Sincerely Yours: A Novella Collection by Laurie Alice Eakes, Ann Shorey, Amanda Cabot, and Jane Kirkpatrick

Sincerely Yours is written by four authors. Each one gives us a story that ties into a letter, or letters.
Each story is very good! I do have my favorite, but I enjoyed them all.

In Moonlight Promise our first lovely lady winds up jumping aboard a moving steam boat in a bold effort to get where she is going before time runs out. Her livelihood is at stake, and she didn't plan on being attracted to the ship's captain. He didn't plan on having a passenger, much less a female one at that! They both have some major life issues besetting them at this time, can they survive the passage and come out where God wants them to be? Will the thin threads of Faith they cling told pull them through?

In Lessons In Love we have a very advanced lady for her time frame. She is publishing! (Imagine that!) It is still a forward move for a woman in that era. When her editor decides he must meet with her there is a major obstacle. Her editor assumed that she is a male writer and now she must either prevail upon someone for help, or watch her dreams vanish. A touchy decisions since she is mainly writing about how Godly Christian wives are to behave and the rolls they play in their families and husband's lives.

Ahhh! One Little Word! This story was my favorite. I do like the others very much, they are worth reading, but this one got my heart! :) Lorraine M. Caldwell is going to visit her brother, who is alive! He wrote her and specifically requested she come to his wedding. A wedding to someone that has raised more than a few eyebrows. Upon reaching Lilac Hall she finds much more than she ever envisioned. Soon she finds herself very drawn to Jonah Mann. He is in the process of making a carousal and Lorriane is captivated with the carousal, and with Jonah. Neither of them are exactly what they seem though. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I have to say, I have long loved carousels and probably have a healthy dose of the "malady" that Amanda Cabot has in this area.

A Saving Grace is aptly named. I struggled at first with the front part of this story, but soon got into following it better once our dear brave Grace started finding out that her friend Rebecca has put herself into a place called Starvation Heights. While that is shocking, it is even more so when you consider that some women today still go to such drastic measures to get well, or be fit, or be skinny enough. Rebecca is in serious trouble and Grace has only one ally as she signs up to be a patient at Starvation Heights in order to learn more about what is going on, and to save Rebecca who's sweet young daughter is waiting for her Mommy to come home. Will Grace be able to save Rebecca, or even her self in time, or will they waist away and perish while trying to be healthier? This short story was very riveting because of the way that these women were treated. Turns out that this place was real, and the history behind it is so graciously given at the end of this novella.

Below is more about the book, and the stories, and the cover! I'm glad I was able to review this book for Revell in exchange for my honest review, and nothing else.

Carol :)

http://www.amazon.com/Sincerely-Yours-A-Novella-Collection/dp/0800722043

Four unexpected letters. Four intrepid women. Four lives changed forever. Spanning a century and a continent, these romantic novellas will lead you on a journey through the landscape of love. Four young women find their lives altered after each receives a letter that sets her on a new path. From a Hudson River steamboat to a lush drawing room, from a carousel carver's workshop to a remote hospital, you'll be swept into the lives of women who are making their way in the world and finding love where they least expect it. Moonlight Promise by Laurie Alice Eakes Camilla Renfrew is a highborn English lady fleeing false accusations when she runs smack into love on a steamboat bound for the new Erie Canal. But can this unexpected attraction survive the treacherous journey? Lessons in Love by Ann Shorey Marigold Montgomery Bentley writes marriage advice forKipler's Home Weekly even though she is single.Everyone assumes from the initials that "M. M." is a man. When the editor asks to meet Mr. Bentley, can Merrie come up with a ruse to keep her writing job? One Little Word by Amanda Cabot Lorraine Caldwell will lose her family fortune to a reckless cousin if she doesn't marry quickly. When she learns her long-lost brother is alive, she hopes she's found the answer to her problems. What she finds instead is a mysterious carousel carver who turns her life upside down. A Saving Grace by Jane Kirkpatrick Grace Hathaway must rescue a dear friend from a remote and notorious clinic that promises healing but delivers only heartache. In a place laced with deceit, where lives hang in the balance, whom can she trust to help her?