What do you think?
Rate this book
The Beaudines #1
Hunter's Bride
After her mother's death, Sarah Hancock welcomed the chance to leave her lonely life in 1849 Connecticut for a new start in Wyoming. There, she intended to marry her childhood friend. But when Sarah arrives at Fort St. Charles, she meets Orion Beaudine, a rugged scout who wins her heart with his kisses.
473 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1996
1 person is currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Wulf
22 books10 followersJessica Wulf is a native of North Dakota but has spent most of her life in Colorado, where she now lives with her husband, four happy dogs, and Miss Kitty the Cat. She has a B. A. in History and has published six historical fiction novels.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 20, 2010
***4 1/2***
I wrote out a really nice review that Goodreads just ate so I am pissed and going to keep this short and sweet.
Sarah Hancock comes out west to the frontier after her mother's death to marry her old friend Adam Rutledge, a Captain in the Army. She is having serious concerns about her promise to marry Adam because she only feels friendship for him. One day she meets Orion Beaudine, a local frontierman who scouts for the army and feels an instant passion and connection with him. Orion, also known as the Hunter for his tracking abilities, knows that Sarah is the woman for him right away but first he must convince her to search her heart and choose what she wants. After a lot of thought, Sarah finds the courage to follow her heart and breaks up with Adam. Orion and Sarah start a relationship as he courts her and they get to know each other. They fall in love as they live life on the frontier and face the dangers that come with it.
Hunter's Bride was a great western historical romance, it was well-written and had a lot of depth to the characters and story. The background characters were well-drawn and come to life as well. The Beaudine brothers were three sexy, honorable and loyal men! I have already enjoyed Orion and Gray Eagle's (told in Gray Eagle's Bride, book 3 in the trilogy) stories, they were wonderful. I can't wait to read Joseph's story. Orion was a great hero who treated Sarah wonderfully and was willing to give her the space to make the decision to be with him on her own. He and his brothers protected Sarah and her friends from the danger that cropped up during the story.
Check out Hunter's Bride if you like sweet western historical romance with a well-written story.
I wrote out a really nice review that Goodreads just ate so I am pissed and going to keep this short and sweet.
Sarah Hancock comes out west to the frontier after her mother's death to marry her old friend Adam Rutledge, a Captain in the Army. She is having serious concerns about her promise to marry Adam because she only feels friendship for him. One day she meets Orion Beaudine, a local frontierman who scouts for the army and feels an instant passion and connection with him. Orion, also known as the Hunter for his tracking abilities, knows that Sarah is the woman for him right away but first he must convince her to search her heart and choose what she wants. After a lot of thought, Sarah finds the courage to follow her heart and breaks up with Adam. Orion and Sarah start a relationship as he courts her and they get to know each other. They fall in love as they live life on the frontier and face the dangers that come with it.
Hunter's Bride was a great western historical romance, it was well-written and had a lot of depth to the characters and story. The background characters were well-drawn and come to life as well. The Beaudine brothers were three sexy, honorable and loyal men! I have already enjoyed Orion and Gray Eagle's (told in Gray Eagle's Bride, book 3 in the trilogy) stories, they were wonderful. I can't wait to read Joseph's story. Orion was a great hero who treated Sarah wonderfully and was willing to give her the space to make the decision to be with him on her own. He and his brothers protected Sarah and her friends from the danger that cropped up during the story.
Check out Hunter's Bride if you like sweet western historical romance with a well-written story.
April 2, 2016
Sarah Hancock had promised her dying mother that she would marry her childhood friend, Adam. He was now a Captain in the US army. Worried because she thought of him only as a friend, her mother convinced Sarah that passion would come. Eventually.
Months later, her mother was gone. She was living out west with Adam's aunt and uncle at Fort St. Charles. She was officially engaged and had every intention of becoming a good wife but her feelings had not changed. To make matters worse, Sarah was constantly criticized by her betrothed's Aunt Harriet and Adam often chose his relative's side.
Sarah first saw Orion Beaudine when his wolf, Dancer, scared away her horse. She and Adam had argued earlier in the day and Sarah had left the fort to ride alone. This made no sense because it was 1849 western America and women did not go anywhere unescorted but Sarah did not like to be given orders. And it gave Ms. Wulf the necessary edge to introduce the hero of the romance.
Orion and Sarah had some instant chemistry. I liked both of them. But I was hard-pressed to believe it was acceptable to tender each other's feelings in the following weeks while she remained engaged. I also had issues with Adam's shrewish Aunt Harriet.
There was a secondary story concerning some people pretending to be Native Americans and a villainous soldier. I was at page 183 when Sarah's choice
Months later, her mother was gone. She was living out west with Adam's aunt and uncle at Fort St. Charles. She was officially engaged and had every intention of becoming a good wife but her feelings had not changed. To make matters worse, Sarah was constantly criticized by her betrothed's Aunt Harriet and Adam often chose his relative's side.
Sarah first saw Orion Beaudine when his wolf, Dancer, scared away her horse. She and Adam had argued earlier in the day and Sarah had left the fort to ride alone. This made no sense because it was 1849 western America and women did not go anywhere unescorted but Sarah did not like to be given orders. And it gave Ms. Wulf the necessary edge to introduce the hero of the romance.
Orion and Sarah had some instant chemistry. I liked both of them. But I was hard-pressed to believe it was acceptable to tender each other's feelings in the following weeks while she remained engaged. I also had issues with Adam's shrewish Aunt Harriet.
There was a secondary story concerning some people pretending to be Native Americans and a villainous soldier. I was at page 183 when Sarah's choice
October 24, 2015
I really liked most of Hunter's Bride, the first book I have read by author Jessica Wulf. I give it a 3.5-4 stars.
October 19, 2025
4.5!
The year is 1849. Sarah Hancock, a young woman from the east, promised her dying mother that she would marry her childhood friend, Adam Rutledge, who is a captain in the military stationed at Fort St. Charles. But nearly eight months after her mother's death, things aren't going well - Sarah has moved out west, living with Adam's aunt Harriet and uncle, who is a colonel, but she and Adam are basically strangers. The two have changed so much they don't even know each other anymore. She doesn't get along with Harriet at all - Harriet expects her to be an "obedient" woman (and so does Adam) who will not "damage" Adam's career.
One day, Sarah goes for an unchaperoned horse ride after a fight with Adam for some alone time and is scared by a wolf. The wolf is actually a pet, named Dancer, "owned" (but not really) by a man named Orion Beaudine, aka "the Hunter". He's a scout for the army. One of his older brothers, Joseph, is also in the army. Their father was married three times - the first time to Joseph and Orion's mother, who died; then again to a Cheyenne woman who had their brother Gray Eagle, who also died; then again to his first wife's sister/Joseph and Orion's aunt who had two daughters. Because of Orion's father's marriage to a Cheyenne woman/his half-brother being Cheyenne, Harriet is extremely hateful towards him and is EXTREMELY against Sarah interacting with him.
Adam ignores Sarah. She finally realizes this because of Orion.
Joseph and Gray Eagle call Sarah "little sister" and orchestrate some interactions to try to get the two to stop being idiots.
Sarah finally ends her engagement with Adam. She moves into a cabin with Theo, a former prostitute - who was forced into the "trade". There's a confrontation with some bad guys who all end up dead.
Orion is ambushed, Sarah and an old man named Jubal find him with the help of Dancer.
A military man named Fielding was a traitor the whole time. He wanted to start a war.
Epilogue includes a pregnancy.
I kinda thought the Fielding subplot was unnecessary, but overall I loved this! I couldn't put it down.
The year is 1849. Sarah Hancock, a young woman from the east, promised her dying mother that she would marry her childhood friend, Adam Rutledge, who is a captain in the military stationed at Fort St. Charles. But nearly eight months after her mother's death, things aren't going well - Sarah has moved out west, living with Adam's aunt Harriet and uncle, who is a colonel, but she and Adam are basically strangers. The two have changed so much they don't even know each other anymore. She doesn't get along with Harriet at all - Harriet expects her to be an "obedient" woman (and so does Adam) who will not "damage" Adam's career.
