GRR Reviews Mail Order Bride - Montana Christmas by Linda Bridey

Sal Terranova had fun after negotiating deals for his family. But when his liaisons ended up with him and a married woman (who lied about being single) and was spotted by one of the family's business partners, his parents gave him a choice: reform, or get written out of the will. Sal was ready to move out until his brother came up with a plan... why not a mail order bride? And there came Lulu Johansson... who's beautiful and exciting, and Sal forgot all about other women, but then his reputation came back to haunt him. in the meanwhile, the other characters in Echo Canyon, assisting a covert government agent, ran into even more trouble...

This is a part of the author's Echo Canyon historical western series, where existing characters find love, old characters get into even more trouble, and so on. The language seems to be REALLY MODERN instead of historical, but it's fun.

Category: Historical Western

Primary Plot: Can a man really fall for his mail-order bride, when he's a proven rake? What will his new bride say about it?

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Westward Justice by Linda Bridey

Westward Justice tried for a tough female character in the old West, but the evil really made no sense. and the ending didn't quite come together.

Deputy Mitch became sheriff when the old sheriff dropped dead of a heart attack. He wanted a wife for himself, and he took out an ad for a mail-order bride. What he got was Sammi... the toughest woman around, wore pants and guns, and carried a collection of guns and knives, and fought better than most men. But Sammi carried a dark past that she never talks about... Can Mitch and Sammi get past their wounds and admit their love, even as a band of thieves stole Sammi's belongings, and Sammi vowing revenge?

The bad guy didn't make sense, as his motivation was just never explained, and the ending really was spread over many pages that took a while to finish all the threads. I wanted to like it better, but in the end, it was merely average.

Category: Historical Western

Primary Plot: Sheriff looking for a Mail-Order Bride got toughest lady gunfighter in the West instead...

Overall Rating: 3/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Echo Canyon Brides Box Set - Books 1 - 3 by Linda Bridey

Echo Canyon Brides is a series of historical Western adventures that happen to involve brides. It's more adventure than romance, but a good read nonetheless. Some parts feel a bit ahistorical.

Montana Rescue -- Evan, the sheriff, needed women, esp. wives, to save the town of Echo Canyon, as the gold veins ran out. Josie needed to leave Pullman, Washington, to find a suitable husband. Josie's train derailed on the way and was saved by an Irishman named Lucky. Josie also met the bunch of unusual characters in town, like Evan's aunt Edna, or the potentially evil rich guy with a sinister reputation... But is there a chance at love, when an earthquake struck the area?

Nice complex characters, including some interesting mysteries that will be revealed later in the book, and this series goes on for 11 books. Billy is a native American raised by white folks. He doesn't know his history and it plays into the plot quite a bit. This is at least 4/5

Montana Bargain -- Dr. Winslow Wu, yes, he's Chinese, is a trained veterinarian not that any white guy would hire him to treat their animals except his close friends in Echo Canyon. As the town needed a doctor, It was Winslow who put in an ad for mail-order bride, and got Dr. Erin Avery, a female doctor trained, but can't practice in the East. Having her own practice out west where there isn't a doctor around is perfect for her, but what is with the rich guy in town who seems to be both friendly and sinister at the same time?

Dr. Wu seems to be both skilled... AND a caricature. I only sorta-accept the story how he got trained as a vet (his godfather is the head of the vet school after his family saved his godfather in China) Wu went into business with the folks making $$$ with Lucky's animal husbandry biz, but Wu also seems to know kungfu AND dim-mak (strike at nerve points to help or disable) But it's good. 4/5

Montana Adventure --- Billy and Lucky went to find Lucky's long-lost Cheyenne family, and Lucky was devastated to find he can only reclaim his son, but not his wife, who had remarried and will be relocated soon. When they left, they found two other Cheyenne willing to leave with them... a Cheyenne brave and Nina, a white girl brought up by Cheyenne. When Billy and Nina and the rest were captured by a local family as trespassers and forced to marry, Billy was torn as he had summoned a mail-order bride who should already in town... In the meanwhile, the rich enigmatic man's secret is about to be revealed by the sheriff...

Fun read, this *could* have bee a 5/5, but in the end I chose 4/5.

Category: Historical Western

Primary Plot:  Series of Historical Western adventures that happens to involve mail-order brides in the fictional town of Echo Canyon

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Westward Bound by Linda Bridey

Westward Bound is a fun Olde West bride story with just enough surprise and angst to make it good.

Claire traveled to Montana to attend her sister Maddie's wedding to Seth Samuels and came to know the youngest Samuels brother, Marcus. They fell for each other, but Marcus was keeping a secret he had kept for over a dozen years... and that secret was forced into the open when he suddenly found himself the father of a baby girl... Can he explain the circumstances to his family? Will Claire accept him as he is? When the family suffered a medical emergency, can Marcus save the day?

Wow, sudden baby trope in the Olde West! That's at least, a good twist. It's also a nice tie-in that his extra background (which I am NOT spoiling) came in handy for that medical emergency at the end.

Category: Historical western

Primary Plot: Young man loving a woman suddenly find himself the father of a baby girl (by someone else) and his secret is forced into the open...

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Mail Order Bride: Westward winds by Linda Bridey

Westward Wings is a historical Western romance about taking chances to get what one loves. The characters are detailed, without involving violence.

Tessa refused to follow her family plans to be a socialite as the suitors are all pompous suits with no substance. Feeling trapped, she approached her "crazy aunt" for her chance at freedom... become a mail order bride to Dean Samuels, a widower, rancher and father of a child in Montana... He doubted she'll stay as she's too good for this dusty ranch. She doubted he'll want her due to her somewhat lack of domestic skills and she can never take place of his dead wife. Can they grow to love each other? And what will happen when her father found her?

The pressure to flee was documented in great detail and the life on the ranch was nicely described as well. She wanted to write and life on a ranch is an adventure. He did look for a mother for his child but he didn't expect this learned lady who arrived with almost no attitude and minimal domestic skills, but very willing to learn. Opposites do attract, and this is one of the better (best?) mail order bride stories out there, where it also included self-discovery in addition to just love.

Category: historical western

Primary Plot: High Society Girl Stifled by Convention Chose to Marry Herself Off Mail Order Bride to a Rancher in Montana...

Tropes: mail order bride, family pressure, widower, opposites attract, coming of age, single parent

Overall Rating: 5/5