by Jennifer Moore, Renae Weight Mackley, Carolyn Twede Frank, Carla Kelly
Publisher : Covenant Communications (June 30, 2022)
Language : English
ISBN-10 : 1524421529
ISBN-13 : 978-1524421526
To Love a Spy
by Jennifer Moore
New York, 1781
Despite her family’s betrayal of the Crown, Susannah Partridge remains loyal to the king. But when she becomes embroiled in the treasonous activities of her charming neighbor, Eli Matthews, Susannah must determine where her allegiance truly lies.
Southern Belle, Yankee Heart
by Renae Weight Mackley
Richmond, 1861
The Union is splintering, and Northern dressmaker Rebecca Steed finds herself stuck in the South with little money and even less hope. But being stranded in Virginia comes with an unexpected silver lining in the form of Nathan Hill, a man whose opposition to slavery and determination to do what is right quickly win her affection. But how can she give her heart to a soldier who may never come back from the war?
Where Dreams Meet
by Carolyn Twede Frank
New York, 1892
When Jane O’Shea arrives at Ellis Island from Ireland, she has nothing but a desire to make her way in the world. With help from Peter Dockery, a gentle stranger, Jane embarks on her new life. As the couple faces seemingly insurmountable odds, they discover that adversity is better faced alongside the one you love.
The Sun, Moon, Stars, and You
by Carla Kelly
Washington, DC, 1905
Nothing could have prepared Lieutenant Hank Thornton for his new post in Washington, DC. As a military aide to President Teddy Roosevelt in the White House, Hank is to be nothing more than a dashing dance partner at various political events. It isn’t until he meets Minnie Gallagher, an intrepid copy corrector at a local paper, that he begins to see the possibilities of this odd assignment.
Where Dreams Meet is a collection of four stories throughout America’s history.
“To Love a Spy” by Jennifer Moore
I recently read When the Day Comes which takes place during the early days of the American Revolution, so I loved reading this time period further on in the war even more right now. It actually isn’t a period I have read a lot of books from, and between these two books, I have really been enjoying this time period.
When I had first begun reading this story, I mentioned to a family member that the story is about a Loyalist and a Patriot. We discussed what it must have been like for people during that time to choose sides. Susannah ends up struggling with that very problem. I really liked reading about her thought process behind it.
I had also heard about similar tavern situations in Massachusetts and how the British used them. I liked that this story was told from one of the points of views of the family. I had recently visited one of these taverns, and after reading this story, I visited two more of them.
“Southern Belle, Yankee Heart” by Renae Weight Mackley
Northerner Rebecca Steed is in Virginia on business buying fabric when they declare the vote to secede. This forces Rebecca to either stay in Virginia, or lose all the money she spent on her fabric. She is pretty quick to pass judgement on all Southerners. While there are some outspoken ones with very bad points of view, she attributes that to all of them. The longer she stays in Virginia, the more she learns her judgements could have been too rash.
Nathan Hill is a businessman who travels back and forth between the hotel Rebecca stays at. Rebecca declares him a fence sitter, but she is immediately attracted to him. Since he is a Southerner, she doesn’t want to develop any feelings for him.
Nathan and Rebecca have a conversation about just being an American. During this time period was the brother against brother war. Yes, there were real issues that needed to be resolved, but they decided to fight instead of resolve them properly. This is still the same case today. Instead of all being Americans (over even better – just humans), people like to divide people along political lines, or race, or income, or any number of things. People still haven’t learned.
“Where Dreams Meet” by Carolyn Twede Frank
Jane O’Shea arrives in Ellis Island from Ireland and she doesn’t have enough money to cover the train fare to her family in Missouri. Peter Dockery notices her plight and helps her out. Not only do they share a destination, but they also have something else in common.
I really enjoyed reading this story. There was a little less history than than previous two stories, and I would have liked a little more Irish background, but I loved the storyline and the characters. I read this story very quickly because I found it so interesting. I liked the message that adversity can make us stronger.
“The Sun, Moon, Stars, and You” by Carla Kelly
Minnie Gallagher is a copy editor who dreams of being a journalist. She also believes that women should have the right to vote. Minnie is very sweet and polite to people, but she is also a very strong, intelligent woman.
After insulting the President’s infamous daughter Alice, Hank Thornton is assigned the menial duty of escorting her on horse back rides and cataloging wedding gifts. Unlike his fellow lieutenants, Hank doesn’t have lofty goals. His dreams may be simpler, but that doesn’t mean he has no ambitions.
Hank and Minnie had a more quiet and sweet courtship as they got to know each other more. I also liked the supporting characters in this story. I loved all the historical elements throughout this story. It was interesting to read the author’s note at the end and find out what had really happened. This was a cute story with a lot of deeper meaning.
Timeless Novels 