Book Review: A Bride for All Seasons

It all started with an ad in a mail-order bride catalogue . . .

This charming bouquet of novellas introduces you to four Hitching Post Mail-Order Bride Catalogue prospects in the year 1870, all eager for second chances . . . and hungry for happiness. Year in, year out, they'll learn that love often comes in unexpected packages.

A Bride for All Seasons: The Mail Order Bride Collection

I was tickled to review this new book--a collection of novellas by four of the current best selling Inspirational Fiction authors in the market right now. These ladies are four of my most favorite of all fiction writers in general--so I was tickled to have them all together in one place!

Even though this is a collection of four separate novellas, I'm going to review it as a whole book. Each of these stories is tied together with the common bond of the Hitching Post Mail-Order Bride Catalogue. In each novella the lead characters have corresponded via the mail-order bride catalog--the men being all out in the "Wild West" of the late 1800's and in need of brides--but some wires get crossed in their communication. This is thanks to the catalog's owner who takes it upon himself to make revisions to letters as he sees fit...and consequently there are rather large misunderstandings once they meet for the first time...which is what makes these books so fun!

Each author writes in her own style which allows each novella to easily stand alone. Each of the main characters in the novella are nicely developed and the plots move swiftly but not so fast that things are unresolved. I enjoyed the background each author gave their heroine which drove them to answer a mail-order ad of these men. It's scary to think of what these women did--especially since it's based on things that really happened with the REAL mail-order brides of the Wild West!

I think of all the novellas, my favorite one in the book was "An Ever After Summer" by Debra Clopton. I enjoyed the spunkiness of her heroine and the humor she injected in the plot.

A nice bonus of the book was an authors discussion in the back of the book, where the readers get insights in the behind-the-scenes aspect of writing a joint book. I loved the tidbits each of the authors shared...ESPECIALLY that they are going to collaborate again on another book!

If you enjoy ANY of these four authors, then I know you will enjoy this lighthearted book. It is an easy read and you will wish it was longer!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson as part of their book review bloggers program through BookSneeze. All opinions expressed are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.