessons In Love by Ann Shorey is written with a feminist bent that features a strong willed young lady determined to become a writer, and finds love along the way. 
The novella collection starts with Moonlight Promise by Laurie Alice Eakes which takes a little bit to get off the ground as the past of Miss Renfrew slowly unfurls, but the ending is satisfying. In all this was a great venture for the authors, and I would definitely read more novella collections from these writers. They each impart a bit of inspirational themes with the historical content that seamlessly blends into a wonderful novella collection.