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Six Brides for Six Gideons #1
Gideon's Secondhand Bride
GIDEON'S SECONDHAND BRIDE
A Sweet Historical Mail Order Bride Romance Novella (Rated PG)
THE LAST THING JOHN GIDEON WANTS IS ANOTHER WIFE.
Mere weeks have passed since John buried his wife, but he must trudge forward. For the sake of his three little ones, he has no choice but to remarry. His mail order bride must agree—this marriage will be strictly business.
PERMILIA IS DESPERATE TO FLEE THE BONDS OF MARRIAGE…
The War Between The States cost Millie her kind, gentle husband. He came back in body, but his soul was ravaged by war. To save herself and the life of their toddler son, she leaves her abusive husband though she has nowhere to go, no money, no family. A single option surfaces—a farmer has sent for a mail order mother, housekeeper, and help-meet. It’s a marriage in name only, so she justifies disappearing into the west and keeping her secrets.
…A MARRIAGE HER HUSBAND VOWED SHE'LL NEVER ESCAPE.
Oliver Owens warned Permilia the only way she’d leave him would be through the undertaker. It’s only a matter of time before he catches his runaway wife.
He doesn’t want a wife.
She doesn’t want a husband.
Marriage of convenience?
Perfect.
A Sweet Historical Mail Order Bride Romance Novella (Rated PG)
THE LAST THING JOHN GIDEON WANTS IS ANOTHER WIFE.
Mere weeks have passed since John buried his wife, but he must trudge forward. For the sake of his three little ones, he has no choice but to remarry. His mail order bride must agree—this marriage will be strictly business.
PERMILIA IS DESPERATE TO FLEE THE BONDS OF MARRIAGE…
The War Between The States cost Millie her kind, gentle husband. He came back in body, but his soul was ravaged by war. To save herself and the life of their toddler son, she leaves her abusive husband though she has nowhere to go, no money, no family. A single option surfaces—a farmer has sent for a mail order mother, housekeeper, and help-meet. It’s a marriage in name only, so she justifies disappearing into the west and keeping her secrets.
…A MARRIAGE HER HUSBAND VOWED SHE'LL NEVER ESCAPE.
Oliver Owens warned Permilia the only way she’d leave him would be through the undertaker. It’s only a matter of time before he catches his runaway wife.
He doesn’t want a wife.
She doesn’t want a husband.
Marriage of convenience?
Perfect.
122 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2014
42 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Kristin Holt
27 books116 followersKristin Holt, USA Today Bestselling Author writes Sweet Victorian Romance set in the American West. She writes frequent articles about the nineteenth century American west--every subject of possible interest to readers and amateur historians. She contributes monthly to Sweet Americana Sweethearts.
~ Sweet Romance Appropriate for All Audiences ~
~ Sweet Romance Appropriate for All Audiences ~
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 26, 2015
I seem to always enjoy mail order bride stories. This one had a still married to her abusive first husband bride so there was drama involving him coming after her.
Content: Clean (1 swear word)
Content: Clean (1 swear word)
July 6, 2014
Neither John nor Millie wants another marriage, but practicality overrules everything else. John Gideon has three small children who need a mother. Millie needs somewhere to hide and someone to protect her and her son. A marriage of convenience is their best option, but when Millie's past catches up to her and their "business" arrangement stirs emotions neither of them are prepared for, they'll find themselves struggling to know what to do.
While I'm somewhat new to historical fiction, I have come to really enjoy the genre. It's a difficult genre to write well, but Holt really hit the spot with this novella.
The basis of this story truly captured the difficulties of this time period. John Gideon desperately needs help with his children, but propriety won't allow him to hire a nursemaid that lives in the house. Marriage is his only option, though it's what he wants least. Millie is fighting to survive her abusive husband. She wants to run, but has no relations that will take her in, no money, few opportunities to work, and no hope of a divorce even if proof of the abusive is shown. I loved getting this glimpse into the Post-Civil War Era on such a personal level. I'm not an expert on the details of the time period, but I felt the author did a good job of portraying it accurately so the reader felt they were taken back in time.
The characters themselves were very well crafted. The emotion each one was struggling to contain and deal with not only had depth, but a very realistic portrayal. John's guilt over developing feelings for Millie so soon after his wife's death will tear at readers' heart. I felt so bad for him, and wanted him to be happy, but I still understood why it was so hard for him. Millie was well done, also. She is scared, fearful of telling John the truth of her situation, but a good and kind person who is trying to make the best of a very difficult situation. Really, my only regret with this story was that it wasn't longer. I would have been happy to continue reading their story. I think I'll have to find a few more of Ms. Holt's books!
While I'm somewhat new to historical fiction, I have come to really enjoy the genre. It's a difficult genre to write well, but Holt really hit the spot with this novella.
The basis of this story truly captured the difficulties of this time period. John Gideon desperately needs help with his children, but propriety won't allow him to hire a nursemaid that lives in the house. Marriage is his only option, though it's what he wants least. Millie is fighting to survive her abusive husband. She wants to run, but has no relations that will take her in, no money, few opportunities to work, and no hope of a divorce even if proof of the abusive is shown. I loved getting this glimpse into the Post-Civil War Era on such a personal level. I'm not an expert on the details of the time period, but I felt the author did a good job of portraying it accurately so the reader felt they were taken back in time.
The characters themselves were very well crafted. The emotion each one was struggling to contain and deal with not only had depth, but a very realistic portrayal. John's guilt over developing feelings for Millie so soon after his wife's death will tear at readers' heart. I felt so bad for him, and wanted him to be happy, but I still understood why it was so hard for him. Millie was well done, also. She is scared, fearful of telling John the truth of her situation, but a good and kind person who is trying to make the best of a very difficult situation. Really, my only regret with this story was that it wasn't longer. I would have been happy to continue reading their story. I think I'll have to find a few more of Ms. Holt's books!
March 7, 2015
“Gideon’s Secondhand Bride” by Kristin Holt was a very enjoyable book. Millie Owens was married with a small child, living in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Her husband Oliver fought in the war and came home although Millie wished he hadn’t. The war changed him…made him a drunk, an abusive drunk. She feared for her life and her son’s life and decided she had to run away. Oliver had threatened her if she left, but love for her son propelled her forward. A good friend managed a mail-order bride enterprise and talked her into answering an ad from a farmer in Kansas. John Gideon was a widower with three young children and needed a wife to care for them. He intended this to be a marriage of convenience. He and Millie married, but Millie carried the truth about her marital situation and worried that Oliver would come to cause trouble.
I really enjoyed this novella and had a hard time putting it down. It was written to be easily read as is usual for Ms. Holt. I downloaded a free Kindle copy of this book from Amazon.com. You can find my review on my website at http://wp.me/p2pjIt-et.
I really enjoyed this novella and had a hard time putting it down. It was written to be easily read as is usual for Ms. Holt. I downloaded a free Kindle copy of this book from Amazon.com. You can find my review on my website at http://wp.me/p2pjIt-et.
July 24, 2014
An easy, enjoyable read. Loved every minute of it. When I can't put a book down to fix dinner . . . I'm hooked. You will want to run right to the ending, but don't. You won't want to miss one second of this journey.
July 3, 2014
Wow, now I really liked this book!It kept my interest all the way through!It was wonderful!
July 8, 2014
Really Good.
Poor Millie, beaten and desperate answers an ad for mail order bride. Heart broken John sends for a wife for his kids. I love a happy ending and this one has it.
Poor Millie, beaten and desperate answers an ad for mail order bride. Heart broken John sends for a wife for his kids. I love a happy ending and this one has it.
February 24, 2024
Milli's plight
Fleeing with her son, Oliver was the only solution to keeping her and Oliver from the violence of her husband. She hesitantly accepted a mail order bride offer and pays taking John Gideon's offer would mean safety.
John has his own trials with three children under three and managing his homestead.
Good story.
Fleeing with her son, Oliver was the only solution to keeping her and Oliver from the violence of her husband. She hesitantly accepted a mail order bride offer and pays taking John Gideon's offer would mean safety.
John has his own trials with three children under three and managing his homestead.
Good story.
February 7, 2017
Wowza! This book was a shock but a well understood one! An abused wife and her baby flee for safety as a mail order bride! And the complications just keep coming! But I promise you there is a Happy Ever After!
September 1, 2017
Refreshingly different
Within the confines of the mail order bride 'mythology' Ms Holt writes a well rounded story refreshingly different from the average formulaic reads. The manuscript needs a proofreader.
Within the confines of the mail order bride 'mythology' Ms Holt writes a well rounded story refreshingly different from the average formulaic reads. The manuscript needs a proofreader.
July 21, 2019
This is a cute story of a Mail Order Bride who is already married to a brutal man. She leaves him and goes west with her 2 yr old son to marry another widower with 3 children. The story evolves and it has a nice ending. Definitely a Good Read!
March 5, 2021
This was a sweet short story, you can read in one afternoon or evening. My first book by Kristin Holt but it won't be my last.
January 23, 2022
Good read
This is a clean romance, just a few kisses. Just a heads up because I didn’t see it written in the blurb and I would have appreciated knowing this ahead of time.
This is a clean romance, just a few kisses. Just a heads up because I didn’t see it written in the blurb and I would have appreciated knowing this ahead of time.
November 1, 2014
This book started off really well. The writing is nice and easy, the situation interesting. I kept going at a good clip until about halfway through when things got too repetitive for my taste.
A lot of the story is spent in the heads of the characters, as they mull over their thoughts. And this is where things started to get boring.
The heroine thinks - Oh no, I'm on the edge of falling for my husband. Oh no, I'm in love with him. Oh no, he'll notice that I'm in love with him. I'm so in love with him. Why did I have to fall in love with him. But I do love him.
The hero is the same. I can't love her. I won't love her. Oh no, I love her. But I won't, I won't, I won't love her. But I do. But I'll not let myself love her. I can't. But I do.
On and on it goes, running into chapters.
I do understand that the hero feels disloyal about loving another woman after the death of his first wife, but at the same time he has moved on and it seems odd that he is refusing to accept it.
On the whole, this seems to be a popular plot device in marriage of convenience stories - a couple agrees to wed for practical reasons, and then are petrified and dismayed when emotions creep in.
Why would they be so frightened of falling in love? Surely, if you've committed to spending the rest of your life with someone, it's great if you develop love and affection for them, particularly if those feelings appear to be returned.
A small gripe was the way the hero's first wife was depicted, as if she had somehow failed him by getting sick and dying. As if she was a weakling who could not take the frontier life.
She was sick. She had cancer. And I must say the hero was right to feel guilty for having put her through 4 pregnancies and childbirths in 3 years, knowing after the first one that she was very ill. He kept saying it finished her off in her weakened state. Of course it did. I'm surprised that a man portrayed as so kind and caring did not take better care than to keep knocking up his sick and frail wife, thus hastening her death.
However, I did enjoy the writing, and now that I'm with KU and don't have to pay for each book, I will try something else by this author.
A lot of the story is spent in the heads of the characters, as they mull over their thoughts. And this is where things started to get boring.
The heroine thinks - Oh no, I'm on the edge of falling for my husband. Oh no, I'm in love with him. Oh no, he'll notice that I'm in love with him. I'm so in love with him. Why did I have to fall in love with him. But I do love him.
The hero is the same. I can't love her. I won't love her. Oh no, I love her. But I won't, I won't, I won't love her. But I do. But I'll not let myself love her. I can't. But I do.
On and on it goes, running into chapters.
I do understand that the hero feels disloyal about loving another woman after the death of his first wife, but at the same time he has moved on and it seems odd that he is refusing to accept it.
On the whole, this seems to be a popular plot device in marriage of convenience stories - a couple agrees to wed for practical reasons, and then are petrified and dismayed when emotions creep in.
Why would they be so frightened of falling in love? Surely, if you've committed to spending the rest of your life with someone, it's great if you develop love and affection for them, particularly if those feelings appear to be returned.
A small gripe was the way the hero's first wife was depicted, as if she had somehow failed him by getting sick and dying. As if she was a weakling who could not take the frontier life.
She was sick. She had cancer. And I must say the hero was right to feel guilty for having put her through 4 pregnancies and childbirths in 3 years, knowing after the first one that she was very ill. He kept saying it finished her off in her weakened state. Of course it did. I'm surprised that a man portrayed as so kind and caring did not take better care than to keep knocking up his sick and frail wife, thus hastening her death.
However, I did enjoy the writing, and now that I'm with KU and don't have to pay for each book, I will try something else by this author.
April 25, 2016
Humble - all round - western family read.
This is a sweet loving read about heartbreaks, how two folk overcome their pain and become one. Its a clean wholesome read I only gave it 4stars because the book is good rainy day read. But lacks passion this is a weird insta-love. What I mean is the characters don't instantly fall in love, its not love at first sight. But they fall In love over time the only problem is the author fasted paced over the small moments that develops their love. The author very vague that way.
I saw the characters as Millie- Annalynn McCord actress from 90210 & John Gideon as - Brett Tucker actor from the show The Mistress's
This is a sweet loving read about heartbreaks, how two folk overcome their pain and become one. Its a clean wholesome read I only gave it 4stars because the book is good rainy day read. But lacks passion this is a weird insta-love. What I mean is the characters don't instantly fall in love, its not love at first sight. But they fall In love over time the only problem is the author fasted paced over the small moments that develops their love. The author very vague that way.
I saw the characters as Millie- Annalynn McCord actress from 90210 & John Gideon as - Brett Tucker actor from the show The Mistress's
June 7, 2015
Set in the Old West. Permilia escapes an abusive marriage in the east and flees to the west in response to an advertisement for a business-only bride. When she meets John Gideon, her new husband in name only, she loses her heart to the kind man and his motherless children. But John is determined never to love again. He refuses to give another his heart when the wife he cherished lays in her grave because of him. This was a great story with tenderness, tense action and suffering, and happiness all rolled together in a prairie romance.
March 9, 2015
Two wounded people find each other and strike a business deal for marriage. Somewhat predictable but fun none-the-less. Repetitive in the feeling and thoughts of the characters but realistic in that the voice inside of our heads keeps repeating and repeating and repeating the same fears over and over. This story illustrates that love isn't finite. Our love can grow when we stop believing it has limits. It was fun!
March 2, 2015
Sweet romance
A moving, sweet romance. Millie left her abusive marriage and signed on as a mail order bride, to a man who wanted a wife in name only, to care for his household and his three motherless children. Too soon she finds out you can't leave problems behind. They grow and follow you.
A moving, sweet romance. Millie left her abusive marriage and signed on as a mail order bride, to a man who wanted a wife in name only, to care for his household and his three motherless children. Too soon she finds out you can't leave problems behind. They grow and follow you.
November 11, 2016
Very Touching
I enjoyed the human element in this story. Oliver, his personality changed after the war and how his brutality and alcoholism affect Millie. Millie fights feelings of worthlessness as she tried to protect her son. John Gideon struggles with his grief. The author did an excellent job sorting it all out in this engaging story.
I enjoyed the human element in this story. Oliver, his personality changed after the war and how his brutality and alcoholism affect Millie. Millie fights feelings of worthlessness as she tried to protect her son. John Gideon struggles with his grief. The author did an excellent job sorting it all out in this engaging story.
December 28, 2015
This was an enjoyable read--I like books that have more going on than just romance and the threat of the "first husband" provided the tension needed to add some dash of suspense to the plot. I really liked the characters.
October 19, 2014
This was my first book by Kristin Holt, and it will not be the last. An enjoyable read that held my interest from beginning to end.
October 4, 2014
Good book
I like it for being an easy read. I was able to enjoy it in between chores and caring for a newborn.
I like it for being an easy read. I was able to enjoy it in between chores and caring for a newborn.
October 19, 2014
Love these books
Just like the whole idea that these books are based on our countries history. This one is very well written and has enough suspense to keep you interested.
Just like the whole idea that these books are based on our countries history. This one is very well written and has enough suspense to keep you interested.
February 10, 2016
Gideon's Secondhand Bride!
I enjoyed this sweet historical romance of two hurting people, in two separate parts of the country, finding each other and working toward a HEA.
I enjoyed this sweet historical romance of two hurting people, in two separate parts of the country, finding each other and working toward a HEA.
March 1, 2015
A new story. I enjoyed it.
May 4, 2015
Very cute. I wish it was longer but it was really cute and worth the read
January 11, 2017
Gideons Secondhand Bride, Kriston Holt
Loved this book! Kriston Holt has a gift with words. Very moving story. Hated to see it end. Romance and danger keeps you riveted.
Loved this book! Kriston Holt has a gift with words. Very moving story. Hated to see it end. Romance and danger keeps you riveted.
September 29, 2025
Great Read! I very much enjoyed this book. The MMC was very swoon worthy! The FMC was strong, smart, and likable! Ending didn't feel rushed or incomplete. I would highly recommend this book!
January 11, 2022
This was a sweet easy fast read. Both had issues to work through and both needed each other to see through those issues and to find love again.
April 10, 2017
Short, quick but very sweet read.
Straight forward story, with one harsh note that ends with a touching HEA. I highly recommend this book as a good read. SQ
Straight forward story, with one harsh note that ends with a touching HEA. I highly recommend this book as a good read. SQ
May 1, 2017
Sweet love story
Millie and John were married in name only both carrying enough pain to kill a person. They worked side by side carrying this hurt until something happens that make them realize what a true marriage is. I really enjoyed this novella.
Millie and John were married in name only both carrying enough pain to kill a person. They worked side by side carrying this hurt until something happens that make them realize what a true marriage is. I really enjoyed this novella.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews