Serving Up Love: A Four-In-One Harvey House Brides Collection

The Setting: Because the time of Harvey Houses spans several decades, with establishments throughout the West, these novellas take place in four time different time periods and locations: San Marcial, NM, 1929 – Gainesville, TX, 1902 – Emporia, KS, 1989 – Grand Canyon, AZ, 1908. The Characters: Tracie Peterson's "A Flood of Love" gives us a no-nonsense heroine who has worked her way up the chain of command among the Harvey Girls. The hero is a tall, dashing railroad man of mixed Hispanic and Caucasian heritage, and his little daughter is an unforgettable personality. In "More Than a Pretty Face," I enjoyed reading about the life which Rosalind, from Karen's novel More Than Words Can Say, built for herself after she left Abby and Zach and headed west. I believe we also met the leading man, Caleb Durrington, in that novel, too, but it’s been a while, and my short-term memory isn’t the best. Caleb’s father built a legacy as a cattleman, but Caleb has followed his own calling as a western lawyer. This novella also offers a supportive cast of lovable characters, including a French chef! Regina Jennings' "Intrigue a la Mode" delights with colorful characters. Our heroine is from a large country family in Kansas, and the hero is the confident and determined son of a self-made railroad-baron. Expert dialogue and unique personalities makes these characters very hard to forget. "Grand Encounters" by Jen Turano gives us a quiet-but-rugged businessman who is head-over-heels for a socialite-in-hiding who serves him lunch at the El Tovar Harvey House on the rim of the Grand Canyon. The hero's hilarious motor-mouth brother and the heroine's textured collection of friends provided plenty of giggles. I will mention the taciturn hero, who is now wealthy and well-traveled despite a country upbringing and limited education, did wax a little too flowery in speech for my suspension of disbelief to hold up very long during his conversations. The Plot: AFOL: Gretchen, the heroine, and Dirk, the hero (love those names!) are continuously brought together by his daughter who has outlasted many a nanny. Gretchen becomes her nanny and protector during a natural disaster, which brings them all closer in the end. MTAPF: Caleb is learning to forge his own path and make his own decisions out from under the pressure of his loving, but overbearing mother, who knows precisely the type of woman he should marry that would complement the godly reputation he has made for himself. He, on the other hand, has his sights set on Rosalind, who was assigned to the Harvey House close to her home, despite running from a mistake in her past for the last several years (readers of MTWCS will remember what this is). IALM: The hero investigates a dangerous smuggling operation that might be scaring off his father's railroad employees and employees of the Harvey House along that line. The heroine acts as an informant. GE: The heroine has sworn off men, until the hero begins courting her, then she worries her former affluent lifestyle will frighten him away. The Romance: AFOL: This is a reunion romance where the hero and heroine are in love, but the heroine has much to forgive. I enjoyed how the hero never hid the fact he admired and hoped to win the heroine. MTAPF: I enjoyed how this novella made more of hero and heroine’s compatibility in personality, intelligence, and faith than simple physical attraction. Though I appreciated that the novella doesn’t completely leave out the latter, which I think lent a realistic aspect to the story. Given the plot and tones of the novella, this focus on the inner person feels appropriate. I did feel there was a lack of description for the characters other than eye color and her naturally curly blond hair. Although, with novellas, wordcount has to be considered and I understand if some descriptions were left out in favor of character development. IALM: Graham and Willow, hero and heroine in this novella, were thoroughly enjoyable to read

Are you or someone you know in need of a good book? Let the Harvey Girls in "Serving Up Love" be of service! Four books in one is an awesome deal. However, when the authors are Tracie Peterson, Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, and Jen Turano, you know you’ve been handed a huge gift on a silver platter. I found myself smiling and laughing out loud so many times. I found myself instantly attached to the nine-year-old Katiann in Tracie Peterson’s "A Flood of Love". Her instant friendship with Gretchen was so sweet and her not-so-subtle meddling between Gretchen and Dirk had me blushing and giggling. Karen Witemeyer’s "More Than a Pretty Face" was the perfect ending to The Patchwork Family Series and a perfect addition to "Serving Up Love"! Rosalind Kemp is a character you wish you could meet in person. She is so real and relatable. We all have things in our past we aren’t proud of and may find ourselves facing the repercussions of a poor decision. And I believe most of us have wished for a fresh start at some point in our lives. The friendship and budding romance between Rosalind and Caleb is the kind that fills you with warm fuzzies. In addition, the story was full of surprising turns—especially at the end! I was hooked from page one (well… page 81). I just recently read a book by Regina Jennings and was excited to read another story written by her. I’m hooked! I can’t wait to get my hands on more books by her. In "Serving Up Love", Regina Jennings’ story "Intrigue a la Mode" was exactly that—intriguing. Wow. It had elements of mystery I wasn’t prepared for. My heart even started racing a couple of times! Before "Serving Up Love", I had never read anything written by Jen Turano. I was excited to try out a new author. "A Grand Encounter" was simply amazing! I was glued instantly. A couple of times I had to put the book down in order to see to a few chores. I was disgruntled and rebuked myself saying “Grace, you knew you shouldn’t have picked that book up!” One book, four stories, and 9 new friends… what could be better?!