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American Mail-Order Brides #3

Hope: Bride of New Jersey

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Hope: Bride of New Jersey is third in the unprecedented fifty-book American Mail-Order Brides series.

Hope Middleton was all but thrown away by the family that was supposed to care for her. Now on her own, she loses her job when the factory where she worked burned to the ground. With no other alternatives, she answers an advertisement for a mail-order bride and travels to Newark, New Jersey, expecting a simple life in a quiet community. Instead, she is thrown into the middle of the dark mystery that surrounds her enigmatic fiancé, with only the chance of falling in love as her saving grace.

This retelling brings the drama of a Bronte classic together with the romance of a mail-order bride novella.

119 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2015

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111 people want to read

About the author

Amelia C. Adams

173 books163 followers
Amelia C. Adams is a wife, a mother, and a novelist. She spends her days dreaming up stories and her nights writing them down. Her biggest hero is her husband, and you might just see bits and pieces of him as you read her novels.

She loves all things historical and enjoys learning about days gone by, but she's glad she was born more recently (she won't say how recently or not recently) because the Internet is awesome, and she's glad she doesn't have to wash her clothes by hand in a galvanized tub. She has hit Amazon bestseller status twice, once for A Clean Slate and once for A Clear Hope.

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5 stars
173 (46%)
4 stars
93 (24%)
3 stars
77 (20%)
2 stars
20 (5%)
1 star
11 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
Profile Image for Kathy * Bookworm Nation.
2,161 reviews704 followers
November 23, 2015
What if Jane Eyre was a mail-order bride?

I was excited to learn that Bride of New Jersey was going to be a retelling of Jane Eyre. It started out strong for me, I liked Hope. After loosing everything and not wanting to turn to her hateful family for help, she becomes a mail-order bride. She is overwhelmed when she arrives at her new home, which is more a castle than a home. She instantly falls in love with her young charge, Addie, but is confused when her soon to be husband is not at home and no one knows when he'll return.

While I enjoyed this one, I thought it followed the original Jane Eyre a little too closely. I was hoping the characters would be a little more their own. Since it was a novella some scenes were cut out, but the overall story is about the same. I never felt a connection between Hope and Roscoe and certainly didn't believe they had fallen in love. My last complaint, I never felt like we were in New Jersey. Normally I probably wouldn't care that much, but since the series is based on all the different states, I would have liked to get a feel for what New Jersey was like back then and maybe learn some fun local costumes or something of the times.

Overall, it was a fun read.

Content
Romance: Clean, mild kissing
Language: None
Violence: Very mild
Religious: None-mild

Source: Kindle Unlimited
Profile Image for Cynthia.
2,097 reviews22 followers
December 8, 2018
I thought this was a great twist to an old story bring life to a book I dearly loved. The author did a wonderful job in giving hope and showing how love overcomes everything. There is darkness that will bring light. I thought the plot was great and the characters wonderful. It is a great addition to the mail order bride series.

Meghan Kelly is a very talented narrator that brings so much to the story. I really enjoy her many different voices that she delivers with such emotion. There is no repeat of words or any changes in volume, no background noises. You have no trouble knowing what each character feeling or who is taking. Her tones are right on the money giving a very in depth feeling of emotion which include anger, confusion, feeling of lost, lonely, pain, happiness and lots of smiles and a few laughs. I enjoyed how she really shows the sparks flying between these two as well as how bullheaded they both were. Her female voices are just as great as her males, giving an in-depth deep voice or a smooth as sweet sexy one. Each are wonderful as she pulls you in giving a very highly entertaining listen. This is a very clean, crisp audio that is very realistic that you almost feel like you are watching a movie. If any breaks were taken I could not tell. It has been a pleasure watching this narrator grow and learn how to really grab the true characters giving you a delightful wonderful listen you get lost in.
Profile Image for Donna Weaver.
Author 87 books459 followers
November 18, 2018
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Hope Middleton was all but thrown away by the family that was supposed to care for her. Now on her own, she loses her job when the factory where she worked burned to the ground. With no other alternatives, she answers an advertisement for a mail-order bride and travels to Newark, New Jersey, expecting a simple life in a quiet community. Instead, she is thrown into the middle of the dark mystery that surrounds her enigmatic fiancé, with only the chance of falling in love as her saving grace.

MY TAKE
This is a simplified twist on the Jane Eyre story. I didn't read the blurb before listening to the audiobook, so I didn't know that at first. Once I realized what was going on, I knew what would happen if it followed the original plot. It did. This one was a less meanspirited. The narrator did a decent job on the audiobook.

4 1/2 stars
Author 1 book69 followers
March 14, 2021
I'm continually reading Jane Eyre, studying the book. When I saw the book description, I have to read Hope Bride of New Jersey. I wasn't disappointed. Hope Middleton is on her own after the factory she works at burns down. She becomes a mail-order bride and travels to Newark, New Jersey. Then the dark mystery takes her into a world similar to Jane Eyre. I enjoyed this read.
360 reviews2 followers
July 5, 2019
Wonderful retelling of the classic Jane Eyre with the Mail-Order Bride spin. All of the characters come alive with fabulous interactions. A story of heartache, redemption and second chances with comedic relief and a precious child. Excellent listen and read.
Profile Image for Patty.
5,122 reviews55 followers
November 8, 2018
I have listened to a lot of mail order bride books, and i have to say this is one of the best! I know, you think it's because it's a Bride of New Jersey, but even me being a Jersey girl did not see the twist in this story coming! Hope answers the letter for a mail order bride and travels to NJ. Here she meets her elusive fiance, Roscoe and his charge, Addie. Addie is such a sweet girl, and Hope takes to her right away. Not so much to Roscoe. As time goes on, they find their rhythm and fall in love. But is love enough? The surprises in this story caught my attention, and honestly, I am not sure what I would have done in Hope's shoes. But I am not going to give anything away here! Give this a listen! If you enjoy historical romances, Amelia C Adams will enchant you.

Meghan Kelly brings this one to life like no other I have heard her narrate. I think the emotion and surprises keep the tension high and she rises to the occasion in each voice she performs. I especially love when she does kids, and her voice for Addie is perfection. Another wonderful performance.
417 reviews
August 2, 2018
An Interesting Story

In this series readers follow each of the women who lost their jobs in a factory fire. For this story, Hope Middleton becomes a governess as well as a mail order bride. The groom is very rich and there is a an 8 yr old girl he has custody of. The story has interesting twists and turns , and came to a nice but hurried ending. It's a shame that the author took the time to create a wonderful setting and interesting characters, but only write one book.
Profile Image for Jocelyne.
4,907 reviews22 followers
December 3, 2018
This is the third book in the American Mail-Order Brides Series, but this story can be listened as a standalone. This is a great, dark and emotional story, with an unpredictable and unbelievable twist! Hope (I love her name), Roesco and Addie are great characters. The narration was well done, easy to understand. Meghan Kelly has a great voice and she has done a great job with all the voices. I received this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.
Profile Image for ReadingWench.
2,103 reviews13 followers
July 9, 2020
I listened to this one on audio.
The narrator Meghan Kelly is amazing. She brought the story to life!
I loved this book. I loved the mystery/suspense part of this book. It took some twists and turns I didn't see coming. I loved it. It ended perfectly but I wanted more. Well written. The characters were great. They were thought out and all have great personalities that I could relate to. Read or listen to this book. It was great!
Profile Image for Leslie Books and Socks Rock.
893 reviews22 followers
June 29, 2019
Sweet romance with a bittersweet ending. I loved the characters and how Hope didn't give up on Addi and how she held her own about women's education. I listened to this book on Audible and thought the narrator did a great job. This story was full and complete. I will say I don't think the cover is that appealing but I got this Audible book as a prize.
31 reviews
December 8, 2020
What a great book. I enjoyed reading this book with its formalities, twists, mysteries, calamities, and love. Mail order bride books are my favorite and this one was a different version of an old west mail order bride story. INever give up hope for love, even with unseemingly against all odds circumstances. A good, clean read!!
3,596 reviews16 followers
May 27, 2022
A very different almost strange story

As much as I enjoyed this book it had a weird strange twist that I didn't care for. Almost like a poor mystery story. I did enjoy the storyline up till then, I would have stayed on the train, no way I could forgive him for hiding such a thing!
Profile Image for Liberty.
422 reviews
February 14, 2023
Shocking secrets turn to joy

Hope's story is full of difficult situations and dark secrets, but also beautiful relationships and true joy. I love how unexpected this story is. I was surprised at the turn of events more than once, and I enjoyed every minute.
457 reviews1 follower
August 5, 2017
Just like her name Hope. So much pain early in life then a chance to go forward and have a better life. So many twists and turns. Hope is a strong woman.
257 reviews10 followers
January 16, 2018
Very Exciting!

I truly loved reading this book written by one of my new favorite authors. Its very exciting and you can tell that the writer enjoyed making this book!
Profile Image for Lynda.
1,041 reviews8 followers
June 10, 2018
Mail order hope

This was a story that told of Hope betrayal and in the end a happy life. Read this story to bring back your faith in love overcoming all
Profile Image for Don.
1,028 reviews5 followers
March 7, 2025
Fabulous tale of Hope and her young life. Amelia is amazing in what she comes up with to make this story very entertaining. She schocked us and then surprised us and then brought us back together. Great job.
Profile Image for Heather.
225 reviews2 followers
September 4, 2022
The book was very good, but became predictable to readers familiar with Jane Eyre.
Profile Image for Nancy.
376 reviews1 follower
March 20, 2017
It was different....a little dark. I know forgiveness is necessary for both parties but my actions would have been different.
Profile Image for Katherine.
234 reviews20 followers
March 17, 2016
A Jane Eyre rip-off. When I began to read this book, I thought it would be good/interesting, but as I read on I found it to be a total rip-off of a original classic just much shorter and not as engaging as the original.

let's tick somethings off;
young woman, unloved, told she was ugly all her life by a horrible family member and was sent off to a harsh school where she was beaten regally for being a child, and existing. ☑ - Jane Eyre's backstory

meets the child she has to be a governess to and a mother to as well, and told the child is stupid/has no talent and basically worthless, until the beautiful 'Jane Eyre' sees her true worth and proves it to everyone, who are amazed. ☑

there's a strange woman around the house who's laughing and acting weird and you find out later that she is married still to our 'hero' and that the lady is mentally insane from conditions no one understand, and our hero still wants our heroine to marry him still but she won't. ☑ - this was told better and more believable/heartrending when read in the original Jane Eyre classic.

she runs off to escape the man's clutches only to run back later in the story because the house is on fire and must save her beloved husb- I mean the beloved student, only to find everyone is safe and well, only the unwell ex-wife to be conveniently killed off, so the governess - I mean mail order bride can wed the man who lied to her rotten. ☑ - yeah, this was told better in the original too.

and so I'll end with this, the only difference was made for me from the original work was that in Jane Eyre the girl was French and instead of the women being just a governess, she was a mail order bride and governess. If I knew this book would be a rip-off of one of my favourite books, I would not have bought it, and I will now not want to read another thing of this author's - for I will ecspect it to be another rip-off another well liked or popular works of fiction.

I can't give a nice review to an author who has to steal another authors master piece and change things/shorten it because they can't be original and try their hand at making a master piece in their eyes rather than take credit for another's hard work.
Profile Image for Jennifer Guffey.
1,113 reviews41 followers
November 29, 2015
Hope: Bride of New Jersey (American Mail Order Bride #3)
By: Amelia C. Adams
3/5 stars


With the fire at the Brown Textiles Mill, many women were left without family to take them in, there were no job prospects and most had very little money saved. They had to live together in groups in order to be able to get by. But the previous manager found the Groom’s Gazette and came up with the idea that the single women could and should become mail-order brides as a way out of their current dire situation.

This is actually the retelling of Jane Eyre, if Jane had been a mail-order bride instead of just a governess. Now, this isn’t a play by play of all the words sheerly because of the word count difference. This book just hits the highlights and major plot points.

Hope travels to become a bride/mother-figure/governess to a young girl who is a ward to Roscoe, a wealthy businessman who travels much of the time and is rarely home.

This book is difficult to rate, because I do like retellings of some of my favorite classics, but I don’t want them to be carbon copies of the original. It seems like this was just a name swap & condensed version. I love Jane Eyre, but I read this thinking there would be similarities, but not exactness. I was disappointed in that. If you’ve read Jane Eyre or watched the movie, then you’ve already read this book.
Profile Image for Patty Nobles.
377 reviews5 followers
November 23, 2015
Amelia Adams newest novel “Hope” is a story that shows us that adversity is often our greatest teacher in life. Hope grew up in a loveless household after the death of her parents, and when she found herself sent to a boarding school she coped by using her imagination and art Hope finds herself once again at a crossroad in her life when she responds to an ad to become a mail-order bride and a governess. Roscoe Edwards is a wealthy man who does not trust easy and is considered a ruthless businessman who finds him with a young ward who has managed to run off several governesses, and finding a wife is just a way to get the governess to stay. Hope adores her new student, but she is not so sure of her future husband because not everything is as it seems. Together Hope and Roscoe forge a relationship based on need, but like everything in her life Hope will need to have a little faith as well as hope to make the relationship work. I was given this book to read by the author for an honest review.
Profile Image for Yazmin Del toro.
73 reviews
December 28, 2015
A copy!!

I have to admit that it was a cool idea to see a great story mixed with new ideas. There were things that I really liked like the hero who is a very nice guy with everyone special with the little girl, that was a good chance of the story. Also the heroine is a very special women. Still there were things that were exactly the same, and that's what I didn't enjoy about the book. I was hoping to see a twist in the story at some point to don't feel like I was reading the same book again.
Profile Image for Robyn Echols.
Author 5 books28 followers
January 24, 2016
A Story of Hope

I enjoyed all the characters in this story. All Hope wanted was to be loved and accepted as part of a family. But choosing to marry with no expectation of love was a difficult choice for her and she put it off until it appeared to be the only option available. The little girl Addie I found interesting and possessed traits we see in children today but probably didn't have a name then. Mr. Edwards has a personality and a secret that proved to be challenges to Hope. Sweet romance.
Profile Image for Lila.
443 reviews3 followers
March 22, 2023
This is a retelling of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. I would have enjoyed more originality while keeping the spirit of the book but that was lacking. If you have not read Jane Eyre, you will probably enjoy the book more than I did.
Profile Image for Jessie.
1,477 reviews87 followers
November 23, 2015
Jane Eyre as a Mail-Order Bride

I was intrigued when I read the foreword to Hope's story and realized that it was going to be a retelling a Jane Eyre. It stayed true to the original story, yet was revitalized with the new setting and circumstances.

Hope was a strong and likable heroine, and Roscoe was brooding and mysterious. Overall, a good addition to the American Mail-Order Brides series.

Content: PG (kissing, mild violence, and mild religious elements)
Profile Image for Cissie.
Author 5 books26 followers
November 24, 2015
A Tale Retold

The author prefaced this book by sharing with the reader that this is a retelling of the classic Jane Eyre with a mail order twist. This book is an interpretation of that tale and I believe Ms. Adams did a great job retelling the story as a historical romance. I enjoyed the mystery and intrigue, while hearing from a few of the other brides.
Profile Image for Amy.
565 reviews32 followers
February 5, 2016
This book was quite disappointing. I felt like I was reading Jane Eyre, not an original story. I feel like I wasted the money I paid to purchase this book. I don't mean it offensively, but there was nothing original about this story - except add in a mail order bride/governess...nothing else was different.
Profile Image for Kathy .
1,303 reviews3 followers
January 25, 2016
This series is gaining momentum. Hope's story is a clever retelling of Jane Eyre. For the most part, the author was successful. I did feel the ending was rushed and a bit unbelievable. However, for the most part it was an enjoyable read.
269 reviews2 followers
June 10, 2016
A rendering of Jane Eyre

Stays true to the original story. Nicely written and the character of Hope is actually better in my mind than the original. Jane Eyre is not my favorite story but I did like this version.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews

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