The Milch Bride

Cowboy Romance #1

by J.R. Biery

THE MILCH BRIDE
Texas is a harsh land in the 1870’s. Jackson Harper loses his wife in childbirth, but is not willing to lose his son. When the baby sickens, he must find a woman to nurse the boy. Unfortunately, the only woman in the county with milk is Hattie Stoddard, the town slut. Despite the protests of his in-laws and housekeeper, Jackson leaves his wife’s funeral to bring Hattie home.

Hattie Stoddard has been a victim of a brutal rape and seen her father beaten and changed forever. By the time she can ride for help, the men who attacked her have told a different story of what happened and the town refuses to believe her. Pregnant and ostracized, she is determined to save her father and the ranch. Then her father and son die.

When Jackson arrives she has nothing left but her shredded pride and the determination not to lose the land. When Jackson tells her she is going with him, she refuses. Finally they strike a bargain, he will pay the taxes and save the ranch if she will nurse and care for his son until J.D. is weaned. But a lot can happen in the milk-year.

Genres: Westerns, Historical Romance, Historical, Western Romance, Romance, Marriage Of Convenience, Western Historical Romance

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 28, 2014

Reviews

[Naksed · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading Texas Lily , Elizabeth Fackler' s devastating, epic, historical novel about the Lincoln County War, this book's plot and setting were underwhelming to say the least. And while I appreciate details to make the historical setting vivid, even I grew tired of all the repetitive descriptions of the every day, mundane chores of caring for a ranch in the 19th century, how to make pickles, caramel frosting for cakes, how to sew baby toys from rags, how to make a quilt, etc. At least, throw in some descriptions of the cowboy's life herding cattle or horses. The most exhilarating part of the book was when the heroine chases down coyotes attacking her farm animals. It was short lived.

Focusing on the romance aspect only, I thought the author did a good job of creating chemistry between the protagonists. It was a sweet, old fashioned cowboy romance.

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I just loved this book. It was about a misjudged abused heroine that had been attacked and got pregnant as a result. But the town did not believe her. And the men got away with it. Her dad died and then her baby died. It was heartbreaking to read but then Jackson came and got her so she could be a wet nurse to his newborn sun after his mother died. I mean this was angsty. There were truly evil villians, and some pretty hard things to read. Death of animals which totally almost broke me. I hate that but it got the evil in this story. Jackson was a great hero and I loved him from the beginning. Just a great story of overcoming tragedy and thriving because of it. Loved the epilogue. Totally great read.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 1 out of 5]

OMG, the last book I reviewed didn't have enough description. This one was drenched with it. Please don't tell me again just how she made biscuits or stitch by stitch how she sewed up a toy for the baby. The day to day details of washing clothes etc., where overwhelming. This book needed serious editing. You could probably have taken out at least a hundred pages of this sort of filler. A little bit of daily actions grounds the story. Step by step cooking instructions just makes my eyes cross and tries to hid the fact that not a lot is really going on. And there wasn't really a whole lot of interaction between the hero and the heroine. And when they are forced to marry, this girl who had been gang raped sort of came on to him immediately? nope. There was some effort to then step back and make her a bit afraid, then she isn't then she is. Not well done. Unrealistic shoot out and unrealistic forgiveness the end.

[Jac K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t LOVE westerns as a trope… but… Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold is probably my all-time favorite book (I read it minimum 1-2X every year), so I’m always open to giving one a shot… and at first glance this one looked yummy. And it was enjoyable, just not GREAT. Mainly because the potentially beautiful love story is constantly derailed/diluted with irrelevant filler (like daily chores, sewing, etc) and secondary side plots.

The book opens with separate tragic stories. Jackson is burying his wife (Donna) and dealing with his struggling newborn that is unable to digest cow/goat milk, and Hattie is burying her father and newborn baby. (men robbed, beat them, and raped her)

Desperate, they agree that Hattie will live/feed/care for JD until weaned and Jackson will pay the back taxes on her farm.

