GRR Reviews A Soldier's Love by Natalie Dean

Molly O'Hara is just the head housekeeper's daughter on the Turner Plantation, that managed to survive the war intact because it did not use slave labor and thus was never attacked or ransacked. But the twin brothers enlisted in separate camps, one for the Union, and one for the Confederacy. One was killed in battle, and the other was captured and lost in the horror of Andersonville prison. Molly's father took the proxy payment of $500 and went in someone else's place to war, and returned in a casket. Her mother died not too long after, too broken to go on. When Mr. Turner died, Molly was surprised to find she had been left the entire plantation, with two provisos... To find the fate of James Turner, and to return him to the plantation, dead or alive. // When Molly spotted a mail-order bride ad for a rancher named "Jim Turner" in Texas, Molly was sure she had found the right man, and decided to answer the mail-order bride ad. But this Jim was reserved, distant, and cold, nothing like the bright, handsome, and vivacious James she remembered. But it's clear this Jim left a lot of himself behind in the horror of Andersonville, and it may be up to her to help him get past it, to find the future they can embrace together.

The setup seems over the top, and the idea that she'll legally get married to this "Jim Turner" just to see if he's the real deal seems even more far-fetched, esp. after the Civil War. It seems really elaborate setup just for finding a person. I like the reluctant struggle, but overall, it's average. WAY too much setup.

Category: Historical Western / Mail-Order Bride

Primary Plot: Woman had to see if the stoic rancher is was her childhood sweetheart, lost in the Civil War as a prisoner...

Overall Rating: 3/5

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