With This Ring? by Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, Melissa Jagears and Regina Jennings

With This Ring? by Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, Melissa Jagears, and Regina Jennings This novella collection offers stories of love with a twist of humor set in the American West, weaving tales of unexpected engagements and giving minor characters from the authors’ books a special romance of their own. Here's my review of this wonderful anthology: First, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, Melissa Jagears and Regina Jennings and their publisher for sending me a copy of "With This Ring?" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. “With This Ring?” by Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, Melissa Jagears and Regina Jennings is a collection of four entertaining novellas from four gifted storytellers.  Each of these four beautiful stories is a wonderful read. *****“The Husband Maneuver” by Karen Witemeyer is the charming story of Marietta Hawkins who is crazy about Daniel Barrett, the foreman of her father’s ranch.  But Daniel is buying his own spread and leaving her behind.  Marietta concocts a desperate plan to make Daniel fall in love with her before it’s too late, and when she carries it out, she’s in for a surprise or two herself.  This story ended a little abruptly, but was still an enjoyable read. *****“Her Dearly Unintended” by Regina Jennings is a laugh-out-loud western romantic comedy of errors.  Josiah loves Katie Ellen and aims to make her his wife, but she’s never forgiven him for the moment in their past that endeared her to him.  When a huge storm thrusts them together and a mysterious stranger appears, it seems the safest idea is to tough it out together.  But their chaste “playing house” has the potential of playing seriously with their hearts. *****“Runaway Bride” by Mary Connealy is a gut-splitting, jaw-dropping western romantic comedy-adventure loaded with the author’s signature wit and memorable prose.  Carrie has to get away tonight!  She and her brother Isaac hit the trail and run smack-dab into Big John Conroy.  After some trouble on the way to Carrie’s sister, Audra Kincaid (from Connealy’s Kincaid Brides series), in Colorado, they must high-tail it to The Regulators (a group of guys Connealy introduced us to in her Trouble in Texas series) for protection from Carrie’s groom. *****“Engaging the Competition” by Melissa Jagears tells the story of Charlotte, a rough and tumble gal who’s always been better with a gun than with a schoolbook, who is reunited with her childhood crush, Harrison when the Reverend mentions Charlie’s upcoming nuptials and suggests Harrison talk to the girl.  A horrible storm and a broken pair of glasses thrust the two into an arrangement that has the potential to change the course of both of their lives.