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Harper's Bride
A lovely lady and her young daughter are offered up as payment to a hardened prospector by a beleaguered, indebted husband. But what is considered a practical payoff soon becomes a passionate romance, as the woman discovers a warm heart behind the prospector's cold exterior. And when the deadbeat dad returns to collect what he feels is rightfully his their lives will change forever!
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1997
77 people are currently reading
1092 people want to read
About the author
Alexis Harrington
18 books184 followersI've been a self-employed working novelist for the past twenty years. Of all the books I've written I've had just one foreign sale, and that was THE IRISH BRIDE, which was translated into Norwegian, where I understand it was a big hit.
I also make jewelry and I'm a fine needlework artist, specializing in embroidery, thread crochet, and sewing. I love to cook, read, entertain friends, decorate, and pursue various crafts.
I live in the Pacific Northwest near the Columbia River, still within 10 miles of my old high school. I have a Great Pyrenees dog, one cat, a finch, and three chickens who all seem to want to be in my small office while I'm trying to work (except the chickens, although they'd be thrilled to get into the house if I let them). Getting up to step around them is like maneuvering an obstacle course, but they are my children and so dear to me. My hours are kind of goofy--I'm just not a morning person and tend to be up late when the rest of the world is sleeping--and QUIET. No phones, faxes, distractions. Just the kids and me, candles burning, and the elevator music coming out of my CD player.
Before I made the leap to full-time writer, I spent about 12 years working for consulting civil engineers. Riprap, anyone? How about a nice detention pond?
I also make jewelry and I'm a fine needlework artist, specializing in embroidery, thread crochet, and sewing. I love to cook, read, entertain friends, decorate, and pursue various crafts.
I live in the Pacific Northwest near the Columbia River, still within 10 miles of my old high school. I have a Great Pyrenees dog, one cat, a finch, and three chickens who all seem to want to be in my small office while I'm trying to work (except the chickens, although they'd be thrilled to get into the house if I let them). Getting up to step around them is like maneuvering an obstacle course, but they are my children and so dear to me. My hours are kind of goofy--I'm just not a morning person and tend to be up late when the rest of the world is sleeping--and QUIET. No phones, faxes, distractions. Just the kids and me, candles burning, and the elevator music coming out of my CD player.
Before I made the leap to full-time writer, I spent about 12 years working for consulting civil engineers. Riprap, anyone? How about a nice detention pond?
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
July 4, 2012
I recently wrote a review for a book in which I stated the following:
"It definitely isn't one of those stories where the characters aren't communicating merely because the author can't think of a better way to drag out the story."
This book is one of those stories.
Melissa: I'm really starting to have feelings for Dylan, but he won't want to be with me. I'm not part of his "plan".
Dylan: I think I might be in love with Melissa, but she's made it clear she doesn't want another man in her life.
Melissa: I think Dylan might like me, but I'm not going to say anything because I'm a wimp with the emotional maturity of a Lego brick.
Dylan: Melissa seems to like being with me, but I know it's just a temporary thing because...well, just because. I know things. 'Cause I'm smart.
I can take this lazy obstacle for a little while. I can. But when it's employed throughout the whole damn story, it makes me want to toss my Kindle into a wood chipper. Not a good tactic for ensuring the enjoyment of your readers.
"It definitely isn't one of those stories where the characters aren't communicating merely because the author can't think of a better way to drag out the story."
This book is one of those stories.
Melissa: I'm really starting to have feelings for Dylan, but he won't want to be with me. I'm not part of his "plan".
Dylan: I think I might be in love with Melissa, but she's made it clear she doesn't want another man in her life.
Melissa: I think Dylan might like me, but I'm not going to say anything because I'm a wimp with the emotional maturity of a Lego brick.
Dylan: Melissa seems to like being with me, but I know it's just a temporary thing because...well, just because. I know things. 'Cause I'm smart.
I can take this lazy obstacle for a little while. I can. But when it's employed throughout the whole damn story, it makes me want to toss my Kindle into a wood chipper. Not a good tactic for ensuring the enjoyment of your readers.
February 17, 2016
Imposible no sentirte afectada por esta dura historia de una mujer maltratada y del crecimiento de su personaje.
Es un tópico ya la novela de la mujer vejada que se enamora de su salvador. Pero sigue funcionando
He disfrutado mucho de la ambientación de la novela, esa vida dura de las tierras a los que llegaron los buscadores de oro.
El estilo de la autora es muy visual y realmente te acerca muy bien a su forma de vida y sus calles llenas de barro.
Dylan es un amor y la historia entre ambos de las que me gustan. A fuego lento
Es un tópico ya la novela de la mujer vejada que se enamora de su salvador. Pero sigue funcionando
He disfrutado mucho de la ambientación de la novela, esa vida dura de las tierras a los que llegaron los buscadores de oro.
El estilo de la autora es muy visual y realmente te acerca muy bien a su forma de vida y sus calles llenas de barro.
Dylan es un amor y la historia entre ambos de las que me gustan. A fuego lento
September 1, 2013
Really loved it; it encompasses some of my favorite themes - fake/temporary marriage of convenience, starchy hero comes undone, damaged souls find solace and peace in each other...these are some of the reasons I love romance novels.
Melissa Logan and her baby, Jenny, are 'sold' off as payment for a debt Melissa's abusive husband cannot afford to pay.
As the owner of a trading post in the Gold Rush Yukon, Dylan Harper didn't want a wife and child - he wanted his money. But when he saw the terrified look in Melissa's eyes and the fading bruise on her cheek, Dylan knew it was only a matter of time before she got abandoned or sold anyway, and quite possibly to someone even worse than her good-for-nothing husband. His conscience will not allow that to happen.
So he takes her in, and they make a deal to stick together long enough for them both to make enough money to leave the Yukon and make better lives for themselves elsewhere - and separately. In the meantime, she will cook and keep house, and he promises not to touch her. But time and close quarters have other plans, as these two damaged souls go through many trials together, learn the other's strengths and weaknesses, and come to realize what love really means.
It was beautiful, sweet, and charming to watch these two characters come together. It was a slow burning romance during which the characters realistically go from being strangers, to forming a real friendship and partnership, to falling in love.
Melissa Logan and her baby, Jenny, are 'sold' off as payment for a debt Melissa's abusive husband cannot afford to pay.
As the owner of a trading post in the Gold Rush Yukon, Dylan Harper didn't want a wife and child - he wanted his money. But when he saw the terrified look in Melissa's eyes and the fading bruise on her cheek, Dylan knew it was only a matter of time before she got abandoned or sold anyway, and quite possibly to someone even worse than her good-for-nothing husband. His conscience will not allow that to happen.
So he takes her in, and they make a deal to stick together long enough for them both to make enough money to leave the Yukon and make better lives for themselves elsewhere - and separately. In the meantime, she will cook and keep house, and he promises not to touch her. But time and close quarters have other plans, as these two damaged souls go through many trials together, learn the other's strengths and weaknesses, and come to realize what love really means.
It was beautiful, sweet, and charming to watch these two characters come together. It was a slow burning romance during which the characters realistically go from being strangers, to forming a real friendship and partnership, to falling in love.
July 20, 2010
I picked this up for a song from Smashwords after seeing it on the Smart Bitches blog and I'm glad I did. It was a charming western historical romance with two damaged souls I couldn't help but root for.
After a grueling trip through the cold to reach the Yukon, giving birth in a tent along the way, Melissa Logan is almost speechless at the latest affront to her dignity. To settle a large debt with a store, her husband offers his wife and child as payment to the owner, Dylan Harper. Although she wouldn't mind escaping her drunken, lazy and abusive husband, she can't be certain the shopkeeper isn't worse. He's considered a dangerous man no one in Dawson would cross, lest he make use of the knife he wears on his belt, or the cleaver he keeps behind his counter. She's not only concerned for her safety, but also that of her infant daughter, Jenny.
Dylan doesn't want a wife, he wants his money. He's in the Yukon to make enough money to return to Oregon and raise horses, a goal he's mere months from accomplishing, and an instant family would offer complications. All the same, he can plainly see the man is a wastrel and his wife a bruised and battered hulk. As much as he neither needs nor wants them around, he worries she'd eventually find herself worse off, perhaps sold to a violent man, and ultimately agrees to the bargain. With his lawyer friend Rafe presiding, Melissa Logan becomes Melissa Harper in a pseudo-legal ceremony in a saloon.
Walking her back to the room they'll share he outlines the specifics of their bargain - she'll do the chores and cooking, he won't expect his marital rights in bed, and when he leaves to go back home he'll settle money on her and send her on her way.
At first, Melissa's terrified of the man. She may not have liked her husband, but he was the devil she knew. Though Dylan swore he wouldn't touch her, her panic at having to share a bed with him prompts her to drag a 75lb bag of rice onto the bed to separate herself from him. Her deeply ingrained fear of getting hit keeps her from meeting his eyes or standing too near him. She doesn't drop this fear suddenly after noticing how handsome he is, or any of the usual marriage of convenience nonsense, it takes time and Dylan's constant efforts to help her conquer her fear.
As much as Dylan enjoys how her labors have made his home comfortably domestic, he dislikes frightening her. He's not an angry man or a drinker. The only people that need to fear anything from him are those who'd cheat him or accuse him of being a cheat. He sets out to help Melissa get comfortable with standing on her own two feet.
The romance is therefore a slow growing one. When the "marriage" starts, Melissa is filthy and beat up - not exactly the most enticing picture of womanhood - and Dylan feels pity rather than desire for her. Melissa's freaking terrified. So there's no quivering, burning or otherwise -ing lust getting resisted from the beginning. Both have character arcs that span the book, and both need to grow before any kind of attraction can form.
All the little ways she shows them growing and changing as people - Melissa setting up her laundry business, Dylan lugging the rocking chair and cradle up the stairs to surprise Melissa, her surreptitiously watching him shave, him cooing to the baby when he thinks no one sees him - endeared the characters to me. Melissa isn't fixed by Dylan's love, she picks herself up and sets herself straight. She's no pitiable creature, she's determined to work hard to make sure she and her daughter never hit rock bottom again. Dylan slowly works his way free of the memory of the woman who betrayed him to accept what grows between him and Melissa.
The slow-burning romance and deep character growth contributes to my biggest complaint with the book, though. Because the two work so hard for this, and change so much, the ending felt rushed. I needed more resolution, more closure, after all of the angst they worked through. It wasn't enough to close out the resolution in a single bit of dialog only a page and a half long. I'm not usually one for epilogues, but this book could have used one.
Books like this make me wish they still published western historicals. I love the themes so much - the self-made man, the self-reliant woman, forging order out of chaos - and it's such a welcome break from the steady march of the ton, Almack's and simpering virgins.
After a grueling trip through the cold to reach the Yukon, giving birth in a tent along the way, Melissa Logan is almost speechless at the latest affront to her dignity. To settle a large debt with a store, her husband offers his wife and child as payment to the owner, Dylan Harper. Although she wouldn't mind escaping her drunken, lazy and abusive husband, she can't be certain the shopkeeper isn't worse. He's considered a dangerous man no one in Dawson would cross, lest he make use of the knife he wears on his belt, or the cleaver he keeps behind his counter. She's not only concerned for her safety, but also that of her infant daughter, Jenny.
Dylan doesn't want a wife, he wants his money. He's in the Yukon to make enough money to return to Oregon and raise horses, a goal he's mere months from accomplishing, and an instant family would offer complications. All the same, he can plainly see the man is a wastrel and his wife a bruised and battered hulk. As much as he neither needs nor wants them around, he worries she'd eventually find herself worse off, perhaps sold to a violent man, and ultimately agrees to the bargain. With his lawyer friend Rafe presiding, Melissa Logan becomes Melissa Harper in a pseudo-legal ceremony in a saloon.
Walking her back to the room they'll share he outlines the specifics of their bargain - she'll do the chores and cooking, he won't expect his marital rights in bed, and when he leaves to go back home he'll settle money on her and send her on her way.
At first, Melissa's terrified of the man. She may not have liked her husband, but he was the devil she knew. Though Dylan swore he wouldn't touch her, her panic at having to share a bed with him prompts her to drag a 75lb bag of rice onto the bed to separate herself from him. Her deeply ingrained fear of getting hit keeps her from meeting his eyes or standing too near him. She doesn't drop this fear suddenly after noticing how handsome he is, or any of the usual marriage of convenience nonsense, it takes time and Dylan's constant efforts to help her conquer her fear.
As much as Dylan enjoys how her labors have made his home comfortably domestic, he dislikes frightening her. He's not an angry man or a drinker. The only people that need to fear anything from him are those who'd cheat him or accuse him of being a cheat. He sets out to help Melissa get comfortable with standing on her own two feet.
The romance is therefore a slow growing one. When the "marriage" starts, Melissa is filthy and beat up - not exactly the most enticing picture of womanhood - and Dylan feels pity rather than desire for her. Melissa's freaking terrified. So there's no quivering, burning or otherwise -ing lust getting resisted from the beginning. Both have character arcs that span the book, and both need to grow before any kind of attraction can form.
All the little ways she shows them growing and changing as people - Melissa setting up her laundry business, Dylan lugging the rocking chair and cradle up the stairs to surprise Melissa, her surreptitiously watching him shave, him cooing to the baby when he thinks no one sees him - endeared the characters to me. Melissa isn't fixed by Dylan's love, she picks herself up and sets herself straight. She's no pitiable creature, she's determined to work hard to make sure she and her daughter never hit rock bottom again. Dylan slowly works his way free of the memory of the woman who betrayed him to accept what grows between him and Melissa.
The slow-burning romance and deep character growth contributes to my biggest complaint with the book, though. Because the two work so hard for this, and change so much, the ending felt rushed. I needed more resolution, more closure, after all of the angst they worked through. It wasn't enough to close out the resolution in a single bit of dialog only a page and a half long. I'm not usually one for epilogues, but this book could have used one.
Books like this make me wish they still published western historicals. I love the themes so much - the self-made man, the self-reliant woman, forging order out of chaos - and it's such a welcome break from the steady march of the ton, Almack's and simpering virgins.
February 4, 2012
More like 2.5 stars. I don't know. Maybe three stars. This started out well for me. I enjoyed the premise and setting. However, as the story progressed I just go SO TIRED of it. There is too much self-reflection going on by the MC's. A whole lot of "whoa is me, I've been so disappointed by love" type of thing, over and over again. Bleh. Then, the first sex scene didn't occur until almost the end of the book, and by then I didn't even care anymore. I was so tired of these two characters. Plus, the sex scene was punctuated with a lot of these self-reflection moments--going back to past sexual experience, blah blah blah.
I only have about 20 pages left of the book, but I just am not interested enough to finish it. Both MC's are in love, but neither wants to reveal it because "what if I'm hurt again" whinge whinge whine.
I only have about 20 pages left of the book, but I just am not interested enough to finish it. Both MC's are in love, but neither wants to reveal it because "what if I'm hurt again" whinge whinge whine.
October 21, 2013
This is my first book by Alexis Harrington and it wont be my last. I find myself drawn to Western Romance books from time to time. I guess for me they're like that old blanket that just gives you the warm comfortable feeling. It's truly a gem to find one this good. That doesn't downplay the time period for the sake of the romance.
In Harpers Bride we meet Melissa and her daughter Jenny, her husband like her father is abusive and this systematic abuse from childhood has turned Melissa into a meek woman. That's not who she really is, but it's what she's done to survive. In a twist of fate that's shocking but lucky Melissa and Jenny find themselves in the hands of Dylan Harper owner of the local shop where Gold miners come for supplies.
As the story progresses here are a few of the plot lines that really moved me.
1. The relationship that Melissa had with her baby Jenny, that mother/daughter connection is sometimes lost in books. Either the mother is jealous of the daughter or vise versa. Jenny is a helpless infant, she's dependent on her mother for everything. Melissa is not only an amazing mother but her dreams for Jenny go beyond money but how she emotionally wants her to feel. Unafraid like Melissa felt her whole life. It was also beautiful the way Miss Harrington wrote the daily duties of taking care of a baby, yes, the baby must nurse and needed diapers changed. Many people find those simples acts annoying. I as a mother do not. It's always fun to see that an infants basic needs haven't changed much in over a 100 years.
2. The relationship between Dylan and Melissa. This is something that had your pulse racing. Both stubborn and set in their ways they're unable to deny the physical response each has to the other. Beautifully written!
3. The little town, never before have I really thought what a mining town would be like. It's a little embarrassing because I grew up in Sacramento, classic Gold panning town. It was fun to imagine what it would be like to see men trying make it rich only to lose it all and head home with nothing to show for the effort. The town was filled with characters, strong female leads who inspired Jenny to work for herself. Rafe, Harpers friend who was allying but so supportive of his budding attraction to Melissa.
In conclusion, as you can tell i enjoyed this book. I found Harpers Bride to be sweet, steamy and filled with history. I cannot wait to read another book by this author.
In Harpers Bride we meet Melissa and her daughter Jenny, her husband like her father is abusive and this systematic abuse from childhood has turned Melissa into a meek woman. That's not who she really is, but it's what she's done to survive. In a twist of fate that's shocking but lucky Melissa and Jenny find themselves in the hands of Dylan Harper owner of the local shop where Gold miners come for supplies.
As the story progresses here are a few of the plot lines that really moved me.
1. The relationship that Melissa had with her baby Jenny, that mother/daughter connection is sometimes lost in books. Either the mother is jealous of the daughter or vise versa. Jenny is a helpless infant, she's dependent on her mother for everything. Melissa is not only an amazing mother but her dreams for Jenny go beyond money but how she emotionally wants her to feel. Unafraid like Melissa felt her whole life. It was also beautiful the way Miss Harrington wrote the daily duties of taking care of a baby, yes, the baby must nurse and needed diapers changed. Many people find those simples acts annoying. I as a mother do not. It's always fun to see that an infants basic needs haven't changed much in over a 100 years.
2. The relationship between Dylan and Melissa. This is something that had your pulse racing. Both stubborn and set in their ways they're unable to deny the physical response each has to the other. Beautifully written!
3. The little town, never before have I really thought what a mining town would be like. It's a little embarrassing because I grew up in Sacramento, classic Gold panning town. It was fun to imagine what it would be like to see men trying make it rich only to lose it all and head home with nothing to show for the effort. The town was filled with characters, strong female leads who inspired Jenny to work for herself. Rafe, Harpers friend who was allying but so supportive of his budding attraction to Melissa.
In conclusion, as you can tell i enjoyed this book. I found Harpers Bride to be sweet, steamy and filled with history. I cannot wait to read another book by this author.
April 20, 2011
I really liked this one, it's the second book by Alexis Harrington that I've read and so far I really like her as an author.
Dylan (H) after being completely let down by his family and spurned by his love went to the Yukon to get away. When a man who owes him 1200.00 for suplies from his store, can't pay him offers to sell him his wife and infant daughter to cover the debt. Knowing that if he turns him down the man will only sell her to someone else and she could end up in a worse situation he buys her.
Melissa (h) running from an abusive family decides to marry Coy Logan and it turns out to be the worst mistake in her life. Beaten and down on her luck she can't believe when her husband sells her to the man at the store to cover his debt.
I loved the scenes with these two in the begining, so awkward and Melissa being so scared. I was however way ready to get rid of the bag of rice! lol
Dylan (H) after being completely let down by his family and spurned by his love went to the Yukon to get away. When a man who owes him 1200.00 for suplies from his store, can't pay him offers to sell him his wife and infant daughter to cover the debt. Knowing that if he turns him down the man will only sell her to someone else and she could end up in a worse situation he buys her.
Melissa (h) running from an abusive family decides to marry Coy Logan and it turns out to be the worst mistake in her life. Beaten and down on her luck she can't believe when her husband sells her to the man at the store to cover his debt.
I loved the scenes with these two in the begining, so awkward and Melissa being so scared. I was however way ready to get rid of the bag of rice! lol
May 20, 2015
I really enjoyed Dylan and Melissa's story. For some stupid reason I kept reading Marissa instead of Melissa.
April 23, 2015
It’s kind of odd rereading a book years after reading it the first time. Back in the 90’s when I originally read these books, this was my favourite book. But now, so far anyway, this one has been replaced by Desperate Hearts, the Homeward Hearts. That’s not to say that I’m not thoroughly enjoying this one – I am – it’s just not at the top now.
This book takes place somewhere towards the end of the Yukon Gold Rush. Dylan Harper and Melissa Logan meet when Melissa’s good for nothing husband tries to trade her to store owner Dylan to pay off a debt owed to him by her husband. Dylan is naturally horrified as such a suggestion, but it’s pointed out to him by his friend, a witness to the whole thing, that this useless excuse for a human being will only try the same thing again sometime, putting Melissa and her daughter Jenny, at possible greater risk than him.
So Dylan agrees to this ludicrous plan and takes on this drab and colourless young woman. He agrees she can stay and cook and clean for him. As he lives in a tiny apartment above his trading store, this doesn’t take up much time for her, and determined never to be helpless again, Melissa comes up with the idea of taking in washing to make some money so she can leave this sad and desolate locale.
Melissa slowly starts coming back to life as she is being treated with respect for the first time in her young life. And Dylan does respect her. He’s nursing deep pain himself. He’s been rejected by his family all his life and the final cut was when his fiancé marries his brother. He didn’t know where he was headed, he just knew he had to get away and ended up somehow in Dawson City, Yukon. He had realized early that panning for gold was a no-win situation. Most of the claims had been panned out already. So instead he’d become a successful trader.
The author does an excellent job of showing the hopeless and desperateness of the effects of the gold rush. Broken families, lonely people, squalor and loneliness are all well described.
Where it’s not so much the favourite as is was previously is a misunderstanding/big stupid error by Logan causing hurt to Melissa. I wanted to smack him and tell him to grow up! He was too hung up on past hurts which seemed to me anyway, leading to disrespectful treatment to Melissa who I loved to pieces. He came across as kind of selfish and self-centered towards the end and wasn’t redeemed quite enough for me. Melissa gave in a tad to easily.
But, despite these issues, I’m still loving Ms. Harrington's books and just ordered two more today.
This book takes place somewhere towards the end of the Yukon Gold Rush. Dylan Harper and Melissa Logan meet when Melissa’s good for nothing husband tries to trade her to store owner Dylan to pay off a debt owed to him by her husband. Dylan is naturally horrified as such a suggestion, but it’s pointed out to him by his friend, a witness to the whole thing, that this useless excuse for a human being will only try the same thing again sometime, putting Melissa and her daughter Jenny, at possible greater risk than him.
So Dylan agrees to this ludicrous plan and takes on this drab and colourless young woman. He agrees she can stay and cook and clean for him. As he lives in a tiny apartment above his trading store, this doesn’t take up much time for her, and determined never to be helpless again, Melissa comes up with the idea of taking in washing to make some money so she can leave this sad and desolate locale.
Melissa slowly starts coming back to life as she is being treated with respect for the first time in her young life. And Dylan does respect her. He’s nursing deep pain himself. He’s been rejected by his family all his life and the final cut was when his fiancé marries his brother. He didn’t know where he was headed, he just knew he had to get away and ended up somehow in Dawson City, Yukon. He had realized early that panning for gold was a no-win situation. Most of the claims had been panned out already. So instead he’d become a successful trader.
The author does an excellent job of showing the hopeless and desperateness of the effects of the gold rush. Broken families, lonely people, squalor and loneliness are all well described.
Where it’s not so much the favourite as is was previously is a misunderstanding/big stupid error by Logan causing hurt to Melissa. I wanted to smack him and tell him to grow up! He was too hung up on past hurts which seemed to me anyway, leading to disrespectful treatment to Melissa who I loved to pieces. He came across as kind of selfish and self-centered towards the end and wasn’t redeemed quite enough for me. Melissa gave in a tad to easily.
But, despite these issues, I’m still loving Ms. Harrington's books and just ordered two more today.
July 27, 2016
I really loved A Taste Of Heaven by this author however, I was disappointed with this story.
It started off great. It had a great premise however, it just didn't fully deliver for me. The couple did way too much of the "I want you but can't have you" the ENTIRE book. That made me lose love and interest for the book however, I did finish it. It also had too many "death" conveniences to make the story pan out, for my tastes.
My favorite character in this whole book was Rafe. Too bad there won't be any stories about him.
What I did enjoy about this story:
1. Rafe Dubois.
2. The beginning of the story.
3. Had the expected happy ending.
4. Mrs. Harper's Laundry business.
5. Dylan was good and sweet mostly with Melissa and took great care of her and Jenny.
6. How Dylan felt about baby Jenny.
It started off great. It had a great premise however, it just didn't fully deliver for me. The couple did way too much of the "I want you but can't have you" the ENTIRE book. That made me lose love and interest for the book however, I did finish it. It also had too many "death" conveniences to make the story pan out, for my tastes.
My favorite character in this whole book was Rafe. Too bad there won't be any stories about him.
What I did enjoy about this story:
1. Rafe Dubois.
2. The beginning of the story.
3. Had the expected happy ending.
4. Mrs. Harper's Laundry business.
5. Dylan was good and sweet mostly with Melissa and took great care of her and Jenny.
6. How Dylan felt about baby Jenny.
August 9, 2015
Yukon territory during the gold rush. Melissa's husband Coy Logan owes money to Dylan Harper and gives Melissa to him to settle his debt. Dylan, seeing the abuse on her face and the baby in her arms, agrees. Very heart-wrenching at times but not as dark as it could have been. Likable characters and moved at a good pace.
April 6, 2023
3.5
It wasn't a bad book, but sorta sad and boring. Not much happened...which was the problem, I think. Just a slow pace, where everything conveniently worked out. The drama was all crammed into the first few chapters and the rest was simple. I wanted more drama, more fight...more BR, I guess?
It wasn't a bad book, but sorta sad and boring. Not much happened...which was the problem, I think. Just a slow pace, where everything conveniently worked out. The drama was all crammed into the first few chapters and the rest was simple. I wanted more drama, more fight...more BR, I guess?
January 27, 2025
Overall: 4.5 stars
This is schmaltzy western romance at its absolute best. A marriage of convenience; a strong, rugged cowboy man who defends his woman; a frontier woman taking care of herself; and a strong dose of romantic tension - what more do you need?
The plot is pretty much 100% what you'd expect, filled with longing and sad backstories and some misunderstandings, all challenges overcome by the power of love. It's predictable as hell, and I don't care. The writing is good with lots of aforementioned longing and pining and romantic tension.
If you like western romances and are down for good writing mixed with tropey goodness, give this book a shot. It's as cheesy as a cheddar biscuit but just as comforting.
This is schmaltzy western romance at its absolute best. A marriage of convenience; a strong, rugged cowboy man who defends his woman; a frontier woman taking care of herself; and a strong dose of romantic tension - what more do you need?
The plot is pretty much 100% what you'd expect, filled with longing and sad backstories and some misunderstandings, all challenges overcome by the power of love. It's predictable as hell, and I don't care. The writing is good with lots of aforementioned longing and pining and romantic tension.
If you like western romances and are down for good writing mixed with tropey goodness, give this book a shot. It's as cheesy as a cheddar biscuit but just as comforting.
August 23, 2021
A cute and predictable slow burn.
She is "given" to the H as a payment for something because her husband is broke, and the H wants her as a housekeeper only *he actually wanted only the money but he saw that the heroine was abused and he tried to save her from her husband*. Months later, they fell in love.and that's all:P
She is "given" to the H as a payment for something because her husband is broke, and the H wants her as a housekeeper only *he actually wanted only the money but he saw that the heroine was abused and he tried to save her from her husband*. Months later, they fell in love.and that's all:P
July 29, 2022
3,5 estrellas
Una historia muy bonita pero hubo un momento que le hubiese dado con la mano abierta a los dos por no hablar. Final muy precipitado y le falto un epílogo, por eso le bajo la nota.
Una historia muy bonita pero hubo un momento que le hubiese dado con la mano abierta a los dos por no hablar. Final muy precipitado y le falto un epílogo, por eso le bajo la nota.
February 21, 2018
Buena historia pero muy descriptiva/narrativa.
April 13, 2011
Indebted scoundrel Coy Logan offers his wife, Melissa and their new baby daughter, Jenny as payment for a $1,200 debt his to Dylan Harper, a work-hardened shop owner. Melissa looks upon the transaction with horror and resignation, while Dylan sees the deal as a burden he must accept to keep Melissa and Jenny from ending up in worse straits.
Harper's Bride, originally published in 1997 and re-released for Kindle, is a charming story about two people trapped in a situation neither wants. Stranded in Dawson City during the Yukon gold rush, Melissa knows that she's made a huge mistake marrying Coy to escape her drunken father and brothers. After her experience with Coy, Melissa has an ingrained fear of men, while Dylan has foresworn women altogether because of a failed relationship in his past. This is not a good start for a romance. Nevertheless, Harrington weaves together a sweet story of two individuals trying to overcome their pasts and find a better future.
This is not a love story in the current style with sexual tension almost at first glance, these are two gun-shy individuals determined to earn enough money working in the Yukon gold rush territory to establish a better life for them somewhere else. The relationship between Melissa and Dylan builds slowly, but it is definitely worth the wait.
I enjoyed this book in spite of the slower pace and I think it's worth 3.5 stars for the quality of the writing and the detail of the characterization.
More reviews from Barb Manning are available at www.barbmanning.net
Harper's Bride, originally published in 1997 and re-released for Kindle, is a charming story about two people trapped in a situation neither wants. Stranded in Dawson City during the Yukon gold rush, Melissa knows that she's made a huge mistake marrying Coy to escape her drunken father and brothers. After her experience with Coy, Melissa has an ingrained fear of men, while Dylan has foresworn women altogether because of a failed relationship in his past. This is not a good start for a romance. Nevertheless, Harrington weaves together a sweet story of two individuals trying to overcome their pasts and find a better future.
This is not a love story in the current style with sexual tension almost at first glance, these are two gun-shy individuals determined to earn enough money working in the Yukon gold rush territory to establish a better life for them somewhere else. The relationship between Melissa and Dylan builds slowly, but it is definitely worth the wait.
I enjoyed this book in spite of the slower pace and I think it's worth 3.5 stars for the quality of the writing and the detail of the characterization.
More reviews from Barb Manning are available at www.barbmanning.net
November 17, 2013
Alexis Harrington writes romances with characters that carry baggage of some sort. Family members are usually the villains (or villainesses). HARPER'S BRIDE is no different.
Physically abused by her father, Melissa thought she might better herself if she married Coy Logan. Too soon, she learned he was no different. Like the male members of her family, Coy drinks heavily and continues the cycle of abuse. The one saving grace from her short marriage is her sweet infant daughter, Jenny.
With little self-respect she follows Coy north to Yukon Territory. He then 'sells' her to Dylan Harper to settle a large debt. Mousy-looking and timid, Melissa agrees to cook and clean for the shopkeeper until they part ways.
Dylan doesn't want an additional burden but is coached by a friend to "marry" her. He will have time to make more money and she will have a safe place to stay until they separate. Over a period of months, attraction takes place and tension builds. Secretly, they each want more from the other but sharing their feelings is not a skill that either one has. And because of this the romance suffers.
It was both heartwarming and very predictable at times. I would read a few pages and think they were making progress and then, usually Dylan, would overthink things and have a TSTL moment. Dylan's constant dwelling on a relationship from the past caused some stumbling blocks. I am giving this love story three stars because of the sweet tender moments and because the romance had potential.
Physically abused by her father, Melissa thought she might better herself if she married Coy Logan. Too soon, she learned he was no different. Like the male members of her family, Coy drinks heavily and continues the cycle of abuse. The one saving grace from her short marriage is her sweet infant daughter, Jenny.
With little self-respect she follows Coy north to Yukon Territory. He then 'sells' her to Dylan Harper to settle a large debt. Mousy-looking and timid, Melissa agrees to cook and clean for the shopkeeper until they part ways.
Dylan doesn't want an additional burden but is coached by a friend to "marry" her. He will have time to make more money and she will have a safe place to stay until they separate. Over a period of months, attraction takes place and tension builds. Secretly, they each want more from the other but sharing their feelings is not a skill that either one has. And because of this the romance suffers.
It was both heartwarming and very predictable at times. I would read a few pages and think they were making progress and then, usually Dylan, would overthink things and have a TSTL moment. Dylan's constant dwelling on a relationship from the past caused some stumbling blocks. I am giving this love story three stars because of the sweet tender moments and because the romance had potential.
September 3, 2010
I learned many things about the Yukon goldrush. The writer wrote it so vividly I could see the town in my mind as I read the story. The hero, Dylan is the sweetest most understanding man. The heroine, Melissa was a very timid, battered young woman. She blossomed under Dylan's care.
The story starts with Melissa's horrible no good husband selling her and their sweet baby girl, Jenny to Dylan for his bill he ran up in Dylan's store. Dylans afraid if he doesn't take them someone far worse would. Dylan doesn't want her and the baby but... his best friend, Rafe says to take her. Rafe is a lawyer and he invents a document and a pretend marriage for Dylan and Melissa. Their relationship grows and it so sweet. Melissa learns to earn money of her own by washing all the miners in towns dirty laundry. She sings to the baby while she washes the clothes and soon the whole town knows of the "singing washer lady." She earns more money than she thought she ever could. This builds her selfworth. If you're interested in a sweet and interesting love story I highly recommend this book.
The story starts with Melissa's horrible no good husband selling her and their sweet baby girl, Jenny to Dylan for his bill he ran up in Dylan's store. Dylans afraid if he doesn't take them someone far worse would. Dylan doesn't want her and the baby but... his best friend, Rafe says to take her. Rafe is a lawyer and he invents a document and a pretend marriage for Dylan and Melissa. Their relationship grows and it so sweet. Melissa learns to earn money of her own by washing all the miners in towns dirty laundry. She sings to the baby while she washes the clothes and soon the whole town knows of the "singing washer lady." She earns more money than she thought she ever could. This builds her selfworth. If you're interested in a sweet and interesting love story I highly recommend this book.
September 16, 2010
I bought this for my Sony Reader. I always wonder about a book when the print version shows 300 some pages and the ebook was just 188. Am I missing something?
I liked the book. There was a lot of information about the Klondike gold rush. I always appreciate authors who have done their historical research. The heroine was a nice character who grew and came out of her shell after getting "sold" to the hero. He was a decent guy but his characterization was lacking just a bit. I guess I didn't get quite as clear a picture of him. The ending was just a bit lame. By that I mean it was one of those books where they split up because neither would be the first to open up and say that they wanted to stay together. I thinkg most people are more courageous than that in real life. You gotta fess up or how will the other person know. I kind of kept flashing on other historical romances I've read where the hero just refuses to let the heroine go. I generally like that kind of hero better. It was a "sweet" romance without super explicit love scenes.
I liked the book. There was a lot of information about the Klondike gold rush. I always appreciate authors who have done their historical research. The heroine was a nice character who grew and came out of her shell after getting "sold" to the hero. He was a decent guy but his characterization was lacking just a bit. I guess I didn't get quite as clear a picture of him. The ending was just a bit lame. By that I mean it was one of those books where they split up because neither would be the first to open up and say that they wanted to stay together. I thinkg most people are more courageous than that in real life. You gotta fess up or how will the other person know. I kind of kept flashing on other historical romances I've read where the hero just refuses to let the heroine go. I generally like that kind of hero better. It was a "sweet" romance without super explicit love scenes.
January 2, 2019
Melissa Logan married to escape abuse, got far worse in the bargain. Melissa's luck changed when her husband sold her. Dylan Harper in saving a woman gradually looses his bitterness but he may not learn to value his gift in time.
It is a tale of quiet dignity and opening a window to a world where woman can be treated with respect even if unwillingly thrust upon a man. Also a different perspective of life in a gold rush town.
It is a tale of quiet dignity and opening a window to a world where woman can be treated with respect even if unwillingly thrust upon a man. Also a different perspective of life in a gold rush town.
November 8, 2017
As somebody else has already said "it has great premises but it doesn't deliver". Emotional connection between H and h is non-existing.
February 20, 2021
I had every intention of going back to this book and trying to finish it, but it was just SO BORING. If it gets better past the first 100 pages or so I'll likely never know. Every time I thought something exciting was gonna happen, it didn't... it just kept going on and on about laundry. I don't really find laundry all that fascinating. 😕 So I called it quits.
September 26, 2025
I’m surprised how much I enjoyed this book 🤭
The love the character brought was genuinely so good and slow burn I was screaming into my pillow with happiness reading this at 3am🥹
I’m definitely gonna be checking out other books by this author 🫶
The love the character brought was genuinely so good and slow burn I was screaming into my pillow with happiness reading this at 3am🥹
I’m definitely gonna be checking out other books by this author 🫶
November 1, 2023
SO SO SO GOOOOOOOOOOOD! I literally loved this. I do wish the miscommunication at the end didn’t happen + we got an epilogue, but other than that I adored this.
October 8, 2016
Que historia tan hermosa.
Me ha encantado. He tenido muchos sentimientos con esta historia.
Se me hizo tan corta, hubiera preferido que fuera más larga.
He terminado de leerlo con una gran sonrisa dibujada en mi rostro. Me siento toda enamorada y romanticona en este momento.
Me ha encantado. He tenido muchos sentimientos con esta historia.
Se me hizo tan corta, hubiera preferido que fuera más larga.
He terminado de leerlo con una gran sonrisa dibujada en mi rostro. Me siento toda enamorada y romanticona en este momento.
June 16, 2010
This is yet another book I bought based on a review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. (Seriously, a great resource for the returning romance reader who doesn't know where to start.)
I really, really enjoyed this book. It doesn't get five stars because it's not perfect, but it's really, really good. It's set in the Yukon of the Klondike Gold Rush, which is an unusual choice in a historical, in my experience (the glittering Regency being much more in the common way). And the setting is so real, so palpable, it's as much a character in the story as any of the people. I had the set and costumes from McCabe and Mrs. Miller in mind as I read, and I learned a lot about the that time and place, with its lack of horses and streets so muddy that whatever dray animals could be employed pulled sleds rather than wheeled conveyances, its lack of dairy cows and the price a man could get for any of the luxury goods he was stalwart and persistent enough to transport from down south to sell to the miners and anyone else up there.
As SB Sarah mentions in her review (linked above), I enjoyed reading about Melissa, and I rooted for her, "though at times she was Snow White whistle-while-you-work perfect." Her work ethic and indefatigability made me feel tired on her behalf, and guilty for being grateful I'd never had to do so much grimy laundry by hand while looking after a baby* and cooking and keeping house. (Heck, I'm not so sure I'd be able to swing that even with mod cons. I am so lazy.)
Melissa is thrust into very close quarters and an awkward relationship with Dylan, to settle her ne'er-do-well husband's debt, and although it's an odd premise, Harrington makes it work. In spite of Dylan's assurances that he will never attempt to claim husbandly rights, Melissa is terrified of Dylan to start with, but determined to earn her keep - and a living - so she and her baby will never have to be dependent on a man again. Just as Melissa has been scarred by a history of bad men, Dylan has his own emotional scars. They both cling to these flawed perceptions of the opposite sex a little longer than I thought strictly necessary, given the way the relationship develops, and although they eventually get very talky about things, I began to be frustrated that neither one of them had developed the courage to declare their feelings to the other. Until one of them does, of course. Which then brings the story to an end, shazam, so that's probably why it didn't happen sooner.
There are some wonderful scenes in this, and I don't just mean the sex (oh look, is that a spoiler?). Rafe Dubois is a wonderful secondary character, and he has some terrific, very telling exchanges with Dylan. Melissa's husband, her father and brothers, are all cut from the same filthy, inferior cloth, and they all emanate an undercurrent of pettiness and menace that create a gut-level uneasiness that raises alertness and adrenaline levels in the protagonist and the reader.
I'm planning to look more into Harrington's backlist, now available at Smashwords. Because, you know. Never enough books.
*again with the baby. This one in the same room, y'all. That infant is gonna be scarred for life, is all I'm sayin'.
I really, really enjoyed this book. It doesn't get five stars because it's not perfect, but it's really, really good. It's set in the Yukon of the Klondike Gold Rush, which is an unusual choice in a historical, in my experience (the glittering Regency being much more in the common way). And the setting is so real, so palpable, it's as much a character in the story as any of the people. I had the set and costumes from McCabe and Mrs. Miller in mind as I read, and I learned a lot about the that time and place, with its lack of horses and streets so muddy that whatever dray animals could be employed pulled sleds rather than wheeled conveyances, its lack of dairy cows and the price a man could get for any of the luxury goods he was stalwart and persistent enough to transport from down south to sell to the miners and anyone else up there.
As SB Sarah mentions in her review (linked above), I enjoyed reading about Melissa, and I rooted for her, "though at times she was Snow White whistle-while-you-work perfect." Her work ethic and indefatigability made me feel tired on her behalf, and guilty for being grateful I'd never had to do so much grimy laundry by hand while looking after a baby* and cooking and keeping house. (Heck, I'm not so sure I'd be able to swing that even with mod cons. I am so lazy.)
Melissa is thrust into very close quarters and an awkward relationship with Dylan, to settle her ne'er-do-well husband's debt, and although it's an odd premise, Harrington makes it work. In spite of Dylan's assurances that he will never attempt to claim husbandly rights, Melissa is terrified of Dylan to start with, but determined to earn her keep - and a living - so she and her baby will never have to be dependent on a man again. Just as Melissa has been scarred by a history of bad men, Dylan has his own emotional scars. They both cling to these flawed perceptions of the opposite sex a little longer than I thought strictly necessary, given the way the relationship develops, and although they eventually get very talky about things, I began to be frustrated that neither one of them had developed the courage to declare their feelings to the other. Until one of them does, of course. Which then brings the story to an end, shazam, so that's probably why it didn't happen sooner.
There are some wonderful scenes in this, and I don't just mean the sex (oh look, is that a spoiler?). Rafe Dubois is a wonderful secondary character, and he has some terrific, very telling exchanges with Dylan. Melissa's husband, her father and brothers, are all cut from the same filthy, inferior cloth, and they all emanate an undercurrent of pettiness and menace that create a gut-level uneasiness that raises alertness and adrenaline levels in the protagonist and the reader.
I'm planning to look more into Harrington's backlist, now available at Smashwords. Because, you know. Never enough books.
*again with the baby. This one in the same room, y'all. That infant is gonna be scarred for life, is all I'm sayin'.
August 27, 2014
I really like this story. Harper's Bride is the story of Melissa Logan who has never know tenderness or the love of a family. Her miserable life starts with a drunken abusive father and she thought to escape her miserable life by marrying Coy Logan. She learns very early on in her marriage to Coy that he too is a drunk abusive man. Her one shining light in her miserable existence is her baby daughter Elizabeth. With blistering humiliation, Melissa, stands by in mute horror as her husband sells her to pay a debt. Coy dragged her to Dawson City to join the Yukon gold rush. Now worse off than ever, she was penniless with a new baby and “belonged” to Dylan Harper, a man said to have a heart of stone and a meat cleaver under his store counter that he wielded without hesitation. Melissa never felt so desperate in her life.Dylan Harper wanted his $1,200, not a wife. But afraid if he didn’t accept Logan’s offer, someone else would, Dylan couldn’t bear the idea of this woman with a bruised face suffering an even worse fate. To him, this marriage, conducted in a barroom with a dying Louisiana lawyer officiating, was nothing more than a business arrangement. Melissa would cook and clean for him, but not share his bed. But he didn’t dream this gentle female would grip his heart so fiercely. Yet, with all the hurt between them, would either be willing to take the first steps to trust again, to touch, to fall in love—
This was a wonderful story. I loved the way the author, Alexis Harrington handled such important issues like domestic violence, child abuse, and female independence. There is passion and romance but it is not graphic. But it is a very good story with characters that will stay with the reader long after the last page is read. I highly recommend this book.
This was a wonderful story. I loved the way the author, Alexis Harrington handled such important issues like domestic violence, child abuse, and female independence. There is passion and romance but it is not graphic. But it is a very good story with characters that will stay with the reader long after the last page is read. I highly recommend this book.
February 6, 2011
Harper’s Bride by Alexis Harrington kept me riveted. I finished it in two sittings.
This is the Kindle edition, newly released for only $2.99, and worth every penny.
Set in Dawson (Yukon Territory) during the gold rush of 1897, it is the story of two damaged people.
Melissa Logan, married to drunken Coy Logan, has a small baby and not much to look forward to in life. Logan, a shiftless, ne’er-do-well, “sells” his wife and daughter to pay his mercantile debt to Dylan Harper. Harper, an honorable man, is talked into accepting Melissa in an illegal marriage. He wants no part of the bargain but will do the right thing. He puts Melissa and her baby daughter up in his room above his store. She will cook and clean for him until he decides he’s made enough money to return to Oregon. Melissa agrees, figuring her chances with the kinder Dylan are better than the misery she’s suffered with Coy.
Both suffer from tragic backgrounds. Melissa was no better than a servant to her shiftless brothers and drunken father while Dylan was unloved by his father and betrayed by his fiancee. However, ever-so-slowly, the two grow to care for one another, even though both know things will change when Dylan decides to leave.
Ms. Harrington has created a fascinating setting in the turn-of the-century Yukon wilderness and provided wonderful characters the reader will care about. And not least is her fine writing style that will keep you turning pages.
I loved this story and look forward to more fine work from Ms. Harrington.
This is the Kindle edition, newly released for only $2.99, and worth every penny.
Set in Dawson (Yukon Territory) during the gold rush of 1897, it is the story of two damaged people.
Melissa Logan, married to drunken Coy Logan, has a small baby and not much to look forward to in life. Logan, a shiftless, ne’er-do-well, “sells” his wife and daughter to pay his mercantile debt to Dylan Harper. Harper, an honorable man, is talked into accepting Melissa in an illegal marriage. He wants no part of the bargain but will do the right thing. He puts Melissa and her baby daughter up in his room above his store. She will cook and clean for him until he decides he’s made enough money to return to Oregon. Melissa agrees, figuring her chances with the kinder Dylan are better than the misery she’s suffered with Coy.
Both suffer from tragic backgrounds. Melissa was no better than a servant to her shiftless brothers and drunken father while Dylan was unloved by his father and betrayed by his fiancee. However, ever-so-slowly, the two grow to care for one another, even though both know things will change when Dylan decides to leave.
Ms. Harrington has created a fascinating setting in the turn-of the-century Yukon wilderness and provided wonderful characters the reader will care about. And not least is her fine writing style that will keep you turning pages.
I loved this story and look forward to more fine work from Ms. Harrington.
April 3, 2010
In 1898 Melissa and her baby daughter are sold to Dylan, a store owner in Dawson in the Yukon Territory, by her no-good husband to pay off a debt. Dylan doesn't want anything to do with her, but he fears that if he doesn't take her, someone worse will. The course of this novel is fairly predictable, but Ms. Harrington executes the story very well. I loved to watch Melissa blossom and grow strong under Dylan's care. And part of it takes place in Portland, where I live, so that is an extra bonus for me. So reading this story was pure pleasure to me.
This is available on the Kindle. In fact Ms. Harrington has put her entire back list on the Kindle, which I am very grateful for. I have searched for this book for over six months, since I read about it on an Amazon forum. I was unable to find a print copy. I don't know why more authors don't put e-versions of their books on-line.
A comment on the formatting of the book: It is not without errors, although they are less distracting than some of the books I have read. It is not difficult to produce an essentially error free book for the Kindle. I don't know why publishers can't seem to do this.
This is available on the Kindle. In fact Ms. Harrington has put her entire back list on the Kindle, which I am very grateful for. I have searched for this book for over six months, since I read about it on an Amazon forum. I was unable to find a print copy. I don't know why more authors don't put e-versions of their books on-line.
A comment on the formatting of the book: It is not without errors, although they are less distracting than some of the books I have read. It is not difficult to produce an essentially error free book for the Kindle. I don't know why publishers can't seem to do this.
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