Darlene Franklin

Enjoyed reading about life on the steamboat 'Cordelia' in the 1890's. Blanche Lamar was without money and a home following her mother's death. She suddenly receives a request from the father she never knew to come by steamboat to receive her inheritance with the help of a man named Ike Gallagher. Blanche will take to the river and the life aboard the steamboat. She will also get to know her father and realize he is a man she loves and doesn't want to lose. An interesting ride up and down the river as people learn to love and work together.… (meer)

Only in the darkness can one truly appreciate the Light.

What a lovely way to spend a few hours! Four wonderful stories set in the 1800’s, all featuring the call of women to help women. In those days, trained doctors knew very little if anything about childbirth, making the midwife a vital part of the birth process as well as in the care for the new mother and infant.

In the west where life is so different, or is it .... to the city where poverty and even a voodoo queen, life forces these trained midwives to stretch themselves to be ready to help those in need. From a one room cabin where charms are believed to help in the birth, to the single mother there to help anyone who is in need, their mission doesn’t change, even for those who work in the oldest profession known to women.

I thoroughly enjoyed all four of these novellas. These heroines were strong, stood up for themselves and their patients and brought change into the lives of those around them. This ARC was received through Barbour Publishing and NetGalley. The impressions and comments are my own and were in no way solicited.… (meer)

Heart-felt, endearing stories of four women who have felt called to be a mid-wife. All of these ladies come from different backgrounds and deal with a different set of circumstances to get their jobs done . Each must bring awareness to the community, help them get past their prejudices to help the suffering women and the conditions they live in.

All of these mid-wives are willing to fight with all they have to give the women in their care the best, hoping to ensure that mom and baby got the care they need to live through the birthing process. I liked how the men in these stories came aware of the need and are eventually willing to help in the fight.

I liked reading about these strong female leads and their compassionate, leading men. At first, the men do not understand the drive of their lady loves have but then seeing them in action, they get it. I enjoyed learning about how mid-wives are viewed in Ozark Mountains, 1868, 1868 Denver, 1871, N.Y. City, 1889, and New Orleans, 1890 and what these women went through to do their jobs. It was eye opening. We have come a long way to get to what mid-wives offer today.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising"

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org… (meer)

This review covers all 4 novellas in the book. I received this book through Netgalley and Barbour Publishing. The review is my own opinion and freely given.
First, all of the stories seemed too rushed at the end. It was like they had just so many words they could use and were reaching the limit.
All the stories had one central theme, a midwife as the main character. I enjoyed all the characters but I enjoyed some of the stories more than others. Each had something going on that endangered the midwife to some degree. Each also had an underlying romance.
The book was mostly well written with few errors and hopefully, the few errors are corrected in the final edition as I was given an ARC edition.
Overall, I give this a 3 out of 5 stars. Not bad, but not my favorite. If someone was looking for a series of novellas I would recommend these as ok but not great.… (meer)