WRITTEN IN HER HEART, a charming novella by Stacy Henrie, Georgeanna is getting desperate. She can’t fund her favorite orphanage unless she marries and secures the rest of her inheritance left by her father. But her father’s financial planner, Clay, can’t understand why she’s not content with her current situation. Georgie determines to send out a notice as a mail order bride to attract suitors … suitors who won’t know her financial situation. Little does she know, Clay takes up the pen and sends her letters of his own under an assumed name. After years of working for Georgie’s father, Clay realizes he isn’t ready to watch her marry another, not when his heart is already claimed by her.
In Kristin Holt’s delightful novella WANTED: MIDWIFE BRIDE Dr. Naomi Thornton thinks she has it all: a beautiful house, a loving husband, and a fulfilling career. But when everything she holds dear is ripped away, Naomi has no choice but to start over. What will she find in the wild and untamed Wyoming Territory? Dr. Joe Chandler has waited years for a wife with the knowledge, skills, and tender heart he yearns for in a medical colleague and lifetime companion. When a midwife arrives with more expertise and secrets than he counted on, Joe quickly discovers there’s more to love and marriage than a simple mail order contract.
In THE SOUND OF HOME, a captivating novella by Annette Lyon, Marilyn is given the choice of either marrying the despicable Victor or being charged with a murder she didn’t commit. Refusing to believe that either is her fate, she finds a third option: she answers a mail order bride advertisement and boards a train to Wyoming to wed a man named Harry. Moments after her arrival, she learns that Harry isn’t who he seemed to be, and the advertisement turns out to be a giant mistake. Harry’s brother Thomas agrees to let her stay until she can figure out what to do next—after all, she simply cannot return to New York—but Marilyn quickly finds herself developing feelings for Thomas.
In Sarah M. Eden’s endearing novella FOR BETTER OR WORSE Gerald Smith, on the advice of his well-meaning neighbors, has decided it’s time to change his lonely existence. Mary Hill, on the advice of her empty pocketbook and non-existent roof over her head, has decided it’s time to secure herself a future. A mail-order marriage, they both realize, is no guarantee of happiness, but it is a risk they are willing to take. However, coming face to face on the train platform, the hapless couple discovers an unexpected truth: marriage to a perfect stranger is sometimes far preferable to the prospect of a lifetime with someone you used to know.
Heather B. Moore’s sweet novella THE INCONVENIENT BRIDE sees Carmela traveling from Boston to Colorado, eager to meet the man she’s been corresponding with and will soon marry. Her brother’s new marriage leaves little room for Carmela in her old life. Upon arrival in Leadville, she faces a rude awakening, and the only one who can understand her predicament is her fiance’s brother, Samuel. But Samuel can’t possibly help her out of an awkward situation, can he? It would be better for all if she returns immediately to Boston and pretends she never traveled to Colorado in the first place.
THE PRICE OF SILVER, an engaging novella by Siân Ann Bessey, Katie leaves New York for Idaho to marry Jake, a man she’s written to a couple of times. But when she steps off the train, his brother Caleb is there to greet her.
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From the first book to the last I loved it. Although they are from different authors these mail order bride stories are really original and not the same old trope. I absolutely love Stacy Henry and she is the reason I got the book to begin with but not the whole reason I love it all the authors were really awesome. I highly recommend it and if you love mail order bride stories they are not so original that they were taken fully away from the mail order bride Tradition, but just enough to be totally awesome!
I loved this collection it give a lot of information about mail order brides in the early years and all the problems that occurs to woman .
This is another gathering of great authors and their short stories. I really enjoy reading these clean romances with believable characters with some humor sometimes thrown in.
I enjoyed some of the short stories more than others, but all of them had a level of entertainment.
I loved 5 of the 6 stories, and even the 6th was enjoyable. Each of the contributing authors took a different angle and they were all fairly unique for the genre which tends toward formulas. The book was well edited, which is important to this grammar nerd, and most importantly, the stories were engaging. Having read the work of 4 of the authors previously, I am now looking for stories from the other 2.
Fun Mail-order bride short story
MAIL ORDER BRIDE COLLECTION is a Timeless Romance anthology (Book 16) published February 2015.
The Collection includes six historical romance novellas set in the Old West.
The first: WRITTEN IN HER HEART by Stacy Henie is about Georgeanna and Clay. Georgeanna needs to marry to get her inheritance left by her father and decides to find a groom through a mail order bride advertisement.
WANTED MIDWIFE BRIDE by Kristen Holt is about Doc Joe and Naomi. Dr Naomi Thornton had everything she held dear ripped away. She must start over. The ‘Wanted Midwife Bride’ ad seemed just the answer.
THE SOUND OF HOME by Annette Lyon is about Marilyn and Thomas. Marilyn was being blackmailed by a villain named Victor. Either marry him or be charged with a murder she did not commit. She decided to take fate into her own hands and answers a mail order bride advertisement and boards a train for Wyoming.
FOR BETTER OR WORSE by Sarah M. Eden is about Gerald Smith and Mary Hill. Having nothing but an empty pocketbook, Mary decided to secure herself a future as a mail order bride. Upon arriving at the train Gerald sees a person from his past that he never wanted to see again…. Mary Hill. As the story continues we see their relationship grow into a loving one neither expected.
AN INCONVENIENT BRIDE by Heather B. Moore is about Camela and Samuel. Carmela see’s her place in her brother’s house being replaced by her brother’s new wife so decides to make another life for herself as a mail order bride out west.
THE PRICE OF SILVER by Sian Ann Bessey is about Katie and Caleb. Katie leaves New York to Marry Jake but finds he isn’t there but off searching for gold leaving her in the care of his mother and his brother, Caleb.
The one thing I have concluded after reading these novellas is that the mail order brides all decided to go this route out of desperation. To get away from scandal, a villain, their status at home or because of poverty and possibly starvation. Each author bases their story from one of these situations . The stories are wholesome, clean romances (without sex scenes). They were fun and delightful to read and answered the bill when I didn’t have a lot of time but wanted diversion. Each story was about fifty pages long. For a change of pace, Try the MAIL ORDER BRIDE COLLECTION. Happy reading! review by facebook.com\ReadingGenie\
I enjoyed reading theses stories. It was easy to read and made it seem as if you could feel the struggles of the characters.
I love reading the Mail Order Brides.