The Replacement Bride

Hope's Crossing #2

by Cynthia Woolf

Jesse Donovan spent the last four years chasing gold, hoping to convince his New York fiancee to join him. He's now rich, successful, and eager for his wife-to-be to make the trip out west. But now that it's time to travel to Hope's Crossing and marry Jesse, the New York socialite sends him a letter informing him of her intention to marry another. Heartbroken and lonely, Jesse contacts Matchmaker & Co. for a mail order bride.

Clarissa "Clare" Griggs is the eldest daughter of a poor farmer who is barely surviving off the land. At twenty-three, she is an old maid and a burden on her family. Clare knows what love looks like, and she wants a family of her own. Volunteering as a mail order bride seems to be the perfect answer to her dilemma. Her family will be better off, and she can find her own love story, happiness and finally become a mother.

But Hope's Crossing isn't the ideal location that Jesse or Clare dreamed. A bitter rival is trying to kill Jesse and take his mine. Jesse's broken heart won't allow him to love Clare the way she needs, and Clare refuses to live with a man who doesn't love her. When the enemy threatens Clare's life, Jesse realizes Clare has become a part of him, a vital piece of his heart and soul -- but is he too late?

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Mail Order Brides, Western Historical Romance, Historical, Westerns, Western Romance

279 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2016

About the author

Cynthia Woolf is the USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author of eighty-five works of romance fiction. Comprising sixty-six historical western romances, ten contemporary romance novels, two contemporary romance novellas, one historical western romance novella, and six sci-fi space opera romances, which she calls westerns in space. Along with these books, she has also published twelve boxed sets of her books and two short stories.

Cynthia loves writing and reading romance. Her first western romance, Tame A Wild Heart, was inspired by the story her mother told her of meeting Cynthia's father on a ranch in Creede, Colorado. Although Tame A Wild Heart takes place in Creede, that is the only similarity between the stories. Her father was a cowboy, not a bounty hunter, and her mother was a nursemaid (called a nanny now), not the ranch owner.

Cynthia credits her wonderfully supportive husband, Jim, and her great critique partners for saving her sanity and allowing her to explore her creativity.



WEBSITE – http://cynthiawoolf.com

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TITLES AVAILABLE (English unless otherwise stated)

COLORADO BILLIONAIRES (sweet contemporary novels)
THE CEO
THE RANCHER
THE MAVERICK
THE TYCOON
THE ARTIST (coming soon)
THE QUARTERBACK (coming soon)


MONTANA BILLIONAIRES SERIES (contemporary sweet western novels)
Her Secret Cowboy Billionaire (Available in German)
Her Mysterious Cowboy Billionaire (Available in German)
Her Royal Cowboy Billionaire (Available in German)
Her Christmas Cowboy Billionaire (Available in German)
Her Bachelor Cowboy Billionaire (Available in German)
Her Wild Cowboy Billionaire (Available in German)
Her Elusive Cowboy Billionaire
Her Disguised Cowboy Billionaire


CHRISTMAS AT THE MISTLETOE INN (contemporary novella)
Cooking Up Christmas


THE BRIDES OF THE KLONDIKE
The Gold Rush Bride (Available in German)
The Gold Mountain Bride


THE PRESCOTT BRIDES (Available in German)
A Bride for Ross
A Bride for Frank
A Bride for Tucker
A Bride for Clay
A Bride for Brodie



THE HEART WISH MAIL-ORDER BRIDES SERIES
Heart of Stone
Heart of Shadow


MARSHALS MAIL ORDER BRIDES
The Carson City Bride (Available in German)
The Virginia City Bride (Available in German)
The Silver City Bride
The Eureka City Bride


ANGEL CREEK CHRISTMAS BRIDES
Adele


BRIDES OF GOLDEN CITY
A Husband for Victoria
A Husband for Cordelia
A Husband for Adeline


BRIDES OF THE OREGON TRAIL (Available in German)
Hannah
Lydia
Bella
Eliza
Rebecca
Charlotte
Amanda
Emma Rose
Nora
Opal


BACHELORS & BABIES
Carter (Book 3)


BRIDES OF SEATTLE (Available in German)
Mail Order Mystery
Mail Order Mayhem
Mail Order Mix-Up
Mail Order Moonlight
Mail Order Melody


CENTRAL CITY BRIDES (Available in German)
The Dancing Bride
The Sapphire Bride
The Irish Bride
The Pretender Bride


HOMESTEAD CANYON SERIES
Thorpe’s Mail-Order Bride
Kissed by a Stranger
A Family for Christmas


HOPE’S CROSSING
The Hunter Bride
The Replacement Bride
The Stolen Bride
The Unexpected Bride


AMERICAN MAIL-ORDER BRIDES
Genevieve, Bride of Nevada


THE SURPRISE BRIDES
Gideon


THE BRIDES OF SAN FRANCISCO
Nellie (Available in German)
Annie (Available in German)
Cora (Available in German)
Sophia (Available in German)
Amelia (Available in German)
Violet


THE BRIDES OF TOMBSTONE (Available in German)
Mail Order Outlaw
Mail Order Doctor
Mail Order Baron


DESTINY IN DEADWOOD (Available in German)
Jake
Liam
Zach


MATCHMAK

Reviews

[Jessica's Totally Over The Top Book Obsession · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Replacement stars



The Replacement Bride the 2nd book in the Hope's Crossing series was very good. I enjoyed it more then I did the first book. Cynthia Woolf is one of my favorite Mail order bride authors. Her books always put a smile on my face. I liked both Jesse and Clare. I felt they both had a great connection. I liked that Clare had sass. I will say that This book did feel a little rushed and I don't know why. It was 278 pages but it flew by. I really liked getting to see where the couple from book one Sam and Jo are now and how things are going with them. I loved the ending. It was such a sweet epilogue, but would expect no less from Cynthia Woolf. She always delivers big with her HEA. This was a great read and I can't wait to read the next book Alex and Bella's story.



http://jessicasoverthetopbookobsessio...

[Cheesecake · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into this one. It was repetitive and the characters were pretty flat. The author tries to make up for lack of character development with crazed psychos plaguing them. But it made no sense why some people were helping the nutbars.
Then the H has a wobble about his lack of trust since his last fiancee dumped him. That didn't really make sense either as by then the h had more than proved herself. And he showed no reticence in marrying her in the first half of the story.
Mostly I wasn't engaged with the story and kept setting it down in favour of puzzles on my phone.
Safety is good. she's a virgin. He's not. But no details. He was engaged to Rebecca for several years before she dumped him over a letter.

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was giving a ARC for a honest review.
'The Replacement Bride' by Cynthia Woolf. This is book two in the Hope's Crossing Book Series.
This is really a sweet, easy and great book to read!
Clare Griggs has had a tough like growing up on a poor farm. Clare knows at twenty-three she is a "old maid" and is just adding to her families burdens. So she decides to become a Mail Order Bride. This leads her to meet Jesse Donovan who has been working to become rich and be able to get his New York fiancee to come to live with him as his wife. But he finds that she is marrying someone else. With no hope of getting her back Jesse decides to get a Mail Order Bride. Jesse knows that he won't be able to love her like he did his fiancee but feels Clare will do good as his wife.

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[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cheesy at times.
The synopsis didn't fully jive with the book- it should be reworked.
Jesse was all about one thing on his mind- and defensive and irritating when it came to things about his ex, or admitting he had feelings for his current bride. Sometimes he reminded me of childish behavior.
Dangerous parts concluded too fast.

I did like the small twist of an accident with Clare, and how Jesse was with her.
I liked how Clare cared for Jesse after knife incident.

[Melinda Brasher · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Replacement Bride takes advantage of the strangely appealing mail-order-bride premise. I enjoyed the glimpse of life in the Montana territory in the late 19th century. The pacing is good and kept me reading.

The numerous instances of incorrect or awkward punctuation are bothersome, as are other typos. A few places the narrative slips out of tense for no reason.

My main issue comes from various plot or character implausibilities. Some of these are minor—things like the scout for the mail order bride company coming all the way to Montana to vet Jesse and then spending literally two minutes with him. Or Clare and Jo engaging in unrealistically light and pleasant conversation after Clare declares, "I can't stay. Jesse's been wounded and I don't want to leave him for long." Or the bad guys revealing information that only really stupid criminals would reveal. In isolation, these wouldn't be a big problem, but there are quite a few.

SPOILER ALERT.

The most problematic is Jesse's dramatic and seemingly random change in attitude near the end. Rebecca Jane, his fiancée, drops him via letter in the very beginning of the book. He seems disappointed, angry, hurt, and his trust is shaken, but nothing about his actions or thoughts or the writing make it feel like he's really heartbroken. After all, he hasn't seen his fiancée in a while, and seems quite aware of her faults. He promptly orders a mail-order bride, and though there are a few lines like "Love isn't real" and with a mail-order bride, he "wouldn't have to worry about love," it doesn't really feel like he's devastated enough to really swear off love. It just feels like what an angry man might say. When Clare arrives, he tries to make her feel at home, does all sorts of nice things for her, constantly wants to take her to bed, speaks of the many children they'll have, and cares for her very tenderly when she has a serious health problem. Clare once tells Jesse that what hurt him the most about Rebecca Jane was that she didn't keep her word. Jesse agrees. Somewhere I think he tells Clare that he must not have really loved Rebecca Jane, because he didn't feel that sad after she broke it off. Perhaps that is a lie, but it's very believable to the reader. So then, suddenly, for no apparent reason, Jesse's like "I'll never love again. Rebecca Jane destroyed me. Clare will just leave—that's what women do. So I'll ignore her and drive her away." It seems out of character and contrived, just to add more drama. Maybe I really misread Jesse, but I think the heartbreak needs to be clearer from the beginning to make the last quarter of the book believable.

END SPOILER

The romance is nice, and I enjoyed the historical details and the general feel-goodness of the novel.

Warning: somewhat explicit sexual situations

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

[JoRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this story from the author in exchange for an honest review

Heat level: 2

Jesse had everything ready to finally settle down and start a family with his fiancée, unfortunately she had other plans and refused him at the last moment. He's so hurt after that rejection he decides never to fall in love again but still wants to start a family so he contacts a mail bride agency and asks for a new bride. He gets lovely and sweet Clare. She’s more beautiful than he thought possible (and even though he develops feeling for her) he simply tells her she will always be taken care of but he will never love her. Clare of course falls in love with caring, loving Jesse but after a while she's not sure she wants to stay, specially since she's never got over the fact that she was just a replacement.
As usual, the author painted a very vivid and colorful setting, never missing a detail. Also, the mix of mystery complemented the story nicely. The only thing is that I’d have liked the main characters and their relationship with a bit more depth as I felt we only brushed the surface and we missed a lot of emotional dwelling for the sake of plot. All in all a good and entertaining story.

[Dee/ bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This review does contain spoilers!


The bottom line plot/story was not bad. There were several twists and turns I did not see coming. My main gripe about this book is Jesse. He doesn't want any of the local girls because of his fiancee in New York, but when she dumps him he decides on a mail order bride. Once she arrives they go straight to the JOP. Then he wants to hurry home. He gets upset that she wants to get to know each other before that. Gives her two days. He ends up getting hurt and they have a fight which is never resolved and basically Clare is labeled a replacement. A few days later they consummate their marriage. It just seemed to skip a bunch. From one paragraph to the next she goes from felling hurt and second class to being fine with everything.
Then later Jesse spends weeks taking care of her and once she gets better decides she is destine to leave and avoids her?

I really didn't feel like either were mature enough to be in a relationship, let alone marriage and if you are really not sure about the marriage, why not write to get to know each other first? What if it doesn't work after you tie the not??

[Kathy Heare Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I THOUGHT YOU’D NEVER ASK

Another wonderful story in the Hope’s Crossing series with its mystery, suspense, and angst. Jesse Donovan spent years making his fortune to be jilted by his New York fiancé who decided she couldn’t give up the city life. He needs a wife to play hostess, so sends off to Matchmaker & Co. for his mail-order bride. Clare Griggs has grown up poor, treated like a disappointment because she was born a girl, becoming a mail-order bride is a chance for a future. Can she have a chance for happiness and her own family with Jesse or will his bitterness over Rebecca drive a wedge between them and their happiness?

The plot kept the pages turning with the mystery and suspense at the mine with accidents; throw in injures kidnap and murder attempts. There is a great cast of characters, plenty of angst, poor communications, hurt feelings, and stubbornness. It was great seeing people from the first story and meet new people. The dialog is entertaining and even some heartbreaking moments. Disclosure: I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions, and ratings are my own.

[Sanderella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good mail order bride book :)

[Candy Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesse Donovan has been planning to bring his fiancé out to Montana and she changes her mind and even sends him a clipping to a matchmaker. Jesse writes to the agency, their investigator comes out, and soon Clare Griggs is on her way. She grew up on a farm and her father resented the fact that she was a girl and not the boy he wanted. When she arrived, Jesse took her to the judge to be married and then off to his home. He had gone looking for gold and was one of the few who struck it rich. He had built a house and wanted everything to be perfect for Rebecca, now for Clare.
There is a lot going on kidnapping, blowing up the mine, and hurting people. The author did a great job of keeping the story going but still keeping it interesting. The characters are fun and marvelous. They seem to care about each other even if they don't admit to it. I really enjoyed the banter and the effort to help each other.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

[Prac Agrl · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author's book follow a formula
The H is either jilted in love or is a widower or doesn't want to love the h but then in then end he does.
But the storylines and characters are very flat, the H and h usually say something else and do something else there is no connection to their actions and reactions.
The H is rude at times and throws ex's name to her face but in the next instant everything is forgotten and it feels weird.
The h seems needy but then they start dictating things n stuff, assumes a lot and expects everything too soon and it all feels kind of idiotic.

[CI · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stilted conversations, little plot

Clare was constantly whining because Jesse showed her he loved her but wouldn't say the words (it is the 1890's, I don't think the men in those days were that in touch with their feelings). Very stilted conversations between all the characters. Kept switching between third paerson narration (Clare went outside....) to first person narration (I was feeling so scared....) in the middle of a paragraph.

[Earlene Click · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesse and Clare

This is an exciting and adventure filled mail order bride love story. Jesse is a wealthy mine owner and has been hurt deeply by a previous fiancé. He believes he is not a good enough man to be completely loved and be faithful to. Clare is the eldest daughter of an Irish farmer and looked down upon for not being born a male. You will enjoy discovering how they find their happily ever after.

[Diane Horne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Replacement Bride (Book 2) By Cynthia Woolf

Five stars, good old fashioned cowboy romance..Jesse and Claire force ahead in trying to make a stable relationship..Touch of drama little sensually..All and all a cute book

[Patricia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a DNF. Not well written. Not squeaky clean.

[Phyllis H. Pajka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was very good. I really enjoyed it and I think you would also if you choose to get it. It's worth the read.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It ticked a lot of my reading boxes:
□ historical fiction
□ mail order bride
□ wild west
□ interesting characters
□ romance

[relaxolibro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mi aspettavo una storia con più angst. Delusione.

[Elaine Silverstrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

She follows the same plot theme in every book. But for sheer escapism that's Xi e.

[ranell murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Series!

I have read several Cynthia Woolf’s books and I can’t get enough of them. So far I have read three series and I want more. Love love love them.

[Brookelynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Marjorie Blum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review

This author really brings a taste of another time! It's like living in the old west! Just love her stories!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. I really enjoyed it

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in Cynthia Woolf’s mail order bride western series. Since I am a romantic western fan, I am very happy that Cynthis Woolf continues to write in this genre. I enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it to all romantic western fans and anyone else who like nice clean romances.

Jesse Donovan is a miner “who struck the big one” and he is rich. He had gone to New York for awhile where he met Rebecca Jane Flynn and fell in love with her. He asked her to marry him and move to Hope’s Crossing in the Montana Territory. He went back to Hope’s Crossing and planned for her arrival so they could get married.

Unfortunately, Rebecca decides to stay in New York because she doesn’t want to move to “the middle of nowhere.” So, instead, she decides to marry someone else and stay in New York. She suggests to Jessie that he get a mail order bride.

Jesse is angry but he still wants a wife and a family even though he no longer believes in love. Therefore he decides to follow Rebecca’s suggestion especially since his friend, Sheriff Sam Longworth, had gotten a mail order bride who is, obviously, very happy. (His story is in the first book).

Clarissa “Clare” Griggs lives on a farm and is the oldest of five. She responds to Jesse’s letter and leaves for Hope’s Crossing. Unfortunately, when she arrives, Jesse labels her the “replacement bride.

This book is the story of Clare and Jesse and their adjustment to married life. It is a difficult adjustment for this naïve farm girl and a rich man who expects her to sleep with him and take care of his house but refuses to love her.

I love Clare because even though she is only 24, she is a very strong woman who doesn’t’ mind leaving her family and traveling alone across strange territory to marry an unknown man. She also knows how to take charge she doesn’t allow anyone, including her new husband, control her life. I love she asks Jesse to hire a cook and a housekeeper because she hates cooking and doesn’t have time for cleaning if she has to be his hostess. She, also, refuses to have sex with him until they know each other better. Clare has opinions, speaks her mind, and is unafraid to live in this territory “in the middle of nowhere.”

