All unique stories with a lot of depth. The tie being that they're all set at forts, all for different reasons. Feelings and relationships run the gamut of what it must have been like to live at a fort back in the early days. Pretty scary all around, and none too easy. One story is even based on true events where Daniel Boone was. Excellent stories by some of the best authors. I highly recommend this.

I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#NetGalley #HeartsStronghold #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #ChristianHistoricalFiction #FiveStarNovel #AmandaBarratt #AngieDicken #GabrielleMeyer #KimberleyWoodhouse

I enjoyed this collection of 4 romantic stories based on events in early American history. This is the third Amanda Barratt story I have read. Her first two held my interest much more than this one. Probably that is because I am not usually a big fan of romance stories. But they were well written and if a reader is drawn to romance they will enjoy.

I enjoyed these four novella set at different forts. However my favorite was the one by Amanda Barratt because it's set at Fort Boonesboro during the siege. Because to me Kentucky and Fort Boonesboro aren't in historical fiction enough. I love that Daniel Boone made an appearance in the book.

I'm going to have to try to read this again at a later date. I have tried several times and struggled to want to pick it up again and I completely blame mood reading. I have a big appreciation for novellas and the descriptions sound like they would be something I might enjoy at a later date. For now, I'm going to only leave this review here and do a more comprehensive one once I finish the collection.

An enjoyable read. I requested an advance copy of this book because Kimberly Woodhouse is one of the novelists and I always enjoy her books.

I originally requested this book because I saw it had a story by Amanda Barratt in it and I adore her writing, as well as the cover caught my eye.

I must say though that I throughly enjoyed all four of the stories and will be watching for future stories by Angie Dicken, Gabrielle Meyer, and Kimberley Woodhouse as well now.

These historical novellas were all beautifully told tales and I appreciated that the ladies in them were well-written and each story had a wonderful message in it.

Definitely recommend.

***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 received an ARC from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley, this review is my personal opinion.


I must say to all the authors of this collection, well done!. They had an interesting task, and I enjoy this story set on this fort. With many historical details and descriptions that make you feel you were watching the story instead of reading it. And what makes this better was how the faith of the main characters is present and developed, in each chapter. An interesting collection, set in an interesting period of time, well written, romance, faith, family, second chance, and many unexpected moments. A recommend it!

Review of A Promise for Tomorrow by Amanda Barratt: Set during 1778 at Fort Boonesborough, Kentucky, "A Promise for Tomorrow" is a historical romance with a nice dose of a time period that I don't often read. I liked reading about the siege that took place, there was content that made this a good read for 16/18 up.

This was a beautiful collection of 4 stories which take place at different forts. They detail the struggles, the hardships, and love. Each story is very inspirational.
Many thanks to Barbour Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is an excellent collection of stories from four talented authors. The storylines are all interesting, and show the trials and dangers women faced while living in the forts. While the heroines in each story have their own individual personalities, they all share the characteristics of strength and faithfulness in difficult times. These stories are, by design, shorter ones. which make them the perfect length for those days when you have a limited time to read. I liked each one of these enough that I wish they were full-length novels.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of 4 stories featuring women struggling with various issues in colonial forts during the 16 and 1700's. It's a fascinating period of American history when life was hard as men and women sacrificed to forge a new life in a rough new land. Each story's writer did an excellent job of bringing their heroine to the page! I only wish there had been more of them. I enthusiastically recommend Hearts Stronghold to any reader who especially enjoys American history with a side-order of great romance. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC, for this, my honest review.

I absolutely LOVED each of these stories and you will, too! Each story is unique in its own way and yet all are perfectly in line with the era that that were written. You will love the sweet love stories and how they evolve. Definitely a great read!

What a delightful collection of novellas! Each one with a different take on life on the frontier, and I found them all to be engaging stories with well-developed characters. I thoroughly enjoyed each one! What a hardship to have lived at this time. The history nerd in me really appreciates learning what is fact and what is fiction at the end of each tale. I highly recommend The Heart's Stronghold!

This book was a compilation of 4 novelettes by 4 authors all writing historical fiction based at the time of when America was still young. They took place when settlers and native Americans were still attempting to figure out whether each other posed a threat, and the settlers were still mostly men taming the land (setting up forts for protection within their walls). I enjoyed all four stories, and the style writing from each of the authors.

I do enjoy a novelette on occasion for a "quick read". However, the only real drawback is that they are so short that they seldom tend to offer much depth to any of the characters beyond 2-3 of the more prominent ones, and even they are quite shallowly depicted. This isn't the lack of talent in the writers, as much as the lack of space they dedicate to the story (in my opinion). The stories were written with a lot of flowery type words, and no real substance. The speed in which the main characters meet, go thru a quick succession of not liking each other, and ending up married all within such a short span of time leaves little ability for the reader to feel like they are able to delve into any real depth within the story. I didn't feel a part of any of their lives in any of these stories. That, for me, is a real loss. However, some seek such stories that they can breeze thru quickly without a lot of effort in reading and following the storyline. If someone is seeking such a story (as I admit I do on occasion during more stressful times within my own life), then this is definitely the book for them!

I greatly enjoyed the morality of these stories, and God's role in each of the characters lives. I also enjoyed how well the stories were written from a grammatical standpoint with minimal errors in spelling and sentence structure, etc. Such errors can greatly reduce the enjoyment of a story for me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing, Inc. through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Heart's Stronghold is a collection of four short historical stories. This collection is:
Virginia Company Bride by Gabrielle Meyer
Embers of Hope by Kimberley Woodhouse
A Treaty of Tulips by Angie Dicken
A Promise for Tomorrow by Amanda Barratt
I enjoyed every one of these stories. My favorite is Gabrielle Meyer's Virginia Company Bride. I give this collection is four stars.

This was a very enjoyable collection of stories. They seemed reminiscent of a Laura Frantz novel since they were set in Colonial forts. I loved the strong female characters. This makes me want to read more from each of these authors!



I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Virginia Company Bride by Gabrielle Meyer

I loved this novella! I had no idea Anne and John were real people until reading Meyer’s historical note, but that piece of history makes this novella all the more enchanting. Meyer did a fantastic job of blending fact with story, including real historical figures, faith, and the harsh realities of life in 1608 Jamestown. 5/5 stars

Embers of Hope by Kimberley Woodhouse
This one seemed a bit rushed in terms of story. There was plenty of detail and interesting historical research, but half the time it seemed like there was more description of food or stone masonry than plot development. Still, the setting was interesting and the characters, although somewhat shallow, were intriguing. 3/5 stars

A Treaty of Tulips by Angie Dicken
It felt like you were thrust very quickly into the story and it was a little hard to catch up. I did like how it was a reversed fairy tale, a theme throughout the novella, where the woman saves the man. Although it was occasionally difficult to keep up with everything that was going on (often events happened in one or two sentences) the love story made up for a lot. 3.5/5 stars

A Promise for Tomorrow by Amanda Barratt
WOW!! I desperately want this to be a full length novel, it’s so good! Rich with history, danger, faith, and love, Amanda Barratt’s beautiful novella is one that will stick with you. I loved the backstory of the hero and heroine, and Silas 😍 A solid 5/5 stars


Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

I'm not sure if it's best to review this as a whole or as individual stories but I'm going to do it as a whole. This was a new period of time in history for me to read about. Each story wad told about a different place in America pre or just prior to the revolutionary war. Women during this time had to be seriously tough. Several of these stories were about a woman who wad the only female in a fort full of men. I could not have survived this time period. I enjoyed each story in its own way. To be honest I thought each one was better than the one before it. As always short stories are hard for me to really get attached to and fall in love with but over all it was well done.

The title and cover of this book initially caught my attention, but the stories on the inside is what completely sold me. Normally I am not a huge fan of short novellas, as they usually seem to rush the stories and leave much lacking, but these were exceptional! I fell in love with each and every character of each story. They were so unique, just like the authors which penned them.

The stories of courage and strength and faith in God almighty were excellent. I look forward to reading more by each one of these authors.
5 stars all the way! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Authors like Lori Benton and Laura Frantz have endeared me to this period of historical fiction. If you've enjoyed their work, I encourage you to pick up a copy of The Heart's Stronghold. Below, I've rated the individual stories with what I saw to be their greatest strengths. In my opinion, the depth and heart of the books built into a lovely crescendo (hence the reason I've listed them in reverse order).

A Promise for Tomorrow by Amanda Barratt
Fort Boonesborough, Kentucky, 1778
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Positives:
• Barratt's contribution held the most action.
• If you've read My Dearest Deitrich, you know how emotive Barratt's writing can be. ♥️
• The more I learned of Rosina's past, the more I longed for her to find happiness.
• Silas is a dear!

****

A Treaty of Tulips by Angie Dicken
Fort Burnett in Upstate New York, 1740
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Sabine would not allow herself to be ruled by fear.
• I enjoyed how Dicken used Jacob and Sabine's friendship to demonstrate how our differences can lead to our collective strength.
• Sabine's mother's blindness and offering of tulips add another layer to the story.
• The character's faith is integral to the storyline.
• In regards to his post as well as his daughter, Jacob's sense of duty is honorable.

Favorite Quotes:

“We all have valleys in which we walk. Mine was dark and desolate—a stubborn journey with my back to the Lord. These blooms were my comfort, my reminder that forgiveness is near.”

"He may never be able to avoid trials, but he could remain strong and courageous to face hardship when it came. No matter the discord around them, he’d follow Sabine’s persistent desire to courageously follow peace."

****

Embers of Hope by Kimberley Woodhouse
Castle Island, Massachusetts, 1674
Castle William (which would eventually become Fort Independence)
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Positives
• A bit of a mystery is woven into the story.
• The story ties back to The Mayflower Bride which is another book by this author that I enjoyed.
• Are you feeling antsy in our COVID-19 quarantine? Esther endures a similar period of self-isolation.
• Esther doesn't allow the way people treat her to make her bitter. Instead presses on—winning others over by her selfless service.

Favorite Quotes:
"Where was her trust? God had brought them here for a purpose. It was her job to rest in that."

"Theirs had been a friendship that was quite uncommon. Simple moments talking together. Sharing by the fire. It wasn’t how it would be done in Boston, but what did that matter? It was natural and real. And that was what she loved."

****

Virginia Company Bride by Gabrielle Meyer
James Fort at Jamestown, Virginia, 1608

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
After the death of her mistress, Anne Burras finds herself to be the focus of attention among the Fort's 400 male occupants. Some are happy to see someone of the fairer sex while others cling to old superstitions and label her as a curse. One man, John Layton, stood apart from the rest. Although reluctant at first, he did seek to protect her—until he found he could no longer protect his own heart.

Positives
• The main characters have brief encounters with Pocahontas and John Smith.
• Loosely based on a true story.
• The author does a nice job explaining the layout, industry, and threats against James Fort.

Of all the stories in this collection, this one resonated with me the least. The courtship was too short and shallow for my taste... "A month had gone by since Anne Burras had arrived in Virginia, and John was surprised at how much his life had changed since that fateful day. He never would have believed the first time he saw her that he would be anticipating their wedding any day now." I also felt it lacked the depth of the other stories in the collection.