Courting Calamity: 4 Historical Stories

If the last story hadn’t been a dud with graphic violence (tragedy by fire) and liberal politics, I’d have probably given this an extra star. Here’s the breakdown of the stories in this collection:<br /><br />Lady and the Tramps- 4 stars<br />This one was just a lot of fun. I love stories of orphans getting taken in and the Wild West/outlaws who strike a train and the Wells-Fargo agent who saves the day. But that’s not all that’s going on, as Mattie and the kids quickly discover. It would have been perfect if the epilogue hadn’t felt rushed and surprising (things happen that weren’t clear to happen in the body of the story).<br /><br />The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek- 4.5 stars<br />This one was just totally sweet and I enjoyed every minute. The hero got himself in a jam by being a little too nice, and now he’s got a lawsuit. He’s happy to pick up and run home to get a bride...but she isn’t there. And maybe she didn’t send him that note after all...this relationship was fun and engaging.<br /><br />The Bride of Basswood Hill- 3.5 stars<br />This one needed some more work on setting and a couple more chapters on the relationship’s growth. While the story is sweet and the two leads engaging, the leap to true love and understanding was a bit hasty and I had to take the author’s word for it that they would be okay.<br /><br />Echoes of the Heart- 1 star<br />Ouch. I was looking for enjoyable, clean fictional romance. Hardly any romance, lots of socialism, lots of politics, and lots of graphic deaths by fire. And I do mean graphic. This was a bummer of a note to end on and I had to take a few deep breaths to cool off. The author posits that banning free labor in the factory would have prevented the fire altogether. Now, pardon me, but pro-union is NOT the only way a company can be asked to complete basic safety features. And then the three chapters of on and on, blood and guts, people jumping from windows, etc etc. Just nope.<br /><br />Thanks to the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.

In Courting Calamity, four authors collaborate on a collection of tales. Except for the fourth story, Echoes of the Heart, each of the stories is satisfying and engaging. The stories are short but well-written and can be read quickly. As a result, when a few hours are available, a person can curl up with a cup of coffee or tea and a blanket and read one or more of the novellas.<br /><br />The stories are set among different cities and timeframes, allowing for diverse and distinct tales. Each deals with an obstacle to be overcome, a woman who needs or appreciates the support of a man and an adversity to face. The main characters have faith in God and rely on Him for guidance. <br /><br />I enjoyed each of the stories. However, Echoes of the Heart is an exceedingly difficult, horrific book to read. The subject matter is especially important, dealing with workplace and environmental safety. I had an extremely challenging time reading it. Its depiction of a fire at a shirtwaist factory is graphic and horrifying.<br /><br />The other three stories, Lady and the Tramps, The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek and The Bride of Basswood Hill are less melancholy and more enjoyable.<br /><br />I received this book from NetGalley. However, my review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.<br />The fourth novella may be triggering for some individuals due to its graphic and horrifying depictions.

Excellent Historical Fiction Read! <br /><br />Each individual novella contained within is masterfully written and keeps the reader engaged to the moment. <br /><br />Some of the stories have hilarious moments and others are heartbreaking at times. <br /><br />Each individual story deals with a specific time period in the United States of America: taking place between 1874 and 1900's in the states of California, Texas, Minnesota, and New York.<br />I very much appreciated the variety of locations and settings for the tales held within this Novella collection.<br /><br />There was not one badly written story in this collection and it most definitely deserves 5 stars! (I would give it more if it was an option)<br /><br />One last thing I would like to point out, as the title indicates "Courting Calamity" does have stories that involve peril and tragedy.<br />Not all of them, but some.<br />However, I found it rounded everything out into a nice collection and if you like historical fiction -<br />I would recommend checking out this Novella Collection!<br /><br />***Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book. All views and opinions expressed in this review are my own.***

I did not enjoy this book. The first 3 stories were okay. The last story was not as described and also the last chapters were horrific and not at all what I was expecting from a Barbour novella. If you are bothered by graphic descriptions of death, I would like to warn you that the final chapters of the last story include a horrific and graphic description of the Triangle Fire of 1911. I wish I had been warned because There is a reason I generally choose lighthearted reading. Some people do like reading things like this but I just wanted to warn those who, like me, prefer something more lighthearted.

