The Kissing Tree contains four short stories by Regina Jennings, Karen Witemeyer, Amanda Dykes and Nicole Deese. Though they are apart in time, they are centered around a famous big old tree, called The Kissing Tree in a small town in Texas. For me, it is very rare that I love all four stories and therefore almost impossible to get a 5 star rating for the entire book, but in this case I actually loved them all!

Regina Jennings starts off with a bang, as she introduces a handsome man with farming machinery among the sceptical Texas people. He makes a deal with the father of a girl he once fancied, but little does he know how this will impact her life… and it was so much fun to read! Epic finale is all I can say.

Karen Witemeyer follows next with a shy but dreamy woman who wants to start her own romantic getaway inn and someone who is sent by her father to make sure it will work financially. I am a HUGE Karen Witemeyer fan, I have read everything she wrote, and I have to say this is my favorite novella yet. It had me laughing out loud several times and it is just amazing writing, characters and plot.

Amanda Dykes kinda broke my heart and repaired it too, with her novella on a WW2 pilot who seeks out the women he wrote too during the war. I loved that it wasn’t the usual dramatics where she doesn’t know who she is and is mad when she finds out etc, but rather a slow healing of hearts and opening up to one another. And Hannah is such an unusual and amazing character!

I didn’t expect to like Nicole Deese’s story as it is contemporary and that is just not my genre. But she suprised me in a very good way and showed me that romance can be very much alive today, too! It is a story of loss and how to cope, and I loved it all.

All in all, I can really recommend these short stories! They are strong on their own, and even stronger together as characters and places weave through all four stories and connect them to a higher level.

I’ve got a free e-arc from the publishers, but it has not influenced my opinions.

Four novellas, all with an enduring landmark/theme - The Kissing Tree. Set in Oak Springs, Texas, each author shares a unique love story featuring a different time period (ranging from the 1800's to present day). It was fun to see the town through the ages as well as enjoy each of the couple's stories.

Even with different authors, each of the stories felt tied together in an appropriate way. If you enjoy heartwarming novellas set in different time periods, you will absolutely enjoy this book!

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the sentimentality of a kissing tree where lovers would carve their initials. The first story "Broken Limbs, Mended Hearts" by Regina Jennings had me laughing as Bella planned out the how and when of having her first kiss under the tree before she knew the who. It didn't quite go as planned which added to the humor and the humiliation.

"Inn for a Surprise" by Karen Witemeyer was a sweet story of a hopeless romantic trying to create an inn for romantic rendezvous. Her father sends his right hand man, Barnabas, to help make her dreams a reality. It's quite funny as they butt heads and disagree over what makes for a nice getaway. I enjoyed all of Barnabas' names for the inn, including "the Inn of Unfortunate Fuchsia-ness."

In "From Roots to Sky" by Amanda Dykes, Luke heads to Oak Springs to meet the sister of his friend who wrote to him during the war. Hannah is a whirlwind. I loved her enthusiasm for her projects and for people.

"Heartwood" by Nicole Deese completes the novellas as the groundskeeper fights to keep the tree as the innkeeper tries to get it taken down.

I really enjoyed all four of these stories. I appreciated how each story had a tight focus. The characters were developed. There was a fun story line with lots of sweet and humorous moments. Some made me laugh and others made me cry. These stories didn't fall into the novella trap of trying to cover too much ground. It was a great collection.

Thank you to Bethany House for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this selection of novellas surrounding a tree that got dubbed the kissing tree. Each story is a delightful love story between a man and a woman. I loved that even though each novella was written by a different author that they were all woven together and that sometimes the characters from one showed up in the next. It was like following the history of the town and the oak tree and I loved it.

I have always been a huge fan of Karen Witemeyer! But I am also glad to say that I am super interested in reading books by the other authors as well! I loved all of the stories in this book and found them to be exactly what I was looking for and needed right now! All of these stories go through different time periods and talk about couples that have fallen in love, an ending result of an oak tree in Oak Springs with all of the couples initials on it! I definitely need to find me that tree and go there myself! If you want a light but cute and sweet read then I definitely will tell you to read this!

*I received this book from Bethany house and Netgalley to read but all of my opinions are my own.

When Karen Witemeyer posted online about the story idea for The Kissing Tree, I was intrigued. I found the collection to be a delight. I loved reading the stories that spanned multiple generations. I was familiar with the first two authors in the book and as a fellow historical author, I quite enjoyed them. The other two authors were new to me, but I found there stories equally entertaining. The Kissing Tree is a book that touches a variety of genre enthusiasts. I think readers will find it as satisfying as I did.

~While this book was provided for free, I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review. (2020)

One of my favorite authors! She paired up with some other amazing authors to make this story a beautiful continuation. I loved that we could start back at the beginning where it all started and we got to see generations grow up. The kissing tree made me think of romance all the way around. Made me wish there was a kidding tree around that I could carve my name into. Beautiful work!

I'll be real, I requested this book for Karen Witemeyer alone because I ADORE her writing!! Getting to read a Nicole Deese story as well was icing on the cake! I liked that this book had love stories from all different time periods and stages so it was like reading 4 different books!

Abbi Hart <gatorade635@gmail.com>
11:45 PM (3 minutes ago)
to me

Broken Limbs, Mended Fences
This was a really cute story. I liked Adam and the way he fell in love with Bella back when they were school kids and set off to make himself worthy of her and return to win her heart. I appreciated the way he worked hard and truly wanted to make people’s lives better.
I felt bad for Bella with the loss of her dreams but I really admired the way she accepted her new path and determined to be the best she could at it.
The two of them were really sweet together and I liked watching Bella realize how Adam had always felt and start to feel the same way herself.

Inn for a Surprise
This story was everything sweet and charming! I loved the characters and the way that they were complete opposites but took the time to consider the other’s point of view rather than insisting their way was right. They so perfectly complimented each other, Barnabas grounding Phoebe and bringing some practicality to her dreams, while never discrediting them. And Phoebe showing Barnabas the benefits of adding a little whimsy and romantic notions to your life. I also really loved the way Barnabas described things in his mind and the various nicknames he came up with for the Kissing Tree! Basically this story was just the perfect little historical romance novella!

From Roots to Sky
In typical Amanda Dykes fashion, this story was lyrically beautiful! It’s WWII, so I was in love before I even started and when we met Luke and Hannah I was a complete goner! I loved the way they had the connection of their letters but watching them fall in love in person was the absolute sweetest. They were opposites in a lot of ways but similar in some as well. Luke was more reserved while Hannah was a bit of a tornado (as Luke described her at their first meeting) but they went together perfectly and I loved their story!

Heartwood
This story of second chance love was utterly captivating! I loved both Griffin and Abby and seeing them work through what had torn them apart in order to find their way back to each other was beautiful. Their shared grief was palpable and reading it during a time of my own grief allowed me to feel it even more deeply. They also both had a deep love and respect for nature and their passion for it shown through.
This was just a story about the love between the two characters but also their connection to Abby’s father who had passed away and the impact he’d had on them and the land.

Final Thoughts
I think this is officially my favorite novella collection! Every single story was wonderful and that almost never happens! Usually I have at least one that I’m just not a fan of at all so to love all four was a huge feat! Also the fact that these four authors made me care about a fictional inanimate tree is a testament to their skill! I definitely think you should pick this collection up-you won’t be sorry!

THE KISSING TREE is a delightful collection of romance novellas which take place in Oak Springs Texas from 1868 until the present. I like the way the stories are tied together by the kissing tree - giving the four novellas a definite sense of continuity. The authors flow well together and each brings in a good Christian message.
It is an enjoyable read and one I can highly recommend to anyone who enjoys Christian romantic fiction.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Enchanting. Delightful. A sweet book en-capsuling four novellas. Each written by award winning authors.

The Kissing Tree takes you through post civil war to modern age in Oak Springs Texas.

Broken Limbs, Mended Fences begins with a young girl carving her initials in a grand Live Oak, wishing for her first kiss.

Inn For A Surprise walks a young woman building a lover's retreat. When her fathers business associate blocks her every move, how do they collaborate to make the plans a success?

From Roots to Sky, a WWII airman heads to Texas to meet his fallen friends sister. Why has he come all this way when his plan was to travel to NY?

Heartwood. Fighting to keep the town's century old landmark, proves to be more heart wrenching then expected.

Regina Jennings, Karen Witemeyer, Amanda Dykes and Nicole Deese each brings a lovely story that starts and ends with the Kissing Tree. The stories flowed smoothly from generation to generation. I totally enjoyed each set of romances, as they were tastefully written. These ladies know their craft and I would give them a 5+

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Oak Springs, Texas is home to a huge oak tree with initials of couples who have fallen in love and marked the occasion on the tree. Beginning in the post-Civil War era and moving forward to modern days, each novella details the love story of a special couple in Oak Springs.
My favorite novella is the one by Amanda Dykes, in the World War II era and tells the story of Hannah and Luke. Hannah's brother was killed in Europe and asked Luke to continue writing to his sister before he died. Luke also sent sketches of buildings that had been damaged in the bombings. When he arrives in Oak Springs to bring one more thing to Hannah, he finds that she has taken his drawings and combined them into one cottage. He finds himself so intrigued with Hannah that he spends much of his time in Oak Springs helping her build the cottage.

These novellas are fun to read and to while away an afternoon or so. I didn't find this compilation as compelling as others I've read, but it is a good time filler. Four Stars.

Bethany House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.