GRR Reviews Bride for Nathaniel by Kay P Dawson

In the early 1900s, Nathaniel is a mountie in Cougar Springs, Alberta, and he likes the town, but also clueless with women. He reluctantly accepts a mail-order bride from back out East, and got Claire... // Claire helped those in need, even when it costs her. She lost her job as a maid when her role in helping her mistress escape to marry a mountie was exposed, and she had no regrets. Marrying a mountie would be nice... Until Nathaniel's old nemesis showed. The newly married husband and wife disagree on how to proceed. He wants to protect her, she wants to see the evil brought to justice. Will this tear them apart?

Not bad, though the wedge issue feels a bit overdone. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Bride for Easton by Cassie Hayes

It is the early 1900's. Molly refused to have her life arranged by her parents any more. She wants a large family, not to become a nun. When all attempts to dissuade her parents failed, she sought the help of matchmaker Hazel, and became a mail-order bride... // Easton is the commander of the mounties... in Cougar Springs, Alberta. It's a small town and while the duty is not hazardous, it can use some female company... not that Easton really wanted any. But when his men are getting restless, he had to get his own bride... but when the spunky ex-nun showed up, his life is turned upside down...

Ah, one of those surprise marriage stories and a bit of opposite attract. Good, not great. 4/5

GRR Reviews Montana Maverick by Ramona Flightner

Jessamine is hiding out in Bear Grass Springs as the local newsperson... Yes, she writes and prints and sells the news all by herself, a mix of hard news and local gossip. And the most frequent subject of her writing was Ewan, the town's "most disreputable gentleman"... // Ewan is a successful builder and earned his money the proper way. He will never marry... for his own reasons. So what if he frequents the local boudoir? But when Jesse's writing started to impugn on other townspeople's reputations (but always with an element of truth), Ewan is conflicted... as he admired her independent spirit, yet repelled by her lack of tact... (and willingness to admit she went overboard). This is no ordinary courtship... yet it is exactly that...

I am conflicted about this novel. I like the character arc, about how Jesse had to admit the sensationalism she learned elsewhere may not be applicable in a small town, and Ewan admits that maybe he can love again. It's also an interesting way to handle enemies to lovers. But Jesse's initial almost-glee to ignore criticism is very off-putting. 3.5/5

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 Secretive Mail Order Widow for the Humorous Rancher by Elliee Atkinson

Nancy became a widow when her husband, heir to banking family, was killed in a bank robbery. Nancy was then forced out by her (former) in-laws. With no choice, she became a mail-order bride, and ended up in Low Valley as wife to Ben, who was happy to meet Nancy, and enchanted by her beauty, but he can also see she's hiding a secret... However, Bea, a maid on the ranch, claimed that Ben was his, and she'll do anything to get rid of her competition...

Decent love triangle, though why didn't they escalate this to the ranch owner is beyond me. 4/5

GRR Reviews Braydon's Bride by Kathleen Lawless

Braydon was raised by the women in a whorehouse and never knew who his parents were, only that he was unwanted, but loved. He grew up and joined the Mason "brothers" and took their surname with pride. Meeting Henrietta, however, made him feel inadequate. She's a globe-trotting adventure-seeking treasure-hunter that left Argentina behind, and she has no time for Braydon's usual alpha ways that would have local ladies swooning. She's busy hunting a treasure with her business partner Percy, and doesn't care about Mason's feud with the local kingpin Hawkes. But when she's implicated in a murder along with Braydon, can they get out of the investigation intact? And can she really walk away?

Somehow the reasoning for the decision to stay didn't quite make sense. Also, the bad guy didn't really do much if anything except to kill another innocent woman. The framing attempt was so inept that even the out-of-town marshal knew he's being played. Again, this reminds me so much of Cobra Commander. 3/5

GRR Reviews Bella by Cynthia Woolf

Bella became a thief by necessity to survive the streets of New Orleans. She assuaged her guilt by giving away half of her loot from the rich to the poor French emigres in the city while saving up for her dream to open a French restaurant in San Francisco. But her last job didn't go as planned... While she got away, the police were after her. She signed up as the mail-order bride of Robert and traveled out west to Oregon City. She didn't know that Robert is the town Marshal... Or someone followed her out West, intending to take her loot for his own... When will Robert find out? What will he do? Will he able to protect her?

