Stand-In Wife Russ Halloway’s mail-order bride never boarded the bride train! In her place is recently widowed Anna Darby Linford, sister of the last woman to jilt Russ. He’s surprised to see Anna again–and stunned when he discovers she’s pregnant. Marrying Anna seems the right thing to do…especially since love continues to evade him. Anna hopes Russ will help her find employment–becoming a … employment–becoming a wife again never even crossed her mind. Yet as she struggles to start over in the small town, Anna forges a genuine connection with Russ. When secrets from her past threaten Russ’s future in politics, can they protect their family in the making?
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I have loved visiting Cowboy Creek so much over several books and will genuinely miss it! These characters have become so real to me! I especially enjoy characters from previous books popping in and out of current books! That’s the best part of books that center around a town or community. Cowboy Creek is just such a place. I’m sad that these books are coming to an end. In this book, we see how a past can come back to haunt us, even though we are hundreds of miles out on the Western frontier! Russ Halloway really wants to have a wife and family. He’s tried to “order” a wife on the bride train but discovers she never got on the train! In her place is a recently widowed, Anna Darby Linford (from back East, no less) who just happens to be the sister of the last gal that jilted him! What a coincidence! He’s very surprised to find out she’s pregnant, even when Anna herself doesn’t know! Anna just thinks she’s ill 🙂 Anna never wants to be a wife again…the first time was bad enough! She is hoping Russ will help her find employment but as they work together, they forge a bond. I really liked the two of them together and was so happy they ended up together. Anna was a sweet lady and she had been beat down by life. She needed someone to be kind to her and Russ was just the man to do so. Russ needed someone to love him also and Anna was just such a woman! They fit together perfectly! You need to finish all this series and read this book!
His Substitute Mail-Order Bride
By Sherri Shackelford
This is the second book to Return to Cowboy Creek and I loved this one as much as I loved Sherri’s stories in Cowboy Creek.
This has all the makings of a really good story with lots of secrets, problems like a hold up which begins this story so you are hooked right from the start.
Old friends meeting again after many years when there were just children in school and now seeing each other as adults.
Messy problems that could lead to an arrest for something someone didn’t do. So many other things that happen and of course friendships and revisiting previous characters in Cowboy Creek. Budding romance which just might go astray. It is a really good story and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves historical western romances.
I received this as an ARC and I am no way committed to leave this review but I do so because I wanted to. If you really like or love a story you should always leave a review so others know they might like to read that story.
Anna struggles with feelings of worthlessness and undeserving of love. Especially after a scandal that tilted her life upside down and a late husband who didn’t appreciate her! She’s only looking to start over and find her own place in the world. Russ too feels unloved after not one, but two women refuse to marry him. Throwing himself into helping the town he calls home, he’s resigned to bachelorhood. God certainly has other plans for these two after they meet again years later!
I like how both Anna and Russ can understand each other when it comes to love struggles. And how Russ goes out of his way to help Anna get settled in a new town and befriends her. Through his gentle care and looking out for her, she begins to see that not every man is like her late husband. Though it takes a lot of convincing! Russ gave up the idea of being a husband and father after being jilted twice, but his dreams start to surface the more he gets to know Anna. He knows she doesn’t see herself as he does…sweet and with the capacity to love much. I like the ways he tries to show her and tells her at every opportunity he can. There’s a lot to work through for these two, but it proves that God can build the foundation of a loving relationship and make dreams come true! This story has so many more layers of course and lots of side characters to add to it. I read this in almost one sitting, if it wouldn’t have been for the fact I needed my sleep too! Sherri Shackelford has a way with words that draw you into her stories and make you smile at the end.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book with no obligation to write a review. All opinions are my own.*
The things I can count on with this author: A crafty, thrilling and/or emotional beginning; admirable and swoon-worthy heroes; independently strong and bright heroines; a community of friends and family that willingly support one another; and most often a clever marriage of convenience. Even with the similitudes, each of her stories are an incredibly unique experience as a reader. Because of all that, I look forward to each and every new story and the sweet contentment that I feel when I finish one. His Substitute Mail-Order Bride was just as I described above and I devoured it in two sittings. There is a bit of a mystery thread that weaves through each book in the Return to Cowboy Creed series, but in no way does it deter from reading this one as a standalone. If you’re familiar with the Cowboy Creek and now this series, you will recognize characters from previous stories. It’s always amazing and enjoyable how separate authors can collectively entwine their characters to create a seamless series of stories. For that reason, I urge readers to enjoy each one and how they delightfully come together.