Miss Miranda Beamer, the only child of a preacher, sits in jail in Dodge City with three other female prisoners. They are in for various crimes, but Miranda is by far the most serious. She just killed her step-father. Marshal Dale Jones needs to get rid of the women who are not safe in Dodge City, even in jail. He comes up with a plan to ship them to Santa Fe on a wagon train, with a former … brothel owner as their chaperone with the idea of being mail order brides. Miranda, however, has a plan of her own. She knows her step-brother will be coming after her when he learns she killed his father. She will travel to Santa Fe, but instead of marrying, she’ll get a job, save some money and disappear.
Preston Stone, up and coming businessman in Santa Fe will not be allowed the permit to build his hotel and restaurant unless he is married to a respectable woman. He is the child of a prostitute and the owner of a gambling house and saloon. Not respectable enough on his own to get the nod from the Town Council. When Miranda comes to his saloon looking for a job, Preston knows she is the one to help him. He offers her a job as his bookkeeper, but with the condition that she marry him first. No amount of persuasion on her part will change Preston’s mind. Job and marriage, or nothing at all.
more
Callie Hutton captures the essence of the late 1800’s old west in this captivating story that will grab you from the first page! Forced to kill her stepfather in self defense, Miranda turns herself in and winds up in the jail in Dodge City with with several women. Can you imagine? She knows her stepbrother will be coming after her. The Marshal wants to move these ladies out as soon as he can and puts them on a wagon train to Sante Fe as mail order brides. Well, Miranda has plans of her own. Have I mentioned she is truly an intelligent and brave person, even though she has gone through so much in her life?
Landing in Santa Fe, she sets out to get a job and winds up meeting a man that has almost experienced as tough a time as her, although both are keeping their secrets from each other! Has fate brought these two together and will she stay safe and be able to escape her past?
A heartwarming story that comes alive with great characters this author is famous for, that takes you on a journey filled with suspense, some tense moments, humor and finding a happy ever after!!
Miranda is a woman of her times. She and her mother are the property of Miranda’s stepfather who eventually kills her mother during her daily beating. Miranda is expected to pickup where her mother left off. When she grabs a gun and kills her stepfather during a beating. She runs to the sheriff’s office and turns herself in. Three other woman are also in jail due to run in with men. The sheriff decided to send them all off to Santa Fe to find husbands.
This was a very enjoyable quick read with other acts of bravery by Miranda. Nice work, Ms. Hutton. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!
Miranda Beamer is the only daughter of a minister. Preston Stone is the son of a prostitute. What, if anything, could bring these two together? She is a mail order bride who killed her stepfather (that part is a secret), and he needs a respectable wife in order to improve his business. Maybe they could come to an agreement, a business arrangement to benefit them both.
I liked and admired Miranda and Preston. Miranda is gentle by nature, modest, loving, and intelligent. Preston is an excellent businessman. He is hardworking, goal centered, honest, responsible, and kind. Nellie and Marshal Jones were great secondary characters. Their interest and concern for Miranda (and the other women in the group) was touching. Frankie and Woody Smith were disgusting and cruel. The story is well written, doesn’t slow down, and is full of action, danger, twists and turns, and surprises. There are a couple of real “hold your breath” moments. There are quite serious obstacles to their HEA, but slowly and surely Miranda and Preston move toward a happy ending. The epilogue was a wonderful picture of the family, heartwarming and humorous. The story is good; the series is great. I enjoyed and recommend it to historical romance fans.
Miss Miranda Beamer, the only child of a preacher, sits in jail in Dodge City with three other female prisoners. Marshal Dale Jones needs to get rid of the women who are not safe in Dodge City, even in jail. He comes up with a plan to ship them to Santa Fe on a wagon train, with a former brothel owner Miss Nellie as their chaperone & for them to be mail order brides. Miranda, however, has a plan of her own. She knows her step-brother Woody will be coming after her when he learns she killed his father. She will travel to Santa Fe, but instead of marrying, she’ll get a job, save some money and disappear. Preston Stone, up and coming businessman in Santa Fe will not be allowed the permit to build his hotel and restaurant unless he is married to a respectable woman. He is the child of a prostitute and the owner of a gambling house and saloon. When Miranda comes to his saloon looking for a job, Preston knows she is the one to help him. He offers her a job as his bookkeeper, but with the condition that she marry him first.
I read this immediately after reading the first three stories in the series & I’m now impatiently awaiting the final story. This story could easily be read on its own but the whole series is really good so to fully appreciate it I’d recommend reading in order. A short story but it packs a punch, well rounded characters, fast paced plot I read it in a sitting. Preston has worked hard to gain respectability, Miranda nearly threw everything away when she killed Frankie all be it in self defence. They are drawn to each other from their first meeting. The road to their HEA isn’t smooth but it makes for a darned good read.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
This is the first western book I have ever read and I enjoyed it very much. This is very entertaining story of Miranda and Preston. This adventure has many twists and turns in the story. Miranda is running for her life after killing her stepfather in self-defense. Now her stepbrother, Woody, is out for revenge. I really liked Miranda’s character. She is honest, brave, modest, empathetic, loving and intelligent. She was always a lady even though she was never treated as one by her stepfather and his son and she still believed in God and felt everyone deserved love. Her stepfather and stepbrother lived a slovenly life and they were just plain mean, Preston is a man haunted by his past. He has clawed his way up from nothing to own a successful bar and gambling hall. Preston has his own secrets. When Preston meets Miranda, he realizes that she is just the woman he needs to marry. Preston is a strong man, in control of himself and his surroundings. He is an excellent businessman. Because of how he grew up, the people in society and the town did not hold him in high regard. But he was a good and honest man, hardworking and kind. You could tell by the way he ran his business he was a very responsible employer and treated everyone that worked for him very well with respect. Frankie and Woody were hardened, don’t give a crap type men. I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really liked Prisoners of Love, Miranda (Book 4 in the series) by Callie Hutton.
Once a preacher’s daughter, Miranda’s life drastically changed after her father died and her mother remarried and later died, leaving her with drunk and abusive step-father and step-brother. Determined to leave and find a better life, her step-father tries to use force to keep her in the home and Miranda kills him. Knowing the hell she’s lived through, the sheriff takes pity on her and sends her to Santa Fe where she meets Preston, the owner of a local saloon in desperate need of a wife or his dreams of building a hotel/restaurant will go up in smoke.
Preston’s childhood is just as heartbreaking as Miranda’s. Born to a prostitute, the townsfolk always looked down on him, treated him as though he was trash. But Preston swore he’d make a respectable name for himself. So far he has, until the city council demands he take a fine wife if he wants to build the hotel.
Miranda and Preston are perfect for each other. I enjoyed watching them overcome their childhoods and current problems by entering into a marriage of convenience, in the hopes of a better future. In the beginning, their future goals aren’t the same, and watching them overcome obstacles and learning to trust one another makes for a rewarding read.
Callie Hutton does it again! Miranda is the 4th book in the Prisoners of Love series and I am so enjoying this historical western series. Callies’s story is so original and the hero and heroine are lovable but the villain you really hate. Her writing has the true western feel and the description are so detailed that you feel like you have escaped into another time and place. This story has abuse, fear, self defense, robbery, kindness, a marriage of convince, dreams, running away and love. I am highly recommending you read this book.
***This book was gifted to me and I am voluntarily reviewing.
I enjoyed Miranda very much and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good historical western romance. It’s one of the better new books and high on my list as is Callie Hutton. I read this as a stand alone with no problem, but I’m anxious to read the others in this series and soon.
I received an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Prisoners of Love: Miranda
by Callie Hutton
After narrowly escaping a fate worse than death Miranda is on the mail-order bride wagon to Santa -Fe. She knows that even the good sheriff of Dodge city (her home town) can’t keep her safe once her step brother finds out what she’s done. Her plan is to find work in Santa-Fe and go someplace where no one can find her…..hopefully.
Preston Stone has come a long way from being the kid whose mother worked in a brothel selling herself. Through hard work and determenation he’s acquired a fortune and is working towards building a hotel and restaurant in Santa-Fe. Unfortunately the town council needs him to be a respectable family man….a married man to a respectable woman. Fate seems to be smiling for Preston and Miranda who throws them together, she’s looking for employment he’s looking for a wife
With a little convincing he gets his respectability. But what happens when Miranda’s past comes looking for her and jeapordizes her newfound happiness?
A fast paced story that will keep you on edge, a villain bent on murder some twists and plenty of suspense . Simmering passion and extremely likeable hero and heroine. This was a vividly portrayed Western that I highly recommend , part of a series but can be read as a stand-alone .
I received a complimentary copy from the author. This is my honest unbiased opinion.
A fantastic book that will kept entrainment until the end!
Miranda was send as a mail order bride but she is searching the freedom.
Preston needs a wife to fulfil his dream: a hotel and a restaurant.
Will love found a way to them? or the danger in the form of Miranda’s stepbrother win?
Suspense and twists in this incredible story! Don’t miss it!
The story begins with Miranda shooting her stepfather in self defense after years of abuse. For the safety of her and three other women, the marshal sends them to Santa Fe as mail order brides. To keep from getting married she attempts to get a job but when she finally finds one it has a requirement that she marry. Prescott needs a respectable wife in order to satisfy the city council so they will approve a hotel and restaurant he wants to build. She agrees to marry Prescott and her new life begins. Danger appears in the form of her stepbrother Woody. There is eventually a HEA but a lot happens first. This is a great read and I would highly recommend this book.
Always refreshing and a change of pace to get into one that has a different time zone or set in the past. It also gets your imagination going on what would you have done etc. while you are reading too. Now Miranda that is in this one had a very guarded up bringing being a child of a preacher in those days was rough. She also has done a serious deed to be in the predicament she is in now. This is also one that this author has given us alot of drama with it to really spice up what is going on. It also had alot of it causing exhilaration while reading thanks to the danger and anticipation in parts. Preston is the one that could and does change the course in what will go down. What a j0b offer yes indeed too, but that is part of the spice that lends to this one. Great ride on this adventure to see where these two go with this. I really enjoyed this character also with this author able to transport us superbly.
Prisoners of Love : Miranda is book four in the Prisoners of Love series by Callie Hutton. Wow! I loved this book. I have not read the entire series yet, but this book can definitely stand alone. It had everything a romance fan could want – romance, humor and a few spicy scenes. I really enjoyed the character of Miranda Beamer. She is on the run from her vengeful step brother when she arrives in Santa Fe. Preston Stone needs a wife so that he can be seen by the town as a respectable business owner. When he and Miranda meet up sparks fly. But can they have a true romance or just a marriage of convenience? I am going to go back and start at the beginning of this wonderful series. I was gifted a copy of this book.
Miranda struck me as the most mysterious of the four ladies who meet after each is jailed. I have been waiting impatiently for this story and really was satisfied with it. Callie Hutton writes a smooth story about a damaged couple who heal and complete each other. That is, before trouble follows Miranda to Santa Fe. This adds suspense to the novel of whether both she and her marriage will survive. Great action and romance makes this a story that I strongly recommend. (I was privileged to receive an advanced copy of the novel. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.)