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South Dakota #2
Bid for a Bride
Alternate cover edition of ASIN B004NNVIVK
After Loving Eliza, John and Eliza adopt a blind boy named Brian who was abandoned by his father. Bid for a Bride is Brian’s romance. The story begins in the quiet South Dakota town where Brian lives.
Lucy finds out the man she just married already has a wife, and what’s worse is that he’s trying to sell her to the highest bidder. The preacher intervenes and helps her annul her marriage, but he’s aware that Lucy’s week with her bigamist husband might have resulted in a pregnancy. To protect her reputation, he asks Brian Evans to marry her. Brian jumps at the chance and proposes to her. Seeing no other option, Lucy agrees. But will Brian have the marriage based on love that he longs for or will he always be Lucy’s convenient husband?
*Bid for a Bride won the 2012 Global Ebook Award for Historical Romance.
Books in the South Dakota Series
Book 1: Loving Eliza
Book 2: Bid for a Bride
Book 3: Bride of Second Chances
After Loving Eliza, John and Eliza adopt a blind boy named Brian who was abandoned by his father. Bid for a Bride is Brian’s romance. The story begins in the quiet South Dakota town where Brian lives.
Lucy finds out the man she just married already has a wife, and what’s worse is that he’s trying to sell her to the highest bidder. The preacher intervenes and helps her annul her marriage, but he’s aware that Lucy’s week with her bigamist husband might have resulted in a pregnancy. To protect her reputation, he asks Brian Evans to marry her. Brian jumps at the chance and proposes to her. Seeing no other option, Lucy agrees. But will Brian have the marriage based on love that he longs for or will he always be Lucy’s convenient husband?
*Bid for a Bride won the 2012 Global Ebook Award for Historical Romance.
Books in the South Dakota Series
Book 1: Loving Eliza
Book 2: Bid for a Bride
Book 3: Bride of Second Chances
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2010
52 people are currently reading
303 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Ann Nordin
172 books714 followersWhat's to say? I write a lot. I read often. I sleep little. Once in awhile, I've been known to clean the house. A number of kids live in my house and there's this guy they call dad and I call husband. All in all, it's a pretty good life. :-)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 25, 2017
Re read 4-17 and still loved it!
4.5 stars
Again the author does not disappoint!
If you love sweet romance, filled with love and family values, this is for you.
This book is the second in the series and I found it to be almost as good as the first, but yet in some ways better.
The better.. is the loving scene. It was spicier and I REALLY liked that.
The not so better.. well.. to me personally I would have liked a little more conflict but I did not skim and did not mind that this was a gentler read.. though others may feel it was a bit slower.
Again, Nordin creates a perfect hero. He just made my heart melt. I also really like the heroine as well as all the secondary characters..most of which were introduced in the first book.
This can be a stand alone, but I think reading the first book is helpful to get a better understanding of characters John, Eliza, Addy and Frank.
I really love this author and have already put many of her books on my TBR shelf.
She is not for everyone I suppose because there is alot of religious tones.. but to me it's not too much..I can't help but think of a favorite tv show of mine "Little House on the Prarie" as a good comparison.
Sweet wholesome, and comfortable.
Love it!
Safety:
4.5 stars
Again the author does not disappoint!
If you love sweet romance, filled with love and family values, this is for you.
This book is the second in the series and I found it to be almost as good as the first, but yet in some ways better.
The better.. is the loving scene. It was spicier and I REALLY liked that.
The not so better.. well.. to me personally I would have liked a little more conflict but I did not skim and did not mind that this was a gentler read.. though others may feel it was a bit slower.
Again, Nordin creates a perfect hero. He just made my heart melt. I also really like the heroine as well as all the secondary characters..most of which were introduced in the first book.
This can be a stand alone, but I think reading the first book is helpful to get a better understanding of characters John, Eliza, Addy and Frank.
I really love this author and have already put many of her books on my TBR shelf.
She is not for everyone I suppose because there is alot of religious tones.. but to me it's not too much..I can't help but think of a favorite tv show of mine "Little House on the Prarie" as a good comparison.
Sweet wholesome, and comfortable.
Love it!
Safety:
February 26, 2017
This was wonderful!
April 16, 2011
Just finished reading a good portion of Nordin's historicals and this has to be my favorite, just slightly behind Loving Eliza and His Redeeming Bride.
Lucy unknowingly married a bigamist and no more then ten days later marries a blind man! Her second marriage comes after her first husband attempts to auction her off as a means to get rid of her once he's done with his fun.
Both Brian and Lucy are strong, kind characters who you can't help but love. The way their love develops is very realistic since it's not rushed or prolonged.
There are a few other subplots (mostly those involving attempted murder--specifically to one of the main characters) that keep the book fun and exciting. Also, John and Eliza as well as Frank and Addie from Loving Eliza are brought back in and make delightful secondary characters.
Lucy unknowingly married a bigamist and no more then ten days later marries a blind man! Her second marriage comes after her first husband attempts to auction her off as a means to get rid of her once he's done with his fun.
Both Brian and Lucy are strong, kind characters who you can't help but love. The way their love develops is very realistic since it's not rushed or prolonged.
There are a few other subplots (mostly those involving attempted murder--specifically to one of the main characters) that keep the book fun and exciting. Also, John and Eliza as well as Frank and Addie from Loving Eliza are brought back in and make delightful secondary characters.
March 13, 2021
Romance, mystery, and adventure are part of this second book of "Loving Eliza". Well worth the read time. Brian is every bit as wonderful as his dad John and I so enjoyed that Eliza got to be a mom. Brian's all heart and offers Lucy safety and a family. There were a few moments that had me biting my nails but the ending is superb.
August 24, 2017
I enjoyed this book. It is a clean stand alone story. The hero, Brian, is adopted and blind. The heroine, Lucy, unknowingly married a bigamist. Her "husband" travels through a small town and decides to auction her off. She is rescued by the preacher and taken in by the towns folk. Brian is in town with his mother, Ellie. They hear about the commotion and go to offer help. Brian has been looked down on by most of the towns folk due to his blindness. He is compassionate, caring, loving, patient, tender and willing to marry Lucy. She may be pregnant and is trying to get away from her twin sister. Lucy is trying to adjust to her new circumstances and start anew. Brian is wanting a family of his own. He also understands how hard it is to be different and start over. This is a sweet read. I liked seeing how these two came together, overcome their obstacles, and have a happily ever after. I have also read the first book in this series and enjoyed it. It is not necessary to read these books in order however, it does add to the enjoyment. The series does build on each other.
December 19, 2020
Almost a clean romance. I use a few sites to find novels that interest me, Romance.io and Goodreads' shelves let me down on this one. The fact that the hero is a virgin makes no difference to the story. No shyness, no play, no nothing. Two sweet MCs with little/no experience didn't need to be erotica but a little play as they discovered love would have been enjoyable. By chapter 16/24 I was getting bored with the sweetness, there was a lot of 'background' character building but nothing that hinted at the story becoming more interesting. Started chapter 17 in a skim mode and whoa, found a sex scene, meh. More skimming and the evil twin sister comes into play. (Warning bared fondled breasts).
I slowed, then stopped skimming and found the rest of the story close to decent.
So, not the author's fault that the 'shelves' and lists led me to expect more. (Can't believe this novel appears on Lists with 'Archer's Voice'). Even tho' many other of Ms. Nordin's novels interest me, I am not willing to take a chance on them.
I slowed, then stopped skimming and found the rest of the story close to decent.
So, not the author's fault that the 'shelves' and lists led me to expect more. (Can't believe this novel appears on Lists with 'Archer's Voice'). Even tho' many other of Ms. Nordin's novels interest me, I am not willing to take a chance on them.
January 8, 2018
Hero: Brian (Eliza and John's adopted son)- Heroine: Lucy
I immensely enjoyed this tender and romantic story, with a heart of gold, blind hero and a beautiful heroine who was betrayed by her bigamist husband. I love the interaction between father and son, it was humorous and heartwarming. A beautifully written story that made me laughed, shrieked in outrage, shed a few tears and sighed in contentment/relief. This story was a bit more dramatic than bk1 but it also had some comic relief too. Lucy and Brian has a very happy and satisfying HEA !!
I became so attached to the characters I read the rest of the series immediately which includes late nights and not writing reviews until I was done with the series.
I immensely enjoyed this tender and romantic story, with a heart of gold, blind hero and a beautiful heroine who was betrayed by her bigamist husband. I love the interaction between father and son, it was humorous and heartwarming. A beautifully written story that made me laughed, shrieked in outrage, shed a few tears and sighed in contentment/relief. This story was a bit more dramatic than bk1 but it also had some comic relief too. Lucy and Brian has a very happy and satisfying HEA !!
I became so attached to the characters I read the rest of the series immediately which includes late nights and not writing reviews until I was done with the series.
August 23, 2018
It was a good book. This book is a standalone. I want to read the 1st book in the series.
The part where Mark/"Adam" married Lucy and tried to auction her off is really sad. I do like that no one bought her to save her, like it happened on . A preacher going by stopped "Adam".
The whole thing with Meredith, Lucy's twin sister, is pretty creepy.
The part where Mark/"Adam" married Lucy and tried to auction her off is really sad. I do like that no one bought her to save her, like it happened on . A preacher going by stopped "Adam".
The whole thing with Meredith, Lucy's twin sister, is pretty creepy.
June 27, 2020
Beautiful
Brian and Lucy story is beautiful, a little heartbreaking, romantic and a little intense. An amazing read that will leave you breathless. Can't wait to read more from this author
Brian and Lucy story is beautiful, a little heartbreaking, romantic and a little intense. An amazing read that will leave you breathless. Can't wait to read more from this author
February 2, 2023
Where did I find it: this is the second book of the South Dakota Series, and after loving the first one, I went straight on to this.
What I liked: once again, the gorgeous cover. I also like that Brian had a handicap and his blindness didn’t stop him being a perfect book boyfriend. It didn’t impede him and made me consider my own perceptions of life without sight. I loved Brian’s parents, Eliza and John, too. They are from Loving Eliza, the first book.
What I didn’t like: how some family members can be so cruel to one another. The person you think would love you the most, in fact, hates you.
Overall: another enjoyable read. The author has an inspirational way of writing. Life is tough in cowboy times and the strong sense of community holds people together. It’s an easy to read story that will appeal to those looking to lose themselves in a great series. Each story is standalone, but deals with inter-connected characters.
What I liked: once again, the gorgeous cover. I also like that Brian had a handicap and his blindness didn’t stop him being a perfect book boyfriend. It didn’t impede him and made me consider my own perceptions of life without sight. I loved Brian’s parents, Eliza and John, too. They are from Loving Eliza, the first book.
What I didn’t like: how some family members can be so cruel to one another. The person you think would love you the most, in fact, hates you.
Overall: another enjoyable read. The author has an inspirational way of writing. Life is tough in cowboy times and the strong sense of community holds people together. It’s an easy to read story that will appeal to those looking to lose themselves in a great series. Each story is standalone, but deals with inter-connected characters.
September 5, 2017
2.5 stars
The story is quite shallow but not the irritating kind one. And I find the first 10 chapters a tad boring, too.
The story is quite shallow but not the irritating kind one. And I find the first 10 chapters a tad boring, too.
January 21, 2019
good book. I cried at the end.
April 15, 2021
So much tenderness and love: 'The world is better with you in it.' Ohhh!!!! :0
June 21, 2023
Brian and Lucy have a young, and honest kind of love. Feel like the book skips over the bulk of their relationship to get to the action ending.
April 1, 2022
DNF @ 2%
Really terrible writing. Was the author an AI? This dren can't possibly be considered professional writing, can it?
Really terrible writing. Was the author an AI? This dren can't possibly be considered professional writing, can it?
October 8, 2011
Bid for a Bride by Ruth Ann Nordin Book 2 in the South Dakota Series
One minute Lucy was enjoying her new marriage, although it was mostly to get out of Minnesota and away from her twin sister, the next things she is in South Dakota with Adam trying to auction her off to the highest bidder. Of course that was after he told her he already had a wife and children. Then a Pastor saved her from her fate and chased Adam off. He than asked a woman named Addy to take her in. She felt dirty and was sure she'd end up in jail for her crime.
Brian Evans sat in front of the General store listening to all that was going on. After his mom died, his dad left him on the side of the road. He was blessed that John and Eliza took him in, a blind eight year old. Now at twenty, he had his own home and worked with Pa building furniture. For being blind, Brian could see much more than most people. Ma took him to Addy's and he met the new woman in town, people were saying she was a beauty . Later when the Pastor asked if he would marry her in case she was with child, Brian thought that sounded good. And Lucy agreed.
Lucy really enjoyed her new life. She kept hoping she was not with Adam's child as she would prefer to have Brian's child. This is another great story. Ruth has put a Brian and John together, John mostly communicated with facial and hand motions as he was mute and that did not work with someone blind. They learn to communicate with sign language, John signing into Brian's hand. It is so touching. The story has it's twists and turns. Brian with a past secret about his parents and Lucy with a secret about her sister.
**Mild sexual situations within marriage.
One minute Lucy was enjoying her new marriage, although it was mostly to get out of Minnesota and away from her twin sister, the next things she is in South Dakota with Adam trying to auction her off to the highest bidder. Of course that was after he told her he already had a wife and children. Then a Pastor saved her from her fate and chased Adam off. He than asked a woman named Addy to take her in. She felt dirty and was sure she'd end up in jail for her crime.
Brian Evans sat in front of the General store listening to all that was going on. After his mom died, his dad left him on the side of the road. He was blessed that John and Eliza took him in, a blind eight year old. Now at twenty, he had his own home and worked with Pa building furniture. For being blind, Brian could see much more than most people. Ma took him to Addy's and he met the new woman in town, people were saying she was a beauty . Later when the Pastor asked if he would marry her in case she was with child, Brian thought that sounded good. And Lucy agreed.
Lucy really enjoyed her new life. She kept hoping she was not with Adam's child as she would prefer to have Brian's child. This is another great story. Ruth has put a Brian and John together, John mostly communicated with facial and hand motions as he was mute and that did not work with someone blind. They learn to communicate with sign language, John signing into Brian's hand. It is so touching. The story has it's twists and turns. Brian with a past secret about his parents and Lucy with a secret about her sister.
**Mild sexual situations within marriage.
August 19, 2012
Ruth Ann Nordin's "Bid For a Bride" starts with Lucy, the heroine, being "auctioned" off to the highest bidder by her bigamist husband. Except that there isn't really an auction; he just dumps her off in a little town outside Sioux Falls.
Conveniently enough, the circuit judge is in town that day and can write an annulment for Lucy. Conveniently enough, there's a young man named Brian who's available to marry: none of the other women in town are interested, because he's blind. None of the men are interested in Lucy, because she might be carrying another man's child ... and Brian doesn't care, because he's adopted.
The story carries on from there. Brian and Lucy make a nice life together with very little tension in the tale until toward the end of the book, when Lucy's sister comes to town.
I don't want to deliver spoilers, so I'll leave it at that. The book went along quickly and was a nice enough read. There were several homophone errors (e.g., "broach" where "brooch" was meant, and likewise "stationary" for "stationery") that bothered me from an editorial perspective.
Congratulations to the author on her win at the Global eBook Award.
Conveniently enough, the circuit judge is in town that day and can write an annulment for Lucy. Conveniently enough, there's a young man named Brian who's available to marry: none of the other women in town are interested, because he's blind. None of the men are interested in Lucy, because she might be carrying another man's child ... and Brian doesn't care, because he's adopted.
The story carries on from there. Brian and Lucy make a nice life together with very little tension in the tale until toward the end of the book, when Lucy's sister comes to town.
I don't want to deliver spoilers, so I'll leave it at that. The book went along quickly and was a nice enough read. There were several homophone errors (e.g., "broach" where "brooch" was meant, and likewise "stationary" for "stationery") that bothered me from an editorial perspective.
Congratulations to the author on her win at the Global eBook Award.
September 6, 2016
Good stand-alone, but if you want to know Eliza's back story, you might want to read about the Larson's and mostly Neil Craftsman...
Love Ruth Ann Nordin's books and this series - mostly of the Larson family...
This is the best order to read these in (per Ruth Ann Nordin's website 05/14):
1 - Her Heart’s Desire (Nebraska Book 1) – Sally Larson’s romance
2 - A Bride for Tom (Nebraska Book 2) – Tom Larson’s romance
3 - A Husband for Margaret (Nebraska Book 3) – Joseph Conneally’s romance
4- Eye of the Beholder (Nebraska Book 4) – Dave Larson and Mary’s first book
5 - The Wrong Husband (Nebraska Book 5) – Jenny Larson’s romance
6 - Shotgun Groom (Nebraska Book 6) – Joel Larson’s romance
7 - To Have and To Hold (Nebraska Book 7) – Dave and Mary’s Second Book
8 - His Redeeming Bride (Nebraska Book 8) – Neil Craftsman’s romance
9 - Isaac’s Decision (Nebraska Book 9) – Isaac Larson and Emily Craftsman’s romance
Then into South Dakota Historicals
1 - Loving Eliza
2 - Bid for a Bride
3 - Bride of 2nd Chances
Love Ruth Ann Nordin's books and this series - mostly of the Larson family...
This is the best order to read these in (per Ruth Ann Nordin's website 05/14):
1 - Her Heart’s Desire (Nebraska Book 1) – Sally Larson’s romance
2 - A Bride for Tom (Nebraska Book 2) – Tom Larson’s romance
3 - A Husband for Margaret (Nebraska Book 3) – Joseph Conneally’s romance
4- Eye of the Beholder (Nebraska Book 4) – Dave Larson and Mary’s first book
5 - The Wrong Husband (Nebraska Book 5) – Jenny Larson’s romance
6 - Shotgun Groom (Nebraska Book 6) – Joel Larson’s romance
7 - To Have and To Hold (Nebraska Book 7) – Dave and Mary’s Second Book
8 - His Redeeming Bride (Nebraska Book 8) – Neil Craftsman’s romance
9 - Isaac’s Decision (Nebraska Book 9) – Isaac Larson and Emily Craftsman’s romance
Then into South Dakota Historicals
1 - Loving Eliza
2 - Bid for a Bride
3 - Bride of 2nd Chances
January 15, 2014
Ms. Nordin has done it again! I really enjoyed Bid for a Bride almost as much as the first book in the series Loving Eliza. This story jumps ahead in time and John and Eliza have adopted a blind boy, Brian,--their son now grown saves Lucy's reputation by marrying her after she is dumped in the small town by her bigamist husband.
This book had a slower pace than Loving Eliza. It took me awhile to get into the story, but once I did I was hooked. I loved how Brian's blindness was handled, with just as much care and research as John's inability to speak. Brian was able to still be the man of the house, and his relationship with Lucy developed naturally. There were a few love scenes, but nothing too graphic.
Lucy accepted Brian's blindness right off and worked hard to be a good wife even before she was truly in love with him. I'm not sure why but I didn't connect with her fully. Flashbacks helped give the reader backstory on both Brian and Lucy, but it worked better in Brian's case. Anyway, I look forward to reading more books by Ms. Nordin.
This book had a slower pace than Loving Eliza. It took me awhile to get into the story, but once I did I was hooked. I loved how Brian's blindness was handled, with just as much care and research as John's inability to speak. Brian was able to still be the man of the house, and his relationship with Lucy developed naturally. There were a few love scenes, but nothing too graphic.
Lucy accepted Brian's blindness right off and worked hard to be a good wife even before she was truly in love with him. I'm not sure why but I didn't connect with her fully. Flashbacks helped give the reader backstory on both Brian and Lucy, but it worked better in Brian's case. Anyway, I look forward to reading more books by Ms. Nordin.
October 2, 2012
This book is a very good continuation of the SD series. This picks up about 12 years or so after the first book. So you get to hear about John and Eliza again. They adopted Brian and now this is Brian's story.
I guess this book gets its name from the bigamist trying to sell Lucy at the beginning of the book, but no one makes a bid for her. Instead the preacher has a talk with Brian.
Meredith is scary crazy and thinks that everything works out for Lucy. I am sure Lucy would not think that way, especially when she first arrives in town. But I guess things do have a way of coming about for her.
Jealousy, Spidey senses (LOL) and happy endings
I guess this book gets its name from the bigamist trying to sell Lucy at the beginning of the book, but no one makes a bid for her. Instead the preacher has a talk with Brian.
Meredith is scary crazy and thinks that everything works out for Lucy. I am sure Lucy would not think that way, especially when she first arrives in town. But I guess things do have a way of coming about for her.
Jealousy, Spidey senses (LOL) and happy endings
June 27, 2016
I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I am generally a fan of Ruth Ann Nordin but this one stands out to me. It may be the novelty of a blind hero (my first and hopefully not last read like this) but I was quite involved in the story. The sweet romance between hero and heroine was great - a wonderful building story with a great ending. The evil characters were quite terrible but made the romance stand out in comparison. It was also nice to catch up with Eliza (from Loving Eliza). I would definitely recommend this book. The only negative I can write about is how brief it was - I was left wanting so much more!
September 1, 2014
What a wild ride!
This book has it all: romance, drama, crime, mystery, suspense, and humor. We first meet Lucy, a blushing bride of one week, as her husband is trying to sell her on the street in a tiny town they stopped in on the way to Oregon. It should come as no surprise that this marriage didn't last another day, which is a blessing for Lucy since the groom is already married... with children. She's broke, stranded, can't go back home for reasons that are explained later, and just might be expecting the bigamist's baby. What's a girl to do? Why, get married again. And so begins the adventure.
This book has it all: romance, drama, crime, mystery, suspense, and humor. We first meet Lucy, a blushing bride of one week, as her husband is trying to sell her on the street in a tiny town they stopped in on the way to Oregon. It should come as no surprise that this marriage didn't last another day, which is a blessing for Lucy since the groom is already married... with children. She's broke, stranded, can't go back home for reasons that are explained later, and just might be expecting the bigamist's baby. What's a girl to do? Why, get married again. And so begins the adventure.
February 18, 2011
Such an awesome story!! Ruth Ann Nordin has such a gift with writing, and this book was no different. She can get your attention in the beginning and keep it until the end. It such a beautiful romantic story of two people that have been abandoned at one point in their lives and brings them together in such a beautiful fairy tale story!!
December 17, 2012
Gets an extra star due to Addie & Frank and Eliza & John. 2 amazing couples :) And I loved knowing how Eliza and Johns life turned out.
Brian was an amazing hero. I LOVED HIM!! Great story, the ending was a little over the top, but I've read worse.
Heat: low/mild. sweet/loving
Brian was an amazing hero. I LOVED HIM!! Great story, the ending was a little over the top, but I've read worse.
Heat: low/mild. sweet/loving
March 24, 2014
The second book of Ms Nordin's South Dakota series is well written and a delightful read. She continues with strong, believable, and faithful characters. The secondary characters fill out the story nicely and at times I find myself laughing till I have tears. Another great story by Ms Nordin.
July 29, 2011
Way better than the first book in this series. I liked it so much straight away I went and downloaded book three.
January 8, 2013
Excellent. I can't say more. I didn't want it to end.
November 2, 2013
An amazing wonderful read so much emotion that the story comes to life......just a plain joy to read.....thoughtful writing and one of the author's best.
July 7, 2014
Absolutely beautiful story!
July 20, 2014
I really like Ruth Ann Nordin's books but this one is my favorite, it had a little of everything.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews