Ana Leigh (1930–2015)

There are three novellas in this collection of Christmas stories set in the latter part of the 19th century: Ana Leigh’s The Mackenzies: Lily, A Time for Angels by Carolyn Davidson, and Kate Bridges’ The Long Journey Home.

Leigh’s story focuses on a young woman who has been trying to succeed far from her Texas home as a Harvey Girl in New Mexico. She’s taken to two waif-like children whose mother died and whose father, the sheriff, seems to neglect. But not everything is as it seems. show more

In “A Time for Angels” Davidson gives us Honey Morris, a young woman barely out of her teens who is struggling to keep the family farm and provide for her younger sister after the tragic accidental death of their parents. When a near-frozen stranger appears at their door one wintry December night, Honey takes him in, leading to significant changes.

Kate Bridges begins a new series on Canadian Mounties with “The Long Journey Home.” Logan Sutcliffe has been missing (and presumed dead) for two years, and when he arrives back in town he discovers his wife is now engaged to another man. Can he win her back?

They are all predictable historical holiday romances, and suitably entertaining. show less

Pretty good American historical romance but I thought the action kind of dragged mid-way. I liked the main characters personalities except for a part in the middle when they took on typical romance novel traits. Rory's father steals a map to a gold mine and they set out to find the treasure with the map's owner Garth in hot pursuit.

Good American frontier story with plenty of action and I did enjoy the secondary characters including those famous from the wild west but I didn't like the hero's viewpoint of the relationship. Colt saves Cassie during a stagecoach robbery and ends up temporary deputy until he can catch the next stagecoach to California.

Very good story about American frontier in 1865 and a wagon train going from Missouri to California. I liked the pace of both the action and the romance. Yankee Rebecca can't join wagon train as a single woman so tricks Rebel Clay into marriage.