One day, Sarah goes for an unchaperoned horse ride after a fight with Adam for some alone time and is scared by a wolf. The wolf is actually a pet, named Dancer, "owned" (but not really) by a man named Orion Beaudine, aka "the Hunter". He's a scout for the army. One of his older brothers, Joseph, is also in the army. Their father was married three times - the first time to Joseph and Orion's mother, who died; then again to a Cheyenne woman who had their brother Gray Eagle, who also died; then again to his first wife's sister/Joseph and Orion's aunt who had two daughters. Because of Orion's father's marriage to a Cheyenne woman/his half-brother being Cheyenne, Harriet is extremely hateful towards him and is EXTREMELY against Sarah interacting with him.
Adam ignores Sarah. She finally realizes this because of Orion.
Joseph and Gray Eagle call Sarah "little sister" and orchestrate some interactions to try to get the two to stop being idiots.
Sarah finally ends her engagement with Adam. She moves into a cabin with Theo, a former prostitute - who was forced into the "trade". There's a confrontation with some bad guys who all end up dead.
Orion is ambushed, Sarah and an old man named Jubal find him with the help of Dancer.
A military man named Fielding was a traitor the whole time. He wanted to start a war.
Epilogue includes a pregnancy.
I kinda thought the Fielding subplot was unnecessary, but overall I loved this! I couldn't put it down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2014
synopsis:
sarah heads west when her mother dies, because her mother wants sarah to be taken care of, and thinks that sarah should marry her childhood friend, adam. once sarah gets there, she is the guest of adam's aunt and uncle until they get married. sarah doesn't get along well with adam's aunt, because she is a stickler for propriety. it seems as though adam is following in his aunt's footsteps, and finds fault with a lot of things that sarah does. one day, she is outside the fort walls when she runs into a wolf, and the wolf's companion, orion beaudine, aka hunter. sarah has an instant connection with the wolf, and orion, and starts to rethink her promise that she made to her mother. when orion is attacked and left for dead, sarah nurses him back to health, in spite of what adam and his aunt think.
what i liked: this was such a strong story, and appeared well researched. the west wasn't really romaticized, just portrayed in a believable manner. sarah and hunter were both well drawn, sympathetic characters. even the aunt and adam, although they were standing in sarah's way, weren't completely unsympathetic. at the end, when adam and sarah go back to their pre-engagement relationship, you can see why they were best friends. i liked the connection that sarah had with the wolf.
what i didn't like: not much. good western.
sarah heads west when her mother dies, because her mother wants sarah to be taken care of, and thinks that sarah should marry her childhood friend, adam. once sarah gets there, she is the guest of adam's aunt and uncle until they get married. sarah doesn't get along well with adam's aunt, because she is a stickler for propriety. it seems as though adam is following in his aunt's footsteps, and finds fault with a lot of things that sarah does. one day, she is outside the fort walls when she runs into a wolf, and the wolf's companion, orion beaudine, aka hunter. sarah has an instant connection with the wolf, and orion, and starts to rethink her promise that she made to her mother. when orion is attacked and left for dead, sarah nurses him back to health, in spite of what adam and his aunt think.
what i liked: this was such a strong story, and appeared well researched. the west wasn't really romaticized, just portrayed in a believable manner. sarah and hunter were both well drawn, sympathetic characters. even the aunt and adam, although they were standing in sarah's way, weren't completely unsympathetic. at the end, when adam and sarah go back to their pre-engagement relationship, you can see why they were best friends. i liked the connection that sarah had with the wolf.
what i didn't like: not much. good western.
September 29, 2015
I love this book Its really interesting how fast we can fall in love and be happy even when your engaged to someone else that is not suited for you and you know it in your heart. That is what this book is like I love the story line if you havent read it its worth picking up and reading I couldnt put it down
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews