Secrets of the Heart

Mail Order Bride #1

by Al Lacy, JoAnna Lacy

Kathleen O'Malley Stallworth a mail order bride? Not likely! But the Lord works in mysterious ways. Her parents and siblings died in the great Chicago fire; her husband was killed by a mugger; now her fabulously wealthy in-laws have taken her daughter Megan from her, claiming she's not fit to be a mother. In a newspaper ad for a mail order bride, Kathleen sees a chance to seek revenge on the Stallworth family. Instead, her westward adventure transforms her world and restores her faith. She returns to Chicago to fight for Megan but soon discovers God has prepared a victory she could never have imagined.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian, Romance, Fiction, Mail Order Brides, Historical Romance

308 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Al Lacy has written more than ninety novels, including the Angel of Mercy, Battles of Destiny, and Journeys of the Stranger series. He and his wife, JoAnna Lacy, are coauthors of the Mail Order Bride, Hannah of Fort Bridger, and Shadow of Liberty series. The Lacys make their home in the Colorado Rockies.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great start to this series; rather touching and sweet.

[Courtney Calvert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the idea for this book was a good one but the book didn't flow naturally and I felt like there wasn't a convincing portrayal of emotion. The dialogue was choppy and felt forced. I also didn't like how quite a bit of the book was spent going through what was told on the back cover. The book got less and less believable as it went on. It wasn't totally awful, but it definitely isn't something worth writing home about.

[Jenny K · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I like the storyline and enjoyed the historical setting, I felt like the writing was lacking. Most of the book I felt like I was being told instead of shown. It felt like too much background was given, too many characters introduced and then just discarded in setting up the scene.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost put this book down after the first six chapters but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did!!

This book is about a fine young womacn who loses everything in the Chicago Fire and has to face hard times. Through a interesting situation she meets a fine young man and they marry. After her child is born and her husband is killed her parents in law take her child away.

Answering a call to a mail order bride message she meets another fine young man, marries, and together they win back her daughter!!

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, another mail-order-bride book that was fantastic covering many years. This one begins when the main character, Kathleen, is just a senior in high school when her home burns to the ground and all the rest of her family is inside. She must go to work to provide for herself and she becomes a cleaning and washing lady for two of the rich people in her town. Eventually she marries the son of one of the families. If I tell you more it would give away the story for you.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took place in Chicago during the great fire. It is very sad to bring home the loss of life of full families. And those that lost family members. I love the way the good and evil are woven within the story. Also, the values that are brought out in this book makes it a pleasure to read. A wonder get away from the problems we are facing today.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy historical fiction and liked that the great Chicago fire was a part of the beginning of this book. I very much liked Kathleen's character and the struggles she went through. The ending was more than I had hoped for. Kathleen had every reason to be bitter and unforgiving, but God's grace showed her a better way.

[Phoebs 🫶🏻 · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are a series that my Grandma has and she recommended me to read them and I wouldn’t say that there my style of books but they really were good👍😃…. I had read them last yr but I couldn’t find them here on Goodreads but I looked them up and found them now.. so don’t think I read all these books in one day 😂

[Hannah Beth (Hannah's Book Cafe) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not one for cliche stories and happy endings most of the time and this one was just that. But sometimes I can appreciate that. But, this one the dialogue was just not done well enough for me to appreciate it. Everything fell together way too nicely. So, sadly 2 stars is all I will give it.

[DavSchi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember really liking this series as a teen. 20 years later, however, the writing is so clunky and choppy, very awkward to read. And much more heavy on the evangelizing/conversion than I remember.

[Cheri Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Easy read and good history in it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story, especially the characters. When religion became a part of it (which I couldn't agree with), I just reminded myself it was their view point, and kept reading.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really liked the ending!

[Cindy aka "The Book Fairy" · Rating 5 out of 5]

packs a powerful punch...educational as well as thought provoking about how the need to be ready to meet the Lord is always important...beautiful story of forgiveness :)

[Carol Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this sweet book in my church’s library. The historical setting is the great Chicago fire.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda hokey. The writing seemed forced and awkward. Why is this often the case with Christian novels? I sorta liked the story but those in-laws seemed implausibly evil.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I knew what direction this was going at first but I like it

[Midge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Christain story, yet slow and predictable.

[Deborah Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story of Kathleen O'malleys life and how she overcame many terrible tragedies and in the end found love, happiness and forgiveness.

[Caroline Sherard · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had a really sweet story and moral, but wasn’t written well.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mail order bride stories always seem interesting to me, and this one was no exception. I enjoyed the storyline, and being set during the Chicago fire also made it interesting to me. Loss of loved ones, class bias and prejudices, faith, selfishness, greed, spiritual growth diligence, determination, forgiveness, and second chances all play a part in this one. Historical details seemed to be very well done. The writing was ok, but in some scenes it seemed to be a little stilted or unrealistic, especially the scene when two main characters who are married are revealing secrets they haven't shared with each other yet. The conversation itself just seemed very unbelievable to me, especially Tom's part; he was too unemotional and understanding for the situation, I think, even considering his growth as a person. I look forward to reading more of this series.

[Alice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Series potential (mail order brides) -- A
Background research (Chicago's great fire) -- B
Plot idea (secrets from a past married life) -- C
Plot implementation -- D-

The big scene revealing the "secrets of the heart" occurred basically as follows (dialog not word for word, but almost):

Wife: "Oh Darling, you have discovered my secret. I have a daughter from an earlier marriage and I've been planning to take half your money to go back to Chicago and rescue her from my hateful in-laws."

Husband: "That's ok, Darling, I have a secret of my own. The gold mine has hit it rich and we are now millionaires. We will go together to get your daughter next week."

[Lillian Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This was a terrific book! Normally mail order bride books will start out with the bride on the way to her new groom. Not these! These authors tell you the story of the lady and guy's life before the even thought about becoming a mail-order bride. It was a story I never really though about before, but one worth the telling.

This story was about Kathleen and Tom. And about the trials and hardships they went through before they found each other. A touching tale of true love, redemption, family, hardships, and good friends. I highly recommend these authors!

[Crysti Is A Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars... I don't regret reading it, though it took forever (it seemed) before they even met (65%) and then the rest of the book flew past. The first 65% of the book could have been told in flashbacks I feel like, and the book could have focused on their marriage and the difficulties of all that, but anyway.... the problems all get resolved very quickly and easily! I don't think I'll read it again or continue in the series, but it's a good book- clean and has a redemption thread through it! Just too slow and doesnt get to the point til 65%😅 Once it got there I liked it better😅

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great series of books with lots of history behind them. It's hard to imagine women becoming mail order brides.......traveling from somewhere back east out to anywhere in the west to become some man's bride with only knowledge of each other through letters & photo exchange. The Lacy's weave a different setting and tale in all ten books that hold your interest. Mrs. Lacy helps in adding the romance to each tale. (smile)

[Kelsy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This just wasn't good. The writing was choppy and flat, there was no imagery, the plot made me want to roll my eyes, and the main character was annoying. It had potential, but fell far short of delivering. I don't usually write such scathing reviews...perhaps I should have waited longer before writing this. I'm still too annoyed that I waisted my time reading this.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a riveting story/novel! I really enjoyed the setting in the late 1800s and the history about the Chicago fire, mail-order brides etc. I am looking forward to reading more of the Lacy's writing.

[Wendy Sparkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a sweet story, but very predictable.

I prefer Al Lacy's Civil War series, especially .

[Teresa Ruckman]

Really good at showing how God goes before us and works out His plan in ways we could only dream of. Puts a smile on m face thinking about it. Again the authors do a great job explaining in detail a true historical event - the Great Chicago Fire.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secrets of the Heart by Al Lacy – In an act of desperation, Kathleen agrees to become a mail order bride with the plan to return to take her daughter away from her in-laws. But plans for revenge change when God gets involved. Such a sweet blended family! Happy Reading!