What do you think?
Rate this book
Mail-order Man
Struggling to rebuild her life in the wake of the Civil War, pampered but impoverished Mississippi belle Skylla St. Clair advertises for a husband, never expecting Braxton Hale, a sweet-talking rogue and con man. Original.
408 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1994
5 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Martha Hix
22 books114 followers I’m a Texan. Born and bred. I wish I could say I grew up on a cattle ranch or had pump jacks working in my backyard, but I can’t. I’m from Dallas. My people were doctors, lumbermen, a tinker, merchants, plus a guy in Corrigan who owned a hotel-bar-livery stable. He also ran his own personal loan agency.
But I did have the good fortune to spend a great deal of time all over the state as a child, a lot of it in West Texas and in the Hill Country. I’ve spent most of my adult life in Austin, San Antonio, and the Hill Country, which ain’t a bad gig. I get to go to Luckenbach, Texas, whenever I please, although Willie and Waylon are never there. I do know quite a bit about Texas beer joints.
As a kid, I didn’t mind listening to stories about how at least five earlier generations of my ancestors had been in the Lone Star State for a long, long time. Well, in Texas that just meant more than a hundred years. This weird kid soaked up the stories. I never got tired of listening. My curiosity sure came in handy when I took up the obsession known as genealogy. That was ions before Ancestry.com came about, back when you had to travel to courthouses or sit and go through reel after reel of census records and so forth to figure out your own little green leaves. My interest in general history really came in handy when I took up writing both fiction and non-fiction.
There are a lot of great things to be said about writing fiction and true stories—I concentrated on stories about people and the history of businesses—but we won’t get into that. I will brag on myself and say that my romance novels were translated into many foreign languages, some of them very foreign, like Japanese, Greek, and Turkish.
On the home front, I’m still in the fabulous Texas Hill Country with my husband and our spoiled four-legged kids. The two-legged young’uns have grown up and moved on. We have four fabulous grandkids—a granddaughter and three grandsons, plus a wee great-granddaughter. I find it simply amazing that I—still a young chick writing hot love stories and cleaner stories about men and women trying to tame this place called Texas!—have lived long enough to enjoy a great-grandchild. Me—that chick with great-grandparents who were involved in the Civil War. Two were Confederates, one was a Union soldier, and then there was the fellow who owned slaves but wouldn’t fight for the South. Don’t get me started—I have lots of tales to tell!
I do love to write about historical events and oddball people. Oh! I forgot to tell you. I hail from a family of writers.* On the Yankee side of my family. I wouldn’t have known that if I hadn’t listened to what the elders had to say. And, boy howdy, could they spin the tales. See there. You pick up all sorts of stories, when you listen to what the old folks have to say.
*One is an author hereabouts, but I won't embarrass her by naming her!
Thanks for stopping by and listening to what I have to say. If you've read one of my books and enjoyed it, thank you. If you didn't enjoy it, try another one. I think I've finally come to realize what makes these stories tick. This new method got started with HIS RIP-ROARIN' BRIDE. Would appreciate if you'd let me know what you think.
But I did have the good fortune to spend a great deal of time all over the state as a child, a lot of it in West Texas and in the Hill Country. I’ve spent most of my adult life in Austin, San Antonio, and the Hill Country, which ain’t a bad gig. I get to go to Luckenbach, Texas, whenever I please, although Willie and Waylon are never there. I do know quite a bit about Texas beer joints.
As a kid, I didn’t mind listening to stories about how at least five earlier generations of my ancestors had been in the Lone Star State for a long, long time. Well, in Texas that just meant more than a hundred years. This weird kid soaked up the stories. I never got tired of listening. My curiosity sure came in handy when I took up the obsession known as genealogy. That was ions before Ancestry.com came about, back when you had to travel to courthouses or sit and go through reel after reel of census records and so forth to figure out your own little green leaves. My interest in general history really came in handy when I took up writing both fiction and non-fiction.
There are a lot of great things to be said about writing fiction and true stories—I concentrated on stories about people and the history of businesses—but we won’t get into that. I will brag on myself and say that my romance novels were translated into many foreign languages, some of them very foreign, like Japanese, Greek, and Turkish.
On the home front, I’m still in the fabulous Texas Hill Country with my husband and our spoiled four-legged kids. The two-legged young’uns have grown up and moved on. We have four fabulous grandkids—a granddaughter and three grandsons, plus a wee great-granddaughter. I find it simply amazing that I—still a young chick writing hot love stories and cleaner stories about men and women trying to tame this place called Texas!—have lived long enough to enjoy a great-grandchild. Me—that chick with great-grandparents who were involved in the Civil War. Two were Confederates, one was a Union soldier, and then there was the fellow who owned slaves but wouldn’t fight for the South. Don’t get me started—I have lots of tales to tell!
I do love to write about historical events and oddball people. Oh! I forgot to tell you. I hail from a family of writers.* On the Yankee side of my family. I wouldn’t have known that if I hadn’t listened to what the elders had to say. And, boy howdy, could they spin the tales. See there. You pick up all sorts of stories, when you listen to what the old folks have to say.
*One is an author hereabouts, but I won't embarrass her by naming her!
Thanks for stopping by and listening to what I have to say. If you've read one of my books and enjoyed it, thank you. If you didn't enjoy it, try another one. I think I've finally come to realize what makes these stories tick. This new method got started with HIS RIP-ROARIN' BRIDE. Would appreciate if you'd let me know what you think.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 22, 2012
I loved this book, I read the hard cover version printed in 1994. It was a great story, Funny - made me laugh out loud. Some great charaters. Made me blush! But a book I'd read again.
January 7, 2021
This story takes place in the incredibly difficult days and years immediately after the Civil War. Braxton Hale, ex-rebel soldier, and all-around con man finds a way to get his money back (from a welched debt) by marrying the niece of the man who welched on the debt. Skylla St. Clair, her beautiful stepmother Claudine, and Skylla's sister, Kathy Ann have all suffered during the war and are hoping to survive with the farm her uncle has left her (Skylla).
Skylla agrees that Claudine can marry Braxton, but didn't count on falling in love with him. Brax, for his part, wants nothing to do with the beautiful (and very self-serving), Claudine. Even though Skylla was injured in the war, Brax wants her. Skylla was sure no one would want a woman with a gimpy leg. This leads to unrest between the very closely allied women.
There is a constant wave of new and old problems for these people to face. There are Indians, carpetbaggers, and Union soldiers that move into Texas to deal with Reconstruction. It is an interesting story of how people can create a family, even in the most adverse of times, with little to work with.
Skylla agrees that Claudine can marry Braxton, but didn't count on falling in love with him. Brax, for his part, wants nothing to do with the beautiful (and very self-serving), Claudine. Even though Skylla was injured in the war, Brax wants her. Skylla was sure no one would want a woman with a gimpy leg. This leads to unrest between the very closely allied women.
There is a constant wave of new and old problems for these people to face. There are Indians, carpetbaggers, and Union soldiers that move into Texas to deal with Reconstruction. It is an interesting story of how people can create a family, even in the most adverse of times, with little to work with.
July 26, 2018
เนื้อเรื่องจะเป็นช่วงหลังสงครามกลางเมืองใหม่ๆ นางเอกประกาศรับสมัครสามีเพื่อมาดูแลไร่
ส่วนพระเอกเป็นอดีตทหารจากฝ่ายใต้ตั้งใจว่าจะมาหลอกนางเอก แล้วก็จะหนีไปแคลิฟอเนีย แต่ททั้งหมดนั้นเป็นความคิดตอนที่ยังไม่ได้เจอหน้ากับนางเอกนะ
ส่วนพระเอกเป็นอดีตทหารจากฝ่ายใต้ตั้งใจว่าจะมาหลอกนางเอก แล้วก็จะหนีไปแคลิฟอเนีย แต่ททั้งหมดนั้นเป็นความคิดตอนที่ยังไม่ได้เจอหน้ากับนางเอกนะ
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews