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Thursday 11 February 2016

Book Review: Love Blossoms - Seven Spring-Fresh Romances

Review by Andrea Grigg




Amazon describes this enjoyable, recently released box set this way:
Seven contemporary Christian romances for your springtime reading pleasure from your favorite authors: Kimberly Rae Jordan, Narelle Atkins, Autumn Macarthur, Lynette Sowell, Jan Thompson, Marion Ueckermann, and Susette Williams. 

I think that’s a perfect description. Well, apart from the fact it’s autumn here, not spring, but seeing as how the novellas are written for a primarily American audience I’m not going to quibble over that.



And more importantly, did you notice a familiar Aussie name in the line up? The second one, our very own Narelle Atkins? How awesome is that!

Novella box-sets are quite the thing these days, and I’ve downloaded several of them in the last six months. They’ve all been cheap in price – some as low as 99c – but never short in reading pleasure

So, what about Love Blossoms?

I was delighted to find variety of settings in this box set and I think this is a standout feature. We start off in central Canada, then travel to Snowgum Creek in rural Australia, followed by Edinburgh, Scotland; Castlebury, Vermont; Savannah, Georgia; the Lake District, England, and lastly, the U.S.A.

There’s also a terrific mixture of characters, from single mums and dads, to a pastry chef and a baron amongst them! A fabulous variety.

What I love about box set novellas is that I get to visit with long-time favourite authors as well as sample the work of new (to me) ones.

To be honest, two of the stories didn’t grab my attention as much as the rest. One was because I picked up on continuity errors as well as a couple of typos, and in the other, the characters didn’t do it for me. Still, that’s just my opinion, and you may not necessarily agree with me.

The other highlight for me was the inclusion of Narelle’s The Bridesmaid’s Hero. There’s nothing like reading a great yarn from your own backyard.

 
Should you rather purchase one of the novellas by itself, each author has released their contribution individually. Being biased and Aussie-minded, here’s the link to Narelle’s here


Great cover, isn't it? 





In conclusion, Love Blossoms is a heart-warming collection of sweet, contemporary Christian romances. With each one easily read in a couple of sittings, these stories are perfect for a brief hiatus from a busy day. I highly recommend you try them.  

Love Blossoms is available on amazon.com.au and amazon.com






Andrea Grigg is the author of two contemporary Christian romances, A Simple Mistake and Too Pretty. She loves hearing from readers and writers alike, and can be contacted via Twitter, her Facebook author page, and via email - andreagrigg@live.com




17 comments:

  1. Hi Andrea, I finished Narelle's last night. Fabulous cover and delightful story. This novella and novella box sets are sure becoming popular. Look like a great vehicle for both author and reader as you point out.

    The authors did a clever job combining their stories to give the reader a global armchair adventure.

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    1. Ian read a romance! Well done. We'll convert you yet . . .

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    2. Hi Ian, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed The Bridesmaid's Hero. Indie box sets are fun and provide the potential to reach new readers. I appreciate your support of my writing :)

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    3. Ian's been a convert for quite a while I believe ...:)

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    4. Thanks for you comments, Ian. Glad you enjoyed Narelle's contribution as much as I did :)

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    5. Andrea, you know me too well.

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    6. I love it when men read romances. There's a guy called Len Klump who reads and reviews rural romance and he's an author's best friend!

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    7. Narelle & Andrea, I should have mentioned this in my first comment. What I particularly enjoyed about this story was Harry's struggle with career/love choices. I thought this was presented very well. We can all falter in our belief in God when such choices like this get presented to us and we can confuse "good" as "being from God" and being what's best for us.

      So well done, Narelle. I'll be posting a review on Amazon & GR over the weekend.

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  2. Great review Andrea - and Ian, love your input too :).

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    1. Hi Jeanette, I agree, Andrea has written a lovely review. Thanks, Andrea! We appreciate you :)

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    2. Thanks, Jeanette. And you're welcome, Narelle!

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  3. Narelle, I've only had a chance to read your novella, not the others, but congrats on the box set. Such a great way to try new authors. :)

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    1. Hi Nicki - I truly think it's a brilliant way to test the waters, so to speak. Thanks for stopping by :)

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  4. Great review, Andrea. I'm looking forward to reading Narelle's novella once I'm through my latest edits :)

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    1. Thanks Kara. A nice juicy carrot to dangle in front of you, hey? All the best with those edits :)

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