A quality collection of historical novellas with adventure, drama and tender romance. <br />All of them were well written with some gallant gentlemen and courageous women who find themselves in difficult situations. The heroes in the first and the last stories in particular were my favorites. Jake especially stood out in the first tale as he dealt with a train robbery, abandoned children--some needing tough love--and a bunch of outlaws. Lorenzo was a good man too, brave, loyal and faithful in the midst of tragic times. His proposal wins the swoonworthy award! The history of the last story was so sad, but inspiring considering the legacy of work place improvements as a result of their sacrifice. They accomplished changes that we benefit from still today. Holding onto faith especially through such tough times was encouraging to read. <br /><br />“I don’t trust because it’s easy. I trust because He’s good.”<br /><br />I appreciate the research all of the authors put into their writing to add authenticity to the stories. I enjoyed the whole collection. Recommend this book to readers who enjoy clean historical romances with drama. <br />4.5 stars<br />(An ebook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.)

Courting Calamity is a collection of historical fiction short stories. Each story has it's own timeframe and location. Each story is a great stand-alone story that draws the reader in. While there are levels of tragedy in each of the stories, there is redemption, too. I recommend this book for anyone who loves a good clean historical story based on an event that actually happened in the past. <br />Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book for my honest opinion.

Courting Calamity (4 Historical Stories) by Amanda Barratt, Gabrielle Meyer, Jennifer Uhlarik, Kathleen Y’Barbo<br /><br />Published by Barbour Publishing July 01, 2020<br /><br />Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance<br /><br />Pages: 449<br /><br />Rating: 3 out of 5 stars<br /><br />______________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />Publisher’s Description<br /><br />Despite determination to be strong and independent, four women of bygone days are in need of a hero.<br /> <br />Lady and the Tramps by Jennifer Uhlarik <br />California, 1874<br />When outlaws steal a deed from Mattie Welling, her dreams for her eight orphan charges from New York City are dashed. Can Wells Fargo detective Jake Hickens be trusted to pick up the pieces?<br /> <br />The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek by Kathleen Y’Barbo<br />Texas, 1890<br />When Zeke Wyatt returns home to Polecat Creek intent on making good on his promise to marry his childhood sweetheart, he finds she’s run off in his absence, leaving her kid sister to care for her aging parents and the mercantile. Can Zeke finally settle down, or will he leave another sister with a broken heart?<br /> <br />The Bride of Basswood Hill by Gabrielle Meyer<br />Minnesota, 1900<br />When wealthy lumber baron, Charles Alexander, unexpectedly finds himself married to an Italian immigrant, Sofia Bellini, he must do all he can to protect her from the society she’s ill-prepared to navigate. But when he falls in love with his pretty bride, he will have to make a difficult choice: will he go through with the annulment they had planned?<br /> <br />Echoes of the Heart by Amanda Barratt New York City, 1909 Irish immigrant Aileen O’Connor is willing to work to make a life in America. But even the land of opportunity is paved with hardship, as she discovers firsthand the injustices faced by factory workers. When she meets Lorenzo Favero at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, her heart is stirred by the kindness he shows her. When tragedy engulfs the city, will their newfound love survive the flames?<br /><br />______________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />Four authors offer up historical romances that span the US but not all of them are worth the read.<br /><br />It’s always hard to write a complete story when you have fewer pages allowed you. Some are better than others at using that space well as can be seen in this set of stories. In Jennifer Uhlarik’s story, the characters are well written and the story told with completeness. I loved the plot and the pacing of the story. The hero was a really good man who showed both kindness and strength while dealing with the sometimes troublesome children. Between he and the heroine, they were able to help the children find both healing and a home while finding love in an unexpected place. Kathleen Y’Barbo’s story was cute and fun but needed more page time to really tell the story. Everything happened to fast to seem real so that made the story a bit ridiculous. I did like the characters and the plot lines and know it could be expanded into a full-length book easily. I also liked the sarcastic conversations between the main characters that made up a lot for the shorter story. I laughed quite a bit at the happenings and overall enjoyed it. Gabrielle Meyer brought readers into the world of immigrants and finding a forever home. The plot is not a new one but I did like that she kept adding little twists to make it seem new. The characters were likable and I enjoyed watching them grow through the pages. It was another story that would probably do well as a longer book but Ms. Meyer crafted it well enough that it seemed very complete by the end. The final story by Amanda Barratt was probably my least favorite story as it jumped too much time and was not my style at all. It was overly realistic in its fictional account of a young couple during the 1910 New York Triangle Shirtwaist strikes and fire. The story focuses on two immigrant workers who work in the factory and fall in love amidst tough times. As a longer book this could really have been a good one as there was much to learn about that time period. But the action would be fast and furious then the next chapter would jump ahead several months, spoiling the tension. It was like being on a kiddie ride at an amusement park that had no point and just randomly jerked you around. Not a story I would recommend at all. So while most of these were good, the ones that weren’t really brought them down. It makes it a bit unfair for a better author to be side-by-side with a poor one and therefore have their work seen as lacking. I don’t think I’ll be recommending this set of stories but I will recommend the ones that were good.<br /><br />I received this temporary, complimentary E-book from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Courting Calamity<br />4 Historical Stories<br />by Amanda Barratt, Gabrielle Meyer, Jennifer Uhlarik, Kathleen Y'Barbo<br />Despite determination to be strong and independent, four women of bygone days are in need of a hero.<br />Lady and the Tramps by Jennifer Uhlarik <br />California, 1874<br />When outlaws steal a deed from Mattie Welling, her dreams for her eight orphan charges from New York City are dashed. Can Wells Fargo detective Jake Hickens be trusted to pick up the pieces?<br />The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek by Kathleen Y’Barbo<br />Texas, 1890<br />When Zeke Wyatt returns home to Polecat Creek intent on making good on his promise to marry his childhood sweetheart, he finds she’s run off in his absence, leaving her kid sister to care for her aging parents and the mercantile. Can Zeke finally settle down, or will he leave another sister with a broken heart?<br />The Bride of Basswood Hill by Gabrielle Meyer<br />Minnesota, 1900<br />When wealthy lumber baron, Charles Alexander, unexpectedly finds himself married to an Italian immigrant, Sofia Bellini, he must do all he can to protect her from the society she’s ill-prepared to navigate. But when he falls in love with his pretty bride, he will have to make a difficult choice: will he go through with the annulment they had planned? <br />Echoes of the Heart by Amanda Barratt <br />New York City, 1909 <br />Irish immigrant Aileen O’Connor is willing to work to make a life in America. But even the land of opportunity is paved with hardship, as she discovers firsthand the injustices faced by factory workers. When she meets Lorenzo Favero at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, her heart is stirred by the kindness he shows her. When tragedy engulfs the city, will their newfound love survive the flames?<br />Impressions: This was an enjoyable collection of novellas. The stories were short enough to read in an evening (for me) but did not lack the quality of a full novel. <br />Liked: My favorite novella in this collection was Echoes of the Heart. It was perfectly executed with romance, hardship and historical ties. <br />Didn’t like: I didn’t care for the novella, The Bride of Basswood Hill. I found it to be syrupy sweet and lacking realistic depth. The hardships the characters faced were dealt with idealistically and without the consequences that are likely.<br />Learned: Some thoughts on life are below with the quotes.<br />Quotes: “I cannot abide being useless.”” You’re far from useless, Sofia. Your roles have just shifted. You’ll need to use your energy for different things now.”- For any stay at home moms out there I will take this quote out of story context and say that this is how I felt leaving the work force and taking on motherhood. I constantly still need to be reminded that my roles have shifted, my purpose has shifted but I am still being used. <br />“God help me to show her, “I don’t’ trust because it’s easy. I trust because He’s good.”” – I have learned through life that my belief in God started out as my parent’s beliefs but grew with challenge and strife into my own. This quote is right on concerning my faith. It is not easy but I have trust in a good God.<br />“By becoming informed consumers, choosing to boycott companies known for unethical treatment of workers, by researching the facts and speaking the truth, we can make a difference. “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9”” – I struggle with being frugal and balancing being informed. The fast-changing trends lead to outsourced items from countries were regulations and pay are vastly different then in USA. Finding Fair Trade options, buying staples that will last longer for our family, and reusing items are different ways I’ve tried to be a conscience buyer. I have to say finding a good deal at a consignment shop is always a good day.<br />I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here.

Courting Calamity by Amanda Barratt, Gabrielle Meyer, Jennifer Uhlarik, Kathleen Y'Barbo <br /> Each story in this collection is so different that I will rate each one separately.<br /><br />Lady and the Tramps by Jennifer Uhlarik<br /> The collection opens with the sweet story story of Mattie Welling who needs a hero to help her corral her eight charges and recover a stolen deed; A deed that will provide a home for her and the kids. Jake Hickens is the man for the job, or is he? He certainly didn't apply and is pretty sure he wants no part of the whole thing. However, being the gentleman that he is, Jake can't leave this damsel with eight young'uns in tow in distress!<br /> What a great way to open this collection of stories! It left me wanting to read others just like it. It gets 4 Stars.<br /><br />The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek by Kathleen Y'Barbo<br /> The second story finds our hero, Zeke Wyatt, coming back to Polecat Creek (the name evokes some interesting mental images, doesn't it?) to make good on a promise to marry his childhood sweetheart. There's just one problem. When he arrives, he finds his intended gone...leaving her younger sister alone with the responsibility of caring for aging parents. Lizzie was just the little kid sister when Zeke left, but she sure isn't a kid anymore! Perhaps God's plan is going to work out as it was supposed to all along. We'll see.<br /> I liked this story even more than the first one. I found myself mad at Lizzie's sister for leaving, but cheering on the budding romance blossoming between Zeke and Lizzie! This story gets 4.5 Stars.<br /><br />The Bride of Basswood Hill by Gabrielle Meyer<br /> This turned out to be my favorite story in the collection. Gabrielle Meyer is a new-to-me author, but thanks to reading this story, she will soon become a familiar name on the books in my TBR pile.<br /> This story is somewhat a rags to riches tale which draws me in every time! Charles Alexander is a wealthy lumber baron. Mr Alexander is also a man who keeps his promises. Sometimes keeping promises can complicate one's life as Charles soon realizes. In almost the blink of an eye, he finds himself married to Sofia Bellini, a recent immigrant and life throws the new couple more obstacles than they are prepared to navigate. However, with plans for an annulment in the fine print of their agreement, they think things will work out just fine...but they never considered love might void their escape clause!<br /> I loved everything about this story and want to read more by Ms Meyer. This story gets 5 Stars!<br /><br />Echoes of the Heart by Amanda Barratt<br /> This is a story that was difficult to read, but not due at all to bad writing! In fact, the writing was good...so good that the writer made me feel as if I were there in the sweatshops working along side those who had come to America just wanting a better life. It is a story that needs to be told, just not in this particular collection of stories. I feel the editor(s) did a great disservice to this author by including a story full of drama and tragedy in a collection of short stories advertised to be lighthearted adventure/romance. SPOILER ALERT: Do not read any further if you do not want to know details that led to my conclusion! Echoes of the Heart was anything but light. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory catching on fire was bad. However, when 2 of the characters I had come to know jumped to their deaths to escape the fire, that was it for me! I could read no further. I felt somewhat deceived.. I almost never choose to read tragic or suspenseful stories since I read to relax. Reading about people dying in a fire is not my idea of light, relaxing reading. <br /> Echoes of the Heart deserves 5 Stars for the writing. However, I give the editors of this collection of stories 2 Stars for including this particular story in Courting Calamity.<br /><br /> I received this ebook from NetGalley for review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Lady and the Tramps by Jennifer Uhlarik California, 1874<br />Mattie and Jake's story<br />Maddie was an orphan herself and a helper with the orphan train. She kept the last eight orphans that were not chosen, in the hopes of caring for them at on her brother's property. They stowed away in a boxcar on the train that happened to be robbed. They met Jake Hicken after the explosion on the train when his two colleagues were killed. He was traveling to meet the biological father he'd never known. Loveable characters, interesting storyline. I really enjoyed it!<br /><br />The Secondhand Bride of Polecat Creek by Kathleen Y’Barbo Texas, 1890<br />Cute story of Lizzie and Zeke, loved their camaraderie and chemistry!<br />Zeke is a charming fellow who's had his share of trouble with the ladies. He needs to come up with a wife and present his wife at court or he'd be forced to marry one of three other women that were suing him. When he went back home to look up the girl he thought he might marry, she had run off with someone else and he falls for her sister. Lizzie has dreams of leaving her hometown for good and going back to work in Galveston, she had to come home once already when her mother was ill. Nothing will get in the way of her leaving again. Only a lot gets in her way. A fun story you don't want to miss!<br /><br />The Bride of Basswood Hill by Gabrielle Meyer Minnesota, 1900<br />The name Courting Calamity comes from the 3rd book in the series by Gabrielle Meyer. <br />Sweet, sweet romance that had me rooting for Alex and Sofia!<br />Alex grew up in a privileged society. He has never wanted to settle down. He learned more from the man who carved all the beautiful wood in his home, then from his own father. This woodcarver was like a grandfather to him, and Sofia is the wood carver's granddaughter. Alex's father was very much entrenched in his own class and was unkind to anyone beneath him. Alex is different. Don't miss their sweet story!<br /><br />Echoes of the Heart by Amanda Barratt New York City, 1909<br />Story of Irish immigrants Aileen and Meggie O'Conner coming to America, arriving at Ellis Island to be met by their uncle who allowed them to live with him and his family until they could get jobs and find a place to live. The girls got a job at the Triangle shirtwaist factory which worked their employees hard, with long hours and often docked pay for arbitrary reasons. It is a difficult story based on a true story. We owe much of our workplace safety today to laws put in place following the triangle fire. The bright spot in the story is the sweet romance between Aileen and fellow immigrant and coworker Lorenzo Favero. By far the most serious of the four novellas, but that is precisely why I like historical fiction, I learn something, even from our difficult history.<br /><br />What an interesting and diverse set of novellas. I am glad I read them, and I know you will too!