Marrying a stranger to save a ranch is one thing; losing the land on their wedding day is another. Desperate to keep the ranch where three of her children and a husband lie buried, Annie Gephart must marry or sell. Which of the few bachelors in town would consider a surprise proposal to wed a plain widow with a rebellious daughter, a spirited boy, and unpaid taxes–without laughing in her face? … taxes–without laughing in her face?
Jacob Hendrix has never fully let go of his ranching dreams despite ending up as a small Wyoming town’s marshal. The job wouldn’t be so bad, except he’s more errand boy than lawman. When Annie proposes marriage without a single coquettish bat of an eyelash, can he commit himself to a woman he hardly knows for a choice piece of property he’d be an idiot to pass up?
But taxes aren’t all that threaten Annie and Jacob’s plans. Cattle rustlers, crumbling friendships, and wayward children make this marriage of convenience anything but. When they lose what they’ve sacrificed everything to save, will the love of a stranger be enough?
Romancing the Bride is the first book in the Frontier Vows Series by award-winning Christian romance author Melissa Jagears. If you like heartwarming marriage of convenience stories, you’ll love this sweet romance filled with endearing characters.
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I have enjoyed Jagears’ mail-order bride stories, so this marriage of convenience novel sounded similar without being too close to her first series. In this book, I really enjoyed the characters and their slow process of learning about each other after their marriage while struggling with obstacles they had not anticipated.
Annie is caught in a difficult position: remarry before her “appropriate” mourning period is over or lose her late husband’s ranch. Her difficult teen daughter, an entire ranch of cowboys who quit and leave her with little knowledge of cattle, and taxes coming due all make the picture bleak.
Jacob is a true hero—while by no means perfect, he tries to do the right thing and put others first regardless of his feelings. Treating them with love and kindness, he counts others a blessing even when they are difficult or not as expected.
The theme of healing runs through this book: the process itself, giving others the space they need to move through that process, of letting go and moving on when it’s time, even if we sometimes don’t feel it’s time. Grief is a tricky animal, and the novel does a good job of realistically portraying the highs and lows, along with the guilt that can accompany surviving the worst.
This is an outstanding book. Though not an easy read in some places, it is certainly a beautiful one that highlights the power of forgiveness, healing, and love in a world broken by sin. I highly recommend it for older teens and up, especially those who enjoy marriage of convenience stories where true love is a possibility, or those who like a dash of mystery in their books.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the author but was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are both honest and my own.
As an enthusiast of the marriage of convenience trope, I do believe this is one of the sweetest renderings I’ve ever read. I love to ponder unique reasons people might have married without affection in times past and delight to see strangers choose love over self-preservation as they give of themselves to make things work.
This story takes a realistic look at the struggles of a destitute widow and the kind, practical marshal who marries her to save her ranch. In this partnership, the marshal takes on a needy family he has the means to care for and a choice piece of property which reminds him him of the reason he came west. But when the ranch they married for is suddenly taken away, awkwardness ensues. Cattle rustlers, grieving children, and a sooner-than-expected attraction clutter this new marriage relationship now balancing on a wobbly foundation.
I sympathized with Annie as she struggled to preserve her family dynamic after the loss of a spouse and many buried children and make room in her heart for a new husband as society tells her she’s too soon a widow. Jacob (steadfast, wise, sacrificial, distracted-grin-inducing, wish-he-weren’t-fiction Jacob) is a fixer. He tries to discern God’s leading in his life, tries to do his best in a demeaning, title-only marshal job, tries to fix his crumbling relationship with his best friend, tries to settle into his new role as father and husband, tries to woo his grieving wife, and tries to catch cattle rustlers before he finally learns to trust God’s timing in situations he can’t seem to change. And Celia…I know Celia. I believe we all have had Celias in our life, and even displayed Celia’s flaws in some stage of our character development–desperation to avoid change and fighting to create her own security. Her difficult arc is the novel’s concrete foundation, the dark sky from which glows all the celestial, heart-warming moments of this story. Then there is smallest of this make-shift family and possibly my favorite character, Spencer, full of hugs and sunshine, mischief and sticky buns.
Through the years I have read every Melissa Jagears book I could get my hands on, and this is my new favorite. True-to-life characters are the shining glory of this novel and a trademark Melissa Jagears carries beautifully. As I’ve mentioned in other reviews of her books, her immersive, heart-deep writing style calls to mind the tried-and-trusted work of one of my favorite novelists, Lori Wick.
While all the characters are flawed in their own way, I cheered them along as they faced emotional struggles, family conflict, marital issues, delinquent juveniles, dangerous cattle rustlers, and political corruption.
Themes of loneliness, societal pressures, blended families, grief, and loss were portrayed in touching, relatable ways. Now I’m counting the days until I hear what’s next in the Frontier Vows series.
*I received a copy of this book from the author. The opinions expressed are my own.
Where do I start with this novel? As beautiful as the cover is, the experience inside is just as incredible. Truly, this marriage of convenience story has skyrocketed up my list to become one of my very favorite books ever!
Romancing the Bride has so much packed into its pages. The author explores the way various characters handle grief and pain, the way sin can weave its way into people’s lives and gain control, and the inability to feel as if one can be forgiven for wrongs. Perhaps the most beautiful emotion explored in this novel is the love that grows between Jacob and Annie, and the gentle way in which Jacob cares for Annie even when she makes it hard for him to do so. Their interactions captured my heart!
I will be thinking of these characters a long time from now and this book is definitely one that I plan to re-read many times in the future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
“What matters now , is what you choose to do in the next hour, what you choose to do tomorrow. If your past decisions didn’t get you where you wanted to be, figure out what decisions will. Beating yourself up over the past won’t change a thing. ~Annie”
If it’s one thing I can count on with Melissa Jagears, is the tightly packed emotion in her stories! From laugh-out-loud moments, to those more tender ones, to tears flowing, and anywhere in between. This one had it all!
Annie Gephart certainly had her share of past mistakes and plenty of self-condemnation for them. Struggling with trying to raise her two children after the loss of her husband was hard enough without the possibility of losing the only thing tying her to her past. The ranch she loves so much! Her dream could come crashing down if she doesn’t take desperate measures to ensure a future. But asking a man to marry her? Now that’s quite unconventional! What choice does she have if she wishes to keep her family together and a roof over her head?
Jacob Hendrix, the town marshal, is frustrated by not being able to capture cattle rustlers because he’s too busy doing what Mayor McGill wants. Building sidewalks and running mundane errands is not his idea of what it means to keep the peace. When he receives an unexpected marriage proposal from widow Gephart, his dream of owning a ranch would come true. But will a marriage in name only satisfy his longing for more? Taking on two children—one a rebellious, grief stricken teen, and the other an easy-going precarious boy with a penchant for fun—could be a challenge he’d willing face if it meant he’d have a family. Gaining back the ranch just might bring them closer, or tear them apart before it even began!
I felt so many things through this story! I was laughing in one moment, crying the next and had my heart so torn from one scene to the next! These characters get under your skin. I just wanted to hug Anne, take Celia under my wings and erase her grief, wrangle Spencer in some fun, and sidle up to Jacob to boost his confidence. I loved him especially! He’s a man’s man, but yet has his softer side he shows when it comes to Annie and her children. All those tender looks he shoots her way melted my heart. There were many times I wanted to shout to Annie to stop being so stubborn and let the man into her heart to love!! Ah yes, this is when I know an author does their job, when I get so emotionally tangled in the story and the characters. When it’s hard for me to form a review and feel like I don’t do it justice, then you as a reader know you’re in for a treat with “Romancing the Bride”!
* I received a complimentary copy from the author and was under no obligation to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own. *
My heart hurt for Jacob, Annie and her two children when heartbreaking news came immediately after their wedding. The struggles they go through are very real but don’t get overly depressing. Jacob and Annie were so thoroughly likable and I rooted for their relationship to grow and blossom. Spencer’s eternal optimism was so adorable I wanted to reach through the pages and give him a big hug. This is another well-written and well-edited book from Melissa Jagears. I received a copy of this ebook from the author. This review is my own opinion.
Let me begin – This is an amazing book! For those who desire to read Christian Romance, this ranks in the best of the best. It covers multiple Biblical themes such as rebellion, the presence of evil, the consequences of sin, forgiveness, the need for salvation, and several more.
It begins with Annie and her desperate situation. She’s recently widowed but she doesn’t have time to grieve as the life she knows is crumbling around her. She’s on the verge of losing the ranch while simultaneously trying to handle her increasingly rebellious daughter. She realizes that she has to make a quick decision – sell the ranch or marry someone who can help her. But, there’s only one man she can see herself living with and she has no idea how he’ll respond since they’re essentially strangers.
Jacob feels inadequate as the town marshal since just about everything he tries to do ends in failure. He can’t find the cattle rustlers or the town vandals, yet how is he supposed to do that when the mayor has him doing menial jobs such as enforcing a sidewalk rule? Therefore, when a widow he barely knows proposes to him so that she can save her ranch, his dreams of ranching are rekindled. Yet, is she enough to entice him? Can he grow to love her and her children?
Unfortunately, their new relationship is immediately threatened when they learn that the ranch has been foreclosed on based on an unknown loan and the increasing belligerent behavior of Annie’s daughter. The rest of the book details their daily struggle to make sense of what God is trying to teach them and hold on to their faith.
There’s a ton going on in this book and I applaud the author for being brave enough to write it. It covers more than simply Annie and Jacob. It covers Celia, Annie’s daughter, and her struggles. It also features the lives of Bryant and his wife, Leah. Their secondary story should be a warning that sin has consequences, yet if we are to live like Christ, we are compelled to forgive. At the end, I was reminded of several parables that Jesus taught.
Romance – PG / Kisses and references to a husband / wife relationship
Language – PG / references to a character’s foul language
Violence – Warning – there is violence done to a character and although it’s carefully written, it’s not glossed over. It highlights the depravity people can stoop to.
My rating – 5 stars