I wanted to love this collection … I enjoyed it at parts, the romances were at best okay, weak in my opinion. The elements in each story were too similar though there were enough differences it wasn't completely boring. I felt like each of the characters were repeats of the previous couple. I did enjoy Woman of Valor, Fayre Rose, and A Treasure Worth Keeping most of all the stories. I became dissatisfied with the The British Brides Collection 9 Romances from the Home of Austen and Dickens when it became obvious that each title would have the same shocked heroine when the hero was found to have faith in God … Why? Once was enough. Sadly there was a lot to make me dislike this collection… Disrespectful rude cruel men, several times men refer to women as a "wench". Honestly, I don't understand why this collection was published, I mean as Christian fiction. Or even how it is truly a romance collection, it had rushed, mostly boring, and somewhat distasteful bullying of the ladies.
But that was only at some points, I say that about half of the stories, the other half? I enjoyed it, I liked the faith shown, and the characters were okay. I won't say which stories I disliked and which I Liked (other than mentioned above), so that I don't stop others from reading books they may enjoy.

This collection of short stories has a lot of over-the-top moments, but in some of them it works and makes for a fun read. They are set in England and Scotland from the Middle Ages through the Victorian era.
Overall, the volume is a bit heavy-handed with its religious epiphanies. Although I didn't find any of the stories particularly memorable, they were amusing reads over the course of several days.
Thanks to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for this digital review copy!


***Funniest line in the whole book:

"God was our chaperone."

That's not how it works, dear. ( )

"The British Brides Collection" features a variety of different stories by different authors. These are like novellas, each complete within itself. Some of the stories share the thread of a masquerade mask that is owned by different characters in the novellas. The novellas appear in chronological order. The Christian message is overt in these novels, but not in a way that would come across as offensive to most Christian readers.

I enjoyed the stories overall, although I liked some more than others. Each story had a different and interesting twist, and the settings varied. I especially enjoyed the story about the rare book library (A Treasure Worth Keeping) and the one about the apple orchard (Apple of His Eye).. A few of the stories needed a more complete ending, as I felt they left the reader hanging. An epilogue or postscript would have wrapped things up more completely. Readers who enjoy romantic historical fiction should find this collection worthy of their time. Each story can be read in one sitting.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. ( )