MARGARET BROWNLEY, AMY SANDAS,
LEIGH GREENWOOD, ANNA SCHMIDT Genre: Romance Anthology / Western / Historical
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date of Publication: September 24, 2019
Number of Pages: 528
Find your very own cowboy to keep warm these long, wintry nights as you cozy up with six sweeping, epic tales of heroism, passion, family and celebration from bestselling authors Leigh Greenwood, Rosanne Bittner, Linda Broday, Margaret Brownley, Anna Schmidt, and Amy Sandas.
“It’s not the size that matters, it’s how you use it.” That double entendre is among my favorites and it fits this book perfectly. When I picked up this midsized paperback, I was a little skeptical that it could hold six stories that would satisfy me in such a small amount of space. I am glad that I was proved wrong. I believe that one of the stories is a snippet of a full-length book while the other five are novellas, but they all very much represent the best of this genre. While each story has its own distinct flavor, the high-quality editing is evident throughout the whole package. There are no messy typos or confusing text in this little gem. (ETA: Oh darn, the page numbers on the index are a bit off in the ARC, but I’m sure they fixed it in the final copy.)
Greenwood’s A Fairy Tale Christmas and Brownley’s A Love Letter to Santa has descriptions that make my brain dance with delight. I could see everything because they described every detail so carefully. I read those stories deliberately so that I wouldn’t miss anything. A Fairy Tale Christmas is the perfect story to start the anthology with because it is the least steamy of the six. Although A Love Letter to Santa is also pretty tame in the sexy department. But don’t get me wrong; there is tons of delicious tension between the love interests. However, if you’re more accustomed to historical romances that follow the “normal and proper” rules of courting behavior from that era, those two stories will leave you breathless but not quite flushed.
If you want to feel the heat and read a happy ending (double entendre strikes again!), Bittner’s Christmas in Paradise, Broday’s A Christmas Wedding, and Schmidt’s One Snowy Christmas Eve are juicy appetizers to the sinfully sensual Through the Storm by Sandas. I don’t know if it’s because of the time period, but I appreciate that the couples in these stories have way more going on under the surface beyond just pure, animal physical attraction. With the exception of One Snowy Christmas Eve, the lovers in all of these particularly steamy stories fell in love pretty quickly but it is obvious to the reader that they found their match and simply were not wasting any time in expressing their love for each other.
I really enjoyed how this anthology featured scenarios that I’m sure existed at the time but I never put much thought into before. For example, A Christmas Wedding is set in a town populated by asylum refugees, ex-outlaws, and other society castoffs. Christmas in Paradise’s male protagonist is a divorcee and One Snowy Christmas Eve’s female protagonist turns down the love of her life to become a doctor. I feel like the common thread in all of these stories, besides the Christmas bit, is an independent woman who finally falls in love when she meets a man strong enough to catch her. Take your pick of wine or hot cocoa and settle in. You need these stories in your life!
——–║——–
“Greenwood is a master at westerns.” ―RT Book Reviews for Leigh Greenwood
“An emotional powerhouse! This classic historical western is destined for the “keeper” shelf.” ―RT Book Reviews, Top Pick for Rosanne Bittner
“Fun and sensual…great for fans of history, romance, and some good old Texas grit.” ―Kirkus for Linda Broday
“A great story by a wonderful author.”―#1 New York Times bestselling author DEBBIE MACOMBER for Margaret Brownley
“The perfect read.” ―RT Book Reviews for Anna Schmidt
 |
| Blog Tour Participating Authors (L to R): Rosanne Bittner, Linda Broday, Margaret Brownley, Amy Sandas |
VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
|
10/15/19
|
Book Trailer
|
|
|
10/15/19
|
BONUS STOP
|
|
|
10/16/19
|
Review
|
|
|
10/17/19
|
Author Spotlight
|
|
|
10/18/19
|
Review
|
|
|
10/19/19
|
Author Spotlight
|
|
|
10/20/19
|
Author Spotlight
|
|
|
10/21/19
|
Review
|
|
|
10/22/19
|
Author Spotlight
|
|
|
10/23/19
|
Review
|
|
|
10/24/19
|
Review
|
