Teresa Mathews Reviews Central Park Rendezvous

Central Park Rendezvous

Central Park Rendezvous
Four-in-one collection

By Ronie Kendig, Dineen Miller, Kim Vogel Sawyer and MaryLu Tyndall
Barbour Publishing, 2012

Reviewed by Teresa Mathews

4.5 Stars

In this novella we are introduced to various members of the Wolfe family through four generations, each family tied together by three common threads, one of war, one of a coin passed down from the Civil War Era., and the  romantic Bow Bridge in Central Park.

Dream a Little Dream by Ronie Kendig

Afghanistan War, Present Day

Jamie Russo was raised by her uncle, Alan James, since a young girl when her parents were killed. Alan never married and when Jamie tries to talk to him about the reason why, Alan doesn’t want to talk about. Now that he has gotten older he has come to the conclusion that part of his life is better left alone and forgotten. So he packs up some boxes of old letters from his past and is going to throw them away. Without his knowing Jamie retrieves them and sets out to find out the mystery behind her uncle’s sorrow.

The more Jamie reads, the more she decides she must find this Sean Wolfe that is mentioned in the letters.

 When Jamie finally gets in touch with him and sets a date to met, they are both surprised by the other one. Jamie surprised that she is so drawn to this handsome man, physically scarred by an IED explosion in Afghanistan and mentally scarred by things in his past he endured from an abusive mother. And Sean is surprised because he was expecting a guy and not a beautiful sweet spirited girl that seems to see beyond his flaws to the person he wants to become. As they begin to read the letters and unravel the mystery of Sean’s family will they find out more about the long lost love Jamie’s uncle has been mourning all these years and will they find that same type of love for themselves?

A Love Meant to Be by Dineen Miller

Vietnam War 1973

In this second book in the Central Park Rendezvous Novella Dineen Miller picks up the story of Sean’s dad Patrick Wolfe and his best friend Alan James. Both men are preparing to head to Vietnam, Patrick for another tour and Alan for his first tour.

Alan James is going to a party at the Wolfe home to visit one more time with his best friend, Patrick before he has to go back to Vietnam. When he gets there Alan is greeted by Patrick’s wife, Marcia, who has let her feelings for Alan be known to him. Rumors have it she is enjoying the new “free love” movement while her husband is out fighting in the jungles of Vietnam. Before Patrick leaves he gets Alan to find the prefect ring for Marcia in hopes it will transform her back into the sweet girl she used to be.

Henry Wolfe loves Alan like a second son and he is proud of the way Alan has taken the antique shop and made it into a prosperous business. While at the party Henry hands Alan a gold coin that has been in their family for years, he wants Alan to look into the manufacturer and polish it, so he can give it to Patrick before he ships out.

While at the party Alan meets Marcia’s sister, Gail Gibson who is in town for the summer. He is immediately attracted to her beauty. Alan offers to show Gail around New York while she is in town. When Alan finds out Gail is engaged he is disappointed but determined to still spend time with her as friends. But the more time they spend together, the more Alan is convinced they belong together.

After finding her fiancé in a compromising position with his secretary, Gail calls off their engagement, she is relieved she can now be with Alan without feeling any guilt. When she meets with Alan before he leaves for Vietnam; he gives Gail the gold coin that Henry Wolfe gave him when Patrick refused it. Gail promises Alan she will meet him at Bow Bridge when he returns from the war. But will their lives really have the happily ever after ending they desire?

Dineen did a wonderful job continuing the story of the Wolfe family. I liked how she effortlessly was able to pick right up where the previous story left off. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it made me want to read more by Dineen!

To Sing Another Day by Kim Vogel Sawyer

WWII 1941

Helen Wolfe’s mother and father were killed in a trolley accident and she was left to care for her 3 much younger siblings. Because of this new responsibility she had to sacrifice her dream to be a singer. With no money left, in desperation Helen asks her brother Henry if she can have the gold coin he was given by their father. Helen takes it to the local pawnshop to see how much she can get for it, there she meets Bernie O’Day. Even though Bernie knows the coin is worthless he hears God tell him to give Helen money anyway, so he gives her forty dollars for something he will never be able to sell. After a series of events, including Henry showing up by chance to his door looking for a job, Bernie and the Wolfe family draw close. Bernie gives the coin back to Helen but when he has to leave to join the war, they give the coin back to Bernie with the promise they all will be waiting for him at Bow Bridge when he returns.

Beauty From Ashes by MaryLu Tyndall

The Civil War 1865

Permelia and Annie Shaw are sisters that have endured much sorrow because of the war, they have lost both parents and now their brother is presumed dead. Before the war Annie was engaged to William Wolfe, a colonel in the Union Army, and to show his love before he leaves he gives her a twenty dollar gold piece with the words “Love Never Fails W. W.”, which Annie throws out her window in anger because William has been gone too long. Thankfully Permelia sees it and keeps it safe, and that’s not the only thing Permelia has done. When Annie refused to write William anymore letters, Permelia kept sending letters to him signing Annie’s name. Those letters were filled with the love Permelia has for William, but he doesn’t know they are written by Permelia. William is in love with the Annie that wrote  the beautiful letters.

What will happen when William returns? Will Annie still have the same love for William or will she be so appalled by his disfigured face that she will refuse his proposal and stay with the man she met while William was away fighting? Who will be the one to meet him at Bow Bridge?

　

This was a great story written by marvelous writers, although it was a bit unconventional in the way the first story was divided up between the other three stories. I was thrown off at first when Sean and Jamie’s story stopped abruptly and A Love Meant to Be picked up. By the time I got to the end of A Love Meant to Be, and Sean and Jamie‘s story once again picked up, I had it figured out… there’s a pattern here! J Well done ladies for giving me something that warmed my heart and challenged my mind!

*I was given a copy of this from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.* 

GIVEAWAY:  Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week’s contest.  Drawing will be late Saturday.  Your choice of  Dineen Miller’s books, choice of format*. Void where prohibited by law. *International winners will only receive the book in ebook format not as a paperback.