Nice adventure, good twists and turns, though why she just doesn't hold the evil doer at gunpoint for her husband is somewhat exasperating. 4/5

GRR Reviews Bride School: Gen by Bella Bowen / L L Muir

NOTE: Bella Bowen is LL Muir's penname

Genevieve Carnegie has returned to the place that once wronged her, but she's now rich, and she can do much much more. She has returned to the small town in Wyoming, with her entourage of female protectors and staff to take over the Zollinger ranch, because it belonged to her as the rightful widow, no matter how Devlin, her former brother-in-law, ran her off. No matter how she was hoping for Devlin that romanced her, not her brother, from that fateful first meeting, even though she had NEVER strayed. She will turn the place into a Bride School to teach a generation of western brides, learn everything from cooking to shooting. And Devlin... can go hang himself. // Devlin can't believe Gen is back, and just took over his ranch. He had wanted her once, but his brother is the one getting married. And his brother expected them to go at it (and they never did)  But no matter. He has staff to keep and cattle to wrangle... and his money are all tied up in the horses at the moment, and losing them was a huge blow. Good thing the sheriff owed him a huge favor... but even then someone was sabotaging the ranch, then burned down the new town hall Gen paid the townsfolk to build. Devlin wanted Gen, but she won't live long enough for him to marry her if she kept making enemies...

As a setup, it was pretty interesting that they automatically assume it was the other party that did the damage, and each has perfect reasons to expect so. That was masterful plotting. The ending where they should co-exist, however, felt a bit like deus ex machina. And the rest of the ladies on the ranch? Well, they barely got a mention. Not even Gen's bodyguard. 4/5

GRR Reviews Bradley's Bride by Kathleen Lawless

Amanda's mom knew a secret that protected them from Hawkes, the evil land baron who bought off the sheriff and intended to possess the whole county, and the only ones in their way are the Mason brothers. Her secret almost cost Brody and his new bride their lives, but also brought them together. Amanda was also pining for a different Mason brother, Bradley... // Bradley never really knew where he came from, and only found refuge at the traveling circus when the grandmaster took him in. After he grew up, he chose to settle down with the Mason brothers and took their surname, and Amanda seems to be the only one who sees him as he is. And when her home was violated, and her secrets may have been stolen, Bradley will become her protector... and maybe discover a secret he never really wanted to know...

The struggles are good, but it's again, stemmed from deep-rooted inadequacy. And the escalation was nice. But with SEVEN volumes to work on, and Hawke's schemes are dismantled one bit at a time, while he keeps coming up with more, I am getting flashbacks to Cobra Commander.

(For those of you who don't get the reference, Cobra Commander is the evil leader in the "G I Joe" children's cartoons. He's always swearing he'll be back after each defeat.)  4/5

GRR Reviews Brody's Bride by Kathleen Lawless

Brody's family is at war with the Hawkes, who uses the sheriff to enforced "taxes" and when the people can't pay, the land was sold, and obviously, only Hawkes can afford to buy it. But Brody's ranch is doing quite well and he won't let Hawkes take over the county. And his "brothers" are there to help. However, when Laura, the woman who broke Brody's heart ten years ago, came back to town as the new schoolmarm, things got quite a bit complicated...  // Laura never stopped loving Brody, and she's ready for a change. When she overheard that someone is going after Brody's family, she got herself invited as the new schoolmarm for the new school in Bullet, Arizona. She's there to spy on the Hawkes for Brody. But who's getting played, as there are rumors of treasure buried in the county? And what secrets were the Hawkes hiding all this time?

Eh, the twist sort of make sense, and sort of doesn't. Can't spoil the big revelation at the end, but really, it doesn't really make sense except as a "distraction". Lots of angst, sure. 4/5

GRR Reviews A Truce for Love by Lydia Olson

Mia finally found herself in Tombstone Arizona, where her brother Jonas, married a dancing girl and operates a gambling hall and bar. But Tombstone is in the middle of a gang war, with the town divided between the Powell gang (technically, Powell brothers and cousins), and Redford gang (same idea). with the Dooley gang hanging around. But the Dooley gang are composed of rustlers and thieves and murderers... Killed a family and burned the ranch to the ground... and paid off the sheriff to look the other way. Mia found herself being an unwilling pawn in the power struggle... and being courted by Carson Powell... who's willing to learn civility and diplomacy to be with her...

The book gets a bit confusing as romance gets shunted to the background. A lot of the plot doesn't involve Mia and Carson, but rather, Dooley gang plotting who to attack next, and the town's counter-plot, but is it against the Dooleys, or is it against each other? Adventure is good, romance is kinda meh. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Mail-Order Brides of Spring Water Box Set (1-3) by Kathleen Ball

NOTE: This Box Set / Collection has three books and should be read in order. While they are independent stories, you get more if you do read them in order.

Book 1: Tattered Heart

Georgia aka "Georgie" lost everything and everyone in the Civil War, in spite of (or because of) high class. And she learned how to live quickly, with the former-slaves teaching and sheltering her. With no other possibilities, she accepted a mail-order bride proposal in Texas with a former-Confederate Captain. But her arrival completely surprised Parker, who was deceived and betrayed by a woman who he believed he will marry after the war. He had no idea his deranged mother had arranged for a bride for him. But he will marry her. He had no idea what depravities and cruelties Georgie would be subjected to while he's away for business...

Detailed, and Georgia was almost broken, which was very hard to read at times. It's mostly about Parker winning back Georgie's trust. 4.5/5


Book 2: Shattered Trust

Max wanted to win his own home offered by Parker and Georgie, and he decided to get a mail-order bride as well. He got Veronica, who came with a surprise: a 4-month old baby girl, even though she claimed to be a widow of 3 years. Veronica was clearly hurt before, and she can no longer live in the town that chose to condemn her (she was forced). Max wasn't sure how to treat Veronica, except very tenderly, and accepted her. Then the baby daddy showed up...

Nice, VERY detailed, and basically someone who's down and out, tries to do better, only to be beaten down again. And only faith and love can carry them through. 4.5/5


Book 3: Glory's Groom

Glory grew up in an orphanage, but she's old enough to be married off. She can teach, but is that going to be of any use on a Texas ranch? And what about being a wife? // Kent, a friend of Parker (see Book 1) won the next "house" by marrying Glory. Outside, hooded figures terrorized the freed slave community. Ranch owner Parker decided to hire the freedman as help on the ranch at the same salary as his other help. This leads to conflict with the town, while Glory found many children on the ranch without education and organized a school. But is that enough to sustain a marriage?

Good mix of adventure, and people at their best... and worst. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Mail Order Misfit by Jenna Brandt

Cara became an orphan when her mother was killed, and somehow, her father was found guilty of her murder and hung. Being a fiery red-headed Irish lass that no one in town would touch, she had no choice but to accept a mail-order bride offer out to the Dakota territories. When a man tried to force himself on her, she defended her honor by threatening him with her knife. But when he turned it around and accused her of trying to rob him, she did not hesitate to jump off the train... // James, former Army scout, had built up a respectable life for his family... but when his wife died, leaving three children behind, he must find another wife. After rescuing his intended from the wilderness (she jumped from the train), and have her acclimated to his children, James was surprised to see Cara arrested for a crime she did not commit... James was determined to find the truth... and get his wife back... by chasing down the man responsible...

No plot-holes other than Cara looking guilty by running from the law. But the motivation is actually understandable. She doesn't trust the law as far as she's concerned.  It was nice how the whole thing ties together. I find the ending a bit too quick and convenient though. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Stormy Hawkins by Ana Morgan

NOTE: Historical Western

Blade had been looking for a ranch to buy in the Dakota Territories, so he can get away from his cheating ex-fiancee and his rich family. And looks like he finally found one... If he can just convince the ailing owner and the spitfire daughter to sell... So he assumed the role of a drifter... But Stormy may be too tempting to resist... // Stormy knew she's a spitfire... She'd rather wear pants and ride horses than wear a dress and do frilly things. Being motherless can do that. But the ranch's loan is coming and the evil banker wants HER as payment. Desperate for any help, she agreed to hire Blade as a ranchhand, after apologizing for mistaking him for one of banker's goons. But it seems he has his own designs on her...  and when Blade's true identity came out... Stormy found herself unable to trust anyone...

As adventure / romantic suspense with a bit of hidden identity / protector / hidden agenda, the plotting is great. The actual romance and characterization are a bit off though, IMHO. Stormy turned totally into a damsel in distress later, unable to do anything to affect her own fate. It's as if being married and pregnant flipped her personality. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Love Finally Takes Control by Carol Colyer

Amy Louise likes to speak her mind and as a result, no one in her town wanted to marry her. She decided to try her luck as a mail-order bride, and landed in the frontier, only to find her intended extremely ill to a fever. But she always loved hard work, and immediately took over the goat milking, cooking, cleaning, feeding, and other duties... but what does she know about the groom other than his name: Oliver? // Oliver was a scout and both speaks and is friendly with the Apache Indians nearby. But his failure to find several AWOL soldiers alive (they were found dead) leads to a local rich rancher (and rabble-rouser) spreading bad rumors about him. They can help each other, and they can help others in need... but can they love?

This is more of an adventure novel, as the pair ended up helping the town through multiple crises, saved a couple people from a conspiracy and potential murder. Adventure is 5/5, but romance? 3/5. Overall 4/5

GRR Reviews Love On Her Own Terms by Carol Colyer

Kathleen, upon turning 18, was shocked to find that her parents promised her to their business associate since she was 13... A much older man she had always called "Uncle Elias". She became angry when she overheard that she was "given away" as a part of a business arrangement. In a fit of anger, she chose to be a mail-order bride under an assumed name, and travel out West to marry Dan, a rancher out in Tombstone, Texas, a man she never met... But who is this mysterious stranger on the train? // Dan was lonely in Tombstone running the ranch, and deal with his delinquent brother who only knows how to spend money, not to make any.  Then he learned that his no-good brother had whisked away his bride to a neighboring town, intending to marry her before he showed up...

As an adventure, this is great, as there are excellent twists and turns in the story. However, the pacing seems a bit off, that I almost thought the story ended multiple times, only to see there's more to come. Yet the book doesn't seem to be a "combo volume" or have been serialized. Let's just say more than one guy (let's just say, more than TWO) will be fighting for Kathleen's affection, and some of them will resort to... un... ungentlemanly manners to get what they want. Add the Earps in town, and it'd be fireworks!  4/5

GRR Reviews Treasured Grace by Tracie Peterson

Grace is a trail widow. Her husband, a minister, died of cholera on the way to Oregon in the wagon train, but she's still a virgin, as the marriage was arranged for convenience and he was totally devoted to God. Grace was hoping for a fresh start with her two younger sisters after her parents died. She was brought up as a healer and midwifery, and she decided to help the locals, settlers and Indians alike, upon arriving at the Whitman Mission, instead of pushing onto Oregon City, as they had not heard back from their uncle supposedly residing there, despite one of the widowers from the wagon train keep asking for her hand in marriage. She met Alex, one of the fur trappers in the region, and he helped as a translator to help the locals. But an aggressive band of Indians, believing that the local doctor is out to poison them instead of treating them, intended a pogrom. Alex had to keep Grace safe, but can he and his partner Sam save the other two sisters?

While the adventure portions are excellent, the love between the two seems tepid at best. The darkest hour doesn't quite seem to stack up properly. Alex had his own dark past as reason(s) to be roaming the frontier and made friends with Nez Parce, but the story continued on for quite a bit even after he revealed his past to Grace. In fact, the "triangle" barely made sense. The Christian angle was tolerable, if a bit persistent. This is, after all, the frontier. But some of the problems felt... arbitrary. For example, the middle sister had suffered trauma and PTSD. Grace keep trying to console her, and the sister, in a fit of rage, took Grace's bag, containing almost all of their belongings, and threw it into the river. Why the bag just because it's there? It seems this was done almost arbitrarily to force Grace into accepting a loveless marriage later so she can provide for her sisters. It felt wrong. The story then diverged then converged to deal with the sister's PTSD. it felt a bit... clumsy plotting. All in all, 3/5

GRR Reviews The Treasure Bride by Rebecca Hagan Lee

NOTE: Historical romance

Elizabeth left the East Coast hoping for a new start in San Francisco with her brother, only to find that he had been dead for two months. Sobbing at night, she was comforted by fellow traveler James, who had his own demons to wrestle. And it just happens that James has four girls to raise, and he's looking for a governess. And Elizabeth, being a teacher, would be perfect. But Elizabeth's past still haunted her, how she was rejected by her family for doing the right thing. And James was haunted by a betrayal so vile, he can never forgive... but can they find love with each other?

Nice, very nice, while San Francisco itself was barely covered, it sounds accurate enough. And the side stories, like how she managed to destroy an opium den with just her parasol, how she got arrested and released, and how she was surprised again and again by Craig due to her assumptions, were excellent as well. 5/5

GRR Reviews Helen Heals a Hotelier by Linda K Hubalek

Helen answered a mail-order bride ad and was stranded in Clear Creek Kansas with her four little girls when her groom turned out to be a con man. She needed a job fast. // Ethan was in charge of the family hotel in town while his parents are taking a trip. Ethan still hadn't gotten over his fiancee, Sarah, left him at the altar. When Helen needed help, and she clearly knew what she was doing (she helped ran a hotel in Pennsylvania) Ethan hired her as he can definitely use some help as well. Ethan and Helen make a great couple... In business and in life. Imagine his parents' surprise when they returned to find four kids and various changes to the hotel...

Nice, sweet, with enough comedic moments, tense moments, and satisfying moments (like when the crook got caught), with a good pivot (from he saving her to she saving him). And the family of four girls (all different fathers) was one long tale of heartbreaks. Very good touches. The "big ending", however, didn't feel that big. But it's a minor flaw, IMHO. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews A Secret Buried in the Ranch by Aurora Hanson

Georgie is a rich tomboy and her father's wealth had always kept the bad boys at bay. She prefers riding to romance. But when her father died, the only hope for her to keep the ranch is to marry. And her existing suitor, Leo, is simply not suitable for her. So she put in an ad for mail-order husband... // Jeremy knew he went wrong and his stint in prison was his debt to society paid in full. Unfortunately, the bad people he associated with before wanted him for one last thing: they want the loot they stashed before they got captured. He wanted to thank the man who helped him, only to found him dead... and his daughter in search of a husband. Jeremy wed Georgie, by pretending to be her mail-order husband. But his disguise is thread-bare, and Jeremy had fallen for Georgie already. Can he save everyone he loved? Or will his past bury him like the secret buried in the ranch?

Good setup, okay execution. 4/5