GRR Reviews A Western Love for an Unexpected Bride by Etta Foster

Mary is a maid for the Penningtons's young daughter. But when the daughter actually answered a mail-order bride ad, and was accepted, Mary was sent in her place. On her way, the train was robbed, and she was saved by Emmanuel, wandering the West but on his way home to Arizona. Emmanuel had his own pains he ran from, but Mary called out his protective instincts like no other. He will escort her to her destination. But what happens next... will be up to them.

More of an adventure story, with a lot of side trips, as the "couple" wasn't together for, I'd say, half of the book, separated by choice and circumstances. Adventure and romance are okay, but pacing could use some help. And ignore the page count. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews A Mail-Order Bride to Heal His Heart by Etta Foster

Alexandra always suspected there's a reason why her family didn't love her. When she found the reason, her father refused to answer. Determined to make her own way in life, she left the East coast as a mail-order bride to Caleb out west. While Caleb is a gentleman and richer than he ever expected (in fact, he has a housekeeper to do most of the chores!) Caleb has his own problems... He has an evil cousin who believes that Caleb's ranch belongs to him due to some imagined "injustice" perpetrated upon his father (Caleb's uncle) by their grandpa. And the cousin is the vengeful sort that would sabotage his ranch. In fact, this cousin Zeke married Caleb's first mail-order bride. What has Alexandra gotten herself into?

Eh... the storyline barely makes sense. It's clear cousin Zeke's sole purpose is to mess with Caleb, except none of this harassment actually gets him closer to his goal, unless Caleb gets killed. And how exactly does this affect Alexandra? Sure, Alexandra did show some character growth, as she did learn a little to use a gun and to ride a horse, but that's about it. Meh. 2.5/5