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Chance at Love #1
The Convenient Mail Order Bride
When Phoebe Durbin answers a mail-order bride ad, she doesn't realize the groom-to-be didn't post it. Worse, the day she arrives at her destination, she learns he doesn't even want to get married. Having nowhere else to go, she convinces him to give her a chance to prove having a woman cook and clean for him will be the best thing that ever happened to him. Abe Thomas reluctantly agrees to take Phoebe in, though he doubts they will make a good match. They're much too different. While she sees the best in things, he knows the world is much darker than she can ever imagine. No woman in her right mind would be his convenient wife. He's sure when the stagecoach comes back to town, she'll be the first one on it. After all, two people so completely different can't make a good match, can they?
202 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 16, 2016
817 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Ann Nordin
172 books715 followersWhat's to say? I write a lot. I read often. I sleep little. Once in awhile, I've been known to clean the house. A number of kids live in my house and there's this guy they call dad and I call husband. All in all, it's a pretty good life. :-)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
August 16, 2017
I really enjoyed this read. The book was very laid back and low on drama. The relationship was a slow build but not so slow it was boring. The hero and the heroine were both really likable. The secondary characters were interesting and I want to learn more about them. The sex was tasteful and sweet. Both the H&H were virgins. It was nice to have a virgin hero. I did wish the hero, who was half native america/half white, didn't focused so much on the lying, stealing, cheating, evil white man. Although I could also see where he was coming from just maybe not talk about it every page. The only other thing I wish was that there would have been an epilogue. I will be reading more from this author!
December 23, 2017
I can see some people having issues with hero's constant "prejudice" and remarks about "most white people".
Being on receiving end of racist behaviour I actually didn't see why anyone should have a problem with it.
After all, not a single word he said was incorrect or was proven wrong.
Being on receiving end of racist behaviour I actually didn't see why anyone should have a problem with it.
After all, not a single word he said was incorrect or was proven wrong.
August 7, 2016
++Spoilers++
Nice!
I don't have a lot to say about this book, except it is a slower paced one compared to others by this author.
My only criticisms are:
It could use a little more conflict
I felt the end wrapped up a little too neatly.
I agree with another reviewer who said the mentioning of "white man" got to be too much
I wished there was more Native American culture/history involved.
The romance was a little lacking.. I just didn't "feel it" as much as her other books, but it was still good.
Safety:
Hero & Heroine-Both virgins
Cheating-No
OW/OM-No
Violence-mild
Sex-Yes- Nicely done and detailed (I think it was 2-3 times) nothing crazy
Rape-attempted-thwarted
Adultery-No
Cursing-No
HEA/ILY-Yes to both
Marriage-Yes
Baby-No
June 25, 2024
Beautiful book
This book is what I love about the mail order trop. It has everything you need in the story. A trouble hero that has hardened his heart from his past, a heroine that is trying to make the best of a situation that she is in. Throw in a West town, interesting side characters, and some drama and boom a good story!!
This book is what I love about the mail order trop. It has everything you need in the story. A trouble hero that has hardened his heart from his past, a heroine that is trying to make the best of a situation that she is in. Throw in a West town, interesting side characters, and some drama and boom a good story!!
November 7, 2025
Second Rating: 4.5 / 5
Take it all in all, and considering that I keep coming back to this series as my feel-good series, I think this story definitely deserves five stars. It’s simple, and sweet in a plain way, but that doesn’t make it any less special or enjoyable, for what it is. Ultimately, I think that this author is just in tune with my romantic, mushy, fluffy tastes, and for that I am thankful. Sometimes, all you need is just a good story with a good romance happening to good people, and, of course, a happy ending. That, for me, is more than enough.
Rating: 4.1 / 5
While this book was fine, personally I felt that it was too tame to really be "great". In part, maybe that's because of the length, and so the author had to mince her details in terms of really going in-depth into the characters, the town, the romance, and so on. Absolutely nothing bad happens and it's as fluffy as you please, but...still, there's nothing about it that stands out as a greatness factor. I've felt deeper for other romances, was excited by the love scenes in other books more, and basically seen everything that's done in this book done better elsewhere.
BUT, if ever one's looking for a tamer read that's sweet and nice, then this book's a good one to take a chance on. Definitely will check out the other books of this series as well, though again, nothing that particularly stands out yet. Definitely like it more than not though, so positive vibes all around.
Take it all in all, and considering that I keep coming back to this series as my feel-good series, I think this story definitely deserves five stars. It’s simple, and sweet in a plain way, but that doesn’t make it any less special or enjoyable, for what it is. Ultimately, I think that this author is just in tune with my romantic, mushy, fluffy tastes, and for that I am thankful. Sometimes, all you need is just a good story with a good romance happening to good people, and, of course, a happy ending. That, for me, is more than enough.
Rating: 4.1 / 5
While this book was fine, personally I felt that it was too tame to really be "great". In part, maybe that's because of the length, and so the author had to mince her details in terms of really going in-depth into the characters, the town, the romance, and so on. Absolutely nothing bad happens and it's as fluffy as you please, but...still, there's nothing about it that stands out as a greatness factor. I've felt deeper for other romances, was excited by the love scenes in other books more, and basically seen everything that's done in this book done better elsewhere.
BUT, if ever one's looking for a tamer read that's sweet and nice, then this book's a good one to take a chance on. Definitely will check out the other books of this series as well, though again, nothing that particularly stands out yet. Definitely like it more than not though, so positive vibes all around.
April 7, 2021
I am really, really surprised by how highly this book is rated on Goodreads, because I just don't get it.
I think it's probably pretty important to do some minimal research before writing a historical romance, but I don't feel like this author did any. This may come across as pedantic, but if one sets a story in a place, I feel like one should know if the place is a territory or a state. This book, as the reader is informed on the very first page, takes place in 1878, and yet the author keeps calling it "Colorado Territory." I live in Colorado, and it's called the Centennial State for a reason - it became a state in 1876.
The writing itself is stilted and conveys little emotion. I never got why the two leads were spouting "I love you"s at the end of the book, because there was pretty much no chemistry between them. The heroine just decided, yep, this is the one, no questions asked, and she stuck to him like a sand burr after that. The hero seemed rather reluctant to develop feelings for the heroine, but eventually he gave in for some unknown reason.
I kind of get what the author was doing with the racism thing. Abe (the hero) was half-Cherokee, half-white, and he was raised by his Cherokee mother and Cherokee uncle. (His white father, although in the periphery, didn't really seem to have much, if anything, to do with his son.) The hero, after facing a lifetime of prejudice and bigotry at the hands of the townfolk, had developed some prejudices of his own. I feel like the author, by making the hero say derogatory things about white people, was trying to point out to her readers that racism sucks and maybe they should examine their own prejudices. At least, that is what I am hoping she was trying to do. But it comes off as racist in its own right, too, because she tries to make Abe into the mythical Native American, the environmentalist whose people never waste anything. Native Americans, including the Cherokee, had a much more complex relationship with the land than the author is giving them credit for here with this blanket statement.
There were a hell of a lot of questions in here with no answers, and I didn't like it.
If the author never uses the word "missive" again, I'll cheer. Seriously, just use "letter" or "note" or something other than "missive" every other sentence. Variety is the spice of life!
I don't care enough about this series to continue it. I like my romance with some chemistry. ;)
I think it's probably pretty important to do some minimal research before writing a historical romance, but I don't feel like this author did any. This may come across as pedantic, but if one sets a story in a place, I feel like one should know if the place is a territory or a state. This book, as the reader is informed on the very first page, takes place in 1878, and yet the author keeps calling it "Colorado Territory." I live in Colorado, and it's called the Centennial State for a reason - it became a state in 1876.
The writing itself is stilted and conveys little emotion. I never got why the two leads were spouting "I love you"s at the end of the book, because there was pretty much no chemistry between them. The heroine just decided, yep, this is the one, no questions asked, and she stuck to him like a sand burr after that. The hero seemed rather reluctant to develop feelings for the heroine, but eventually he gave in for some unknown reason.
I kind of get what the author was doing with the racism thing. Abe (the hero) was half-Cherokee, half-white, and he was raised by his Cherokee mother and Cherokee uncle. (His white father, although in the periphery, didn't really seem to have much, if anything, to do with his son.) The hero, after facing a lifetime of prejudice and bigotry at the hands of the townfolk, had developed some prejudices of his own. I feel like the author, by making the hero say derogatory things about white people, was trying to point out to her readers that racism sucks and maybe they should examine their own prejudices. At least, that is what I am hoping she was trying to do. But it comes off as racist in its own right, too, because she tries to make Abe into the mythical Native American, the environmentalist whose people never waste anything. Native Americans, including the Cherokee, had a much more complex relationship with the land than the author is giving them credit for here with this blanket statement.
There were a hell of a lot of questions in here with no answers, and I didn't like it.
If the author never uses the word "missive" again, I'll cheer. Seriously, just use "letter" or "note" or something other than "missive" every other sentence. Variety is the spice of life!
I don't care enough about this series to continue it. I like my romance with some chemistry. ;)
January 24, 2025
A very sweet Western romance story. Not a clean romance, yet not overly steamy either.
The heroine was extremely likable, not afraid to go for what she wanted and prove to her husband that she was cut out for frontier living, and she also didn't shy away from her growing feelings for her new husband.
The hero... a very tortured fellow that was half-Cherokee and half-white. He complained about "white man" quite a bit. And I get it, that's why I tend to avoid HR that involve Native Americans because I find that bit of history unsettling, unjust and depressing in how they were treated by the invading white man.
I found this book on a GR friends "grumpy-grump" list (and I am glad that I did) but I would not necessarily say he was grumpy. He was ever so polite to the heroine and her mother, maybe a little distant, but never rude. He was just always determined to send the heroine back to Ohio because he didn't want her to deal with the prejudices that he dealt with daily, but he was never rude about it.
The heroine was extremely likable, not afraid to go for what she wanted and prove to her husband that she was cut out for frontier living, and she also didn't shy away from her growing feelings for her new husband.
The hero... a very tortured fellow that was half-Cherokee and half-white. He complained about "white man" quite a bit. And I get it, that's why I tend to avoid HR that involve Native Americans because I find that bit of history unsettling, unjust and depressing in how they were treated by the invading white man.
I found this book on a GR friends "grumpy-grump" list (and I am glad that I did) but I would not necessarily say he was grumpy. He was ever so polite to the heroine and her mother, maybe a little distant, but never rude. He was just always determined to send the heroine back to Ohio because he didn't want her to deal with the prejudices that he dealt with daily, but he was never rude about it.
August 1, 2020
3 stars. This was just ok, I didn’t really feel the connection between the couple. I disliked that the heroine had to do so much to convince the hero to let her stay. The hero just irritated me for a good portion of this story, and the I love you’s came seemingly out of nowhere.
Safe, attempted rape of heroine. Hero’s mom was raped in past & hero’s uncle murdered (all off page). Super low angst.
Safe, attempted rape of heroine. Hero’s mom was raped in past & hero’s uncle murdered (all off page). Super low angst.
February 22, 2025
This was good, but felt like it was missing something. 🤔 I enjoyed the writing style and the characters. 3.5 ⭐
April 2, 2017
What a delightful little gem this book was. Phoebe is from Cincinnati, Ohio where she was living with her mother and bother. When his wife becomes pregnant with their third child it has become impossible for her and her mother to stay there. The title tells you what comes next. She answers an ad for a mail order bride. The letter that comes back is encouraging and so for all intent and purposes it appears Abe Thomas will be her future husband.
Abe is a gentle man that has had to fight for everything he has. He is part Cheyenne and a bastard son to boot but the relationship between him and Phoebe is the one unexpected blessing he didn't have to fight so hard for. While there are town people that hate his heritage and try to harm Phoebe and her mother the bond between the two grows stronger. I really liked how close she made her couple. They were both new to a relationship of any kind and both fall hard. If your looking for a sweet couple without the man whore or a lot of angst you'll enjoy this one. There are some love scenes so it is not clean but it is not full of pages of graphic scenes either. Enjoy!
Abe is a gentle man that has had to fight for everything he has. He is part Cheyenne and a bastard son to boot but the relationship between him and Phoebe is the one unexpected blessing he didn't have to fight so hard for. While there are town people that hate his heritage and try to harm Phoebe and her mother the bond between the two grows stronger. I really liked how close she made her couple. They were both new to a relationship of any kind and both fall hard. If your looking for a sweet couple without the man whore or a lot of angst you'll enjoy this one. There are some love scenes so it is not clean but it is not full of pages of graphic scenes either. Enjoy!
May 31, 2024
Kobo+ Mad About Series Challenge 2024 HRBC. #1 Mail Order Bride Series set in the American West in Colorado. MC's h Phoebe from Pennsylvania along with her mother, mail order bride. H Abe a half-breed Cherokee/white rancher (not looking for a bride just yet).
The writing is a bit simplistic. The stories remind me of Western's written in the 1960's. Rating 3 stars.
Review I Liked:Historical Western American romance with a mixed race orphaned young man finding a wife that was picked out by his bitter half brother.
Phoebe Durbin needs to find her own home so she finds a husband that would also take in her beloved mother, so she picks Abe Thomas in the far away West and leaves her wonderful older brother to start a new life (well, with her mother so she isn't totally alone in this adventure).
There are racists and hateful people in the new small town, but there are good people too like the sheriff. Phoebe has to prove herself as a good wife, while Abe shows how he is a very good man that was born out of bad circumstances. I couldn't quite get how Abe was setting his people traps with bits of metal, but otherwise everything in the story made sense.
The writing is a bit simplistic. The stories remind me of Western's written in the 1960's. Rating 3 stars.
Review I Liked:Historical Western American romance with a mixed race orphaned young man finding a wife that was picked out by his bitter half brother.
Phoebe Durbin needs to find her own home so she finds a husband that would also take in her beloved mother, so she picks Abe Thomas in the far away West and leaves her wonderful older brother to start a new life (well, with her mother so she isn't totally alone in this adventure).
There are racists and hateful people in the new small town, but there are good people too like the sheriff. Phoebe has to prove herself as a good wife, while Abe shows how he is a very good man that was born out of bad circumstances. I couldn't quite get how Abe was setting his people traps with bits of metal, but otherwise everything in the story made sense.
April 8, 2017
So, So Trite
A paper-thin, trite plot. Modern language inappropriate to the time period and characters. Poorly edited. The main characters who are in almost every scene, yet one is only EVER referred to as "her mother". Do a word search on "Mrs. Durbin" or "Vivian Durbin" and you will get zero hits. And if I never see the word missive so abused and overused in a story again, it will be to soon. The author clearly does not know the definition of the word, yet thinks its use makes up for the inappropriate narrative and dialog. Do not waste your time with this one.
A paper-thin, trite plot. Modern language inappropriate to the time period and characters. Poorly edited. The main characters who are in almost every scene, yet one is only EVER referred to as "her mother". Do a word search on "Mrs. Durbin" or "Vivian Durbin" and you will get zero hits. And if I never see the word missive so abused and overused in a story again, it will be to soon. The author clearly does not know the definition of the word, yet thinks its use makes up for the inappropriate narrative and dialog. Do not waste your time with this one.
July 16, 2020
It had all the right ingredients, handsome, kind part Indian H, and a nice young girl and her mother wanting a home of their own, and willing to do what's needed to get it. But there was so much telling, a lot of tropes and to me there was not passion in the story or the writing. There's nothing really wrong with it, but I really didn't enjoy it and forced myself to finish.
July 5, 2017
Reasonably error free. Implausible plot of one person sending for (and paying for) a mail order bride for the hero. Tiresome repetition on the part of the hero complaining of ill treatment by whites. No depth to the characters.
April 9, 2022
such a delightful and heartwarming story that has dual virgins and no cheating! Can’t wait to read more from this author❤️
January 29, 2019
Sweet and simple story low on drama.
dnf
September 11, 2023As much as I love the mail order bride plot, I can not finish The Convenient Mail Order Bride. The lack of description of the characters and setting, the grammar of the narrative, and the cultural inaccuracy (white women from Ohio in 1870’s having no pause at all at the thought of interracial marriage and no knowledge or fear re stereotypes associated with native Americans) are all red flags.
For similar story lines (sans the interracial marriage) that are exceptionally well written, I recommend The McBrides of Montana series by Amy Barry, starting with Kit McBride Gets a Wife.
For similar story lines (sans the interracial marriage) that are exceptionally well written, I recommend The McBrides of Montana series by Amy Barry, starting with Kit McBride Gets a Wife.
December 11, 2023
Taking on hard challenges to succeed
When Abe is setup with an unexpected mail-order bride and her mother, it is the last thing he expected or hoped for. As a "half-breed" and a "bastard"his life had always been a hard one with prejudice and hate from many around him. Could any woman live and love under such hard challenges? It was impressive watching him find out.
When Abe is setup with an unexpected mail-order bride and her mother, it is the last thing he expected or hoped for. As a "half-breed" and a "bastard"his life had always been a hard one with prejudice and hate from many around him. Could any woman live and love under such hard challenges? It was impressive watching him find out.
March 31, 2019
Físicamente, parecía tener la redacción y desenlace esperado pero luego se vuelve algo tedioso al tratar de buscarle un verdadero conflicto al asunto. Tenía unos excelentes nudos a los cuales enganchar sin resultar tan aburrida al final con tanta repetición de actividades de la protagonista.
Phoebe es un personaje rescatable entre tanta abundancia de sandeces y acciones innecesarias, me gustó su espíritu de no darse por vencida. Prácticamente, desde qué conoce a Abe tiene que mostrar su valía ante sí misma y el hombre con el que se casará. Algo distinguido es la relación con su madre, tan dócil y estable que esperaba que fuera tan cruel como casi todas las madres que se rigen por la codicia y la avaricia. Excelente manera de profundizar y completar a ésta protagonista.
En conclusión, sentí que solo fue relleno tras relleno de cotidianidad que se interpuso en medio de una historia que lo tenía todo para capturar con pocos elementos.
Phoebe es un personaje rescatable entre tanta abundancia de sandeces y acciones innecesarias, me gustó su espíritu de no darse por vencida. Prácticamente, desde qué conoce a Abe tiene que mostrar su valía ante sí misma y el hombre con el que se casará. Algo distinguido es la relación con su madre, tan dócil y estable que esperaba que fuera tan cruel como casi todas las madres que se rigen por la codicia y la avaricia. Excelente manera de profundizar y completar a ésta protagonista.
En conclusión, sentí que solo fue relleno tras relleno de cotidianidad que se interpuso en medio de una historia que lo tenía todo para capturar con pocos elementos.
September 5, 2016
This was a terrific start to a new series by Ruth Nordin. I liked Phoebe's grit, she's one determined girl. I also enjoyed her optimistic attitude. Abe carries around a lot of hurt. His life has been anything but easy. The story kept me turning pages and left me with a smile. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Adult read
Adult read
October 13, 2017
Enjoyable western romance.
Every mail-order bride faces an uncertain future by the nature of agreeing to marry a stranger. Phoebe has a choice, stay or return to poverty. She makes the tough choices, understanding she must learn to adapt to western living. Ruth Ann Nordin has created a spirited Colorado community; she promises more stories, and mail-order brides.
Every mail-order bride faces an uncertain future by the nature of agreeing to marry a stranger. Phoebe has a choice, stay or return to poverty. She makes the tough choices, understanding she must learn to adapt to western living. Ruth Ann Nordin has created a spirited Colorado community; she promises more stories, and mail-order brides.
January 11, 2017
Interesting plot &characters
Enjoyed the storyline . Would have preferred less graphic sex and more story.
It would also read better if the author used the past perfect tense when the action has been completed. And the last thing is that all right is 2 words.
Enjoyed the storyline . Would have preferred less graphic sex and more story.
It would also read better if the author used the past perfect tense when the action has been completed. And the last thing is that all right is 2 words.
January 17, 2017
I was into the book but
Two virgins going at it like rabbits, unrealistic for that time. From never been kissed to sex wasn't necessary. Not that I don't like sex in a book but graphic wasn't what was expected. Ending just left you . This wasn't a dramatic movie.
Two virgins going at it like rabbits, unrealistic for that time. From never been kissed to sex wasn't necessary. Not that I don't like sex in a book but graphic wasn't what was expected. Ending just left you . This wasn't a dramatic movie.
March 23, 2017
Short sweet read. Not too much conflict. Loved the heroine's mother. Main characters were good. But hero's enmity with his half brother was tiresome & was not resolved till the end. Otherwise overall okay read for one time.
December 30, 2021
DNF
After many years of not having read anything by this author I decided to give her another go….now I remember why I stopped.
The dialogue seems a little too modern and the female lead thinks she’s too pretty. 😒
Thankfully I paid zero pennies for this book.
After many years of not having read anything by this author I decided to give her another go….now I remember why I stopped.
The dialogue seems a little too modern and the female lead thinks she’s too pretty. 😒
Thankfully I paid zero pennies for this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2017
Great book
I really could not put this book down. I can't wait to read the next in the series. Life has a way of giving what you need even if it isn't what you thought you needed.
I really could not put this book down. I can't wait to read the next in the series. Life has a way of giving what you need even if it isn't what you thought you needed.
March 26, 2017
2.5 stars. Not horrible. Not blown away. Quick read. No real chemistry between the characters.
Want to read
December 8, 2017💝 FREE on Amazon today (12/08/2017)! 💝
Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews