Hearts Are Forged by the Flames of Gentle Love in Four Historical Stories

Worth Fighting For (1774—Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) by Pegg Thomas
Talk of war has surrounded Meg McCracken, including her father and four brothers. Alexander Ogilvie doesn’t care about the coming war; his plans are to head west. When Meg comes to his smithy, sparks fly off more than the forge. But can they build anything during unstable times?
 
Forging Forever (1798—Cornwall, England) by Amanda Barratt
When the actions of Elowyn Brody’s father force her into a marriage of convenience with blacksmith Josiah Hendrick, she consigns love to a bygone dream. But as Elowyn comes to know her new husband, her flame of hope begins to burn again. Until heartache threatens to sever the future forged between them.
 
A Tempered Heart (1861—Charlottesville, Virginia) By Angela K. Couch
Buried under a debt that is not his own, Thomas Flynn’s only focus is gaining his freedom. He has learned to keep his head low and not pay attention to the troubles of others, until a peculiar boy and his widowed mother show him how empty his life has become. After years of protecting her son from slights and neglect of the people closest them, Esther Mathews is not sure how to trust the local blacksmith with her child…or her heart.
 
A Malleable Heart (California—1870) by Jennifer Uhlarik
A hard-hearted blacksmith finds acceptance with the town laundress. But when his past comes to call, will he resist love’s softening or allow God to hammer his ruined life into something of worth?

I won this book in a giveaway, but I was familiar with all of the authors, so I was excited for a chance to read their novellas. I’ve read a few collections before (lighthouse romances, Christmas romances, multi-generational romances), but this is the first collection where enjoyed ALL of the stories! There’s usually one or two that I don’t care for (or only one or two that I DO care for), but I loved reading each one of these novellas.

Each story included rough, but soft-centered men and female characters who — despite their circumstances — were strong enough to make the most of their often difficult lives (though some of their circumstances were harder than others). For some reason I expected all the stories to be Western historicals, but each had a unique setting that helped create a memorable story.

Overall, this was a fun read. I stayed up too late reading (or read when I should have been working) — I love those kinds of books. I’ll definitely keep this book around so I can re-read these sweet romances when I need a pick-me-up.

PG for thematic elements. Get your copy here!