Linda Shenton Matchett: Jennifer AlLee

Blog Tour: Blue Ribbon Brides

About the book: Meet nine men and women whose competitive goals take them to state and county fairs between 1889 and 1930. From baking pie to polishing pigs, from sculpting butter to stitching quilts, everyone has something to prove to themselves and their communities. But in going for the blue ribbon, will nine women miss the greatest prize of all - the devoted heart of a godly man?

My thoughts: The Blue Ribbon Brides Collection is a delightful mix of nine stories set in the mid-west during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The characters are well-developed and are easy to related to as they deal with realistic issues of doubt, distrust, and forgiveness. Having attended 4-H and county fairs as a child, the stories took me on an enjoyable trip down Memory Lane. I like historical fiction that teaches me, and these novelettes didn't disappoint, especially Carrie Fancett Pagel's "Requilted by Love" that centers around two balloonists, a topic I knew almost nothing about prior to reading her story. Information is effectively woven into each novelette through description and dialogue. Highly recommended as a light and uplifting read. (I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.)

Guest post from Author Gina Welborn:

Bravery God's Way

Naturally brave people exist. I'm not one of them. And I think I'm all right with that. Or at least I used to think that I'm not brave. As I starting writing "Altered Hearts," I finished reading "Let's Be Brave" by Annie K. Downs. In it she writes:

"To see yourself the way God sees you is the first stop in being brave. If you are seeing yourself the way God sees you, then you can see your strengths and weaknesses. And you can see they are different from mine. You an see the unique ways you are wired and the rare combination of qualities and desires that make you uniquely you. And you, my friend, have a unique call to be brave."

In the beginning of my Blue Ribbon Brides novella, my heroine's father tells her, "You are braver than I have ever been." She's also braver than I have ever been. Then again, maybe we demonstrate our bravery differently. I can't help but remember the day my oldest son's choir teacher belittled him and his friends in front of the whole class. She said, "These are the failures in life." I could have said nothing. I chose to be brave and have a talk with her. Not only did she apologize to my son (and he to her), she also apologized to the class.

For my son's 18th birthday, he gave me a letter with eighteen reasons why he loved me. One of those reasons - for standing up to his choir teacher and helping raise his grade from a C- to an A.

Bravery begins with seeing yourself for how God sees you.

According to Colossians 1:22, God see me-you-us as holy, blameless, and beyond reproach.

That right there is enough to make us brave!

A Giveaway! To celebrate their tour, the Blue Ribbon Brides Collection authors are giving away an award winning themed basket that includes a quilt and an Amazon Kindle Fire. Be sure to comment on this post, and if we have ten people who comment (not including the authors), I will be picking one person to win a book! Click here to enter.

Visit these blogs to meet the other authors of Blue Ribbon Brides Collection:

November 1: Simple Harvest Reads

November 2: History, Mystery & Faith

November 2: D's Quilts and Books

November 3: Bibliophile Reviews

November 3: Smiling Book Reviews

November 4: Debbie's Dusty Deliberations

November 5: A Greater Yes

November 5: Blossoms and Blessings

November 6: Artistic Nobody

November 7: Cheryl B Book Blog

November 8: Reviewing Novels Online