A Sentimental Journey Romance Collection

by Cathy Marie Hake, Dianna Crawford, Joan Croston

Journey back to the great decade of the 1940s through nine romances that ignite despite the challenges and dangers of a world war. Couples meet under unique circumstances—during the bombing of London, at military outposts, through covert operations to save children, as well as on the home front—and the bond of love grows through shared ideals and faith.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

448 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2015

About the author

As a child, Cathy Marie Hake had an imaginary playmate. Now "grown up," she indulges in a host of imaginary friends as she writes. She teasingly says she decided if those voices in her head were talking, she might as well write down what they said and make a living by doing it. She met her sweetheart in the High School department at church and married him after finishing nursing school. They live in Southern California and have two children and two dogs (one of them even moos - one of the dogs that is, not the kids). Faith in God, a loving family, and a wacky sense of the ridiculous keep her going.

Known for surfing across the kitchen on a dropped dill pickle slice, waterskiing on sea anemone spit, and using Right Guard® as hair spray; she considers herself living proof that God does, indeed, possess a healthy sense of humor.

Cathy loves classical music, romantic getways with her husband, and Diet Pepsi Free®. "I need chocolate to survive, love my friends, and enjoy a deep personal relationship with the Lord. Although an extrovert, I'm very conservative on a personal level."

In her writing, Cathy attempts to capture a unique glimpse of life and how a man and woman can overcome obstacles when motivated by love. In her inspirational pieces she enjoys the freedom of showing how Christ can enrich a loving couple's relationship.

Reviews

[Tima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nine authors have written romance stories set during the 1940s and the World War. Each couple met under the often difficult circumstances of war. But each were able to find the time for love while still working to save people from the horrors that were happening. Several, but not all, of the stories were connected. So it was nice to follow the thread of the families between the stories.

I had previously read some of these stories, so they must have been in other books. But this didn't detract from my enjoying them. I felt the authors did a great job of finding the sweetness of romance among the darkness of war without making the stories themselves dark. I also liked the elements of faith that the authors wove into each story. The stories were sweet, heart felt, and well written.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Marilyn Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nine romance novellas in one book all taking place in the 1940’s. I enjoyed all the novellas in this collection. They all have a twist of their own. If you enjoy reading good quick reads that take place around war, you will love this book.
I was given a copy of this book from net galley for my honest opinion.



Of Immeasurable Worth - by Joan Croston -

Ann is living in a difficult day in London. She loves her work at her grandfathers book shop, but knows that war is coming. When Peter makes his way into her heart is he all he says he is or is he hiding something. Will she be willing to take her grandfathers prized possession and herself to safety or will she remain with her grandfather.

Peter loves living in London and knows his time is coming to an end. Will he be able to maintain a relationship with Ann or is it destined to fall apart?

A Flower Amidst the Ashes - by DiAnn Mills -

Margaret is happy to serve her country. She has no intention of finding love till this war is over. She just can’t deal with one more loss. When the attractive Andrew comes into the picture can she keep her heart in check? What will it take to prove God’s timing are not always our timing.

Andrew has no interest in finding love in the midst of war, yet he can’t get Margaret out of his mind. If they could just be friends maybe that is all either of them need, companionship. Yet when feeling continue to develop will there be a chance at love in the midst of war?

To Sing Another Day - by Kim Vogel Sawyer -

Helen is just trying to get by, taking care of her siblings and surviving is getting to be more than she can handle alone. She feels God has forgotten her and therefore she must make do with her lot in life. When Henry unexpectedly comes into her life, will she be able to find God again?

Henry can’t explain why he feels like he needs to help the Wolf family. Yet God has laid it upon his heart to do so. Knowing he is treading on dangerous ground he must guard his heart and sometimes his identity to help them. Can God show himself mighty to Helen before her heart is to hard to listen and possibly given to another.

A Living Doll - by Cathy Marie Hake -

Paul is working on a secret mission and feels he has found a good solution in Rosemary. He knew he was attracted to her but never expected to find love again. Can he keep his secret safe and keep her trust?

Rosemary never planned to find love again. She has already lost one husband and never imagined God would provide her someone else. When she starts helping Paul what exactly is he doing? Will God keep him safe or will she loose another love?

Filled With Joy - by Kelly Eileen Hake -

I love that this novella is a continuation of A Living Doll. We met Valerie in that novella. She has already lost her fiancé to the war. When her step dad brings an injured soldier into their home she was not looking for another love she could loose in the war efforts.

Roy is wondering what he can do to help in the war effort now that he has been injured. When he finds Gods leading in some of the least likely places, will his desire to do more be more than his budding relationship can handle?

A Thread of Trust - by Sally Laity -

This novella is a stand alone yet is a continuation of A Living Doll and Filled With Joy. We met Annelise in both yet she takes center focus in this one. Annelise has been helping her brother Axel in his import/export business and his more important secret missions. When Axel comes up with a spur of the moment fiancé for her things get interesting very quick. Will Annelise be able to forgive men from her past to find trust and love in another?

Erik Nielsen knew he was going on a secret mission, yet was not expecting to be engaged to a beautiful woman as part of that mission. How far must they take this to keep everyone safe? Does God have a plan in all this too?

A Stitch of Faith - by Dianna Crawford -

This is also a continuation of A Living Doll, Filled With Joy and A Thread of Trust. Even though they can all be read as a stand alone, its nice they are all put together in this collection so you can read them all in order.

We met Axel in the first novella, A Living Doll, and get to know him throughout all the other books with this one focusing on him. We already learned most of his secret missions. Here he finds himself exposed. While trying to save a Jewish boy and his smart mouth neighbor.

Sorena does not know what to think of her ‘knight’ is he a rich playboy or does he have a heart of gold? When you must completely trust a stranger, sparks sometimes fly. This novella is full of excitement from start to finish.

Letters From Home - by Lynette Sowell -

Trudy is a small town girl with a heart for travel. She loves taking pictures, so when she sees a handsome stranger she can’t help but snap his photo. When she develops feelings for this stranger, what will her future hold? Will God give her all her desires or will she do what is expected?

Bradley has secrets of his own. When his job finally leads him to the town he has longed to visit will it be what he expected or so much more? Trudy has been a God send and the feelings he has for her are foreign to him, yet what is best for Trudy?

A Light in the Night - by Janelle Burnham Schneider -

Elisabeth, a nurse during the war, has had her fair share of loss. She is struggling with how a loving God could allow war. She does not want any kind of romance, especially during a time of war. When Ian starts to become more than just a friend will she follow her heart or her fear.

Ian, a pilot for the Canadian Air Force, is not interested in a relationship either. Yet he can’t hide his feeling for Elisabeth. While he is away more than not, he still knows he has feelings for her. Will this war ever end, and if not will Elisabeth give him a chance?

[Kirsty Pearce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having already read four of the books in this collection previously in the Stuff of Love Novella collection, I was curious to read the other 5 books featured in this one, and on the whole was not disappointed. While both Joan Croston's Of Immeasurable Worth, and To Sing Another Day by Kim Vogel Sawyer in particular ended up touching my heart profoundly, it was A Light in the Night by Janelle Burnham Schneider that impressed me the most with the sweet depth of both it's love story and characters, especially since it was all written purely from the perspective of the heroine. The spiritual lesson it imparts lands with heart and does not feel like the author is shoving it down your throat. Lastly, as a history enthusiast, the light that it shone on a previously unknown to me part of WWII was a delightful surprise.

[Terry Yaceyko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. Loved almost all of the stories. Will be ordering more books of the authors included....

[Di Schlenk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nine short Christian stories based in the 1940s.
Lovely read.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely Loved These 9 Stories. I Eapically loved the fact that they were set in 1940s. It was a real Page Turner. I highly recommend this book Collection to Anyone Who Loves the 1940s. ❄️

[Linea Winter · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with any collection, some good, some not so good.

