Book Review: The British Brides Collection

Book Description:

Explore English gardens, London ballrooms, and Scottish castles as nine brides-to-be experience all the legendary drama and epic romance that British literature is known for. Each of the nine short stories will sweep you away to a different era of time spanning over 500 years of history in the British Isles. Penned by an exclusive selection of Christian fiction authors including Kelly Eileen Hake, this collection will become a cherished favorite for fans of faith-based romance.

Book Review:

I really struggled with this collection. In fact, after the first two books I was really tempted to stop reading.
In Woman of Valor I didn't love the main characters, especially Oliver. He was mean and aloof and Helen didn't like him either, until suddenly she did. It didn't flow well. At one point in the book Helen says that she would have treated him better if she would have known he was a Christian.  Really? You have to be a Christian to be treated well? That isn't very Christ-like.
A Duplicitous Facade was just a weird story. The sister is terrible, the father is terrible, and Melodia and Rolf don't have much to recommend either of them. It just wasn't written well.
Love's Unmasking had a lot of potential to be a really cute story but it just didn't quite make it. They spend the whole story trying to convince each other that they shouldn't marry. They end up falling in love, and it's all just a bit much.
A Treasure Worth Keeping was probably the best story in the collection. You get to know Stephen and Paige and they are both likeable. It's pretty predictable, but cute and fun.
Apple of His Eye started out really well, but continued to get cheesier and cheesier. It's about apples, and at one point he says she's the apple of his eye. Really? It was just a little much.
Moonlight Masquerade wasn't bad and had a little mystery thrown in. The kissing scene was a little disjointed and came out of no where.
Fayre Rose also wasn't bad. Again, it was predictable, but not bad.
Fresh Highland Heir probably would have been okay, but by the time I got to this story, I was just ready for the book to be over. Celeste seemed to be a rather weak character and wasn't a favorite of mine.
English Tea and Bagpipes was cute about two different cultures coming together. It was well written as well.

Title: The British Brides Collection
Author:  Pamela Griffin, Kelly Eileen Hake, Bonnie Blythe, Gail Gaymer Martin, Tamela Hancock Murray, Jill Stengl
Publisher: Barbour Books
Published: March 2014
ISBN: 1628361689
Source: I received an eCopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.