His Bewildering Bride

The Brides of Paradise Ranch #3

by Merry Farmer

(Please note that this is the spicy version of Wendy: The Bewildering Bride )

Seamstress Wendy Weatherford is overjoyed when she is offered the chance to be a mail-order bride for one of the men of Paradise Ranch. When she arrives in Haskell, Wyoming, her intended groom takes one look at her and refuses to go through with the wedding. He wasn’t expecting his bride to be a former slave. Abandoned at the altar and alone on the frontier, Wendy doesn’t know where to turn.

Until rescue comes in an unlikely form.

Travis Montrose has plans to start a new job and eventually own his own ranch, not to marry his brother’s rejected bride. But he can’t stand by and watch the exotic and beautiful Wendy suffer, particularly not when she proves to be a woman of strength and substance. Their unconventional union stirs up trouble from the start, even as it stirs passions.

When Wendy is given an opportunity to compete for the chance to own her own dress shop, Travis will stop at nothing to help her win against a crooked competitor…even if it means sacrificing his future.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: Steam Level = HOT
If you would like to read this story without any “scenes,” check out Wendy: The Bewildering Bride .

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical Fiction, Interracial Romance, Westerns, Fiction, Western Romance

191 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 28, 2016

About the author

USA Today Bestselling author Merry Farmer lives in suburban Philadelphia with her two cats, Justine and Peter. She has been writing since she was ten years old and realized she didn't have to wait for the teacher to assign a creative writing project to write something. It was the best day of her life. Her books have reached the top of Amazon's charts, and have been named finalists for several prestigious awards, including the RONE Award for indie romance.

Reviews

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely little romance. I'm glad it came up as a recommendation on my Amazon Kindle bookstore page. I liked the author knew a bit about the history of interracial marriage and wrote a story that showed that more of it occurred than history one would presume before the advent of Jim Crow/Segregation laws. I would have liked to live in a town like this during this point in history (when I normally think that being a black American at this time was a double-edged sword pointed at your throat). I liked that Wendy rose above the prejudice and ill treatment she faced. Born a slave but working to be an independent businesswoman. Although she faced racism, she didn't let it get to her or sour her or make her a hater. She didn't give up and I was glad to see her dreams come true.

Travis was such a sweetie. I loved him. He stepped in when his immature brother wouldn't honor is commitment to marry Wendy when he finds out that his bride is Negro. Travis was man enough to even help Wendy with her sewing so she could win the contest that might get her a shot at her own business.

While the ending ties up things nicely, it's a good ending that made me satisfied with the story. The love scenes are sweet but pretty steamy, and they show that Wendy and Travis had great chemistry, a strong bond, and true love. What a great combination. Probably the only thing I would change is for it to be longer. I will definitely continue this series. I downloaded the first book right after finishing this.

Overall rating: 4.25/5.00 stars.

[Peace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This heartwarming historical interracial romance far exceeded my expectations.

[Lisa Tetting · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was set in the late 1800s post Civil War in Wyoming. It followed Wendy, a former slave with a big heart and a talent for sewing. She dreamed of owning her own dress shop in Nashville, but her plan was derailed because of heavy competition.

She found herself alone, but was taken in by a nice woman who ran a mail order bride business. When Wendy was informed that there was a match for her, she was excited. Hoping for a new beginning out West, she happily accepted the offer of Cody Montrose.

Things changed quickly when she arrived expecting a black man, but finding a bigoted white man. He outright refused to marry her because of her skin color. Before she had a chance to even blink, Cody's older brother Travis stepped in and offered to marry her.

The couple got married and the townspeople welcomed them with open arms. Everyone except the nasty Rex Bonneville and his horrible daughters. They seemed to think less of Wendy because she is black and felt the need to prove their superiority to her.

Wendy was a very gracious and patient lady in every way. She took the insults thrown at her with a grain of salt. She did however make friends with the other ladies in town and when she expressed her dream to open a dress shop, a competition is born. Malinda, the oldest and most vicious of the Bonneville clan professed she wanted to open a dress shop too. As a result, the towns people come up with a dressmaking competition.

Long story short, the evil trolls met their match, as Wendy proved why she was the best seamstress in town. Along the way, she and Travis bonded and fell head over heels for each other. When they finally hit the sheets it was fire. Of course there was a HEA in store. The fish and the bird found a way to compromise and build their nest together.

I enjoyed the history lessons in the book. At the end the author explained to those who were unaware, about the years immediately following the Civil War and how blacks thrived in businesses. Not long after, lawmakers ushered in new laws to stifle this growth and put former slaves "back in their places." The struggle continues!

[TinaNoir · Rating 2 out of 5]

Project Runway On The Prairie. Seriously.

This wasn't bad, per se, but I seriously wasn't feeling it. I had a hard time believing nobody told this guy his mail order bride wasn't black. I mean who sends a young woman of color out into the west during the Reconstruction era to be some guy's wife and nobody bothers to mention one sailient fact?

But I can get over that a bit since it was necessary for plot, it was the competition aspect complete with a judge named Theophilius Gunn (really?) that made me scratch my head. Since the hero/heroine had absolutely no romantic conflict of their own, the entire plot of the story came down to her winning a dress shop through a sewing competition.

Yeah, this didn't quite work for me.

[postcrdprincess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very different from the other historical mail order bride books that I have read. Here we have Wendy; young black woman (heroine) that was a former slave but is now free. Unfortunately due to some family issues and the death of her mother, she now lives in a house that caters to women who find themselves in a not so nice situations. It is in this house that she gets the opportunity to become a mail order bride out west to a man that works on a ranch. Wendy heads out west to meet her new husband to be with dreams of the possibility of opening her own dress shop. When she gets out west to Haskell, Wyoming and meets her husband to be Cody they are both in for a surprise because she assumed he was black like her and the thought never crossed his mind that she might be black. Needless to say he refuses to go through with the marriage leaving Wendy to wonder what is going to happen to her now.

Travis (hero) new his younger brother Cody was up to something but he never expected to find out his brother had gotten himself a mail order bride, since Cody had problems taking care of himself let alone a wife. When Cody refuses to marry Wendy Travis steps up and decides to marry her himself even though he had never planned to marry anytime soon and his job situation was currently up in the air.

Travis and Wendy couldn't be more different and not just when it came to race. She has always been a seamstress and lived in the city. He knows nothing about women things and has never wanted to be anything other than a rancher. What they do have is an unexpected attraction to one another and the willingness to make their marriage work regardless of their differences. A seamstress competition brings these to unexpected couple together and teaches them the power of unplanned love.

I enjoyed this book because it was different and not typical. I especially like that the author researched the possibility of these situation even happening and was able to provide that additional detail for the reader. The storyline was written well and didn't come across as unbelievable.

[lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so disappointed in Cody Montrose, to quote Travis, what a first-rate jackass.

But Travis and Wendy are just too cute together so yea.

[M.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad.

This book was ok, I love historical romances and This was a good one. A nice quick read on a Sunday afternoon.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

We met Travis Montrose before. He flitted in and out of the picture in both His Perfect Bride and His Dangerous Bride. Ms. Wendy Weatherford is new and it’s also our first glimpse in Hurst Home. And while there was a mix-up at the train, Travis stepped in and became a hero to Wendy. But things won’t go easy for these two. But along the way they learn about their strengths and how they compliment one another. This is especially true for Travis.

I liked Travis all along and Wendy was amazing. She was so positive and sweet. And we get to see so many from past books. Several from Hot on the Trail Series were there. I will tell you though that I’m unimpressed with those Bonneville sisters. I’m ready for them to get a SERIOUS comeuppance. Except for Honoria. She’s ok. And Mr. Gunn….I want…no NEED more info on him!

Ms. Farmer’s eclectic town of unique individuals is growing exponentially and it is getting more unique with each addition. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Cody… ;) But first there’s Mason to settle up. Ms. Farmer doesn’t disappoint in any of her stories. I’ve not read one that sounded like any other that she’d written. How she can keep the characters and personalities straight is beyond me, but I love reading her books. So would I recommend this book? YES!

[Lynn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in The Brides of Paradise Ranch and can be read as a stand alone. The characters do cross over. Wendy was born a slave now living in Hurst Home and making her way as a seamstress she is excited when she is told she is being sent to Haskell as a mail-order bride. She will be the third one sent from the home. Cody Montrose a ranch hand on Paradise ranch, after seeing his friend Luke get his bride and fall in love he knew that was what he wanted. Arriving in Haskell Wendy is excited to meet Cody but when Cody takes one look at her and refuses to marry her. Wendy doesn't know what to do and then Travis Montrose, Cody's older brothers steps forward and says he will marry her.

Wonderful book. Wendy was a strong women and no problem staying who she was. She stood up for herself and let other things just roll off her and that only made her more determined to prove herself. Travis, what can I say! He was a heart stopping sexy hero. He let Wendy work towards her dream and along the way learned what was important in life. Looking forward to the next book about Cody. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Miriam Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

A wonderful addition to this series. The trials Wendy faced for her determination to not give up,even though she had a lot of things against her and her heritage, were very well written and portrayed in this book. Their romance was wonderful and full of passion. This book is an excellent read, I recommend it.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Farmer has hit on a formula of writing stories depicting the strength of love crossing the boundaries of race in a time when prejudice was rife.

Read full review in the 2016 May issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet love story about a time in our history where there was intolerance. The well written characters and how the theme of love and support of a spouse runs through the plot is refreshing. Excellent book in this series

[Sandra Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet mail-order bride romance, with a likable couple. It is a very light, quick read, good if you don't have time for a longer novel. My main complaint is that the couple needed to communicate better. He was worried about providing for her, and she was worried that they had nothing in common -- but they didn't talk about it for a long time. This led to a lot of unnecessary angst.

This book includes lots of characters (many from another series). Because so many of the characters had their own stories in the Hot on the Trail series, I would recommend reading that series before starting this one, then reading this series in order. You can read this book without that, but you will miss out on many important details of all the characters' lives.

It also bothered me that the issue of a biracial marriage was kind of glossed over, as if it would have been easily accepted in that time period. I get that there would have been a few people who would have accepted it, but there would have been many more who would have been against it -- it is likely that Travis and Wendy (and their future children) would have faced severe racial discrimination, and possibly even violence. It is a terrible shame that our country has been guilty of such awful racial discrimination for so long, and still is today. This book should have addressed that shame, and not acted like it was a minor problem.

There was one other issue, and this is minor, but it is a pet peeve of mine – the cover of a book should match the description of the characters in the book. Travis is described as a white man with dark hair, but the cover clearly shows an African-American man. This may not be the author’s fault, but it still bugs me.

This is the spicy version of this book, according to the description, but I didn't think it was really that spicy. It contains love scenes between the married couple, and it is not especially explicit. But if you want to read books with NO love scenes at all -- only kisses -- then you should stick with the sweeter version of this book.

My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.

[Laverne Brewster · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars. I found this book and author while I was surfing for kindle ebooks on Amazon. I am a fan of historical romances and this period piece featuring a black heroine peaked my interest. The author's stories are set in Haskell, Wyoming, in 1875 and has an ethnically diverse set of characters where gender bias and racial discrimination are not tolerated. The Brides of Paradise Ranch tells the story of mail-order brides coming to Haskell to marry Franklin Haskell's ranch hands. Marriages are arranged through a collaboration between Franklin and his sister, Mrs Breashears, he supplies the brooms and homes and she supplies the brides who are chosen by her from a host of disenfranchised women in her shelter called Hurst Home located in Nashville. This is the story of the union of Travis Montrose and Wendy Weatherford. Wendy Weatherford, a seamstress and former slave, is sent to marry Cody Montrose who after seeing that Wendy is Black refuses to marry her. Travis, Cody's older brother, offers to marry her although; he is not looking to marry. He is unemployed and has no house because he is leaving Paradise Ranch and awaiting an employment contract for Bonnesville Ranch where he expects to earn more money and earn enough to by himself a ranch. The author does an excellent job giving the back stories of the protagonists moving the storyline in a manner that allows for the couples untimely meeting to develop into romantic love.

[Elissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the STEAMY version of the story so if you'd rather leave the doors and curtains closed, then just skip one chapter (you'll know when you get to it), BUT I must say this one is better written than many. Or get the SWEET version: [[ASIN:B01B73JSPQ Wendy: The Bewildering Bride (The Brides of Paradise Ranch - Sweet Version Book 3)]]. With that out of the way, we can get to this interesting portrayal of post Civil War attitudes as contrasted between the overpopulated east and underpopulated west with regard to both race and gender. (And, if you find the narrative compelling, be sure to listen to the author's afterword discussing same.)

So we have an excellent plot from author Merry Farmer with drama, tension, humor and romance which is beautifully narrated [AUDIO] with excellent characterizations by Caroline McLaughlin (you'll love Wendy's southern drawl!)--it all adds up to several hours of delicious entertainment!