[Rhonda]

Of Immeasurable Worth by Joan Croston: London, 1940, Ann and Peter work together to smuggle the Gutenberg Bible to America in order to save it from the Germans in World War II.

Flower Amidst the Ashes by DiAnn Mills: November, 1940, London, Corporal Margaret Walker is working with Britain's Women's Auxiliary Air Force and is determined not to lose her heart to one of the pilots while the war is going on and her heart could be broken. Her friend, Beryl, has already lost her husband to the war.

Sing Another Day by Kim Vogel Sawyer: New York City, September, 1941, Helen Wolfe is trying to raise her younger siblings after her parents are killed in an accident and Bernie O'Day needs help in his shop and hires her brother, Henry. Helen was planning to train for a career as a singer but must work to support her family instead.

Living Doll by Cathy Marie Hake: Virginia, January, 1941, Paul Kincaid buys handmade dolls from Rosemary Fulton so that he can save the lives of precious Jewish children.

Filled With Joy by Kelly Eileen Hake: December, 1941, Roy Benson has been injured in the war and Paul Kincaid wants him to live with them while he recovers. Roy helps Rosemary and her daughter, Valerie, sew the handmade dolls to save children.

A Thread of Trust by Sally Laity: Copenhagen, Denmark, Spring, 1943, Axel and Annelise are providing a safe house to hide and smuggle Jewish children and others out of their grandmother's home. Annelise must pretend to be engaged to Erik to hide him in their home so that he can forge papers for the ones they seek to save.


A Stitch of Faith by Dianna Crawford: Copenhagen, Denmark, October 2, 1943, Sorena Bruhn finds herself responsible for hiding a small child when his Jewish parents, her neighbors are taken by the Nazis. Axel becomes involved in helping Sorena and the young boy and exposes himself as the underground resistance in the process.

Letters from Home by Lynette Sowell: Fredericksburg, Texas, 1943, Trudy Meier wants to travel and see the world. When traveling reporter, Bradley Payne, comes to town to report on the war efforts, Trudy rents him their family's Sunday house.

A Light in the Night by Janelle Burnham Schneider: Goose Bay, Labrador, Elisabeth is a nurse who can't dance and Ian MacDonald gets her to sing with him at the weekly "social evening" and a romance develops until she tells him that she won't give her heart to him and risk losing him during this awful war.

I absolutely loved these novellas. I love reading about World War II as I lost an uncle in the war. As I read the stories, I was reminded of many things my grandmother had shared with me about life in that time period. Each story develops around the possibility of events that could have actually taken place and romances happened despite some of the character's best efforts to prevent them. Many of the men and women may have feared loving someone as they might easily lose them to the war. Some of the stories are connected and include some of the same characters but not all of the novellas connect to the others in the collection.
I rated this collection 5 stars as it is truly wonderful. I think readers will love it also.
I received a free pdf version of this from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Traci · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was fine it just wasn't the time period I like to read about. 1940's is just not mine kind of book.

[Karen R · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting collection of stories featuring the brave men and women of the greatest generation!
Progressing from 1940's London, until the end of the war in 1945, the stories take place between England, the U.S. home front, military bases, and Scandinavian Europe. Four of the stories are connected by a family thread, which made an interesting series; the others are separate, but flow well along the timeline of the war.

I thoroughly enjoyed every one of these stories! These were not fluffy romances, yet they were tender and heartfelt, with some sigh-worthy moments. The characters had a lot of depth, like you'd find in a full length novel. They seemed to cover the many real-life heroes of the time, from soldiers, sailors, pilots, nurses, women in the service and those working at home, as well as the underground resistance in Europe; the many different people who courageously risked their lives to help others. Unique features of the war were adeptly included, from the selling of war bonds, food shortages and rationing, planting victory gardens, to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, hiding Jewish refugees, dangerous missions, separation from loved ones, and many examples of personal sacrifice. Wrestling with issues of faith, like how a good God could allow evil to exist, trusting in God's sovereignty, and having the courage to love in times of uncertainty, made the stories feel real on a deep level. The Scripture and quotes included added a lot of meaning and inspiration to the characters' struggles, especially in dealing with fear, grief and loss.

Highly recommend this well-written, quality collection of novellas to anyone who enjoys Christian historical romance fiction, especially during the time of war. Fans of Sarah Sundin, Liz Tolsma, and Cara Putman's WW2 fiction will really like this book!

(Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for the book provided in exchange for my honest review.)

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sentimental Journey Romance Collection is a novel containing nine historical romance stories set during the 1940s. They are nice, heartwarming Christian stories. The stories are all set from 1940 through 1945. We get to experience life during the war from people in Europe and in the United States. The stories contain civilians, soldiers, nurses, a spy, and auxiliary staff (like drivers of ambulances). I enjoyed all the stories in the book. Some were definitely better than others, but they are all good. My favorites were the four stories that tied together in the middle of the book. A Living Doll, Filled with Joy, A Thread of Trust, and A Stitch of Faith are the four that tie together. I give Sentimental Journey Romance Collection 4 out of 5 stars. The books are all nicely written, good characters and settings, and I really liked the time period. If you like Christian, historical romances, you will enjoy this collection.

I received a complimentary copy of Sentimental Journey Romance Collection from NetGalley (and the publisher) in exchange for an honest review.

http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogs...

[Melmo2610 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A previously released collection called “The Stuff Of Love” contains 4 of these stories: "A Living Doll, Filled With Joy, A Thread Of Trust, A Stitch Of Faith.” I read that collection and really enjoyed the set dues to its WW2 era and the doll storyline in the stories. "Of Immeasurable Worth" is from the earlier "Bound With Love" collection. That was another story I read and enjoyed due to its historical Bible story line. "A Flower Amidst The Ashes" is from the earlier collection "The English Garden", while "A Light In The Night" is from "Lamps Of Courage." I read these two collections several years ago and really enjoyed both sets of stories even though the individual story details are hazy.

New to me in this collection are Kim Vogel Sawyer's "To Sing Another Day" and Lynette Sowell's "Letters From Home." Both of these stories are enjoyable with likeable characters and interesting plots. They fit the rest of the collection nicely. If you like World War 2 era stories then this is the collection for you.

[Tima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nine authors have written romance stories set during the 1940s and the World War. Each couple met under the often difficult circumstances of war. But each were able to find the time for love while still working to save people from the horrors that were happening. Several, but not all, of the stories were connected. So it was nice to follow the thread of the families between the stories.

I had previously read some of these stories, so they must have been in other books. But this didn't detract from my enjoying them. I felt the authors did a great job of finding the sweetness of romance among the darkness of war without making the stories themselves dark. I also liked the elements of faith that the authors wove into each story. The stories were sweet, heart felt, and well written.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Sentimental Journey Romance Collection is a collection of 9 stories set during the 1940s. These stories include:
Of Immeasurable Worth by Joan Croston
Flower Amidst the Ashes by DiAnn Mills
Another Day by Kim Vogel Sawyer
A Living Doll by Cathy Marie Hake
Filled With Joy by Kelly Eileen Hake
A Thread of Trust by Sally Laity
A Stitch of Faith by Dianna Crawford
Letters from Home by Lynette Sowell
A Light in the Night by Janelle Burnham Schneider
What an awesome collection by such fabulous authors. You can never go wrong with a book when Kim Vogel Sawyer is among the authors.
Highly recommended.
5 plus stars.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! 1940s AND stories that are well written and strongly about faith? Horray!! Seriously well written, actually inspiring, unique and amazing stories! Going to note the authors and look for more from them!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this collection. All the stories in the middle of the book (involving the dolls) I have read before in a previous collection called 'Stuff of Love'. It was nice to revist them again. Thank you to Net Galley for the early e book for an honest review.

[Marg · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall a really good read

[Donna Parker]

Loved it!! Enjoyed so much reading about that time in history! The people were very tough and brave.