Fireside Christmas: four new inspirational love stories from days gone

by Peggy Darty, JoAnn A. Grote, Kristin Billerbeck

This four-in-one volume of all-new historical novelas -- each from an experienced author -- is sure to radiate nostalgic harmony in the midst of modern holiday cheer. Includes Dreams by Peggy Darty, Paper Roses by JoAnn A. Grote, Navidad de los Suenos by Kristin Billerbeck, and Eyes of the Heart by Rosey Dow.

Genres: Christmas, Christian, Christian Fiction, Romance, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Peggy Darty is the award-winning author of 27 novels, as well as numerous novellas and articles. Her credits include Random House/Waterbrook, Zondervan, Multnomah, Guideposts, Barbour, Bantam and Sunn Classic Films. She has worked in film, researched for CBS, and taught in writing workshops around the country.

Reviews

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

" 'It was his spirit of hope we needed,' she thought. 'My family needs that, the way the entire country needs the God of Hope now, in the middle of the Panic of 1893.' "

Fireside Christmas (1999, Barbour), which contains "four new [historical] inspirational love stories from days gone by," each by a different author.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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Story #1

"Oh Lord, why of all men must I marry him? Lord, You have ordained each and every day of my life. Please find a different path for me. Please. I beg You, Lord. Anyone but him, anyone!"

Navidad de los Suenos by Kristin Billerbeck: 4 stars
Setting: The California Territory, 1844

Isabella Arguello, 17, is expected to marry "Antonio Freemont, the twice widowed, but wealthiest Californio in the territory" in exchange for 1,000 cattle for her parents. Family friend and Protestant Preacher Sola is expected to come visit the family and attend the wedding. In his stead is "the finest man she had ever seen. . . Spanish, with his unruly, dark brown hair. . . " Juan Carlos Vega, a Spaniard, has been sent by Preacher Sola to attend the wedding in Sola's place. But Vega's presence complicates matters, because he looks at her "not [with] the eyes of a preacher, but the eyes of a man. A man with emotions and sympathy for her plight, and perhaps something else." Isabella has feelings for him, as well, even though he isn't a Californio. "This is how a woman should feel about the man she marries, she thought dreamily."

Likes: The setting of the California Territory was new to me. I found the distinction between Californios and Mexicans to be interesting. According to YourDictionary.com, a Californio is "A Spanish-speaking Roman Catholic Californian living in California before the Mexican-American War."

Another aspect I was impressed with is in the following passage. I don't think I've ever read this sort of acknowledgement in a romance before. Good job, Ms. Billerbeck!

"Antonio Freemont is not in the wrong, Isabella, I am. Is Antonio Fremont standing here kissing another man's fiancee in the dark of the night? Is he telling her with words and actions how he loves her when he knows she belongs to another?"

Dislikes: A bit of instalove here, which is never my preference. This is one of the author's first published works, and it shows just a bit. Not much, but a bit. I've read three of her other stories, and rated them between 3.5 and 4.5 stars. See the links below.

Strong as the Redwood (1997): 4 stars

Smitten (2011): 4.5 stars

Bayside Bride (2011) in The Valiant Hearts Romance Collection : 3.5 stars

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Story #2

"She was Caroline Cushman from Pine Ridge. She wasn't going to put on airs or pretend to be something different. Still, Caroline knew that life here was not going to be easy."

Dreams by Peggy Darty: 4 stars
Setting: Pine Ridge, Alabama, 1894

From the blurb: A scholarship student, "...Caroline Cushman [is] the first resident of Pine Ridge, Alabama, to attend college. Her simple country manners stand out…, attracting the attention of Ryan Blankenship... Caroline's only dream is to return to Pine Ridge with an education for teaching, but Ryan has dreams that will stir the Christmas punch."

Ryan Blankenship wants a female to converse with about "politics or world news or nature" rather than "social events and fashion." When he sees Caroline, he is intrigued, because "she seemed to have a keen interest in everything around her."

Likes: I liked the short prayers sprinkled through the story.

Dislikes: I don't love the trope of a jealous rival sabotaging the main character. However, given the age of the characters, it is reasonably believable. That being said, I like Caroline's response to the villain of the story. There's also a definite element of instalove in this one.

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Story #3

"His warm hand gently lifted my fingers and placed them on the sleeve of his dinner jacket. It was then that I knew that he knew. . . that I was blind."

Eyes of the Heart by Rosey Dow: 5 stars
Setting: New England, 1925

From the blurb: "Jim Clarke is visiting the Simmons family over the Christmas holiday with his girlfriend Honey. When a sprained ankle keeps him from joining a skating party, he discovers the charm of Honey's blind sister Julie. But will Honey's thoughtlessness and jealousy destroy an opportunity for true love?"

Likes: I enjoyed having a blind main character. And it's refreshing that the author doesn't shy away from the gospel, having the main characters briefly share their testimonies with one another.

Also, the storyline feels realistic. Julie's feelings, as well as those of other characters, feel authentic. And the issues that the characters discuss aren't at all superficial. Julie has wisdom that is spot-on.

Dislikes: Another jealous rival trope. But one sibling attracting the attention of another sibling's beau isn't going to go well, no matter how mature the first sibling is, so I think this is definitely understandable. However, I definitely would've preferred that Jim's relationship with the first sister hadn't already progressed as far as it had. He was already prepared to be engaged to the first sister. Fortunately - and conveniently - there are extenuating circumstances that make it work out to the satisfaction of the reader.

I'd like to try one of Ms. Dow's books. Megan's Choice is the first in a series, so perhaps that's a good place to start.

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Story #4

"Every loss requires healing and adjustment."

" 'Men like to think they are strong, but their pride is their weak point. A wise woman is careful to build it up.'

Vernetta caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Mother certainly hadn't been building up Father's pride lately!"

Paper Roses by JoAnn A. Grote: 5 stars
Setting: Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Panic of 1893

From the blurb: Beginning on Thanksgiving, "...the Larson family… must turn their large home into a boardinghouse, and Thomas McNally is the first boarder to inquire for a room. He teaches a Sunday school class for newsboys, and Vernetta Larson is drawn into helping him with the newsboys and flower girls."

**I went down a rabbit hole looking up information about flower girls. This isn't quite the right sort of flower girl, but The Flowergirls of 1851 (England) was very interesting. I did find an article about paper flower-making, but I didn't find one about (artificial) flower girls.

Likes:

*I like Vernetta for not being a stereotypical spoiled rich girl. Right from the start, she's extremely kind.

*I also like how this story addresses a hard question: " But Lord, how can You allow poverty to put children into such a position?"

*I also like the frequent organic bits of wisdom in this one. Here's one that particularly spoke to me: "There are no guarantees… We can't make choices for others, even when we can see their own choices are leading them into dangerous and unhappy places. There will be boys in whose lives you won't be able to tell if you've made a difference. That will not lesson the importance of the lives that your investment will change."

Dislikes: A moment of instalove. "The regret that flashed through her at the revelation that such a man would never be considered a worthy suitor surprised her." This comes on the heels of Vernetta's beau dropping her like a hot potato when her parents lose their wealthy status. However, in thoroughly skimming through this story again, I've been impressed and didn't find another instance of anything I disliked. I can't deduct any stars for this one moment of instalove.

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Is the collection clean/chaste? Yes!

The bottom line: I found this to be a pleasant Christmas collection, and was quite impressed with the last two stories. I'm trying to read through my paperback books with the goal of getting rid of some, and I'm conflicted. I'll decide tomorrow………

[Megan Calfee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Navidad de los Suenos by Kristin Billerbeck was a fun and easy read. I really enjoyed the “Zorro” type feel to the storyline.

Paper Roses by JoAnn A. Grote was my favorite. I really enjoyed the reminder that in hard times we must cling to hope.

Great stories to read in the evening with a blanket and hot chocolate with Christmas music in the background.

[Diane Sugars · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book of four short stories that are a wee bit sappy, that all end with happy endings full of Christmas joy. I am not a fan of short stories, but I made my way through this book just to be able to get it out of my to be read pile.

[Deborah Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were four different stories by 4 different authors. Full honesty hated the first one and couldn’t get into it so I skipped it and read the other 3 lol
Loved the middle 2 and the last wasn’t bad but wasn’t the best. Very short read and makes me want to listen to Christmas music.

[Sheila McCarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice short stories from the earlier days of Christmas when ice skating was a big outdoor activity and they mostly rode in horse and carriages. Very interesting how they celebrated in those earlier days. Very inspirational as well. Good authors of romance novels when they first began writing.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories about love and Christmas.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

OMG I thought I would never rate a book 1 star ever again. It has to be REALLY bad for me to rate it one star, but this definitely hit the mark.
I was in the hospital with my stupid kidneys being pissed at me (yes, I'm better, thanks for asking) when the bookmobile came around to my hospital bed. There wasn't much to pick from and I was feeling kind of depressed about my situation, so I told the librarian to pick one out for me. She picked this, thinking that since it's near the holidays (I was actually in on Thanksgiving, talk about a bummer) it would perk me up. God bless her, she was WRONG.
This book is a collection of 4 historical romantic novellas. One was set in the 1860s California, one was 1860s Tennessee, another was 1920s Vermont, and the last was in Minneapolis during some kind of economic hard time that wasn't the Great Depression. I was skimming by that point; I just wanted to be done. My favorite story was the 1920s one because the author used historically relevant vernacular and seemed to know a lot about the time period.
I liked how there was a God aspect to many of the stories. I'm religious myself, so that was a plus.
My least favorite part about this book is everything else. The cover is boring, the writing pretty much sucks, and most of what was going on could not capture my interest. It is true that I read this while I was ill, but I have a feeling that even if I felt well I'd still be bored out of my mind. I could barely stay awake for more than 20 minutes or so while I was reading.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first experience with short stories. Although, I would prefer a novel, these stories were enjoyable and captivating. The thing I had trouble with, regarding the short story, is I felt cut off at the end, like I was missing part of the story. At this point in my reading, I don't know if I should feel like "I want more" or "feeling complete with a small amount." I have one more short story to read in this book.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four good Christmas stories. My absolute favorite though was Eyes Of The Heart...very very good, romantic, and sweet.

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty superficial writing - not very developed plot lines, quick read