Title: The Runaway Brides Collection: 7 Historical Brides Get Cold Feet at the Altar
Authors: Rita Gerlach, Terri J. Haynes, Noelle Marchand, Vickie McDonough, Darlene Panzera, Jeness Walker, and Renee Yancy
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 448 pages
Publisher: Barbour
Available at: CBD.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble
Summary:
What is a woman of the 1800s to do when she feels powerless to choose her own spouse and marry for love—run!
Amy’s home is at stake if she doesn’t marry her neighbor. Delia’s father wants her to marry into a political family. Georgiana is posing as a wealthy man’s wife in order to hide from her groom. Callie is fleeing one wedding and racing to marry a stranger. Emily flees her wedding with the help of a mysterious coachman. Josey’s best friend leaves a letter proposing marriage unanswered in order to elope. Bernadine becomes the ward and pawn of her evil uncle. Where will each turn when they have only God to trust?
Seven women facing the marriage altar make the decision to flee, but who can they now trust?
Positive Elements:
The importance of forgiveness and forthrightness is learned; characters have giving and selfless hearts, and want to serve the less fortunate.
Negative Elements:
Characters are dishonest; a minor character drinks, and another is physically abusive.
Spiritual Content:
Characters mention and question God; Bible verses and stories are quoted and thought upon; characters pray; the salvation message is preached.
Violence:
A character is blamed for a horse’s death; two characters engage in a fight; a brawl is discussed in medium detail; it is mentioned that shops are looted and burned; a man admits to killing two women just before he himself is shot; a train is attacked; a character gets hit in the head by a rock; men are shot and ambushed; a character is backhanded; the harshness of an insane asylum is described.
Other:
Characters kiss; there is one utterance of “shut up”.
Rating:
5 Stars
Summary:
The Runaway Brides Collection is a delightful read. From the determined heroines who find themselves in binds of all sorts, to the heroes who help the runaway brides in their predicaments, to the endearing secondary characters, this collection is well worth reading. Every novella earned a four star or higher, which, for me, is rare when reading collections. I was also introduced to authors I’d not heard of before, which hooked me on their writing. This is a fun collection, and one I definitely recommend reading!
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. I was not required to leave a positive review.
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