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Civil War Brides
The Bartered Bride
"Do We Marry Or Not, Caroline Holt?"
It occurred to Caroline that everyone in her small North Carolina community accepted the obvious reason for her agreeing to marry Frederich Graeber. She was pregnant, and the real father of her baby was unwilling. She was due in a few short months. Her unborn child would have everything to gain by Caroline making the strong, silent farmer her husband... .
The Marriage Pledge
"If you marry me, then the child will be mine... ." With Frederich's words ringing in her ears, Caroline made her decision. She'd become his bartered bride... and risk giving this enigmatic stranger her heart free.
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 1996
9 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Cheryl Reavis
53 books37 followersAKA Cinda Richards
Former public health nurse, now award-winning romance novelist, Cheryl Reavis, describes herself as a "late bloomer." Her Silhouette Special Edition™, A CRIME OF THE HEART, reached millions of readers in Good Housekeeping magazine and won the Romance Writers of America's coveted RITA award the year it was published. She has also won the RITA award for her Harlequin-Silhouette novels, PATRICK GALLAGHER'S WIDOW, THE PRISONER, and THE BRIDE FAIR. BLACKBERRY WINTER, THE BARTERED BRIDE and a Berkley novel, PROMISE ME A RAINBOW, have been RITA award finalists. She has received numerous awards from Romantic Times magazine.
Her award-winning literary short stories have appeared in The Crescent Review, The Bad Apple, The Mosaic, The Sanskrit, Laurels, The Emrys Journal and Writer's Choice.
Publishers Weekly described her Berkley single-title novel, PROMISE ME A RAINBOW, as "...an example of delicately crafted, eminently satisfying romantic fiction."
Former public health nurse, now award-winning romance novelist, Cheryl Reavis, describes herself as a "late bloomer." Her Silhouette Special Edition™, A CRIME OF THE HEART, reached millions of readers in Good Housekeeping magazine and won the Romance Writers of America's coveted RITA award the year it was published. She has also won the RITA award for her Harlequin-Silhouette novels, PATRICK GALLAGHER'S WIDOW, THE PRISONER, and THE BRIDE FAIR. BLACKBERRY WINTER, THE BARTERED BRIDE and a Berkley novel, PROMISE ME A RAINBOW, have been RITA award finalists. She has received numerous awards from Romantic Times magazine.
Her award-winning literary short stories have appeared in The Crescent Review, The Bad Apple, The Mosaic, The Sanskrit, Laurels, The Emrys Journal and Writer's Choice.
Publishers Weekly described her Berkley single-title novel, PROMISE ME A RAINBOW, as "...an example of delicately crafted, eminently satisfying romantic fiction."
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 26, 2013
Caroline finds herself pregnant with the realisation she was no more than a passing and meaningless diversion to the man she so admired. Her brother Avery has decided that she will marry Friederich, the widower of her sister Ann. She flatly refuses and - discovering that she is pregnant - Avery beats Caroline viciously. She is rescued by a neighbour, who insists that she attend church to release Friederich from his engagement vow. She is a proud and strong person, but finds herself trapped and alone with only the clothes on her back.
Friederich feels equally trapped, but goes ahead with marrying her. They are both stubborn and proud and each one is initially unable to read the other.
Caroline thinks that Friederich is cold and intimidating, although his love for his 2 daughters is warm and caring. She slowly sees glimpses into a different kind of Friederich - kind and considerate and humorous. Friederich is still smarting from things that have happened in the past and finds it hard to trust after the betrayals he has suffered. Their difficulties are compounded by Beate (F's sister) who spitefully twists the knife at every opportunity.
The romance is fraught with misunderstandings and stubborn pride and then their lives are turned upside down by the Civil War.
The story is set in the German community and the language and customs play a role - in the background. Friederich is not cool and distant because he is German - he has built a wall around himself and as the story unfolds, we learn about the past sorrows that have made him the seemingly unemotional man he has become. The community has the full range of characters one can expect in any community - from spiteful to generous.
This romance is a coming together of two people through sadness, trials and tribulations - battles within themselves and around them. I enjoyed the depth of the characters and the growth of the relationship - not a simple plotline for a quick read, but instead a story that satisfied because of the ups and downs and the intrinsic worth of the main characters.
Friederich feels equally trapped, but goes ahead with marrying her. They are both stubborn and proud and each one is initially unable to read the other.
Caroline thinks that Friederich is cold and intimidating, although his love for his 2 daughters is warm and caring. She slowly sees glimpses into a different kind of Friederich - kind and considerate and humorous. Friederich is still smarting from things that have happened in the past and finds it hard to trust after the betrayals he has suffered. Their difficulties are compounded by Beate (F's sister) who spitefully twists the knife at every opportunity.
The romance is fraught with misunderstandings and stubborn pride and then their lives are turned upside down by the Civil War.
The story is set in the German community and the language and customs play a role - in the background. Friederich is not cool and distant because he is German - he has built a wall around himself and as the story unfolds, we learn about the past sorrows that have made him the seemingly unemotional man he has become. The community has the full range of characters one can expect in any community - from spiteful to generous.
This romance is a coming together of two people through sadness, trials and tribulations - battles within themselves and around them. I enjoyed the depth of the characters and the growth of the relationship - not a simple plotline for a quick read, but instead a story that satisfied because of the ups and downs and the intrinsic worth of the main characters.
November 3, 2022
HAIKU BOOK REVIEW: The Bartered Bride, by Cheryl Reavis
Three hours of my
life that I'll never get back,
complete waste of time. :(
Three hours of my
life that I'll never get back,
complete waste of time. :(
October 14, 2021
Unusual setting, angsty plot. Very good, surprisingly good!
Not perfect, but I liked it a lot. despite some flaws in drawing the characters (why did the hero marry, how did he not see that he was very cruel, he never groveled, the relationship with the brother was not well explained, the heroine was superb and strong but cried a lot, the Beata character was just evil, it was weird, mostly because everyone was ok with her being horribly villainous).
Not perfect, but I liked it a lot. despite some flaws in drawing the characters (why did the hero marry, how did he not see that he was very cruel, he never groveled, the relationship with the brother was not well explained, the heroine was superb and strong but cried a lot, the Beata character was just evil, it was weird, mostly because everyone was ok with her being horribly villainous).
November 5, 2025
Despite the cheesy cover, this is a quality read. Similar to Gone with the Wind, its a one woman's story set against the Civil War, of a German immigrant community, with plenty fascinating historical detail making it realistic. I loved all the language barrier details, makes it very vivid. Many poignant moments, great drama and relationships; strong and different characters, Beatta is one if the best characters ever.
Read
March 11, 2022*3.5 stars*
February 11, 2020
Not a light read. A true look at what it was to be an unwed mother with little or no options back in the day.
A hero who doesnt want to be one but has committed himself to do an honorable deed.
Also a realistic look at civil war conscription practices and how it affected farmers and community. A good read.
A hero who doesnt want to be one but has committed himself to do an honorable deed.
Also a realistic look at civil war conscription practices and how it affected farmers and community. A good read.
July 7, 2023
Strong story. Took place over about 3 years during the Civil War. Dealt with unwilling conscription on his part and the consequences of premarital sex and accidental pregnancy on hers. Marriage of convenience. I maybe didn't get to know the characters quite as well as I wanted which held it back a star.
September 19, 2021
This book was very hard to put down and I definitely would recommend to fans of angsty slow burn romances!
But I do feel that the author left a few matters unresolved that left me a bit stressed haha
such as:
Spoilers +++
The Heroe's indifferent and cruel behaviour was never really addressed .... everything he did was glossed over and I couldnt really see him actually understand how he affected the heroine and how quickly she forgives him doesnt seem realistic. He doesnt even mention even once how he gave her a fee for "services" rendered. wtf? like it never happened.
same for how his sister behaved, all the way through the book the most he does is to tell her to be quiet...
something that irked me is that the heroine doesnt tell other people what the heroe specifically does, giving room to everyone saying again again how lucky she is to have him, which is another point stressing me out lol people treating her as an ungrateful and spoiled wife that should just suck it up. the heroine had more potential in terms of growing that was wasted
But I do feel that the author left a few matters unresolved that left me a bit stressed haha
such as:
Spoilers +++
The Heroe's indifferent and cruel behaviour was never really addressed .... everything he did was glossed over and I couldnt really see him actually understand how he affected the heroine and how quickly she forgives him doesnt seem realistic. He doesnt even mention even once how he gave her a fee for "services" rendered. wtf? like it never happened.
same for how his sister behaved, all the way through the book the most he does is to tell her to be quiet...
something that irked me is that the heroine doesnt tell other people what the heroe specifically does, giving room to everyone saying again again how lucky she is to have him, which is another point stressing me out lol people treating her as an ungrateful and spoiled wife that should just suck it up. the heroine had more potential in terms of growing that was wasted
February 27, 2025
This was an excellent read! I enjoyed the civil war setting and the German hero & community that added a unique element to the story. Frederich and Caroline were very strong characters with a lot of pride. People and misunderstandings along with a language barrier got in the way at times for the couple. This is a keeper and went on my Loved it list to reread at a later date!
