Reading: Novella Collections from Barbour

I have been LOVING these novella collections from Barbour! I have written about them before here. They are great stories, but still short enough to read in a sitting, which I appreciate as a busy mom. Especially since I tend to have a lack of self-control when it comes time to put the book down and get to chores!

Anyway, here are a few more of my favorite Barbour Collections. (This post contains affiliate links)

barbour beaches brides

The Beaches and Brides Romance Collection

These stories are short, but sweet. Each story is complete (5 stories in the collection), and is a beautifully written sweet love story, based on the sea/ocean in some way. They have a neat tie that binds them together in that theme, but still each story is a complete story in it’s own and I found myself very much enjoying these characters lives and stories.
Love these authors and will continue to look for stories from these authors, and will continue to pick up these Barbour collections–I have not been disappointed yet.

barbour farmers brides

The Farmer’s Bride Collection

Some of my favorite authors are included in this collection, so I was sure to love it! These stories are what they are–they are shorter (novella length), sweet stories with a love interest and a good message. Because of the length, the authors can’t always get into a lot of subplots or other details, but I think they do a fantastic job with what they have to work with–a shorter length.
That said, I loved all the stories in this book. I love it because, even though there is a fun theme tying it all together (and who doesn’t love farmers?!), the stories themselves cover an array of topics like redemption, loss, adoption, etc. Beautiful stories and a beautiful collection.

barbour golden state brides

Golden State Brides

I shared a bit about this book here, when I shared that I met one of the authors, Erica Vetsch. This is a great collection. Unlike the others, this book has 2 full-length novels included (rather than novellas).

I truly loved BOTH of these stories! This book is such a bargain with both stories for one low price.
In A Bride opens shop in El Dorado, I really enjoyed reading the love story, though her character got on my nerves sometimes…actually they both did in the things that they did with their respective stores. However, I was happy to root for the romance, and was so involved in the story that I couldn’t put it down.
In A Bride Sews with Love, I really respected Meghan’s cause. She is a bit tempestuous at times, but she seems to understand her flaws. However, I completely fell in love with Caleb, the hero of this story. He is perfect parts tough guy and gentle, and his area of brokenness and the inner wounds that accompany it just really touched me. I loved reading both of these stories.

barbour prairie christmas

A Prairie Christmas Collection

I have had this book for a while, but just recently got around to reading the stories. I loved them! Here are my thoughts about some of them:

In some of them, I felt that subplots and other story lines somewhat overpowered the main plot, especially since they are shorter stories to begin with. However, the ones I have read so far were still very enjoyable.
Take me Home: This is a sweet story. The hero/heroine story was a great one, and there is a subplot romance that I enjoyed maybe even more than the main one. Beautifully written characters.
One Wintry Night: I enjoyed this story. It was more of a traditional romance with hero/heroine. The hero was a very good, respectable character, self-sacrificing and steady throughout. I came to love him, and it was nice to see the growth of the heroine through the story.
Image of Love: I was surprised by her circumstances of pining for her lost fiance for so many years, but aside from that fact it was a great story otherwise. Again, I really had a lot of respect for the hero, and I liked the sweet way that things came together.
The Christmas Necklace: This was a good story, but it was more about the history and other elements than it was about the romance, which was really a very small element of the plot. So, it would be good if that’s what you were expecting, but I prefer the romance to be in the forefront. There were also a couple of story elements that I felt were left with loose ends. The ending was very sweet though.
A Christmas Gift of Love: This is the story that compelled me to write this review. So often it seems that novellas are probably, by design, going to leave the reader wanting to an extent, because of the short length. However, this one proves it doesn’t have to be that way. I enjoyed everything about this story. The characters were both respectable and did things exactly as I wanted them to. The romance was sweet from the very beginning and it was a pleasure to watch these two characters fall in love.

God Jul: This was a great story. Each chapter began with a related Swedish recipe, which I thought was a nice touch. I really liked the hero, and the triangle set up with the other, not-so-trustworthy man trying to win the heroine’s affections. Overall, this was a sweet story and I enjoyed it.

Circle of Blessings: This was such a sweet story! It was a bit slow at times, but I kept reading and was glad I did. I especially loved the “circle of blessings” part that you’ll have to read to the end. Very sweet!

Christmas Cake: I loved this one! It was very sweet to see this couple who had been married a short time, and their love for one another. The story shows how they wanted to bless one another for Christmas, and especially the way that Elizabeth worked so hard to bless her husband. She was very resourceful, and even when things went wrong and were discouraging, she didn’t let it get her down for long, she just kept at it. Such a sweet story and ending for this one. And, another great recipe.

Colder than Ice: Another great story. There were some things about this one that I felt would have been better had they been able to be fleshed out a bit more–the story left me wanting a bit. However, it was still another sweet romance.

barbour texas brides

A Texas Brides Collection

I love these collections from Barbour and this one is no exception! These stories are short and sweet, yet they pack a big punch as far as romance, and a message. They are very sweet, and offer the the unique story telling that you would expect from such an all-star cast of writers. Each story is superb, and a few of them were written as series’, so they coordinate with others in the book, which is fun as well. I really enjoyed all of these stories, but especially the gambling ones :)

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