Gems of Gratitude- Available Now!

By

The Sisterhood

Alana Madden—Love’s Fate

Chrissy Moon—Sharliss

Christie Stratos—Intent

Elizabeth Horton-Newton—Chloe’s Dream

Jennifer L. Roche—A Ribbon of Rainbows

Karen J. Mossman—In Distant Times

LG Surgeson—The Tears of Winter

Lily Luchesi—Unpunished

Markie Madden—Jody’s Tail

Publisher’s Note

This book is a collection of short stories from authors all over the world. Some of the stories utilize the United Kingdom English spellings, which may seem odd to some readers in the United States. But, rest assured, these are acceptable spellings in the UK, and that’s why they have been left in the book rather than being corrected to their acceptable US spellings.

The stories in Gems of Gratitude feature a strong female protagonist and are intended to demonstrate what the characters are grateful for in their lives. I hope you’ll enjoy this anthology, and look for our Gems of Freedom to come next year in July.

From the Gems of Strength authors comes the second book in the Gems of Sisterhood series! The theme of this book is, of course, gratitude! Meet Detective Cara Solino, a young woman following in her father’s footsteps. Can she solve the case he was unable to?

Find out how Chloe’s mother discovers a way to keep her daughter’s dream alive under the worst possible circumstances! Read about young Lady Iona, a child of the Elven Forest, as she struggles to give her daughter a fighting chance in a harsh world.

Cheer on Sharliss as she finally takes control of her own life, and becomes a better person. Meet Julie, who gathers information on history, and Jody, an elderly dog whose time to cross The Rainbow Bridge is near. These stories and more are within these pages, just waiting for YOU!

Here are my reviews of the first two stories in the collection.

Divided into “Books” instead of chapters, the anthology covers a variety of experiences women are grateful for. Book I, the first story in the collection, is Love’s Fate by Alana Madden and appropriately deals with a young married woman reminiscing as she prepares Thanksgiving dinner. This is a sweet story written very simply. It’s a tale of unexpected gifts that can lead to a lifetime of happiness. Angelina recalls her college days and the meeting that led her to the life she now leads; a life she might not have had if she hadn’t given in to pressure from her friends to attend a party. It’s a story that will make you smile. There are no friends like old friends, as Angie knows too well.

Book II: Sharliss by Chrissy Moon is very different from the first story. Sharliss is on a blind date set up by her cousin Irma; a blind date she did not want and was not enjoying. A woman in her thirties, she is single and happy. However she is pressured by her cousin to go on dates. Irma also takes advantage of Sharliss. Sharliss herself admits she is a pushover. She’s a CPA and has been doing Irma’s taxes for years without any compensation. Watching Sharliss as she thinks over her life choices is both amusing and inspiring. As the evening progresses she finds her voice and is able to become assertive in very humorous ways. By the end of the story I was cheering for her. There is a lesson to be learned here; I leave it to the reader to see it.