August 5, 2020
Based on historical records from German settlement, North Carolina in the 1700's. English speaking Caroline Holt has been promised, by her brother, to marry Fredrich Graeber who is her sister's widower. Since she is pregnant Caroline isn't in a position to decline. The situation is most difficult and when war breaks out she is responsible for running two farms as well as looking after her nieces.
November 23, 2023
História cheia de altos e baixos sobre um casal que se une após a mulher ficar grávida - de outro. O contexto fica pela dificuldade de se sobreviver numa colônia quando se está sozinho.
A autora inovou por trazer a Guerra Civil Americana pela visão de uma colônia alemã nos Estados Unidos.
Recomendo.
A autora inovou por trazer a Guerra Civil Americana pela visão de uma colônia alemã nos Estados Unidos.
Recomendo.
February 28, 2019
This book was frustrating but also magnetic. The main characters had quite a few chips on their collective shoulders and while it made me want to yell at them, it also made their characters complex and believable. Definitely not instalove.
October 17, 2019
Just fabulous.. about German community in the south during civil war.. just great. Smart, intelligent writing. The best life like children speech portrayal I've ever had the pleasure to read. On my forever shelf!
August 9, 2020
This is surprisingly good. It's not GREAT, but much better than I expected. I barely skipped a page. It was full of danger, angst and a little sexy stuff (extremely light on sex, fyi.)
The title makes no sense, but hell, when do they ever?
The title makes no sense, but hell, when do they ever?
April 29, 2022
Intense drama from sudden marriage
This book has all.the elements of a good romance. A lot of intense emotions, actions, humor. Good character development. A lot of miscommunication and secrets.
This book has all.the elements of a good romance. A lot of intense emotions, actions, humor. Good character development. A lot of miscommunication and secrets.
March 9, 2025
I will say that I was stunningly surprised by this book. I had picked it up at a thrift store for 1.79$ and had to give it a shot. There were a lot of overlapping cliche tropes but the overall writing and story were entertaining.
Read
September 28, 2019Read this some time ego. Cant remember the last part of the book. Not a good sign.
October 20, 2023
Very intertaing
This book kind of remined me og gone with the wind. Lots of misunderstanding but in the end it turned out all right
This book kind of remined me og gone with the wind. Lots of misunderstanding but in the end it turned out all right
May 20, 2019
There is such depth to Cheryl Reavis' books and this one is no exception. Caroline Holt bartered her freedom for a name for her unborn child. Frederich bartered away his freedom to get a mother for his two little girls.
From the opening words in this book, the story keeps the reader turning pages. It takes place during one of my favorite time frames -- the Civil War. This story brings the war to the forefront when Confederate soldiers conscript the local farmers into service after church one Sunday.
This story might not be for everyone; the author shows just how difficult life was for an unwed mother (even after she marries to give her baby a name). The war years adds another measure of grief to the lives of all who lived at that time.
From the opening words in this book, the story keeps the reader turning pages. It takes place during one of my favorite time frames -- the Civil War. This story brings the war to the forefront when Confederate soldiers conscript the local farmers into service after church one Sunday.
This story might not be for everyone; the author shows just how difficult life was for an unwed mother (even after she marries to give her baby a name). The war years adds another measure of grief to the lives of all who lived at that time.
November 26, 2014
The second Cheryl Reavis book read this week and it is funny that many of the elements that I liked in the other book, I didn't think worked in this one. I had a difficult time connecting emotionally to either the hero or the heroine. Both were fairly closed off, in terms of their emotions and much of the book was based on their inner thoughts. The amount of misunderstanding and miscommunications in the book, some based on a literal lack of knowledge of the other's language, was an interesting idea, but seemed disruptive to the narrative. The idea of a women who is in a tight spot, marrying her dead sister's husband and having to try and forge a future with him seemed interesting, but the lack of emotional depth and the choppiness of the narrative left me feeling little investment in the outcome. For a romance novel, there wasn't much romance here and the historical details were not as compelling as the previous title, so I just didn't enjoy it as much. I'll definitely read more of this author's work though, she has an interesting approach to writing romance.
June 16, 2012
This is really well written but very sad and emotional.
August 19, 2016
i read this a while back but i can remember every detail of this book. It is one of those novels that you will remember because of how well written it is.
August 26, 2025
Feels like a single mom romance who let a Chad pump and dump.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews