joanav's review
3.0
3.5*
I've received an eARC in exchange for an honest review
Portuguese review: http://pepitamagica.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/brandywine-brides-blackwood-legacy.html
It’s a bit hard to talk about an anthology without addressing the individual stories. I’m going to try not to elongate too much, just say a few words about each of them and then a general appreciation.
The only author I had read before is Terri Brisbin, and with her books, I’m used to reading Regency romances, medieval romances or romances with Highlanders, in Scotland, so this first story was a bit different. In A Traitor’s Heart, Finlan Blackwood is sent to the USA after the Jacobite rising, as a traitor to the king. Here, he meets a Quaker, an American part of the Society of Friends. He buys Finlan but above all else, he’s a friend and an employer, not an owner. Finlan’s sentence is for 5 years. After that time, he’s a free man, available to start a new life in America. And it’s near the end of his 5 years sentence that he’s forced to make a decision. Elizabeth, a widow he knows and for whom he did small jobs, has an immense debt and is going to lose her farm. Finlan volunteer to take her to his Scottish relatives far away, where no one knows her, until he finishes his time and meets her. Desperate and without any other options, Elizabeth says yes and the internal struggle they both fight to accept how much they like each other, but both think they don’t deserve one another is very visible. Richard Montgomery, the Quaker, has an important role, which I’m not going to talk about, but everything works the best possible way and Finlan and Elizabeth have their happy ending. The only negative point in this plot was the fact that we didn’t get to see them falling in love, we don’t know a lot about their story, how they met… I thought it was a bit sudden, but apart from that, is a very soft and sweet romance.
In A Patriot’s Heart, by Gwendolyn Schuler, we have a story that has a base in the Florence Nightingale effect, meaning the nurse/doctor falls in love with the patient (and vice-versa in this case). It was, despite it, my favourite story. All because it showed a crescendo of emotions, of mutual knowledge. It hooked my attention much more than the previous story (and the next ones); it was also quite interesting to see how someone who had learned from Finlan Blackwood the ideals of the Society of Friends (even though he was not part of it) deals with a war at his door, trying to stay neutral and yet stay true to his convictions – Elias Blackwood is a complicated yet honourable and generous man. I really liked Margi and how this strong woman helps even though she thinks the person she’s helping might be on the “wrong side” of the war. Captain Hamilton is very charming and ends up winning over the entire family, which by consequence wins over the reader fairly easily. It was without question my favourite story.
In Wounded Heart, by Martha Schroeder, we also have an interesting story, a plot that involves a family torn apart by war and a young lady who is tricked by her brother. It’s all about family drama, intrigue and gossip that helps the reader to sympathize with the main characters, Charles Blackwood and Tessa. It’s an easy and likeable read, but I wish I could have learned more about Charles’ sister, Louisa Blackwood and how she ended up marrying Tessa’s brother, a horrible man. I wish I could have seen a few more plot points developed, still, even though it was a bit sounded, I liked Charles and Tessa’s romance.
In Heart’s Song, by Georgia Dickson, Ethan Blackwood comes back from war with an amputation and, even though he had a prosthetic and could pretty much do everything, he’s afraid of being an incomplete man for the woman he loves, Serena Jordan, a musician and music teacher. Ethan and Serena fell in love at first sight and, for me, that’s not the most interesting thing in a story. Lust, attraction, yes, but love at first sight? No… If you put that aside, Ethan and Serena get to know each other and the romance blooms, with the help of Ethan’s childhood friend and Serena’s friend Lillie. It’s a quick romance without a lot of complications, that has some personal choices being made but nothing very extraordinary.
In Painted Promises, by Kate Welsh, we have a main male character that wanted to go to war but stayed home and helped with supplies for the army, and a female main character that witnessed the war and saw horrors. Meri is an amazing painter who expresses herself through her art. Callum is a young man who’s seen other people deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and doesn’t think he can help Meri but, in the end, he’s the only one with whom she opens up. Their story is quite interesting and continues to develop through the next two stories.
Carrying on to We’ve Only Just Begun by Cara Marsi, we have Stephen Blackwood, Meri and Callum’s son, back from the Vietnam War – and he’s not the same person as he was before. Here it’s quite visible the effects of PTSD and the way the war can change someone’s view of the world. Stephen wants, more than anything, to save lives, and that implies leaving the Blackwood farm, and stepping away from his family’s story. He wants to trail his own path and, after some initial resistance, his parents stand behind him unconditionally. During this journey, Stephen meets Elena, a young jewellery designer that is estranged from her family. With several references to the 70’s, the story ended up being a bit repetitive, with several descriptions of the clothes worn at that time, almost as a guide to the 70’s. I would have liked to know more about how Elena sorted things out with her family and, honestly, I didn’t like that her reconciliation with her father was so easy, after the way he had treated her. This story felt a bit short, with a lot of passion but not enough romance.
Lastly, In Finn’s Legacy by Mariah Stewart, we have Finn (Finlan homage, right?), who went to fight in the Middle East and is now back home and has to deal with the decisions he made before leaving. First of all, I would like to mention that Finn and Sophie are extremely thoughtful and caring grandchildren to Meri and Callum. And Finn, to keep the family’s legacy, is becoming a “farmer” and running the estate. But all of this is discovered at the same time that we learn about his relationship with Abby, the young writer Meri asks to write about her paintings. Finn and Abby new each other and were in love with each other since the seventh grade. They even had wedding plans made when he, out of the bloom, decides to go the Middle East and that they should break up. Abby, with reason, is very hurt and when they meet again it’s very hard for both of them. After some effort on both parts, they talk it out and they each explain their actions and reactions. Abby and Finn get back together and, probably, will live happily ever after.
One of the key pieces of these stories is the luckenbooth, a jewellery piece that was handed down from generation to generation starting with Finlan. He bought one with amethysts similar to the one his mother originally had in Scotland and gave it to Elizabeth. It is given to women the Blackwood man love, as well as their children on their christening. It’s a fine element of connection between the stories, besides the obvious genealogy.
In general, it was a good book, that for me had a few plot points that could have been improved and, bad luck, this was read by someone who doesn’t really like war stories - and even though it isn’t DURING a war, all stories revolve around wars. I would have liked to see stories without so many years apart in the beginning but I can understand that not all authors would feel comfortable with it. This is a book for readers that like short and sweet romances, with connections between the stories. Fans of family sagas will be pleasantly pleased.
I've received an eARC in exchange for an honest review
Portuguese review: http://pepitamagica.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/brandywine-brides-blackwood-legacy.html
It’s a bit hard to talk about an anthology without addressing the individual stories. I’m going to try not to elongate too much, just say a few words about each of them and then a general appreciation.
The only author I had read before is Terri Brisbin, and with her books, I’m used to reading Regency romances, medieval romances or romances with Highlanders, in Scotland, so this first story was a bit different. In A Traitor’s Heart, Finlan Blackwood is sent to the USA after the Jacobite rising, as a traitor to the king. Here, he meets a Quaker, an American part of the Society of Friends. He buys Finlan but above all else, he’s a friend and an employer, not an owner. Finlan’s sentence is for 5 years. After that time, he’s a free man, available to start a new life in America. And it’s near the end of his 5 years sentence that he’s forced to make a decision. Elizabeth, a widow he knows and for whom he did small jobs, has an immense debt and is going to lose her farm. Finlan volunteer to take her to his Scottish relatives far away, where no one knows her, until he finishes his time and meets her. Desperate and without any other options, Elizabeth says yes and the internal struggle they both fight to accept how much they like each other, but both think they don’t deserve one another is very visible. Richard Montgomery, the Quaker, has an important role, which I’m not going to talk about, but everything works the best possible way and Finlan and Elizabeth have their happy ending. The only negative point in this plot was the fact that we didn’t get to see them falling in love, we don’t know a lot about their story, how they met… I thought it was a bit sudden, but apart from that, is a very soft and sweet romance.
In A Patriot’s Heart, by Gwendolyn Schuler, we have a story that has a base in the Florence Nightingale effect, meaning the nurse/doctor falls in love with the patient (and vice-versa in this case). It was, despite it, my favourite story. All because it showed a crescendo of emotions, of mutual knowledge. It hooked my attention much more than the previous story (and the next ones); it was also quite interesting to see how someone who had learned from Finlan Blackwood the ideals of the Society of Friends (even though he was not part of it) deals with a war at his door, trying to stay neutral and yet stay true to his convictions – Elias Blackwood is a complicated yet honourable and generous man. I really liked Margi and how this strong woman helps even though she thinks the person she’s helping might be on the “wrong side” of the war. Captain Hamilton is very charming and ends up winning over the entire family, which by consequence wins over the reader fairly easily. It was without question my favourite story.
In Wounded Heart, by Martha Schroeder, we also have an interesting story, a plot that involves a family torn apart by war and a young lady who is tricked by her brother. It’s all about family drama, intrigue and gossip that helps the reader to sympathize with the main characters, Charles Blackwood and Tessa. It’s an easy and likeable read, but I wish I could have learned more about Charles’ sister, Louisa Blackwood and how she ended up marrying Tessa’s brother, a horrible man. I wish I could have seen a few more plot points developed, still, even though it was a bit sounded, I liked Charles and Tessa’s romance.
In Heart’s Song, by Georgia Dickson, Ethan Blackwood comes back from war with an amputation and, even though he had a prosthetic and could pretty much do everything, he’s afraid of being an incomplete man for the woman he loves, Serena Jordan, a musician and music teacher. Ethan and Serena fell in love at first sight and, for me, that’s not the most interesting thing in a story. Lust, attraction, yes, but love at first sight? No… If you put that aside, Ethan and Serena get to know each other and the romance blooms, with the help of Ethan’s childhood friend and Serena’s friend Lillie. It’s a quick romance without a lot of complications, that has some personal choices being made but nothing very extraordinary.
In Painted Promises, by Kate Welsh, we have a main male character that wanted to go to war but stayed home and helped with supplies for the army, and a female main character that witnessed the war and saw horrors. Meri is an amazing painter who expresses herself through her art. Callum is a young man who’s seen other people deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and doesn’t think he can help Meri but, in the end, he’s the only one with whom she opens up. Their story is quite interesting and continues to develop through the next two stories.
Carrying on to We’ve Only Just Begun by Cara Marsi, we have Stephen Blackwood, Meri and Callum’s son, back from the Vietnam War – and he’s not the same person as he was before. Here it’s quite visible the effects of PTSD and the way the war can change someone’s view of the world. Stephen wants, more than anything, to save lives, and that implies leaving the Blackwood farm, and stepping away from his family’s story. He wants to trail his own path and, after some initial resistance, his parents stand behind him unconditionally. During this journey, Stephen meets Elena, a young jewellery designer that is estranged from her family. With several references to the 70’s, the story ended up being a bit repetitive, with several descriptions of the clothes worn at that time, almost as a guide to the 70’s. I would have liked to know more about how Elena sorted things out with her family and, honestly, I didn’t like that her reconciliation with her father was so easy, after the way he had treated her. This story felt a bit short, with a lot of passion but not enough romance.
Lastly, In Finn’s Legacy by Mariah Stewart, we have Finn (Finlan homage, right?), who went to fight in the Middle East and is now back home and has to deal with the decisions he made before leaving. First of all, I would like to mention that Finn and Sophie are extremely thoughtful and caring grandchildren to Meri and Callum. And Finn, to keep the family’s legacy, is becoming a “farmer” and running the estate. But all of this is discovered at the same time that we learn about his relationship with Abby, the young writer Meri asks to write about her paintings. Finn and Abby new each other and were in love with each other since the seventh grade. They even had wedding plans made when he, out of the bloom, decides to go the Middle East and that they should break up. Abby, with reason, is very hurt and when they meet again it’s very hard for both of them. After some effort on both parts, they talk it out and they each explain their actions and reactions. Abby and Finn get back together and, probably, will live happily ever after.
One of the key pieces of these stories is the luckenbooth, a jewellery piece that was handed down from generation to generation starting with Finlan. He bought one with amethysts similar to the one his mother originally had in Scotland and gave it to Elizabeth. It is given to women the Blackwood man love, as well as their children on their christening. It’s a fine element of connection between the stories, besides the obvious genealogy.
In general, it was a good book, that for me had a few plot points that could have been improved and, bad luck, this was read by someone who doesn’t really like war stories - and even though it isn’t DURING a war, all stories revolve around wars. I would have liked to see stories without so many years apart in the beginning but I can understand that not all authors would feel comfortable with it. This is a book for readers that like short and sweet romances, with connections between the stories. Fans of family sagas will be pleasantly pleased.
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