Thursday, November 30, 2017

The Captive Brides Collection

GIVEAWAY
DAVIS, SUSAN PAGE
HICKEY, CYNTHIA
ALLEE, JENNIFER
BREIDENBACH, ANGELA
FRANKLIN, DARLENE
HALL, PATTY SMITH
PAGELS, CARRIE FANCETT
THOMPSON, LUCY
WELBORN, GINA
THE CAPTIVE BRIDES COLLECTION

Freedom waits in the arms of love

From both coasts and the Great Plains of America, over the high seas, and down under in Australia come nine romantic adventures featuring historical women who long to make their escape from some of life's greatest challenges. Whether bound in prison, slavery, indentured service, or other circumstances, freedom seems elusive to these women who feel trapped and hopeless, but God is providing a way out. Romance is opening doors of opportunity. But will arms of love be waiting to welcome each woman as she takes her leap of faith?

Includes the following stories:

Love's Labours Found by Jennifer AlLee -- Montserrat, West Indies, 1665 -- Temperance Simms only wanted a better life. Instead, she finds herself labeled a criminal and sold as an indentured servant. After a kind man saves her life, can Temperance trust that God will turn her sorrow into something beautiful?

His Indentured Bride by Angela Breidenbach -- Pennsylvania, 1773-1776 -- Leaving Scotland for a short indenture with her betrothed, Maire Greer's contract is sold and extended through cruel circumstances. Can Kirk Lachlan's service in the American Revolution save her, or will she lose love and freedom forever?

The Suspect Bride by Susan Page Davis - Oregon, 1890s -- Verity Ames cooks at the restaurant where shy lawyer Jack Whitwell eats lunch daily. As Jack works up courage to ask her for a date, the sheriff' walks into the restaurant and arrests Verity for murder.

His Golden Treasure by Darlene Franklin -- San Francisco, 1873 -- Goldie Hatfield grows up on the Barbary Coast until her guardian demands she pay the coast of her upbringing -- or work at her brothel. How far will Pastor Joshua Kerr go to set Goldie free?

Through Stormy Waters by Patty Smith Hall -- Atlantic Ocean, 1745 -- Deported to the British colonies for her father's crimes, Charlotte Singleton helps Captain John Randall when an epidemic breaks out on his ship. Can two battered hearts find love in the midst of a storm?

Moira's Quest by Cynthia Hickey -- New York, 1869 -- A quest for revenge ends up in a marriage of convenience and a feisty Irish lass discovers that not everything is as it seems when family secrets are revealed.

Love's Escape by Carrie Fancett Pagels -- Virginia, 1850 -- With her life in peril, Lettie seeks escape from slavery. When Nathan offers to "conduct" her North via an unusual segment on the Underground Railroad, will his efforts help or do them both harm?

Waltzing Matilda by Lucy Thompson -- Sydney, Australia, 1821 -- Henry didn't plan on a runaway convict masquerading as a shepherd. Or on the woman's baby. Keeping them safe will cost him his freedom -- or will it?

A Score to Settle by Gina Welburn -- on the Missouri River, 1870 -- A lonely mercantile owner falls for the enchantress who steals his wallet, but the cost to free her from a snake oil salesman may be too high to pay.

My Review:

What a great theme for a novella set! Deported, indentured, imprisoned, sold into slavery -- these captive brides must overcome untold difficulties with the aid of stalwart heroes determined to set them free. The kind of page-turners that held me captive and though I only planned to read one novella a day I ended up devouring the whole book in two days.

Each story is only about 50 pages, but they still pack a punch and my emotions ran high. I'd whoosh a huge sigh of relief over the satisfying conclusion of one story only to have my heart jump back into my throat when I turned the page  and started reading the next one. Intense situations, deplorable conditions and evil injustice rankled something fierce. And yet, despite the circumstances each heroine possesses an indomitable spirit which sees her through her trials and into the happily-ever-after of her dreams.

Diverse stories written in distinctive styles make this a collection to cherish.

My thanks to author Carrie Fancett Pagels for gifting me with a copy of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Captive Bride Collection, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday December 3 2017. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!


36 comments:

  1. I would like to have this Collection! Thank You, Kav! Kathleen
    lanehillhouse[at]centurylink [dot]net

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  2. Great sounding collection. Thanks for sharing all these new to me authors, with me and for the chance to win.
    iamabho AT gmail DOT com

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    1. There were a lot of new to me authors for me too. One of the great perks of reading a novella collection -- you get to discover new authors. Good luck, Linda.

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  3. I have this one on my shelf that I'm hoping to get to soon! I think I read the first couple of chapters of the first book and it certainly drew me in! Mid-December to early January is looking like a much quieter review schedule so I'm wanting to catch up on "for fun" reads :-) I already have a pile started...lol!

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  4. I love collections like this. Thank you for featuring it Kav. Would love to win a copy.

    Blessings,
    Cindy W.

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    Replies
    1. Novella collections are fun to read, aren't they? Good luck, Cindy.

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  5. I love collections! When you have a combination of great authors....that's the best! This one sounds great! Thank you for sharing, Kav!

    mauback55 at gmail dot com

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    1. Definitely some winning authors in this one, Melanie. Good luck!

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  6. I enjoy reading books like this with so many authors stories. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom

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    1. This is an exceptional one. Good luck, Kim.

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  7. Eee! I LOVE these collections and haven't read this one yet!! (One of my favorite themes, too: Captivity!)
    Elly -Indiana-

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    1. It's amazing how unique each one of the stories is considering all the authors are taking on the same theme. Good luck, Elly.

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  8. I love these collections! lattebooksAThotmailDOTcom

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  9. I would absolutely love to win this book to read .It sounds like a AWESOME read . Thank you Blessings, DanaGirl
    danagirlspilleatgmaildotcom

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    Replies
    1. It's a great collection. Good luck, DanaGirl

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  10. This is a great collection. Good luck everyone.

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  11. This is my favorite type of book with multiple authors and lots of great stories! Thank you Kav!

    jennydtipton at gmail dot com

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  12. Thanks so much Kav for this lovely review and blog post! Blessings!

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    1. You're welcome, Carrie. It was a pleasure to read.

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  13. Great post and I look forward to reading this collection by these great authors!! Becky lelandandbeckyATreaganDOTcom

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  14. I love these Barbour collections. I’ve started collecting them! Would love to add this one. Thanks paulams49ATsbcglobalDOTnet

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    1. Definitely worthy of collecting. Good luck, Paula.

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  15. I have discovered recently that I really enjoy reading novellas! I finished one by Becky Wade and one by Julie Lessman recently and enjoyed both immensely.

    pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Sometimes it's just fun to have a shorter read. Good luck, Patty.

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  16. I love these collections. teshawATsbcglobalDOTnet

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  17. I'm addicted to reading these Barbour Romance Collections! KAV, thank you for the chance!
    psalm103and138atgmaildotcom

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    Replies
    1. And there are so many of them! Good luck, Caryl.

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  18. In the past I have said that I'm not a fan of novellas, but in the last year I have read quite a few and have been so surprised by the depth in many. This one sounds like many of the included stories can be especially impactful due to the theme. tlhcoupon(at)Hotmail(dot)com

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    1. It's a really interesting theme -- makes you think about all the ways humans have been forced into captivity throughout history. Plus it has varied time periods which isn't usual in a novella collection. Good luck, Terrill.

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