Heather Chapman (1)

I’m always game for a good anthology because in them I hope to find new authors to me. In these four novellas I found just that. In Ashbrook Abbey by Heather Chapman, I liked the competition between two best friends who become adversaries as they compete to be their uncle’s heir, as our heroine makes a decision that will change her life forever.

In First Comes Marriage by Paula Kremser, I thought the story of two totally different people with the same goal would never find their happily show more ever after, but they finally did and it was wonderful.

In The Price of Her Heart by Mandi Ellsworth, I had a lot of laughs as the story developed from our heroine’s point of view and I liked following the lengths our hero would go to become a Texas Ranger.

In the last story, Beauty and the Beholder by Ashtyn Newbold I shed a couple of tears and thought this story such a heartwarming, slow burning romance that should have been longer.

All four stories are about marriage of convenience and all four are well written and developed, with lots of humor and heart. I highly recommend it you read.

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher show less

I like fairy tale retellings, and I enjoy Regency romances, so I was excited when I heard about the Once Upon a Regency series. Each book will be drawing from a different fairy tale for inspiration; this one uses Snow White. Because of my familiarity with the fairy tale, I cannot say there were any real *surprises* in this story, but I wasn't reading for shocking revelations and twists. I wanted a pleasant, enjoyable, and entertaining read, and this delivered admirably. I enjoyed seeing how show more the various fairy tale elements were woven into the story, and also guessing how things would tie together. show less

Unexpected Love: A Marriage of Convenience Anthology features novellas by Heather Chapman, Paula Kremser, Mandi Ellsworth, and Ashtyn Newbold. I have enjoyed full-length novels by Ashtyn Newbold and gave this collection a try based on her name and my fondness for the marriage-of-convenience trope. I was pleased with the diverse subject matter and unique settings, but I wished for more character development in each story. All the stories held plenty of romantic potential and worked within the show more novella form constraints to produce the anticipated happily ever after.

Unexpected Love: A Marriage of Convenience Anthology will likely appeal to fans of clean and/or Christian romance who enjoy novellas. The Price of Her Heart by Mandi Ellsworth stands as my favorite story in this collection, and I’ll be looking for additional novels by that author.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. show less

If you're in the mood for something that's rather more fairy tale than historical fiction, this novella might do it for you. It's inspired by Snow White. It's sweet and simple, and you'll be rooting for the heroine to be happy and see her enemy vanquished. It may strain credulity at times, but that's what fairy tales do!