A review by english_lady03
The Message in a Bottle Romance Collection by Joanne Bischof

3.0

I don’t read a lot of these novella collections, but I mostly requested this for one short tale in particular. Each one of the short stories (less than 100 pages), were well written and cute, my problem is that I don’t really care much for American Fiction. Since 3 out of the 5 stories were set in America, you can see how that might be a problem.

Don’t get me wrong, they were interesting, it’s just that I don’t know enough about the American Civil War, or turn of the (20th) century California, and I don’t really identify with the setting. The third story, about the Doctor’s daughter I enjoyed and the second one with the Scottish girl and the loyal piper who led her through everything.

The first story, set in 12th century Ireland was good, but it was also the one I was most disappointed with, as I did not feel it was historically accurate. There were just too many mistakes: one scene mentioned a character eating a potato pie, and another using a table fork. Neither were introduced to Europe until centuries later.
The Castle and Vikings also seemed out of place, although they were essential to the story. It’s a shame in a way because as stated above, it was a great story with a clear gospel message, but I think the historical setting could have been different.

Overall, The Message in a Bottle Romance Collection would appeal to anyone who enjoys historical romances spanning different times and geographical regions but united by a common thread.

I requested a copy of this book from the Publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.