As mentioned in the previous post about "The 12 Brides of Summer: Novella Collection #1", these 4 book collections are digitally printed by Shiloh Run Studios, a digital press division of Barbour Publishing, and was off to a great start as Book #1. Now, with Book #2, I was indeed looking forward to the short stories by Mary Connealy, Amanda Cabot and Maureen Lang. Boy, was I in for a treat.
A Bride Rides Herd by Mary Connealy was a great start. Similar to her other novels, Ms. Connealy gave us a little bit of action, a little bit of fun, a little bit of "uh-oohh", and a little bit of romance. It was a nice, simple read, which I kind of wish it was a full novel since I felt many areas, it was just glided over with a time reference. I was reminded by Ms. Connealy's new book, "Now & Forever" with the opening scene.
Amanda Cabot's The Fourth of July Bride may be my favorite so far of all the short stories from both collections 1 & 2. Ms. Cabot is so clearly able to give us a story of love, of growth in the Lord and what it means to abide by your faith. A beautiful story with enough closure that I don't feel robbed.
Next, we have Maureen Lang's The Summer Harvest Bride that gives us strength and knowledge of how a town comes together for the good of everyone. That's one thing I find historical novels so interesting. It provides us modern folks to imagine life of how our ancestors (many times over) have done it. In their own way, and with the sense of team work with the town to strive and build their "American Dream".
With novellas, I wondered if authors just ran out of or does not have enough things to say or they purposely condensed it for a collection as such. There are authors that are great with novellas that felt the story completed well within the short story line. And there are some authors that are better off writing full novels. With these three stories and having the pleasure of reading these authors' other novels, I believe I have a preference on the types of novels by these authors. With A Bride Rides Herd as comparison, I think I prefer Ms. Connealy's full fledged novels, since I feel there's more in terms of developments in characters and plot of this novella. With The Fourth of July Bride, and her other full novels, Ms. Cabot demonstrated her abilities as an author that can fully provide readers with both types. And Ms. Lang's The Summer Harvest Bride, gives us a glimpse of her talents in shortening her stories, and still able to give us enough closure.
With novellas, I wondered if authors just ran out of or does not have enough things to say or they purposely condensed it for a collection as such. There are authors that are great with novellas that felt the story completed well within the short story line. And there are some authors that are better off writing full novels. With these three stories and having the pleasure of reading these authors' other novels, I believe I have a preference on the types of novels by these authors. With A Bride Rides Herd as comparison, I think I prefer Ms. Connealy's full fledged novels, since I feel there's more in terms of developments in characters and plot of this novella. With The Fourth of July Bride, and her other full novels, Ms. Cabot demonstrated her abilities as an author that can fully provide readers with both types. And Ms. Lang's The Summer Harvest Bride, gives us a glimpse of her talents in shortening her stories, and still able to give us enough closure.
This collection, Book #2 is a a book that will fill you, any historical fiction fan as myself. You will get all you want to find in typical historical novels with these 3 stories. Enjoy.
Again: If you're interested, here are the release dates for the rest of the collections:
The 12 Brides of Summer Novella Collection #2 – Releases July 1
The 12 Brides of Summer Novella Collection #3 – Releases August 1
The 12 Brides of Summer Novella Collection #4 – Releases September 1
NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this e-book from the publisher, Shiloh Run Studiosof Barbour Publishing for an honest review.
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