What do you think?
Rate this book
The Maverick and Miss Miller
Who ever heard of a mail-order husband?
Evie Miller certainly hadn’t until Jake Hannigan showed up on her doorstep thanks to an advertisement her niece placed in papers all over the country, unbeknownst to her. Evie has absolutely no need for a husband. She has managed Montaña del Trueno, the Silva family ranch, and raised her late sister’s children to full-grown and married. Now, she plans to spend her days enjoying the fruits of her labor. But the man did come a long way, so rather than send him home, she offers him a job. Though she has no use for a husband, she can always use another ranch hand.
Jake Hannigan, a former gambler, has no desire to marry either—not really—he’s just looking for a place to hide until the gambling kingpin in San Francisco stops looking for him, and what better place to do it than this ranch in New Mexico? He’s happy to accept the position as ranch hand even if he knows nothing about cowboying or how to ride a horse. He’s a fast learner, though, and it could be entertaining to see who else answers the husband-wanted advertisement.
It doesn’t take long for Jake to catch on, even discovering he has a special talent with horses. He’s also quick to understand what a catch Evie Miller actually is. As their friendship blossoms, he finds himself dreading the next suitor to come to the ranch and the possibility Evie will accept an offer of marriage. How can he reveal his growing feelings to her when he came under false pretenses, especially now that word from San Francisco says the kingpin is close and his life is in danger? He has only one choice. To protect Evie and her family, he must leave and quite possibly break both their hearts.
Evie Miller certainly hadn’t until Jake Hannigan showed up on her doorstep thanks to an advertisement her niece placed in papers all over the country, unbeknownst to her. Evie has absolutely no need for a husband. She has managed Montaña del Trueno, the Silva family ranch, and raised her late sister’s children to full-grown and married. Now, she plans to spend her days enjoying the fruits of her labor. But the man did come a long way, so rather than send him home, she offers him a job. Though she has no use for a husband, she can always use another ranch hand.
Jake Hannigan, a former gambler, has no desire to marry either—not really—he’s just looking for a place to hide until the gambling kingpin in San Francisco stops looking for him, and what better place to do it than this ranch in New Mexico? He’s happy to accept the position as ranch hand even if he knows nothing about cowboying or how to ride a horse. He’s a fast learner, though, and it could be entertaining to see who else answers the husband-wanted advertisement.
It doesn’t take long for Jake to catch on, even discovering he has a special talent with horses. He’s also quick to understand what a catch Evie Miller actually is. As their friendship blossoms, he finds himself dreading the next suitor to come to the ranch and the possibility Evie will accept an offer of marriage. How can he reveal his growing feelings to her when he came under false pretenses, especially now that word from San Francisco says the kingpin is close and his life is in danger? He has only one choice. To protect Evie and her family, he must leave and quite possibly break both their hearts.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2024
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 14, 2024
A reverse mail order story that has some humor mixed in. Evie's neice puts an ad in for a mail order groom for her aunt Evie. Jake shows up on the niece's wedding day and Evie is flabbergasted. Evie runs a ranch and Jake is a gambler. While I enjoyed the story, there were just to many repetitive motions for me to move past. All the characters were terrific and very entertaining.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 14, 2024
Both humor and suspense are woven into this sweet romance. The first Evie Miller knew about her niece's diabolical plan to see her married, was when a charming, good-looking man arrived on her doorstep claiming that he had been invited to the ranch as a prospective mail-order husband. Unfortunately, the applicants just keep rolling in, much to Evie's consternation and the amusement of her family. Jake is in hiding from another gambler who will stop at nothing to win his money back. Unfortunately, he realizes that by arriving at Montaña del Trueno he puts Evie and the rest of her extended family in the cross-hairs of a violent man who will not take “No” for an answer. The attraction between Jake and Evie is immediate, but she still has the other applications for the position as her husband to sift through, and not all of them are accommodating. It is only Jake's desperate need to lie low, that makes him accept even the worst tasks to stay under the radar, but he discovers a new purpose in life and the acceptance of a large family. When danger arrives at Montaña del Trueno, he discovers that he is not alone, resulting in justice being carried out in a surprising manner. I received a copy of this enjoyable romance as a gift through BookSprout as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
November 14, 2024
In Love with a Gambler
Evie’s niece thought her aunt needed a husband, so she wrote to several men to try to find her one. Several men showed up to the ranch, creating chaos in Evie’s life. Jake was one of the men who showed up to the ranch. He answered the ad, thinking it would help him to run away from his troubles. Jake was a gambler, and Evie had no place in her life for gamblers. She would offer Jake a job at the ranch, but Jake kept his past a secret.
A gambler killed the man she loved years ago. What happened when Evie fell in love with a gambler who brought danger to her ranch? How did she react when she discovered his secret?
Mischief, mayhem, and some suspense kept me entertained throughout this book. I enjoyed it and would recommend it. This was my first book by this author, but it would not be my last.
Evie’s niece thought her aunt needed a husband, so she wrote to several men to try to find her one. Several men showed up to the ranch, creating chaos in Evie’s life. Jake was one of the men who showed up to the ranch. He answered the ad, thinking it would help him to run away from his troubles. Jake was a gambler, and Evie had no place in her life for gamblers. She would offer Jake a job at the ranch, but Jake kept his past a secret.
A gambler killed the man she loved years ago. What happened when Evie fell in love with a gambler who brought danger to her ranch? How did she react when she discovered his secret?
Mischief, mayhem, and some suspense kept me entertained throughout this book. I enjoyed it and would recommend it. This was my first book by this author, but it would not be my last.
October 12, 2024
Evie is shocked to find that her niece has placed an ad for a husband for Evie. At forty, Evie has written off romance altogether, so she offers the men who arrive jobs as ranch hands. Jake catches her eye, even though she doesn't want to admit it. He is so good with the kids and the animals on the ranch. There are threats on the ranch and outside that might stop them from being together, though.
I liked the characters, and the plot was unique. But Evie has the same conversation about marriage with at least three other characters more than once. Then Jake has the same conversation several times with different characters. There are lots of instances of repetition like that, so I skimmed to get to new parts. Those were enjoyable.
I liked the characters, and the plot was unique. But Evie has the same conversation about marriage with at least three other characters more than once. Then Jake has the same conversation several times with different characters. There are lots of instances of repetition like that, so I skimmed to get to new parts. Those were enjoyable.
June 9, 2026
A Western based Romance
Miss Miller has lived all her life dedicated to others, even raising her sister's children after the tragic death of their parents.
With the last one married, her niece sets a plan in motion to advertise for a husband for her aunt. A parade of applicants arrive in the ensuing weeks. not all are acceptable, but two are kept on at the ranch to work.
one of these candidates is definitely a city boy, and has to learn the work from the ground up. He is a good worker, and despite her initial reluctant views on the necessity of a man, she finds that she is developing an attachment to him.
His past is problematic, and continues to haunt him. watch as they work through the tough decision to face the problem.
Miss Miller has lived all her life dedicated to others, even raising her sister's children after the tragic death of their parents.
With the last one married, her niece sets a plan in motion to advertise for a husband for her aunt. A parade of applicants arrive in the ensuing weeks. not all are acceptable, but two are kept on at the ranch to work.
one of these candidates is definitely a city boy, and has to learn the work from the ground up. He is a good worker, and despite her initial reluctant views on the necessity of a man, she finds that she is developing an attachment to him.
His past is problematic, and continues to haunt him. watch as they work through the tough decision to face the problem.
July 31, 2026
Poor Fact Checking
Oh my Marie Patrick, why did you write a historical novel? You obviously know little about history and neither do your editors. On Page 184, you mention little Toughie escaping his mother from the Bathroom. No one had bathrooms on rural ranches in the 1800s. They also didn’t have indoor plumbing, so why was Hilde running water for dishes in the kitchen? Then, Marie writes about setting down the peeler she used for carrots. That may have been pretty hard to do since the potato peeler wasn’t invented until 1891. These kind of errors made it so hard to finish this book. Marie, don’t write without fact checking
Oh my Marie Patrick, why did you write a historical novel? You obviously know little about history and neither do your editors. On Page 184, you mention little Toughie escaping his mother from the Bathroom. No one had bathrooms on rural ranches in the 1800s. They also didn’t have indoor plumbing, so why was Hilde running water for dishes in the kitchen? Then, Marie writes about setting down the peeler she used for carrots. That may have been pretty hard to do since the potato peeler wasn’t invented until 1891. These kind of errors made it so hard to finish this book. Marie, don’t write without fact checking
October 14, 2024
A reverse mail order story that has some humor mixed in. Evie's neice puts an ad in for a mail order groom for her aunt Evie. Jake shows up on the niece's wedding day and Evie is flabbergasted. Evie runs a ranch and Jake is a gambler. While I enjoyed the story, there were just to many repetitive motions for me to move past. All the characters were terrific and very entertaining.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 8, 2024
I enjoyed the idea of a mail-order husband for the plot. The story was full of characters that you wanted to know better and that seemed like people you would want to spend time with.
There was romance and a bit of intrigue and suspense. A very enjoyable read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
There was romance and a bit of intrigue and suspense. A very enjoyable read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 3, 2026
The Maverick and Miss Miller
such a good book! Very rewarding to read and enjoy! Full of humor, love, and mischief. A wonderful book full of cowboys, horses and a ranch.
such a good book! Very rewarding to read and enjoy! Full of humor, love, and mischief. A wonderful book full of cowboys, horses and a ranch.
October 8, 2024
You read a lot about mail order brides, but grooms, this may be. My first one . A nice r9mance with a bit of thrilling adventure. What starts as a deception turns into love.
A decent read.
A decent read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews