To me, this anthology is like a treasure chest brimming with sparkling stories about extraordinary women confronting and overcoming bounds of society, conscience, politics, and locales. What would you do in any of the situations these feisty women find themselves in? Can you imagine yourself in 15th century Italy or Portugal? Scrabbling to survive in new lands? Flying in WWII or hopping a bus to make a new life?

In this collection you’ll find jewels to marvel over and set your imagination soaring. And, like a treasure chest, you will discover priceless stories to read again and again and authors who might very well become your new favorites.

Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women gave me 23 different stories that lifted me up, tore my heart out, and made me cheer. From six centuries and various countries, the women fought for their right to survive, to love, and to choose their futures. Each story wove a delicate path forward to the resolution of their tale, bringing nursemaids, immigrants seeking freedom, munitions factory workers in dangerous situations, college filmmakers, wives, socialites, poor women and wealthy women all into focus of a universal truth. These stories bring to the light the long history of regulating women to the background or erasing them from history. They show with eloquent words that feisty women have existed and changed the path of history, all in well-told fictional stories. One collection you don’t want to miss. 5 Feisty Stars!

FEISTY DEEDS is a fun collection of short stories all focused on women defying the norms of society. You’ll read about a Victorian artist who “paints” people, a handmaiden risking death to save the knight she loves, a daring camerawoman who risks life and limb to capture a peace protest turned violent, and more. I enjoyed jumping from historical period to historical period.

What I loved about this book was the fact that none of the stories ran longer than 3000 words (approximately 10-12 pages). For people who are continually interrupted by calls for food and popsicles, it means they can pick up and put down the book without losing track of the storyline. 

Best of all, the proceeds for this book go to the Women’s Fiction Association Scholarship Fund which helps writers facing economic hardships continue working at their craft.

From the 1400s through to the 1960s, this is a wonderful collection about women’s strength, fortitude and grit throughout the ages. Every story breathes life into a new female who faces a challenge in a different time and place.

With a great theme and message, this collection is also a great way to discover new female authors and hear their voices.

I love how I can dip in and out of this, and get swept away. I’m not normally a short story reader but the themes and the writing in this anthology may have changed my mind.

A really strong and important book for a really great cause.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This anthology is a must for readers of short stories, historical fiction and women's fiction.

I love that each author in this wide-ranging collection has created a unique interpretation of "feistiness" to match each story's heroine that accurately reflects her era, circumstances and geographical location.

In ways large and small, women have always struggled to confront challenges. The inspirational and thoughtful stories within these pages take the reader on a fascinating journey across time and around the globe. A highly recommended read - even more so since all proceeds go to support a scholarship fund for aspiring women's fiction authors with financial constraints. This collection makes the perfect gift for the inspiring women and girls in your life.

Each story was greatly satisfying and made me hunger for the next. I devoured these bit-sized historic tales and wanted entire books of each Brava to each and every author. Brava!

So many great stories to unpack in this fascinating historical fiction journey! The offerings span through centuries, featuring women who stand up for themselves in a multitude of challenges, from a painter with a “special” talent to a browbeaten wife extricating from a violent relationship. I highly recommend this read, overflowing with tales of perseverance and feisty attitude. Not to mention, the proceeds go to a worthy cause, providing scholarships through the Women's Fiction Writers Association.

Feisty Deed is a collection of short stories highlighting six centuries of women who fight against society's expectations of them. Historical short stories are challenging; the writer needs not only to develop the situation and character, but make the period come alive with details. This takes time that a short story doesn't always allow. All of these stories have interesting premises. Some are only lightly set in the history and others emphasize the history to the detriment of the characters. When a balance is achieved, the stories fly.

Christy Matheson manages this balance. In "The Inner Good" we first meet Felicity "trying to float…or perhaps glide. Whatever it was that ladies did so their petticoats rustled appealingly, instead of striding or even galumphing." She loves and wants to marry a man her family disapproves of: a former slave who has achieved financial success and is kind. Told with humor and an eye to detail, Felicity's struggles delight.

Another story that stood out is "The Calf" by Kay Smith-Blum. Set in West Texas in the forties, it manages to wrap the story of a solid marriage around a lost calf and the government's machinations as it seeks to take away land for an airfield.

The opening and closing stories, "The Deadly Portrait" by Nina Wachsman and "The Last Bus to Bakersfield" by Julie Mayerson Brown, stand out for their tension of threatened women.

In this wide-ranging group, there will be a story for everyone. Maybe even three or four. A perfect book for a bedside table.

this is a collection of short stories by lots of historical authors. Loved the book, you could finish one story in an afternoon.

What a delightful compilation of short stories! I enjoyed every single one of them. The wide array of timelines and story settings made for interesting reading. What stood out most to me was the daring nature of the women featured as story protagonists. If only women ruled the world...

This is a well-written collection of short stories by nearly two dozen historical authors. The book contains a wide range of time periods from hundreds of years ago to the not so distant past. Each story was an interesting, enjoyable and often thought-provoking tale of women's strength and fortitude against the constraints of the times in which they lived.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. I have to say that I'm not a big fan of short stories because they usually cut off just as I'm getting interested. These are not the usual, "women heroes" stories that you have likely read before. They have violence, intrigue, murder. In short, they are riveting and I enjoyed them all greatly.

I rarely read collections of short stories by multiple authors. This book is changing that. Feisty Deeds edited by Kimberly Sullivan is a collection of 23 short stories that follow ordinary women from the 1470s to the 1960s as they rise to meet life’s challenges. These stories are purposeful, powerful and inspiring, prompting reflection about what it means to be a woman across these different time periods and how we can dare to be ourselves. Each has a life lesson to share that could spark reflection about our own identities, too. It’s also the perfect opportunity to get to know many authors you might not have encountered yet so you can devour their backlists.

A variety of short stories about the strengths of women.
Affirming, inspiring and empowering, what stood out for me was the range: time periods, contexts, themes, moods.
There is a story for everyone in this book. The stories nested under Defying Domestic Authority were particularly interesting.

Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women is an anthology of historical fiction short stories written by 23 authors. According to the editors, "Even when time periods and geographical locations vary greatly, women’s struggles as they confront adversity are often remarkably universal. The stories in this collection follow ordinary women from the 1470s to the 1960s as they rise to meet life’s challenges."

To me, Feisty Deeds is like a box of chocolates - but without the calories. It gives readers a sampling of stories from a wide range of authors - those new to their career and those far more seasoned. If you love historical fiction - you'll love this anthology. The same is true if you love women's fiction.

For those who aren't sure that historical fiction is their genre, then this is the perfect way to read a wide variety of stories across six centuries and a variety of circumstances such as storms, murder, and war. Plus, you'll get the chance to discover these 23 authors: Debra Borchert, Teri M. Brown, Julie Mayerson Brown, Elisabeth Carson-Williams, Valerie Chalker, Joan Fernandez, Kim Gottlieb-Walker, Beth Anne Hill, Dawn W. Hogan, Carolyn Korsmeyer, Della Leavitt, Raquel Y. Levitt, Christy Matheson, Barbara Buckley Ristine, Suzanne Samuels, Julia María Schiavone Camacho, Elaine Aucoin Schroller, Kay Smith-Blum, Kimberly Sullivan, Ashley E. Sweeney, Nina Wachsman, Patty W. Warren, and Marie W. Watts
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Finally, all proceeds of this book go to a WFWA scholarship to help women fulfill their dreams to become authors. Definitely put this on your TBR shelf!

Thanks to the publisher and editors for providing an advanced reader copy of this collection. •
Ever wonder about the challenges of women throughout the centuries? In Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women, a group of historical fiction writers come together to provide glimpses into six centuries of women through short stories. Having a variety of authors provides for refreshing writing styles and perspectives. I have my favorites and you' will too. There is something here for everyone! Knowing that any proceeds will go to a scholarship fund for the Women's Fiction Writers Association is a bonus reason for purchasing this book. Will be a great graduation gift!

What a glorious affirmation of the strength of ordinary women as well as a celebration of women writers. This collection "shows women who refused to accept the rules imposed upon them and accomplish all they set out to achieve." Some of the stories may surprise readers with the obstacles women faced not long ago. In one short story set in the United States, husbands could have their wives committed indefinitely to insane asylums with no medical diagnosis. Many women were locked away because their husbands found their opinions disagreeable or they had simply tired of them and could afford the expenses at the asylum. In another, a battered wife trying to get away from her abusive husband had to lie to the bank to withdraw a small amount of her own money from a joint bank account without her husband's permission. My heart broke for a poor woman with too many children who found herself pregnant again. One of my favorite short stories was "Summer of Love" set in California in 1967, since I am old enough to remember it. It has shocking correlations to the political unrest we are seeing now. Reading this collection introduced me to new writers and I will look for other books they've written a bonus for any avid reader. I loved this book and plan to buy copies for my daughters and friends to remind them of their inherent strengths as women.

My thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the digital ARC. All opinions and the review are entirely my own.

As with all collections of short stories some I wanted to continue to read, others I was happy with a snippet but overall I absolutely loved this collection. Tales of women in all kinds of situations but all demonstrating our strength. Highly highly recommend.

A wonderful collection of stories about, and written by, feisty women. Spanning six centuries, these short glimpses into women's lives and experiences through time are in turns touching, humorous, infuriating, and uplifting. Great read, perfect gift, excellent book club choice.

A collection of thoughtful, empowering stories that will inspire you to be feisty too. Incredible stories from the 1400s through the 1960s. I especially loved The Divine Sense!