Hope O’Neal travels west to take her friend’s place as a mail-order bride for Patrick Eastland. Emigrating to the United States from Ireland had led to drudgery. She prays that marrying a stranger will finally be the answer to her dreams of a happy life.
Patrick Eastland’s friend had advertised for a nanny for Patrick’s two nephews, but Hope isn’t to blame for his friend’s mistake. He marries her with the promise to annul the marriage after harvesting all the fruit from his apple orchard. That has to be his focus, or he will lose the house and land he inherited from his grandfather.
This short, satisfying story can be read in about two hours. There are hurdles on the path to paying off the hero’s mortgage. The heroine’s attitude won me over early in the story and had me pulling for her and the hero.
I look forward to reading another book by this author.
Matthias Bjork searches for his sister in the rugged Wyoming Territory. Both his Viking heritage and family are vital to him, and he hasn’t seen his sister in twenty years.
Opal Boyd’s experiences with men have led her to steer clear of them. That’s why she’s so grateful to have found a job and a home with an older German couple in the Wyoming Territory. Meeting with Matthias, whom her boarding family considers an adopted son, doesn’t change her mind initially, yet the strong man soon captivates her thoughts.
Matthias is equally mesmerized by Opal, yet continues to follow all clues to his sister. Once he finds her, he vows never to live far apart from her again. That promise becomes difficult to keep.
This book was a page-turner for me. The author weaves lots of twists and turns into the story that kept me guessing to the end. Lovable characters touched my heart in this poignant story.
This isn’t the first novel I’ve read by this prolific author, nor will it be the last. Recommended for readers of historical romances.
After the death of her husband, Elizabeth Campbell spends all her money on a train ticket to the Colorado Territory in search of her brother. Upon learning that he’s in California with his new bride, Elizabeth takes a job as a waitress at the hotel her brother built.
In dread of his next job, Landon Cooper stops at a fine hotel for the night. His waitress at the lunch counter captivates him, but he’s not worthy of a good woman—especially after he completes his new job. Still, he can’t forget her. When she enlists his help in decorating the hotel for Christmas, he extends his stay.
Elizabeth’s marriage had not been a good one. It wouldn’t be wise to marry another cowboy, yet Landon stirs her heart. But what secret is he keeping?
The story captivated my attention from the first chapter as believable characters drew me into their plight. The hero’s decision kept me wondering as the story unfolded.
Characters from earlier novels are introduced seamlessly into the story, making me want to read the whole series.
These three historical romances by different authors all have something in common—someone in each story either wants a mail-order bride or wants to be one. They have employed the services of Mrs. Mayberry’s Matrimonial Society for Christians of Moral Character in their search.
But sometimes the heart has its own ideas…
I loved the characters in Carrie Turansky’s A Trusting Heart. Annika Bergstrom travels to a Wyoming ranch to marry a widower in need of help raising his young daughter, but Chase Simms is mysteriously absent. Daniel, his brother, wishes their pa had talked to Chase before writing to the mail-order bride. In his brother’s continued absence, Daniel begins to fall for Annika. She can’t help wishing that Chase was more like his brother…
The action in Vickie McDonough’s The Prodigal Groom begins immediately. The main setting is in Cedar Springs, Nevada in 1882. My emotions were engaged early as I wanted Jolie Addams to flee the orphanage where a man the age of a grandfather wanted her to live with him as his maid. Jolie flees to Nevada from Iowa to marry a man she’s never met. She meets Clay Jackson along the way and must face a dangerous situation with him. That event turns her future on its head.
I was delighted when this collection comes full circle in Mrs. Mayberry Meets Her Match by Susan Page Davis. Amelia Mayberry, who has supported herself since her husband’s death by running a matchmaking service, finally has saved enough money to retire. The widow in her early fifties has only one job left—find her husband’s old friend a wife, as she had unsuccessfully tried to do two years before. Lennox Bailey has built a successful business in Sacramento. The widower’s married daughter’s family now includes Lennox’s only grandson. He agrees to a visit from Amelia, but he hopes she will not mention the mail-order bride she’d recommended. It had been a fiasco. Yet Amelia cannot leave a job unfinished…
All of these historical romances are feel-good stories set in the West at Christmas.
I enjoyed this collection of light-hearted, easy-to-read romances. Recommend.
Darcy’s mother wants to arrange for her daughter to marry a widower near her home, but Darcy has no intention of giving up her teaching position to move back home. Her demanding mother had controlled her during childhood. She won’t put herself in that position again.
Reuben, the pastor at Darcy’s church, is determined to remain a bachelor, yet he can’t deny his attraction to her. The couple is thrown together when a tornado threatens their community.
Characters I cared about drew me into the story. They had believable hurdles to overcome. I couldn’t put the book down. However, I didn’t understand why Darcy, as a protective sister, seemingly left her adopted younger sister alone with their controlling mother. The answer might be in an upcoming book.
Another quick edit would have helped minor errors. All in all, I enjoyed the story.
Tilda Muirhead came to the Two Harts Ranch in the first book in this series, when she followed the MacKenzie brothers. The teenagers had been in pursuit of their grandfather’s buried treasure and still had found only a portion of it. Tilda’s love of history lands her a job at the California ranch’s orphanage. She’s spent most of her childhood as an orphan, and her deepest desire is to help them. She has never dreamed of marriage—Josh Hart might change her mind.
Josh is part-owner of the large ranch. He took the reins to run it while his brother, Zane, was away. Now that Zane is back, Josh’s struggles to find his way are thwarted by his feelings for Tilda.
When someone claiming to be her family member comes to the ranch, Tilda is fearful. Can she trust Josh to protect her?
Unexpected danger escalates in this historical romance. The story is told through multiple viewpoints, including through characters in the first book with unresolved issues. The author leaves us with reasons to anticipate the next book.
Readers see characters they’ve learned to love in an earlier series.
The author does a good job summarizing what the reader needs to know from earlier stories. Even so, the story builds as a saga. I believe that readers of the earlier series will receive a deeper impact from the stories.
This was a page-turner for me! I will look for more books by this author.
Aaron Long’s goal is to drive his freight wagon through Montana Territory before the first big snow of the season. He happens upon a terrible accident that left another freight driver dead and a pregnant widow too close to delivering her child for comfort. A two-week trip will get her to the nearest doctor. His newly-found faith will not allow him to leave her on the side of the road to wait for the next wagon, as Mrs. Barlowe suggests. Several days might pass before that happened.
Katie Barlowe figures she has another month before her baby is born. Her husband was buried on the ranch they’d tried to start. All she wants is to get to a doctor and then head back to Pennsylvania to raise her child alone. Should she trust Aaron to get her there? The handsome driver who walked with a limp seemed trustworthy enough, yet Katie has learned that few men deserved her trust.
The author whirled me right into the story from the first page. The pair face one challenge after another. Each difficulty threatens their journey.
Surprising twists kept me turning pages. This is the first book in the series that I’ve read. The author did a great job summarizing earlier important events that affected this story and then plunging back into the action.
Well-written romance. This is not the first book I’ve read by this author, and it won’t be the last.
Recommended for readers of inspirational historical romances.
Learning that citizens of Vicksburg, Mississippi, didn’t celebrate our country’s Independence Day for about a century prompted me to dig into the city’s history during the Civil War.
What I discovered so touched me that I had to write about it—and it required three books to tell the story. The main characters are fictional…the historical backdrop is real.
Vicksburg’s strategic location on bluffs along the mighty Mississippi River during the war was often a topic among leaders of both sides. Confederate President Jefferson Davis sent troops early in the war to protect the city and keep Union ships from passing on the river. More troops were sent as the focus on Vicksburg increased from the Union army.
President Abraham Lincoln felt that “Vicksburg is the key” to winning the war. Union General Ulysses S. Grant was determined to capture the city.
The defeat only whetted Grant’s desire to take Vicksburg by force. The following year, Union ships once again attacked the town for weeks from the Mississippi River—this time while the Union army battled the Confederate army surrounding Vicksburg.
The surprising discoveries found while digging into Vicksburg’s history inspired books four, five, and six in my Spies of the Civil War Series.
Streams of Courage, Book 4, begins before the war starts in early 1861 and goes to the fall of 1862.
River of Peril, Book 5, tells the story of Felicity and Luke. It begins in December of 1862.
Tides of Healing, the sixth and final book, tells the story of Vicksburg resident Savannah Adair and Union First Lieutenant Travis Lawson, who was among those who march into the city to seize control on July 4, 1863. Their first meeting begins with fireworks—and not the kind typically associated with an Independence Day celebration.
Beginning in 1861, three fictional heroine friends living in Vicksburg, Mississippi, at the start of the Civil War are each affected in different ways by the events of the Civil War as their city becomes a target for the Union Army.
Streams of Courage, Book 4, Julia and Ash fall in love against her mother’s wishes. Townspeople accuse Ash of cowardice because he doesn’t become a soldier in the Confederate army. He begins spying for the North in his Mississippi city, a dangerous undertaking that puts his family and Julia’s family at risk. The story starts before the first battle in early 1861 and goes to the fall of 1862.
River of Peril, Book 5, tells the story of Felicity and Luke. They started courting before the war began. She volunteers as a nurse to distract her worry for her soldier—then her worst nightmare happens. Luke has been wounded in battle. Worse, he doesn’t remember her…or why he was fighting for the Confederacy when his loyalty is with the North. It begins in December of 1862.
Savannah Adair has endured the unimaginable, hiding in a cave while her beloved Vicksburg was under siege. With the city now occupied by Union soldiers, Savannah cannot stand by and do nothing. So when one of the gaunt, half-starved Confederate prisoners asks her to spy for the South, she can’t refuse the chance to take back her home.
First Lieutenant Travis Lawson takes pride in the Union army’s hard-fought victory, but he quickly realizes that the challenges of rebuilding and reconciliation are just beginning . . . and not everyone is appreciative of changes he’s making. Namely, the fiery and alluring Savannah Adair. Despite their differing loyalties and the societal divide between them, Travis cannot deny the growing feelings he has for her. When he is tasked with finding Southern spies in Vicksburg and he captures a female spy, Travis is forced to consider that the woman he’s beginning to love may be the enemy.
Georgiana Walton has been raised by her father to ride with wagon trains. Her mother died during childbirth. George longs to wear dresses. She wants a permanent home, but marriage and a family of her own are only dreams.
Dr. Elijah Mitchell has a job waiting for him in Santa Fe, where he plans to give his mother a fresh start after his father’s death. Although the prickly George captures his attention, there can be no future for them. Something besides the job is pulling him toward Santa Fe.
I quickly began to care about the heroine’s difficulties. Her character was believable and unique in the story. I loved how the author introduced not only the main characters but also a new community. I’m interested in seeing what happens in the series.
This was an easy, quick read that I enjoyed. I will look for the first book in the series.
Part of The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection
Mallory has no memories of her past. The ship she’d been aboard, the Mallory, sank, and she was the sole survivor. Cal Waterson had saved her and brought her to his lighthouse to recuperate. Lily, his sweet daughter, and Cal’s Aunt Ada tend her head wound. But Mallory wonders who she is and what her life had been like.
Although Cal has grown accustomed to loneliness since losing his wife in childbirth, he can’t deny being drawn to Mallory. Lily wants her for a mother, yet Cal tries to deny his heart while waiting to learn her identity.
I was drawn into the story from the first page. Lovable characters—including a sweet little girl who is desperate for a mother—tugged at my heart. I loved that Mallory’s artistic talent brought glimpses of her old life.
I couldn’t put the story down.
This historical novella is a sweet, nostalgic story. I will look for more stories by this author.
Sandra Merville Hart 