Across the Shores

 

All of these stories are tied together with one necklace made from a gold nugget found in Australia.  On the pendant cross is inscribed Philippians 4:13--"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  The four women in these stories spanning time and generations are in conundrums that would bring weaker beings down.  

In the first, Josephine has lost all of her family except one brother who doesn't want her.  She had accompanied another brother, Elias, to the Australian gold fields and met his friend, who was the leader of the mining operation.  When Elias dies, Josephine has nowhere to go. until Elias' friend, Daniel, makes a way for her.  From the last nugget they found, Daniel has a necklace created for Josephine.  This is the necklace that gets passed from generation to generation.  

Caroline Wilkins is Josephine's niece, and she's running away from her father who wants to tie her up into an abusive marriage for business gain.  She suffered some burns at the man's hands, and yet her father doesn't care.  When she is injured again during a train strike, the man who rescues her takes her to his home where his mother and sister nurse her back to health.  Her original intent was to go to England to stay with her Aunt Josephine, but her rescuer has other intentions for her. 

Anna Kohler is living with her brother in Canada because he is trying to escape the law for something he did in Montana.  The only fly in the ointment is the North West Mounted Police officer who is their nearest neighbor. When her brother's crimes finally catch  up to him, Anna gives him the necklace as a way to show she loves him, and more than that, God loves him.  

Lauren lives on Ocracoke Island with her younger sister.  Her father was killed in an accident and her brother has left on a merchant marine ship.  She and her sister are trying to make ends meet and keep the house going, so when the opportunity to take in two women working for the Army, Lauren jumps at it because it will bring in a bit more money.  A monkey wrench thrown into the works happens when one of the girls is pregnant and says Lauren's brother is the father.  The Coast Guard officer who is overseeing much of the work on the island helps Lauren out  when they find that the ship her brother was on was sunk and he is not among the five survivors of the ship.  He eventually finds her a job working for his office.  This was my favorite among the four novellas.  I've read several novellas and full length novels by the author and her writing always leaves me satisfied.  

Barbour Books  has an endearing habit of pulling authors together to create collections to make a cohesive whole.  Some of the tales were a little harder than others to read because the plot moved a bit slower, but overall it is a four star collection.  

Barbour Books provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.