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Bluebonnet Bride #3
High Plains Wife
Montana's Wide Open Plains Were As Empty As Her Newlywed Heart.Rancher Nick Gray, once Mariah's girlhood crush, wanted a mother to tend his children, not a wife to warm his bed. Still, she'd made that bed; now Mariah had to lie in it. Yet could she bear to lie in it alone?He Was Finished With Romance! Nick Gray just needed someone to manage his life. So who better than avowed spinsterMariah Scott? Surely she'd appreciate an uncomplicated marriage of convenience. But now that they were married, could he? Because his new wife was turning out to be much more than he had ever bargained for…!
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2003
20 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Jillian Hart
192 books601 followersJillian Hart grew up on her family's homestead in Washington state, where she raised cattle, rode horses and scribbled stories in her spare time.
After earning her English degree from Whitman College, she worked in travel and advertising before selling her first novel.
When Jillian isn't working on her next story, she can be found puttering around her rose garden, curled up with a good book and spending quiet evenings at home with her family.
After earning her English degree from Whitman College, she worked in travel and advertising before selling her first novel.
When Jillian isn't working on her next story, she can be found puttering around her rose garden, curled up with a good book and spending quiet evenings at home with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 31, 2011
Absolutely one of the best reads this year!
Confirmed spinster Mariah Scott (she's 28) is in the right place at the right time to save the young daughter of rancher Nick Gray from an attack by coyotes on the plains. She's glad to have saved the little girl from certain death, even if she was wounded in the process, but did it have to be Nick's child? Nick, who she once was courted by. Nick whom she watched marry another. Nick whom she has never stopped loving from afar.
Nick is grateful to Mariah for saving his daughter. He's had a very hard time since his unfaithful wife committed suicide, trying to keep the ranch afloat and care for two young children has been stressful. He thanks Mariah but she turns away. He gives her his laundry business and it makes her mad. On the advice of a friend who urges him to find another wife quickly, a wife of convenience, he decides on Mariah, whom he's known for years. He knows she is dependable and hardworking, and now trustworthy after having saved his daughter. So why does his respectful offer of marriage incense her?!
Oh this is an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. I loved Mariah and felt so badly for her. Raised by an abusive and alcoholic father, she has never known love or self worth. Told all her life she would never be lovable and no one would want her, she is devastated when Nick courts her and then marries another, not knowing her cruel father chased Nick away and told him never to come back and that Mariah didn't want him. She's lived the last 10 years alone in her family home taking in laundry and trying to come to grips with the fact she will never have a family, never be loved. Its a sad existence and you can help but tear up when Mariah looks upon her friends marriages with envy. When Nick asks her to marry him, she is both humiliated and hurt - knowing he is only asking out of a sense of duty to his children. He doesn't love her and living with him would be pure hell, close but never close enough.
Nick always loved Mariah. Hurt beyond words when her father chased him away, he turned to another and after a fateful night of lust, married her for the sake of the child they created. Unfortunately his wife Lida was never faithful to him, never happy with the life he offered her. Three weeks before his proposal to Mariah, Lida kills herself when the newborn boy of her lover dies. Her selfish act leaves behind two grieving children and a husband who doesn't know where to turn. On the advice of a friend to find a wife of convenience, he decides Mariah would be the best choice and sets out to convince her, and eventually does. He treats her with respect and honor even though he can't love her again. Not the way he wants to. Not the way she wants him to. Heart wrenching.
So much pain and angst could have been avoided if they had only been honest with each other. It was difficult to read but also made for an emotional story. Several times Nick's treatment of Mariah made me cry. Her pain was real and you felt it. For Nick's part, he was doing what he thought was best for them both, even if it cost him his own pain. I didn't agree with that reasoning but its understandable after the way his dead wife treated him. The ending was gut wrenching but I felt not quite long enough, and Nick needed to grovel more than he did to win Mariah back.
Ms. Hart has always been an auto buy author for me and this book is proof of why. 5 stars/A+ read
**Note: this is NOT an inspirational read, as some of her other books have been. There is one graphic love scene and several instances of heated passion between Nick and Mariah.
Confirmed spinster Mariah Scott (she's 28) is in the right place at the right time to save the young daughter of rancher Nick Gray from an attack by coyotes on the plains. She's glad to have saved the little girl from certain death, even if she was wounded in the process, but did it have to be Nick's child? Nick, who she once was courted by. Nick whom she watched marry another. Nick whom she has never stopped loving from afar.
Nick is grateful to Mariah for saving his daughter. He's had a very hard time since his unfaithful wife committed suicide, trying to keep the ranch afloat and care for two young children has been stressful. He thanks Mariah but she turns away. He gives her his laundry business and it makes her mad. On the advice of a friend who urges him to find another wife quickly, a wife of convenience, he decides on Mariah, whom he's known for years. He knows she is dependable and hardworking, and now trustworthy after having saved his daughter. So why does his respectful offer of marriage incense her?!
Oh this is an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. I loved Mariah and felt so badly for her. Raised by an abusive and alcoholic father, she has never known love or self worth. Told all her life she would never be lovable and no one would want her, she is devastated when Nick courts her and then marries another, not knowing her cruel father chased Nick away and told him never to come back and that Mariah didn't want him. She's lived the last 10 years alone in her family home taking in laundry and trying to come to grips with the fact she will never have a family, never be loved. Its a sad existence and you can help but tear up when Mariah looks upon her friends marriages with envy. When Nick asks her to marry him, she is both humiliated and hurt - knowing he is only asking out of a sense of duty to his children. He doesn't love her and living with him would be pure hell, close but never close enough.
Nick always loved Mariah. Hurt beyond words when her father chased him away, he turned to another and after a fateful night of lust, married her for the sake of the child they created. Unfortunately his wife Lida was never faithful to him, never happy with the life he offered her. Three weeks before his proposal to Mariah, Lida kills herself when the newborn boy of her lover dies. Her selfish act leaves behind two grieving children and a husband who doesn't know where to turn. On the advice of a friend to find a wife of convenience, he decides Mariah would be the best choice and sets out to convince her, and eventually does. He treats her with respect and honor even though he can't love her again. Not the way he wants to. Not the way she wants him to. Heart wrenching.
So much pain and angst could have been avoided if they had only been honest with each other. It was difficult to read but also made for an emotional story. Several times Nick's treatment of Mariah made me cry. Her pain was real and you felt it. For Nick's part, he was doing what he thought was best for them both, even if it cost him his own pain. I didn't agree with that reasoning but its understandable after the way his dead wife treated him. The ending was gut wrenching but I felt not quite long enough, and Nick needed to grovel more than he did to win Mariah back.
Ms. Hart has always been an auto buy author for me and this book is proof of why. 5 stars/A+ read
**Note: this is NOT an inspirational read, as some of her other books have been. There is one graphic love scene and several instances of heated passion between Nick and Mariah.
January 18, 2021
*** Book Q & A***
* How did the book make you feel?: I enjoyed the angst but the ending was a bit too abrupt. I would’ve liked more reconciliation.
* How do you feel about how the story was told?: The characters’ inner monologues got a bit repetitive but the story flowed well. I enjoyed the plains setting. I wished more time had passed between the first wife’s death and Mariah entering the picture. 3 weeks was way too soon for those poor kids!
* What did you think about the main characters?: Poor Mariah is her own worst enemy with her negative self image. Nick’s determination not to fall in love with his wife didn’t make a ton of sense to me, because if he wanted her to stick around as his housekeeper, he should’ve been less callous. Their actions also contradicted their thoughts. I love a good grovel, though. I wished Nick had had to grovel more!
* Which parts of the book stood out to you?: The tornado drama was suspenseful and added a lot to the story.
* What themes/tropes did you detect in the story?: MOC, second chance
* What did you think about the ending?: I wish it had been fleshed our more. It was over as soon as it started to get good!
* What is your impression of the author?: I would read more!
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* How did the book make you feel?: I enjoyed the angst but the ending was a bit too abrupt. I would’ve liked more reconciliation.
* How do you feel about how the story was told?: The characters’ inner monologues got a bit repetitive but the story flowed well. I enjoyed the plains setting. I wished more time had passed between the first wife’s death and Mariah entering the picture. 3 weeks was way too soon for those poor kids!
* What did you think about the main characters?: Poor Mariah is her own worst enemy with her negative self image. Nick’s determination not to fall in love with his wife didn’t make a ton of sense to me, because if he wanted her to stick around as his housekeeper, he should’ve been less callous. Their actions also contradicted their thoughts. I love a good grovel, though. I wished Nick had had to grovel more!
* Which parts of the book stood out to you?: The tornado drama was suspenseful and added a lot to the story.
* What themes/tropes did you detect in the story?: MOC, second chance
* What did you think about the ending?: I wish it had been fleshed our more. It was over as soon as it started to get good!
* What is your impression of the author?: I would read more!
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2014
I like the heroine but the hero... I can't like him. I do not understand why when his first wife betrayed him with another man, he felt so hurt that he need to withhold his love from the heroine no matter what. He, never once, did I see reflected if it is him not doing well enough to make his first wife happy. He never tried to amend things to ensure he can make hthe heroine loved to stay with him. All he cared was about how hurt he was with his first wife but never thought once what he can do better to ensure his wife would love him... I always thought if a marriage failed, it normally is not one sided fault. There are 2 people in a marriage.... and the hero never thought once if he can do better to ensure a successful second marriage is a selfish hero to me.
November 20, 2024
just... bad.
the weather makes no sense, it's hailing but then it's hot and then there's twisters?? someone explain??? maybe it's something in the region but sometimes the weather was described as cold and other times as hot and I was like what?? pick one!
the guy is insufferable. he's selfish in his stubbornness and annoying af. my girl mariah deserved better, honestly.
the conflict of the book is that he wants a marriage of convenience, but he tried to court mariah when they were 16 and she liked him back, but her abusive father got in the way. it's established that she never stopped liking him, and when they marry we see that he likes her too because she was his first love. I just don't think the "conflict" of him not wanting to love her because his previous wife was a bad wife and therefore all women = bad was reason enough to sustain a whole ass book... could've easily been a shorter story.
also, the book ends aprubtly?? it's so weird. feels like the author kinda gave up at the end.
idk guys I don't even have the brainpower to make sense of what I just read, there are just so many wrong things I feel kinda bad sitting here and pointing them out but damn... at least mariah was a sweetheart and I like the daughter, the poor son was almost nonexisting, honestly the author could've not written him at all (that's how little importance he has to the plot, poor thing).
the weather makes no sense, it's hailing but then it's hot and then there's twisters?? someone explain??? maybe it's something in the region but sometimes the weather was described as cold and other times as hot and I was like what?? pick one!
the guy is insufferable. he's selfish in his stubbornness and annoying af. my girl mariah deserved better, honestly.
the conflict of the book is that he wants a marriage of convenience, but he tried to court mariah when they were 16 and she liked him back, but her abusive father got in the way. it's established that she never stopped liking him, and when they marry we see that he likes her too because she was his first love. I just don't think the "conflict" of him not wanting to love her because his previous wife was a bad wife and therefore all women = bad was reason enough to sustain a whole ass book... could've easily been a shorter story.
also, the book ends aprubtly?? it's so weird. feels like the author kinda gave up at the end.
idk guys I don't even have the brainpower to make sense of what I just read, there are just so many wrong things I feel kinda bad sitting here and pointing them out but damn... at least mariah was a sweetheart and I like the daughter, the poor son was almost nonexisting, honestly the author could've not written him at all (that's how little importance he has to the plot, poor thing).
June 4, 2024
Love western romances and the marriage of convenience trope. I enjoyed most of this book because of the heroine and the kids but the hero was such an asshole and I can’t look past it. He didn’t deserve her!
- Marriage of convenience
- second chance romance
- small town romance
- western romance
🌶️ 2/5
- Marriage of convenience
- second chance romance
- small town romance
- western romance
🌶️ 2/5
June 16, 2013
The heroine deserved someone better and the hero was a bit of a jerk;(
Also, the characters kept contradicting their own thoughts, which threw me off a lot and seemed disorganized...
Plus, the ending was rushed...
Overall, 3.5 stars!
Also, the characters kept contradicting their own thoughts, which threw me off a lot and seemed disorganized...
Plus, the ending was rushed...
Overall, 3.5 stars!
May 1, 2022
High hopes for this one, I hated it. Hated. It. The hero sucked big time. I’m tired of emotionally damaged heroes. So tired. He was so selfish. So foolish ugh. I’m too annoyed to even remember all his low points. He was a remarkably unremarkable character.
July 23, 2017
His dunderhead reason for trying to stay away from the wife he loves and she loves him in return didn't make sense at all. Author should try to find reasons that make more sense for discord.
December 10, 2018
I really wanted to like this book, but i just couldn't. The writing is incredibly disorganized, flipping from perspective to perspective. Normally I'm ok with a multiple-perspective story, but the characterisation is completely inconsistent. Mariah flip-flops between being capable and strong and bring desperate and needy, and not in any believable way. Nick is similarly kind and tender as well as cold and dumb, yet not in a way that suggests any true internal struggle but rather as if the author can't make up her mind and just mashed two different characters together. And i know this is a romance, but they're just spending way too much time thinking about sex and imagining a "special bond" rather than actually building any kind of relationship. I like the playful banter that Mariah and nick have, but it's just not believable for them to fall directly into that kind of teasing when they didn't even have a friendship to begin with. I'd recommend 'A Promise to Love' by Serena Miller if you wanted this type of story but with a more natural and believable progression.
March 30, 2019
Widower with two children decides to marry for a housekeeper. Very trite story. Dead wife was evil and broke this cowboys heart. He decides to marry the spinster he planned on courting before he knocked up his evil now-dead wife. Hero decides all woman are awful and will just use his new wife for housekeeping services only. Didn’t care for this story at all. Hate one dimensionally evil dead spouses. If hero was as big a dick with deceased wife as he was to heroine, deceased wife was likely miserable. Hells bells, after only a few weeks the heroine was considering divorce. He needed to be divorced. There was absolutely zero evidence presented that hero was anything other than a weak man looking for someone he could use to make his life easier.
January 31, 2023
Rancher Nick Gray, once Mariah's girlhood crush, wanted a mother to tend his children, not a wife to warm his bed. Still, she'd made that bed; now Mariah had to lie in it. Yet could she bear to lie in it alone?
Nick Gray just needed someone to manage his life. So who better than avowed spinster Mariah Scott? Surely she'd appreciate an uncomplicated marriage of convenience. But now that they were married, could he? Because his new wife was turning out to be much more than he had ever bargained for...
Nick Gray just needed someone to manage his life. So who better than avowed spinster Mariah Scott? Surely she'd appreciate an uncomplicated marriage of convenience. But now that they were married, could he? Because his new wife was turning out to be much more than he had ever bargained for...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2020
Very emotional
Really making the reader feel what the characters are going through is really taken to the next level in this book. It is good but a bit over done. I kinda wish they had a chance to see a therapist that's how bad this their pains was and she made such a good job convincing us that they were damaged that I had a hard time believing in the happy ending. I gave it a 4 because the storyline was strong and I read it to the end.
Really making the reader feel what the characters are going through is really taken to the next level in this book. It is good but a bit over done. I kinda wish they had a chance to see a therapist that's how bad this their pains was and she made such a good job convincing us that they were damaged that I had a hard time believing in the happy ending. I gave it a 4 because the storyline was strong and I read it to the end.
January 20, 2020
Beautiful story by an amazing author
This is such a tremendous story of two broken hearts who through their own fears are afraid to trust in love, but learn to trust in each other's love at last. Beautifully written as all of Jillian Hart's books are. She is a truly talented author.
This is such a tremendous story of two broken hearts who through their own fears are afraid to trust in love, but learn to trust in each other's love at last. Beautifully written as all of Jillian Hart's books are. She is a truly talented author.
January 16, 2024
This was a sweeter book than I was expecting. Mariah, as a character, really resonated with me. Though I do wish that Nick had done a little more groveling before the end of the book, because she deserved that. Still, a solid four star read!
November 5, 2025
The conflict is entirely internal. Lots of telling instead of showing, and going over the same thoughts again and again. MMC thinks one way and then behaves in a way not aligning with that at all like one page after. I was hoping for a grovel but there was none.
February 16, 2020
I enjoyed this story as a teenager and thourly enjoyed rereading again as an adult.
September 5, 2020
All those angst and it just ended like that!? So underwhelming.
The hero was an indecisive douche. h was ok.
The hero was an indecisive douche. h was ok.
February 10, 2025
One star less because hero was stupid .
July 7, 2011
This book was ok. Not anything special and there were a few things that bothered me. First of all both hero and heroine had some rough past experiences to get through. However, the inner dialogue of each person sounded like whining rather than a way to fill in the backstory.
Also the hero kept her at arms distance for way too long and though we know why, we were never told, and he never explained himself to Mariah.
The ending was rushed with neither hero nor heroine talking to each other. A page or two of dialogue would have gone a long way at this point.
Also the hero kept her at arms distance for way too long and though we know why, we were never told, and he never explained himself to Mariah.
The ending was rushed with neither hero nor heroine talking to each other. A page or two of dialogue would have gone a long way at this point.
April 9, 2015
Une jolie romance malgré quelques longueurs. Nick n'est pas méchant, mais ses convictions ne le conduisent pas à prendre les bonnes décisions vis à vis de Mariah. Je n'ai pas toujours compris les choix de Nick, encore moins la volonté de Mariah de tout lui pardonner même quand il dépasse les bornes. Leur histoire est un peu compliqué, j'aurais aimé qu'ils se confient plus pour mieux comprendre leur réaction, leur attirance est indéniable, mais leur complicité ne saute pas toujours aux yeux.
February 10, 2018
When I really just need a well written romance novel, this is my go to series. I often don't read them unless I'm really in a slump, and they always pull me out. They're just so good. They pull on the heartstring, they have relatable characters, and they always have a happy ending. How could I not love them?
April 15, 2013
This was a very sweet romance although I think it was a bit much to have Nick so determined to be chaste in the marriage so he wouldn't fall in love with Mariah. Heck, he was already in love with her. He was just too stubborn to admit it.
February 17, 2015
It is a good historical novel where the issue of 'marriage for convenience' is tackled. Yeah, it is true that there are couples who only marry because of convenience or need and not out of love but God still allows this for true love to grow and bloom.
March 7, 2010
Great!
April 15, 2010
This is one of those stories that totally pulls at your heartstrings...
July 10, 2011
I think this would have been at least a 4 star if the ending hadnt sucked so bad.. It didnt really suck but I was very disappointed that it was resolved in two paragraphs and a one page epilogue..
January 16, 2012
Too much angst.
December 1, 2020
Originally read this 11/17/14 and gave it 3 stars. Reread it 11/30 and sticking with 3 stars. The H was weak. He was overly awful to the h but the back and forth crap wore me out.
October 20, 2015
It would of been 5 stars but I felt the ending was a little rushed. Other than that it was a lovely story.
November 24, 2018
I liked this story. This is a second chance I can totally get behind.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews