The Bride Wore Spurs

The Inconvenient Brides #1

by Sharon Ihle

A RECKLESS LASS, A RELUCTANT LOVER

Kathleen Lacey O'Carroll knew she faced an uncertain future when she arrived in Wyoming as a mail-order bride – especially when she learned that the man she was to marry hadn't actually ordered her. How could John Winterhawke, a fiercely independent and unsettlingly handsome half-Indian, possibly make room in his heart and in his life for her?

As far as Hawke was concerned, the last thing he needed was a high-spirited, overeager Irish wife who knew nothing about surviving on the harsh prairie. But once the determined Lacey sensed the rough kindness and simmering hunger under Hawke's forbidding demeanor, she set out to match his dark passion with her own – and claim his wild heart on her terms.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Westerns, Historical, Western Romance, Native American, Historical Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Pseudonyms: June Cameron, Sharon MacIver.

Sharon Ihle is the best-selling author of more than a dozen award-winning historical romances set in the American West. She lived in San Diego County until 2000. She then left the sunny beaches of California and moved to the frozen plains of North Dakota.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read, skimmed and skidded to 35% and I have to DNF. I can not continue with this.

The female main character is TSTL in such a monumental fashion that it was painful to read. I don't care if it is on purpose and if she would have turned into Superwoman in the last three chapters. Nobody can be this ignorant. Squeeze eggs out of a chicken? Give me a break.

And I can't develop any sympathies for a character that willfully lies and deceives and is stupid enough to think that she will get away with it.

There is no world building to speak of. Few descriptions of people or settings, I did not really get a mental picture of anything. The plot had potential and could have been fun, but lacked... not sure what. There were inconsistencies in the POV and also things that just didn't make sense. For example, he is a rancher, she walks away from him with jingling spurs and he wonders where that noise is coming from. Is he deaf and directionally challenged? She wears boots that the mysterious person gave her and that she isn't supposed to know about. He sees her take off those boots and.... nothing? I don't know, everything just aggravated me about this book, I had to put it down.

In these cases I usually give two it-was-me-not-you stars. But this books annoyed me so much, I had to downgrade it to 1 star.

Thanks to the publisher for this freebie! Sorry, didn't work for me!

[Aayesha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrid heroine.

She started off so perfectly, I absolutely adored her. Then it all started with the little white lies about her being able to cook, when she couldn't, and then it just went downhill from there. I hate deception, especially when it's the heroines doing the deceiving. And she also hid a major part of her life from him.
I also hated how she just swats him away when he wants her, like WTH. Rolling over, her back to his face on the bed, saying 'I'm tired, I'm off to sleep now'?

UGH OMG. I couldn't take any more of her, so I just dropped it - and it must have been something horrid, BECAUSE I USUALLY NEVER DROP BOOKS (I got only 6 books in my dnf shelf, currently).

[Ridley]

I think this one's dead in the water. The combination of the surly "half-breed" Indian hero and the big to-do about how pale the heroine's skin is is just too racist for me. Sometimes I'll compartmentalize problematic themes and enjoy the work anyway - like I do with misogynist rap lyrics - but nothing about the story is so compelling that I'd feel moved to march on. DNF.

[Lady Tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.4 / 5

Featuring Hawke and Lacey, a couple in equal parts spunky and tender, The Bride Wore Spurs was a delight to read, going up on the shelves alongside my other weaknesses for native american romance.

Going into this book, and for a while reading it, I expected and was fully prepared to give it the full five stars, as it had everything I love, including a wild-hot hero, likeable heroine, and a beautiful setting to top it all of. BUT, and here comes the but, there is an aspect of the story that I wish could have been handled differently, and unfortunately it's a very big part: the intimacy and the communication of the couple.

Development-wise, it did move at a moderate and believable pace, really keeping in mind that Hawke was not looking for a wife and it's not like he just instantly fell for Lacey because of her looks or anything. No, the problem between them was that each of them had a past, especially Lacey, and they never really come clean with each other about it. Many times over, I was thinking, "Yeah, you love each other, but love cannot live without trust!", and that more or less gave me pangs of frustration over things like their bickering and misunderstandings, especially since if they'd just open up and honestly communicate with each other, much of those conflicts could be avoided!

As for the main conflict of the story that leads us to the climax though, it wasn't the greatest, but I'm glad it was over with quickly and without too much angst.

Also, and as a final note, I love me those references to horses! Just so peaceful and...makes me want to go up on the mountains and live there for a year. All in all, a great read!

[Debra Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up as a Kindle freebie. I am certainly glad that i did because it was a great read. I love books that combine humor with the romance. This book gave me humor in spades. Particularly funny was the barn scene where Lacey is coaxing the cow to fill her pail with milk & trying to squeeze the eggs from the rooster. Hilarious!! The author gives us a myriad of emotions in this book. The heroine has lived most of her life in a hospital for the insane. It was mistakenly assumed that she had caused the fire that took the lives of her parents. The event was so tramatic to the young child that she became catatonic . Lacey becomes close to the nurse who cares for her at the hospital. The nurse, Kate, helps her to escape the hospital & travel to America as a mail order bride. In America, Lacey meets her groom to be, Hawke, who never sent for a bride at all. Hawke is a half-breed rancher / horse-breeder. Laceys attempts at persuading Hawke to marry her provided some very funny scenes. She is not domesticated at all. She cañ't cook, she can't sew, & unfortunately she doesn't know a rooster from a hen. Laceys perseverance pays off however as she convinces Hawke to marry. It seems that despite Hawkes keeping a ledger listing the pros & cons of taking Lacey to wife...he is actually reluctant because he feels that she can't handle the stigma of being wed to a half-breed. This book has a little of everything. I enjoyed it very much.

[Love love · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book that I've read by Sharon Ihle and I really liked her writting style, I loved Lacey (h) and the whole fish out of water theme. Being raised in a hospital for the mentaly insaine she was completely out of her element on a ranch. There was some great LOL moments in the barn when Lacey was trying to comeplete some chores. Hawke (H) was also a very likeable character. He had so much patience with Lacey that it was a nice change from the books that I have been reading.lol He didn't send for a mail-order bride, his neighbor did and ordered one for him too without his knowing so he kinda got stuck with her. He has a pretty big chip on his shoulder about being a "half breed", something that experience has given him, yet he treats this 'white women' with respect and understanding. The only reason I gave this book 4* instead of 5 was because it didn't transver over to Kindle well at all. I have heard other people talk about this problem but it's the first time that I've ran into it. Words that should have read ...realized but were real-ized, it was like this so often and all through the book that it just pulled me out of the story. Also the blurb about Sharon Ihle's life came on the page before the epilogue. I hope I don't run into too many books like this on my Kindle.

[Pamela(AllHoney) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't really explain what it was that made me not love this book. There were elements that should have made me like it more but something kept me from it. I guess there wasn't enough going on to keep me from getting bored. It wasn't a terrible book but it just didn't have those certain ingredients that grab you and hold you hostage til the last page.

[Babs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kathleen Lacey O’Carroll was staying in a hospital for people who were on the mad side. When a nurse friend, Kate, takes her with her to be a mail ordered bride as the man’s friend wanted a wife too. The ladies set off from Ireland to Wyoming.
When they arrive Hawke is there to great them. He is considered a half breed. They find him interesting to say the least.

Hawke is not sure what to make of these ladies but he takes them to the home there are supposed to be at. Little does Hawke know Lacey is for him. From here it is gets funny and on the bit of the annoying side.

There are some scenes in the book that make you laugh out loud. For instance the barn scene where Lacey is coaxing the cow to fill her pail with milk by standing there and waiting. Or trying to squeeze the eggs from the rooster. She has no clue to look for the eggs. Those were great moments. She is very determined. But the way Lacey is too naive at times got a bit tiresome.

It was nice later in the book where Lacey takes on a few thins and make her stronger.
There are some secrets we learn and over all the book is a nice read.

[babyfishmouth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was attracted to the premise of the book because it had a fish-out-of-water element to it with the heroine trying to transition from life in an Irish hospital to a life as rancher's wife in Wyoming. That part was done well and had some funny scenes as she grapples to learn simple tasks like milking a cow or cooking breakfast.

I wish I had enjoyed the romance aspects more, though. It was a bit lackluster and predictable. There was nothing special about either Hawke or Lacey that raised it above the level of mediocre. If you're new to western romances then it might seem interesting or fresh. But if you're like me and have read dozens and dozens of westerns, then you've encountered every trope in this book repeatedly. It's almost like the author had a check list and ticked each off one by one.

Overall: Writing and plot are fine but the book is just adequate.


NOTE: This was a freebie for my Kindle and, like a lot of ebook freebies, had plenty of typos and missing words that were a bit distracting.

[Rachel Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. There were many funny parts. I had a lil trouble with the end I thought the author rushed the ending. However, I was happy with the ending none the less. Over all it was entertaining and an easy read definitely give it a try . I downloaded it free off of amazon.
Happy Reading :)

[Larissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot of good moments, but it really barely made three stars for me. It follows Lacey, a young woman fresh to Wyoming and really fresh to the real world in general. She has spent her entire childhood in an insane asylum after the death of her parents. As such, she is still prone to spells in which she completely dissociates from the world. She wants to live though, and is hoping that getting away and getting married with her only friend as mail-order brides will solve it all. Her new husband doesn't want her at first, it was just done as an afterthought by his neighbor. Despite all of her shortcomings, he's soon convinced that it could have been a good idea.

The annoying part of it all was how much build-up there was for such little revelations. Lacey's condition is hyped up the entire novel and then at the end it's solved with a few sentences. The entire main conflict of the book is also wrapped up in a few sentences- was it that easy to get away with stuff in Wyoming? Probably, but it felt weird and rushed to me. It also kind of annoyed me how totally useless Lacey was at points. I get that she was raised in a sheltered environment, though I would have expected her to have been forced to learn more tasks at the asylum considering her relative competency. But she couldn't do literally anything at first. I don't know, it was just very annoying.

Hawke was okay but he felt a little too forceful for my taste. He said he was going to be gentle or whatever and then he was like this is my god-given right. He didn't want to get married and all of the sudden he was just all in? Again, it felt like there was a lot of waffling at first and then no bridge into the actual event, just diving straight in. I didn't hate it at all, it entertained me and I finished it very quickly, it just wasn't all that special.

This review and all my others can be found at: https://aworldshapedbybooks.blogspot....

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did a nice job of taking some commonly used western tropes and making them fresh again.

Basically, we have a mail-order bride and her half-Native-American groom--who didn't know she was coming.

Lacey has grown up in a mental hospital due to a tragedy in her past and some spells she suffers because of it. When she gets a chance to tag along with a nurse in the hospital who is going to America to be a mail-order bride, Lacey jumps at the opportunity to finally escape the hospital and become a mail-order bride for a friend of the nurse's intended groom.

However, Hawke, her groom, is blind-sided that Lacey was ordered for him. He had no idea she was even coming. Very self-conscious about his race and parentage, he can't understand why Lacey, who seems super beautiful to him, would come all this way to marry someone she's never met. He's convinced something is wrong with her, but his friend cajoles him into giving Lacey a shot. Hawke soon finds out that Lacey knows next to nothing about much of anything besides cleaning. Her foibles are as entertaining as they are touching, but Hawke soon comes to see the good things about her, especially how she views the world without prejudice and looks at him the way he thought no woman ever could.

But then, as must happen in books of this kind, injustice strikes and misunderstandings happen. Though the heartache wasn't fun, the agony kept me reading, and I did love how Hawke would always reach out to Lacey when she had her spells, despite their spats and misunderstandings.

So perhaps not the most original at first glance, but I enjoyed how it used the old tropes to make some touching and very memorable characters. And the romantic bits didn't hurt either. ;) A very good binge-read.

[WyoGal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun moments make the story memorable

While some of the setting details are inaccurate—there is no place for a horse ranch “above” Centennial, Wyoming, only to the east, south, or north; and it most certainly will snow long before Thanksgiving in the Snowy Range—the characters and plot are engaging. The female protagonist is delightfully naive about life, and is certainly clueless about life on a ranch, especially regarding chickens and collecting eggs. Her feisty stubbornness despite her ignorance makes for numerous comical situations.

The male protagonist is likable, and his ledger for tracking pros and cons makes for great humor. He is frequently described and is very handsome. The secondary characters have potential to be great, but many scenes with them are off page and summarized after the fact.

There is sexual tension and anticipation, a few kisses, a few moments of exasperation, a sex scene, and an HEA is suggested. The author mentions the societal concerns regarding interracial marriage but fails to adequately address or show how the protagonists will be accepted around town.

The story is enjoyable. However, there are brief references to infidelity, grief and loss, racism, murder, and hanging. The few errors in the text are minimally distracting.

[Margaret Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mail order bride romance would have been hilarious, if it weren't for the tragic undertones of the book. Lacey knows that she has no future in Ireland and persuades her nurse and friend Kate to smuggle her out of the institution when she receives an offer of marriage from a rancher in America, with an additional request to bring a friend along as a bride for his neighbour. Aspects of this book were so funny that I laughed out loud, but others were beyond sad. I enjoyed Lacey's naivete and her determination to learn to adapt. Hawke on the other hand was a true gentleman, even though he knew that Lacey was hiding things from him. There were so many misunderstandings, each person taking the blame on themselves and feeling worthless as a result. However, the truth always has an unfortunate way of coming out and when it does, it is with shocking results. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.

[Norma Wiegert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lacey's parents were killed in a tragic fire when she was 7. She spent the next 13 years in a hospital for women. Then she was presented with an amazing opportunity to live a normal life as a mail-order bride and accompanied nurse Kate to America. But Lacey was totally unprepared to cope with life outside the hospital especially in frontier Wyoming. Upon her arrival she found that Hawke, her intended had no idea he had requested a bride and furthermore did not want one. As Lacey Lacey works to convince Hawke that she would make an acceptable wife you will sometimes laugh and sometimes cry at her efforts. Both Lacey and Hawke harbor misunderstandings that further complicate matters. This is a very well written book and a enjoyable and thoughtful read.
I received a copy of this book from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.

[Deborah Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an old western romance with a touch of humor and mystery. The heroine, Kathleen, has lived most of her life in a hospital. She went there initially due to having been burned in a fire that killed her parents. She has no one else to care for her. She also has "spells". The hero, Hawke, is a half-breed Indian in the west. Hawke's best friend has sent away for a mail-order bride. Hawk has been writing these letters for his friend. His friend, however, adds a postscript suggesting that if the mail-order bride has a friend between certain ages, that he has a friend in need of a wife. Hawke does not know that Kathleen is to be his bride and he is not impressed when he finds out. Add to this situation Kathleen's inability to perform household chores and you have the jest of this story. Yes, Kathleen does wear spurs on her boots.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is entertaining, sad, engrossing and amusing. Hawke is vulnerable, caring, sometimes thick headed and determined. Lacey is sweet, naive and vulnerable. Hawke doesn't want a wife, he thinks that no woman would have him, and he can't accept that Lacey might not see him as a half breed. Lacey knows no one will have her if they know that she grew up in an asylum, so she doesn't mention that fact to Hawke. Secrets that each keeps from the other threatens to tear the marriage apart, but when the secrets are revealed, the reactions are unexpected.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from eBook Discovery. This is my voluntary and honest opinion of it.

[BD W · Rating 4 out of 5]

warm fuzzies

It’s been a while since I’ve wanted to write a review, but this one left me feeling happy so I’m going to. I’m sure you could nit pick about things if you really want. There were some spelling errors and missed words, but the over all feel of the book felt nice and uplifting. The H was strong and brash, but introspective in his quiet times. The h was innocent and funny with a spark towards wanting to be a contributing independent wife and woman. Both of these reactions and personalities were relatable and easily understood. The entire book just made you feel good, and it’s nice to read a good feeling book sometimes.

[S · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uhmmm, you can skip this one.
It's got a good plot, however, I could not - for the life of me - liked the heroine.
At first, I tried - honest! - really tried to like her, she was incompetent in everything but lied about everything. She was too gullible and dare I say ... "stupid?" Because I grew very frustrated reading about all her faults. I mean, innocent is one thing but 'dumb' is another, I think.
So, no, no thank you. The Hero seemed like a patient one but I could not feel their chemistry. No romance. It felt more like a comedy for me watching the heroine's mishaps and what not.
Trust me, skip this one.

[Pooja Peravali · Rating 3 out of 5]

After escaping an insane asylum in Ireland with the help of her nurse Kate, Lacey goes to Wyoming Territory, where she must convince the reluctant John Winterhawke to marry her, all while hiding her affliction from him.

This is standard fare historical Western romance, with an unexpected mail order bride and a half-Native American hero. I enjoyed the characters' various hijinks and Hawke's lists, and the side character Crowfoot. However, I did wish Lacey's great secret had more weight to its resolution - the climax was tied up too quickly and over-tidy.

[Maria Dariotis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I received a complimentary copy of this book from eBook Discovery I voluntarily reviewed this is an honest review." I loved this book it made me laugh out loud with Lacey's & Johns romance it was so much fun watching their love grow! Two people from different worlds, with secrets and feelings of unworthiness find a one of kind love for each other, this book doesn't disappoint! Great book Sharon Ihle!!

[Danielle Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was humorous and s fun read. You automatically fell in love with the characters and knew that the heroine would make the hero fall in love with her because she wasn't perfect but she was loving and passionate. Every time she burnt something or things came out wrong. It made him laugh or smile and each time it would melt his heart just a little bit more.

I recrive this book from eBooks discovery and this my honest review.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best I’ve read in a long time!

I absolutely loved this book! I wish I could give it 10 stars. It had such an incredibly complex love story with all the characters. It had twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I can’t wait to read Book 2 in this series. This was also my first time reading anything by this author, Sharon Ihle. I will be following her and signing up for her newsletter as well.

[Toyenlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an interesting read, i quite enjoyed it. Kathleen is a mail ordered bride who found out on getting there that she was not actually ordered by the man but by someone else for him, the man was reluctant to accept her and she had to convince him to. "I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review".

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story

This was a very original story about a young Irish girl. The twists and turns in the story kept me reading until the end. It explores how people were treated wrongly.
Without giving away the plot I did not see the truth behind the 2 friends relationship coming. Well worth reading. Well done to the author.

[Darshanetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like how he was patient with her when she didn't know nothing about really anything. I thought the author said she read books and figured she would have more knowledge than she did. It was kind of fun watching her learn though. I didn't like how he was so hard on himself but I understand because being a half breed would enlist those emotions. Overall good story.

[erin herrington · Rating 2 out of 5]

i have so many mixed feelings about this book. the amount of times the slur ‘half-breed’* was used so many times it bordered on excessive and blew past ‘historically accurate.’ the whole premise of lacey and her upbringing was confusing as all get out, and hawkes self hatred for his heritage was heartbreaking.
*im only writing the world to clarify what slur i am speaking of

[Terryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this years ago and from what I can remember it was a relatively good read. She's a headstrong Irish miss and he a half breed Indian. She was supposed to be his mail order bride, but he never ordered her. He is fiercely independent, but she breaks through his barrier. The book has a funny side to it but also a very sad side.

[Dawn Kenney Newkirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mail order Brides

Kate Quinlin is a nurse at St. Josephine's Hospital in Ireland. She has been writing and receiving letter from Caleb Weatherspoon about coming to Wyoming to be his bride. He also asked if she knew someone who would be willing to marry his neighbor. So Kate brings Lacey O'Carroll with her to be a bride for Caleb's neighbor.

[Dawn Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting

I chose this book because I was intrigued by a western love story. Once I started reading I was unable to put it down. I read it in entirety in one setting. I was anxious to see what would happen next .