Divided sweethearts seek love and forgiveness in this collection of seasonal novellas.Forged for lovers, the Viking star ring is said to bring lovers together, no matter how far, no matter how hard.In eight stories covering more than a thousand years, our heroes and heroines put this legend to the test. Watch the star work its magic as prodigals return home in the season of goodwill, uncertain of … of goodwill, uncertain of their welcome.
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The ring of Frigga is the star of this anthology. Forged so the multi-pointed star will bring true loves together, regardless of distance of even time. Anthologies where the stories have a common theme make the best reading material. I loved the way the authors threaded the ring through different time periods, ranging from Viking to the 1920’s. Each story could be a standalone, but together they are brilliant. I enjoyed each author’s offering but was delighted to see Amy Quinton’s Umbrella Chronicles among the selections. Lady Harriett Ross was one of my favorite characters from the Fire and Frost anthology. The Bluestocking Belles certainly know how to put together an amazing read. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A very entertaining collection of stories. They all center around a ring that is passed down through the generations that supposedly unites lovers. All of the authors did a good job telling their stories and they ran the gamut of history etc. Would have been a 5 star rating but some of the stories were samples and not whole stories. I despise starting a book only to find out it’s not all there. If I know in advance it’s a little better but I much prefer reading the whole thing at one time.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Each of these stories were a treat, but I must say that the one offered by Jude both infuriated me and pleased me. It was refreshing to see a man and woman stay true to their commitment to each other while others tried their best to manipulate and interfere. I also very much enjoyed the story about Sonja and her Viking “King”. Rewarding stories all.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A Golden Star Brings Love Throughout Time
This is a wonderfully written Anthology of various types of ADULT historical Romances by various authors. There are stories about ancient Vikings from the 9th century, Persians and Turks from the 18th century with English explorers in their midst. Scotsmen involved in the war against Napoleon have their own story, too.
In the 19th century, The ring is won in a card game in an opium den by James, the debauched Duke of Warkshire. He’s a man who lost Anne, his best friend and love of his life eight years earlier to stupid jealousy. Yet he still considers Anne his after all this time and years of opium addiction. When he slips on the ring, he instantly wants to change his life, for her, for the Anne he hasn’t seen in eight years…
Through all the tales runs a common thread. It’s an ancient Viking gold ring with the image of a star imprinted in it and it’s passed along down through time from one person to the love of their life. The stories all have a Yuletide theme as well.
ARC Received from Booksprout
This Ebook was $3.99 on Amazon at the time of this review.
Opinions Expressed here are entirely my own.
Many of these tales were extremely emotional for me, because of the subject matter and the true mastery of the written word by the writers. I highly recommend this volume to anyone who loves love.
This collection combines eight historical novellas. It has a little bit of several genres with more or less successful storytelling. There is also a line that connects all the stories, namely a ring with a star although the last tales use it more successfully than the first ones.
The first novella is the story of an outcast in the IX century by Nicole Zoltack. Raiders appear and after a battle, the heroine helps the only survivor to dispose of the dead and a bound is created. A small and effective story but without much innovation.
The second one, by Jude Knight, is one of my favorites from this ensemble. A valley in the middle east, occupied by a couple formed by an English duke’s son and a local princess has become a heaven for a group of people from different nationalities. The English man’s family is anxious to have him back, but his home is in the valley. Beautiful, very well crafted, a delightful novella.
Somewhere like home is a story by Lizzi Tremayne set mainly in the Highlands and I found it very disturbing and the characters rather unlikable. Robert and Sofia are betrothed but he decides to find work and save money leaving her at the mercy of a cruel laird and his son.
Amy Quinton’s novella is part of the Umbrella Chronicles and it is one of the best ones. Divided into chapters detailing the conquest process that the hero must follow to win his heroine, it’s funny and inventive and I am definitely reading the other Umbrella stories.
Rue Allyn’s A Wish for All Seasons is a conventional second chance story again set in Scotland without much spark.
The Last Post from Caroline Warfield is set at the end of WWI and follows a couple of separated lovers, a Canadian soldier, and a french window. Their travels and adventures to find each other are exciting and make you root for them. A great story from a thoughtful author.
A Fine Chance by Elizabeth Ellen Carter is a romantic story set in San Francisco after WWI. A soldier returns but can’t decide to return to his family until Helen appears. A gentle working girl, she gets him a job and helps him regain his confidence in himself. A good story although I believe the villain was a bit too one-dimensional.
Finally a time-traveling story. It was efficient but rather flat. I enjoy this kind of story but it was so conventional and with none of the typical conflict of this kind of tale. The heroine accepts too easily a life in medieval times with no indecision or different time-related problems.
All in all, it was a good read but some of the stories are definitely better than others.
This is a wonderfully unique collection of stories by many authors I have not read before. I thoroughly enjoyed Jude Knight’s contribution of Paradise Regained that takes place in Iran with an English nobleman married to a Persian. A very different storyline from the Regency stories I read most often. Check out this collection of wonderful short stories written by several different authors.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.