Disclaimer: "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

[Naomi James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful read

I truly enjoyed Wendy and Travis‘s story! They were such a sweet and loving couple and so shy around each other it made me sigh inside. I loved how, in spite of their shyness and relational innocence, they were both certain of wanting to remain together.
I truly hope this author writes similar heartwarming stories with multicultural/interracial couples. She does this well.
If I had one suggestion for this author it would be to avoid describing the features of African-American female heroines as exotic in any way, shape, or form, as exotic implies different, unusual or somehow foreign. I choose to believe the author did not intend it this way.
Just some food for thought.
I intend to search out more titles by this author.

[Gayle Roberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong Love Needed

This was the first book I've read by Merry Farmer and I really enjoyed the book. When African American Wendy goes to Wyoming as a mail order bride her husband to be takes one look at her and refuses to go along with the marriage. Of course this is normal behavior in the 1870's, so his brother Travis steps in and marries Wendy. Can Travis and Wendy face the hatred that they face from many due to their interracial marriage especially when they admit their love to each other.

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tame little story about a mail order bride and his groom. She is left standing at the station when her groom, Cody, realizes that his proposed bride is black. He is not. But when he walks away his brother, Travis, steps in and marries Wendy instead. The story is about 2 people thrown together, Travis and Wendy, who face the issues of prejudice, as well as being married to someone with different expectations and backgrounds. An HEA enjoyed by all but I think the story is somewhat simplistic in the way the issue of prejudice was treated.

[AmazingJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Entertaining, Delightful & Romantic Story.

This Story was Absolutely Wonderful. It has some Racism, rude & disrespectful characters.

Although Cody was supposed to marry Wendy, but after seeing her he chooses to abandon her before they even have a chance to talk.
Good thing Travis (Cody's Brother) found Wendy to be not only exotic but beautiful.
As they struggle to figure out how to live as husband & wife, Wendy finds that a lot of people in Haskell aren't as bad as a few of them.

I am so looking forward to reading Mason Montrose's story next in this series

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lost me a bit with Wendy being so forgiving towards blatant racists and cowardly sisters/daughters of racists, but this was okay.

Nothing super spectacular and the chief event of the book is a sewing competition. I know they longed for entertainment during the time, but I struggle to see how that many people were fascinated by looking at sketches and watching women sew by hand. Regardless, Wendy and Travis were cute together.

[Jenark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Story

This is a wonderful story about prejudiced, love, and a strong female character. For the late 1800's an interracial marriage seems unlikely, but it was painted well in this novel.

Like book two of The Brides of Paradise Ranch novels, both the crude language and sexual interaction envelops were pushed.

[Tahshae Catching · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually give this book 4.5 stars. I enjoyed reading it and enjoyed the fact that you could never really relax when reading the novel. The lack of passion between Travis and Wendy was difficult for me. I wish they had more scene where they were intimate or show deeper interest. I felt that once they actually started to the book was coming to an end.

[Angela Harriman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely. I am thoroughly enjoying all these Bride stories. This one in particular is heartening. Travis is one honourable fellow. Dutiful and kindhearted. I really liked him. And Wendy is very determined and down-to-earth. She has that is-what-it-is attitude and make-do philosophy that I truly admire. Can't wait to see what pairing comes next.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light book with wonderful people triumphing over nasty ones. There is a small amount of detailed sex in the spicy version, which I enjoyed, but others might not, so keep that in mind. This series is about neighbors living in Haskell, Wyoming, and how they help each other and deal with the nasty few. I'm assuming that eventually they will all end up helping one another in some way.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow burn

I enjoyed this book. It was a nice slow burn. It took its time to develop the characters and build the romance as opposed to the h and H uniqueness for for a day and falling in love aka lust.

[Doreen Ewasiuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Travis and Wendy...

I loved the story of Travis and Wendy, and of course , Travis's little immature brother, Cody. When Wendy came off the train, Cody's reaction to her and how Travis-filled in the gap to save Wendy, and the reaction of the town's people towards her.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and this book!! When Travis steps in to marry his brother's bride Wendy you could feel the chemistry between them!! I could not put this book down once I started!! Read this book in one sitting!! Don't hesitate to enjoy this book and this series!!

[Lea & Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenging romance

Travis steps in to be the groom when his brother rejects his mail order bride. The challenges that are met deal with social issued relevant today. Story is beautifully written.

[rebecca gilblair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

This book was well worth reading over again. These characters teach a very valuable lesson. I hope you enjoy it as well.

[Tosin King · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh... Wendy went all the way across country to meet a husband that didn't know she was black, then had a fashion show, and finally lived happily ever after. I was so disappointed with this story.