The good…
✅ Both Jackson and Hattie were very likable. They were genuinely good/strong people, and I was pulling for them.
✅ Jackson loved his wife but wasn’t hung up on her. He wasn’t sitting around longing for her or being cruel to the h. Donna wasn’t portrayed as a saint or villainized.
✅ Plenty of drama/danger from the snooty housekeeper, Donna’s mean parents, the crooked sheriff, and the rape-y outlaws.

The not-so good…
❌TOO much everyday life filler
❌ Not enough couple/relationship
❌ No comeuppance or fallout for the instigators (instant forgiveness for several)

Bottom Line- Good but not great. I could’ve loved this had the plot had more Jackson/Hattie development. The h is put through the ringer and IMO the ending was too rushed with too many people’s bad choices being brushed away. I hated the housekeeper (Rubye) and the dead wife’s parents were awful… and they were both forgiven immediately for their parts in her suffering.

[Ainhoa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The KU Gods sent me this as a recommendation after weeks of reading westerns and it did not disappoint.

The romance takes a bit of second plane and we have other dramas to overcome. Good secondary characters and a great female mc 🥰 I loved her, even though I missed more depth for her grieving at the beggining.

The writing was well paced and never got boring.

[Ilaria 🌸 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
Nice worth reading story I really enjoyed this
Too much drama in the side caracters and sub plot
Less sometimes is more

[Giorgia Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I got bored by this. Too many details of the cooking and the cleaning and whatever else similar.

I also think the death of the heroines child got brushed up very quickly. No matter how that child was conceived - to lose both father and child within a few days and to be alone and barely have time to grieve. I also felt like people were really insensitive towards her in that regard.

[Marilla ☘︎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. At the beginning I liked the plot and where it was going, but then it turned out to be a book about housework. 80% of this story was Hattie taking care of the hero's son, cooking and doing chores. Everything being described in great detail. (got boring real fast) The romance between the main characters was also disappointing. They didn't actually spend that much time together, and there was hardly any build up between them.

But-silver lining- if you want to learn about western cooking and get some new recipe's, you might enjoy this book😂

[Arines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contrary to most reviews say that the day-to-day chores description is rather boring, to me it rather pacifies me, remembering how dark the story started. you get to see how the surrogate baby helped the heroine to crawl out from all her traumas.

I read some historical romance books far more brutal than this, but the beginning of this story was legit torture. I can't really describe it, but I almost can feel her emotions. I'm saying you just gonna cry A LOT.

[Bookish.Midnight. and. black · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could have been perfect! The setting, all the descriptions of how they lived in the late 1800s in Western America, and the dialogues, they were all perfect and I was happily reading this book, but after 40 % I got bored with the repetitions: how the heroine cooked, how she peeled potatoes, how she mixed the batter for cookies how she changed the baby's diapers. I was a little too much.

[fiore ♡♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'm reading a lot of flops thus far in 2024.

If you want to read some angst, this is it for you. If you want to read late 1800s Western slice of life about a new mom taking care of a ranch, this is it for you. I didn't think the descriptions were bad. If you're into that sort of stuff, it is more interesting and less mundane. That being said, the romance was lackluster and made no sense. The ending was rushed and made no sense. They tied up some loose ends but it wasn't satisfying at all.

Not sure I'll read the next books but the only one I'm interested in is the one about the Italian ranch hand and his Mexican girlie.

[Mo ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trash.🗑
Wanted to like this but the author focused too much in telling us about chores the characters were doing, rather then the actual story. 🙄 If I wanted a book about housework and cooking and flipping farming, I would've picked one up. 😭 This technically deserves zero 🌟 but I'm being generous. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Also the heroine definitely deserved much better. ✋️

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars
Quite good, interesting plot, some twists.
J
Harsh life, raw, women's rights?? Nothing!
I did get bored with a lot of recipes, methodically written through this romance story... I don't need to know about pickles when im reading about love and hurt...
Safe, triggers (a lot).
Will read more from this author.

[Maddy Barone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story. I used to love westerns, but then I kind of dropped them. Don't know why, since I really enjoy them. The paper publishers don't seem to be printing many these days, but thank goodness for self publishing, because I've found a wealth of this genre available on Amazon.

What I liked about this book: Hattie. Jackson. The feeling between these two was excellent. I really cared about them. Hattie's circumstances were presented in a way that made me want her to succeed. The setting felt authentic. There were some punctuation boo-boos, which in a lesser story would have annoyed me to no end, but here I noticed them and shrugged them off. The love scenes were tastefully done, not too graphic, so if you're looking for an erotic love story you won't find that here. But the story isn't prudish. Hattie and Jackson consummate their relationship and the author gives enough detail for the reader to know that side of their relationship is happy.

So hurrah! Westerns are back!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman's horrific death in childbirth inadvertently gave another woman, a victim of abuse in the range wars, a chance of protection, safety & ultimately love.

Hattie was such an admirable yet adorable character. I felt for her struggles, laughed as she enjoyed caring for JD. Her ingenuity, willingness to learn, relationship to her animals & giving her best despite restrictions & censure made me wonder do bigots ever open their eyes.

In true western adventure, gunfights, russlers, cruelty and greed but this had a twist I didn't expect spurned by grief.

The shotgun weddings were a hoot.

[Layla · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read 159 or so pages so far. And all i feel is regret chosing this book. The heroine is a complete doormat. She is treated like such a outcast that it makes me so angry, everyone looking down their noses at her. No gratitude, no thankyou for saving J.D's life. Even the hero felt no gratitude/sympathy for her situation whatsoever. Didnt even believed her side of the story.I hate how she is treated. She has been reduced to a cow whos only life's mission is to fucking feed the baby. No life ,no nothing of her own. This seems like a awful book so far to me. Even the h lets others walk all over her. Her plight is just awful.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars... If you want a feel good story with some tragedy mixed in, then this story will do. The author did a nice job of building up the story and developing the characters, however I felt like the story was being told to me, rather then me living through the story. The dialogue wasn't always clear, I would be reading a quote thinking Hattie was talking and realize later that it was Jackson or Rubye. Besides those complaints, I truly did enjoy the storyline and was happy that the author included an epilogue.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so this book starts with a seriously sad situation. Bereaved husband, newborn baby, and a desperate need for a wet nurse. Talk about a rough start. Enter our heroine, who, let's just say, has had a really bad time. Gang raped by some real winners (I'm being polite here), and now the whole town thinks she's… well, let's just say her reputation precedes her.

The angst? Oh, it's there. Thick as treacle. The mystery surrounding the whole situation? Intriguing. I was hooked, trying to piece together what really happened. The chemistry between the main characters? Not exactly setting any fires, but there's a slow burn happening. It's like a pilot light – flickering, but definitely there.

Overall, a pretty interesting read. Prepare for some heavy topics, a bit of mystery, and a slow-developing romance. Just try not to judge the heroine too harshly based on small-town gossip. And maybe keep some tissues handy.

[ahana · Rating 2 out of 5]

nothing wrong with the book per se, but this was more of a child care novel than a romance, because honestly I couldn't feel any chemistry between them and there wasn't much relationship growth in general, very rushed and suddenly they're married and saying i love you within a singular night. however it was actually nice to see hattie take care of the baby boy, also reading about mundane everyday tasks wasn't so bad, but idc much jackson tbh 💀

[Jericho McKraven · Rating 2 out of 5]

I TRIED to love this book, I really did! The characters were sweet, the writing was good, the content was handled very tastefully...

But I couldn't take all the cooking!!!

Seriously, once she gets to the farm the book outlines EVERY meal, what she cooked, how she cooked it, what the ingredients were, how she set the table, how they enjoyed the meal, how she cleaned up afterwards. When it wasn't covering cooking, the book also covered such domestic activities as changing diapers, sewing clothes (or couches) breastfeeding, laundry, ironing, sweeping, mopping, gardening, feeding the chickens, walking in a door, walking out a door. Fixing hair, messing up hair, pickling foods, making dolls, building chicken coops, looking at cows, the list goes on and on. The attention to detail was impressive I just found the subject matter dry.

Aside from all that filler material, the love story was very slow-burn and super sweet.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants good recipe ideas or wants to be hungry while reading. (Everything sounds delicious.)

Triggers: rape and violence but the synopsis covers that pretty well.

[Kiki⚜Franglaise · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 étoiles haussées à 4, parce que malgré quelques longueurs et descriptions trop bavardes, j'ai passé un très bon moment de lecture à me plonger dans le quotidien des ranchers texans post guerre de Sécession.

Les personnages sont pertinents, finement décrits, en dépit d'un style parfois un peu laborieux.
L'intrigue n'est pas toujours passionnante mais elle tient la route et une fois que le suspense est (vite) évacué, je me suis laissée bercer par la petite musique de la narration, simple et efficace.
Personnellement, le luxe de détails de l'intendance domestique et agricole, au lieu de me rebuter, m'a plutôt fascinée... mais je conçois que cela puisse en ennuyer plus d'une.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted to but really couldn’t. The premise was there and had so much promise for a new author/series to read but sadly no. I tried to overlook ALL the details she included but it was just too much. It did not move the story at all. You get precise details of how to cook, how to plow and seed a garden, how to wipe a baby’s bottom, and everything in between but not anything that really helps moves the story. They kissed out of nowhere and it was as clinically written as her other descriptions.

The first few chapters where we learn about what happened to her were actually captivating. All that trauma but you feel her sense of duty through heartache. The moment she moves into his house to take care of the baby though, it’s like someone else starts writing and the story to me stalls out and that’s where i am. 200 pages in and stallled out which is crazy because there are so many villains to contend with. The dead wife’s parents, the men who raped her, the rustlers and even Rubyie(the housekeeper who knows her story but is a bitch all the same) but it’s just pages and pages of cooking, farm animals, etc etc.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

It's always exciting to find new author that can write a story that grabs hold of my emotions,allowing me to be transported into the heart of the story and that's what I found with J.R. Beiry. The characters were easy to like and sympathize with. Hattie was a strong character who had been through a lot but she stayed strong. The way that she and Jackson came together was splendid, and "Jackie" was a darling. I came to like the character of Rubye and her story was sweet. There were more than a few twists that kept the plot moving. I loved the inclusion of the handful of animals mentioned,and hated the death of Sam. Fans of historical fiction really will appreciate this book. I can't wait to read more from J.R. Beiry.

[Malika-Liki · Rating 2 out of 5]

well, it was a nice story , had the ingredients I look for; a rape survivor, in a little western town, a grieving man with a baby, David vs Goliath type (Big- small ranchers) but I found it way too long and too detailed, it was almost reading DIY for cleaning, cooking, baking, sewing, making a cow boy doll, quilting, canning, sorting spices, repairing chairs etc.



Of course I loved her courage and the beginning and last part where some angst and action increased the pace and where we could see her strength. I also found her a bit too kind, forgiving all the hurtful and resentful persons.

[Alicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad, bad, bad. I wanted to like this book. I loved the idea for the story, I liked the hero and heroine, I loved the little baby. But man oh man, I couldn't get through all the stupid unnecessary descriptions of just utter nonsense. All that fluff needed to go and it needed to be replaced with sparks and relationship building with the main characters. I like a good description but this book was ridiculously descriptive. It was annoying. I flipped through to the end. Barely read the last 20% of it.

[Lorena Helfers · Rating 5 out of 5]

How very, very nice and pleasant

I know now when a book is not well written and I keep rewriting the story as I read along, it is not good. It's takes me forever to finish the story and I hate it in the end. Not so with this author, I was hooked with great writing that kept my interest right away. The romance in the story is implied with a Few well placed words. Just lovely to read. I will be happy to read more.

[Rogetwhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read this 7/6/14 and gave it 4 stars! I reread it 12/6/19. I’m not sure if I’d give it 3 or 3.5 stars now. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first time. Read this one again on 10/25/21. If it didn’t go into so much details about the cooking, sewing, and canning, it would be 4 stars but those things are more detailed than the storyline.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Book!

First book I've read from this author and I loved it!!!! I couldn't put it down. It had suspense, love and so much more. I'm starting the 2nd of 4 in the series now.

[Dorothy R Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and easy

it is a good quick read. It is quite repetitive and gives up the plot early. Short on character development but you quickly identify with them.

[Deyanira C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 stars

The plot: The heroine was raped, and as a result she had a baby, who died days after being born, heroine's father also dies, and the whole town thinks she is a slut who invited men to her house, on the other hand there is the hero married to the rich woman of the town, but his wife dies after giving birth, and he brings the heroine to his house (who has breast milk) to feed his baby, the heroine immediately becomes fond of the baby, but everyone discriminates against her, although desire arises between her and the hero.

I find it hard to express myself because it was a very strange read.
First I will say that the plot seemed too promising to me, a woman who is abused, judged and mistreated who loses her baby and must serve as a nanny to survive while everyone thinks she is a bad person, but when you start reading you realize that this is in the very background of the plot, the book begins when the heroine's baby dies, and she is hired as a nanny for the hero's son. In part I am grateful that the author spared us the unpleasant moment of her rape and how the town called her easy and crazy, but the fact that the author did not go into details or give more context made me not fully understand the heroine's suffering because the author really NEVER goes into depth about what happened and does not even how it impacted the heroine. 😨
In addition, regarding this, the narrative does NOT MAKE ANY SENSE, seriously NOTHING!!! The heroine's rapists make fun of her in front of EVERYONE and openly say that she scratched them and that her resistance was funny, but despite the fact that these scenes are repeated THROUGHOUT THE BOOK, NOBODY in town gives them importance NOT EVEN THE HERO!!!! 😵‍💫and I thought WHAT THE HELL!! 😑 I understand it's the old west and all but not even in such a harsh time something like that, this would have gone unnoticed by EVERYONE and what's worse is that they keep saying over and over again that the heroine is so easy that she smiles and gets guys into her bed and I thought WHAT THE HELL!! 😑 how is everyone so WEIRD!!!! 🫤
Then they tell us that her father adored her and witnessed the rape and even tried to defend her but shut up under interrogation implying that the heroine was the easy one....WHAT ????? I DID NOT UNDERSTAND IT, that really doesn't make sense. Those idiots also robbed the father and were a threat to his ranch, even if he felt ashamed of his daughter. IT WAS NECESSARY AND MORE INTELLIGENT TO REPORT THEM. Why did he keep quiet? NO EXPLANATION..... THERE IS NO REASON !!! 😑


Now I know what the time and place was conservative, sexist and rude , but what I have here is people who act outside of all logic and are unpleasant, sorry, this is not what I want to read in a novel, first we have the hero asking the heroine to stay out of sight because her employees get horny with her and it is the heroine's obligation not to tempt them,😡 it should be noted that at that point the hero knows that the heroine was abused although he doesn't care much or do anything for her, 😒oh and he's also already in love with her...🥱 then we have the hero's employee who is a bitch and seems to think she owns the place, who neither the hero nor anyone else scolds her, so she spends her time criticizing and pointing out the heroine, she also gets angry when she realizes that the protagonists like each other, she makes a scene and leaves the house, why? Well, because it is sinful to like someone? 😨 That's right... do you see the logic? The funniest thing is that the employee is very loyal to the hero's dead wife but makes a whole scandal to force the hero to marry the heroine...😨 do you see the logic? Exactly..... IT DOESN'T EXIST!!!!😵‍💫
Now at the end there's the hero who loves the heroine but who never defends her, never supports her, never even bothers to ask her how she is... 🙄 and I don't know about the others but that he fell in love with the heroine when he hadn't even been a widow for 2 months seemed pretty cheap to me.......🤨

So really the author takes her argument everywhere except to the rape and justice, which for me was too strange and incomprehensible, because instead of focusing on that which was IMPORTANT!! the author from beginning to end spends describing food recipes, cowboys looking for cattle, conversations about the weather, and religious services, the bad thing is that in all those events ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENS😴 you really get bored, at least I didn't find any revenge, romance, logic, or anything, I really wanted to see them all swallow their words and I wanted to see the damned pay with blood how they raped her and that they lied and destroyed her life, BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT NONE OF THAT HAPPENED ...... 😢In the end I was just asking myself, what did I just read? Several days have passed and I still don't know, I give it 2.5 stars because deep down I think it's just me and the author's style is not for me, but some people may find it enjoyable, as it reminded me a lot of the book "something beautiful" and everybody seems to love.