Treasured Christmas Brides: 6 Novellas Celebrate Love as the Greatest Gift by Amanda Cabot et al Review

 Good Morning Sweet Friends :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you've all taken the time to drop on by my little corner of the internet.

I'm Kirby, and The Preppy Book Princess is where I get to share my love of the written word with you all.

I devour quite a few titles every single year, as I've been a voracious reader since I was a young child. However, my favorite books continue to be those ones that honor Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and today I've got another fun Christian Christmas book review for you all.

I can't wait to dive right in, and so I hope you'll all keep reading down below for today's full review.

Treasured Christmas Brides: 6 Novellas Celebrate Love as the Greatest Gift by Amanda Cabot, Rebecca Germany, Cathy Marie Hake, Colleen L. Reece, Marylu Tyndall, and Michelle Ule:

Source: Christmas Gift from My Hubby

Publisher: Barbour Books

Publication Date: September 1st, 2019

Genre: Christian Fiction/Christmas Read/Novella Collection/Historical Fiction

Synopsis:

Six historical Christmas romances prove life’s most priceless gifts come not in the form of polished gold or silver—but from the vast riches of a loving heart.
 
The Christmas Star Bride by Amanda Cabot
Wyoming, 1885—Esther Hathaway lost her one true love at Gettysburg twenty years ago, but she is still willing to celebrate her niece’s wedding by commissioning Jeremy Snyder to paint her portrait. Will Esther’s prayers for God to ease her loneliness be answered by a wounded vet?
 
A Token of Promise by Rebecca Germany
Alaska, 1897—Promised in marriage to a man she has never met in exchange for a place to call home, Charlotte Vance is headed to the Klondike and struggling not to fall in love with the wrong man. Gabe Monroe has found a bride perfect for his brother. A wife will help his brother run his supply business and raise his daughter, and Gabe will be freed to seek riches in the Yukon rivers after the spring thaw. But what will become of Charlotte when both brothers refuse to marry her—even though one loves her?
 
Band of Angel’s by Cathy Marie Hake
Colorado, 1893—The first time Jarrod McLeod dips his pan in the river, he strikes gold—a wedding ring!  Sure the woman who lost it must be beside herself, he goes upriver to return it. He meets laundress Angel Taylor. She did lose the ring; however, she refuses to take the ring back. Jarrod’s first impressions of Angel are scandalous, but he soon discovers the truth, bringing her a Christmas gift to span the perimeters of time.
 
Winterlude by Colleen L. Reece
Alaska, 1930s—A single out-of-place snowflake in San Diego lures Ariel Dixon home to Ketchikan, Alaska, despite her wealthy fiancé’s protests. When she encounters slim, handsome Jean Thoreau, a childhood friend presumed dead, a swift rush of events changes the course of Ariel’s life. Drawn back to the home she loves, Ariel finds peace in the arms of the man who would not break a promise made long ago.
 
Christmas Bounty by MaryLu Tyndall
California, 1855—Caroline is a widowed mother alone in a small California town that is suddenly exploding with gold fever. When she sees the ship’s captain who once saved her and her husband’s lives on a scaffold to be hung, she must do something—even propose marriage.
 
Goldrush Christmas by Michele Ule
Alaska, 1897—When Samantha and her twin Peter book passage to Alaska in search of their missionary-minded father, they never imagined getting caught up in the rush for gold or that their neighbor would follow them. Soon their youth and inexperience is challenged on all fronts.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

As with most novella collections I choose to pick up, Treasured Christmas Brides had its ups and downs, with some lovely, heartwarming tales that left me thinking about them long after I finished them, and some that I wouldn't personally have the urge to reread again.

I'm going to review these in the order from what I felt was the worst to the best:

Christmas Bounty by Marylu Tyndall:

A new to me author, this title didn't particularly work for me. I thought the plot and subsequent romance were too implausible, and I didn't think it fit well with the other novellas in the collection. 

2.5/5

Winterlude by Colleen L. Reece:

A cute premise, but not exactly what I was expecting. The plot was fairly predictable, and the villain was a little too over the top for my liking. I did enjoy the components about the Alaskan wilderness though.

3/5.

Goldrush Christmas by Michelle Ule:

A sweet story that dives into some harder hitting topics like prostitution, Michelle Ule's contribution tells the story of twins Samantha and Peter who join a friend to the frontiers of wild Alaska. While I enjoyed the romance and many components of the plot, I didn't enjoy Peter's character, and didn't think he was redeemed in my eyes by the end of the story.

3/5.5.

Band of Angel's by Cathy Marie Hake:

This was exactly the type of novella I was hoping for when I chose to pick this one up, and it definitely did not disappoint. A sweet but heart wrenching story about a young woman trapped in the clutches of an abusive stepfather, and the new neightbor who's falling for her and determined to help her find a way out. Set around the gold rush craziness in 1890's Colorado, this was definitely one of my favorites of the set, and I loved how strong the faith element was throughout.

4/5.

A Token of Promise by Rebecca Germany:

This one was truly adorable and heartwarming, and I loved how so much of it was about a young woman struggling to find a place to belong, but knowing that her Heavenly Father always has the best plan in mind if we can only trust His ways. The romance was swoon worthy, the characters were likeable and well developed, and I loved how strong the familial element was between the main male protagonist and his brother and niece.

4.5/5.

Lastly, was my favorite of the entire collection, which just happened to be the very first title.

The Christmas Star Bride by Amanda Cabot:

I've loved ever one of Amanda Cabot's historical titles I've picked up, and this one was no different. A beautiful story about a woman who has given up on her own happily ever after, but is determined to see her niece be able to continue on with their family's long handed down tradition of a certain wedding portrait being painted of the couple. When Esther finally finds a man willing to take on the project, she didn't also expect him to take on the job of softening her long hardened heart.

Everything I was hoping for and more, this was a beautiful story about second chances and first loves, and it sets up the collection beautifully.

5/5.

I give the collection overall a rating of 4/5, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of faith based historical novella collections.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.