With This Ring? Novella Collection

About the Book
Humorous Historical Romance Novella Collection Offers Love and Laughs
Four top historical romance novelists team up in this new collection to offer stories of love and romance with a twist of humor. In Karen Witemeyer's "The Husband Maneuver," Marietta Hawkins decides to grab the reins when the ranch foreman she loves seems to be leaving forever. Regina Jennings offers "Her Dearly Unintended," where friends stranded by a rising river pretend to be newlyweds when a dangerous stranger arrives.
Mary Connealy's "Runaway Bride" finds a Texas ranger getting more than he expected when he rescues a young woman fleeing a dangerous arranged marriage. And Melissa Jagears' "Engaging the Competition" finds a young woman forced to assist the man she's often sparred with after an accident leaves him helpless. Each tale is a fun blend of history and romance that will delight readers.

My Thoughts
Since I absolutely love all four of these author's books I could not wait to get my hands on this collection! And to make things even better each of these books is connected one of it's author's other works! I love getting to catch up with secondary characters from other stories!

The Husband Maneuver-After getting to meet Dan and Marietta in A Worthy Pursuit I was very curious to see how their story would play out so I was ecstatic when I discovered they were getting a novella! Marietta and Dan were the perfect match for each other and it was amusing to watch as Marietta did her best to get Dan to admit he was in love with her while he was doing everything in his power to resist her and deny his feelings in order to keep a promise made long ago. This story was filled with sweet moments and funny ones and I absolutely loved it!

Her Dearly Unintended-I still haven't read the first book in the Ozark Mountain Romance series but I did read the second book and I got to meet Josiah and we were given hints of a relationship blossoming between him and Katie Ellen. As this novella starts though, they're on the outs due to a misunderstanding. It was hysterical watching them sparring with each other one minute then having to pretend to be in love the next! I loved how much Josiah wanted to protect Katie Ellen despite the fact that she repeatedly told him she didn't want it. There were also a couple of really cute scenes that I loved! All in all this was a super fun novella to read!

Runaway Bride-Big John's story, finally! The last of the Regulators to find a wife! In the Trouble in Texas series we got to meet the Regulators, five men who had banded together in Andersonville (a Civil War prison camp) to provide some sort of justice and protection. They became closer than brothers and one by one they fell in love, all but Big John. I kept waiting for Mary to write his story and now she finally has! John and Carrie's romance was a bit of a quick one but it was good nonetheless. I loved how Carrie never once complained about the hardships she faced and how protective John was of her. They were  well suited pair. It was really fun to catch up with the lives of the other four men, their wives, and their children.

Engaging the Competition-This was the only one in the collection not connected to the author's previous books but rather was a sort of prequel to the series that will start to release later this year. It was a bit amusing how the roles were reversed from the typical western romance, having a female ranch owner and a male teacher, but it worked for the story. I found Harrison's obsession with besting Charlie slightly ridiculous but I could also see where he was coming from. They were a fun couple and I enjoyed watching them overcome their differences to work together and realize their feelings for each other.

Meet the Authors
Karen Witemeyer is a winner of the Carol Award and has been a finalist for the RITA Award and National Readers' Choice Award. She lives with her husband and three children in Abilene, Texas. www.karenwitemeyer.com
Mary Connealy is well-known for her award-winning, bestselling historical romantic comedies. She lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her husband and has four grown daughters. www.maryconnealy.com
Regina Jennings is the author of five acclaimed historical romances. She lives outside Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with her husband and four children. www.reginajennings.com
Melissa Jagears, author of the Unexpected Brides series, is a homeschooling mother of three little ones on a tiny Kansas farm with a fixer-upper house. Her first novella, Love by the Letter, won the 2014 Carol Award for Best Novella. www.melissajagears.com

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.