GRR Reviews Mail Order Bride: The Irish Runaway by Catherine Harper

WARNING: This novelette contains one violent scene near the end that is... uh, sexual in nature.

Mail Order Bride: The Irish Runaway is about taking chances and escape from tyranny. However, it did feature one acts of violence and some cruelty mentioned all for merely financial gain and later, petty revenge, and it was a pretty flat evil that opposes the FMC.

Shannon and her brother left Ireland to get away from their abusive father and make a name for themselves. When her brother was killed in a mining accident, Shannon was distraught when Sean found her... Sean was sent by her father to take her back. Sean was promised a small homestead AND Shannon, and he will take her by force. In desperation, Shannon ran to a mail order bride service and married herself off... all the way to San Francisco, by taking over the spot promised to a different girl. On the way, she found that her intended was a man she already knew back East... who knew she wasn't the girl promised. Upon arrival in San Francisco, she realized he's much richer than he said... then Sean arrived... having tortured the information from the mail order bride organizer. And Sean is intending to take something VERY sacred from Shannon as payment, having spent all the money chasing her down...

It's a pretty good read, and that scene of violence... well, it was kinda hinted at that Sean was a violent man... so it wasn't a total shock. But it is very jarring, and sets up a true darkest hour, and almost twisted it into romantic suspense. I just have some problem with the chemistry between the intended groom and the bride. But it seems to work. And yes, it's not really a spoiler that there will be an HEA as you know who arrived at the nick of time to save the poor girl.

Category: Historical western

Primary Plot: Woman who lost her brother married herself out west to escape from a man who intended to capture her by force, and found a man who knew she wasn't his intended...

Tropes: disguise, stalker, protector, woman in peril, mail order bride

Overall Rating:  4/5