I also, love Jesse. He is kind and caring with his new wife even though he does not know who she is. He allows her to speak her mind and often listens to her suggestions. However, Jesse also has some bad qualities. He, thoughtlessly, calls Clare a “replacement bride even though it hurts her. He is, also, very stubborn. Even though it is obvious that he loves Clare, he refuses to admit to her or, even, to himself.

I very much enjoyed reading about the relationship between Clare and Jesse. There were funny moments, sad moments and even some suspenseful moments. There is, also, a secondary plot that revolves around the mine and one of Jesse’s employees. He was fired for coming to work drunk and wants revenge. However, there are several surprise incidents that made this book exciting to read.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the plot in the story Jesse has it all a lovely women back home waiting to come marry him as soon as he make his millions. He made his money built her a beautiful home that anyone would envy and now he send home for her to come. She mails back she thinks she just wants to stay where she is and marry someone else. He is heartbroken he worked so hard to give the women he loved everything she could ever want. Now what does he do…he thinks and then decides he will get one of those mail order brides like the sheriff did. Yep that is what he needs a replacement bride. Clare has never been good enough or wanted and is in the way she decides she will become a mail order bride. She is matched up with Jesse they write and decide to marry. The day they meet they get married….at this point you have to put yourself into her shoes. New to town, not knowing anyone and married the same day shortly after that she finds out she is a replacement bride. Again she isn’t good enough! This is where the story takes off them dancing around the issues, feelings get hurt and love grows…..

I would have loved to had slapped Jesse a times or two his manners isn’t very good when he doesn’t think about what he words will do to her feelings. Like most men he doesn’t have a clue. Love has done him wrong he doesn’t need it just give him a warm body and he will be happy. He really is a nice man just a little misguided.

My heart really went out of Clare giving up all she has known, coming to a new place, not knowing anyone and trying to build a home knowing she is a replacement for his true love. You would think from this point the only way is up but there is danger all around someone wants Jesse dead, maybe even is her.

The author spins a tale of heartbreak, sorrow, pain, lose, love and starting over as you fight for what you want. She keeps the pot stirring with danger and a little mystery. This was really a story I got into and couldn’t put the book down. She gives a wonderful plot you will never guess what is going to happen until it happens. You will never guess who is behind all this. I do hope you try…..Ms. Woolf gives you a well written story with an outstanding plot which keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. She gives you a town you will fall in love with, it might be small but the people are amazing. You have wonderful characters you can relate to. With wonderful scenes you can picture in your mind as the story unfolds. You will cheer for a few and others well you won’t be too happy with.

If you are looking for a sweet delightful read of the west when men were made tough but love gentle than this is the story for you. I recommend picking up The Replacement Bride or any of her books you will fall in love with her writing style as she brings the west back to life. I am so looking forward to reading the rest of this series and plan to go back to read book one in it soon.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope’s Crossing is a series that Cynthia Woolf began with The Hunter Bride and continues with this second book, The Replacement Bride. In each of these books, set in the Western States, the men find women scarce and opt for a mail order bride.
In a previous review of The Hunter Bride, I wrote of Sam Longworth a sheriff who ordered a bride and wasn’t about to actually fall in love with her after being hurt previously. That same theme is used in The Replacement Bride. In this story we have Jesse Donovan a man who left home for New York City, made a good living and found a woman he wanted to marry. When the gold mines called him, he promised to strike it rich and marry Rebecca Jane and keep her living in luxury. Jesse did leave New York and did make good strike, but Rebecca Jane wouldn’t come out to Montana which left Jesse closed off to love ever again. With political aspirations Jesse needed a wife to serve as hostess so he ordered himself a mail order bride like his friend Sam. He ordered a replacement bride.
Clare Griggs is from Colorado and is a farmer’s daughter, his eldest daughter and not the son wanted. After living with the fact she would never live down the disappointment her father has because she was a girl and not a boy, Clare finds her way to becoming a mail order bride where she can find love and not more disappointment. She agrees to become Jesse’s bride with hope for the future. She didn’t know she was only a replacement bride.
Jesse is content with Clare as a wife and sees that she is going to be the perfect hostess for when he runs for office. But stubbornly he refuses to let himself love Clare and open himself up to being hurt once again. What he doesn’t seem to understand is that his referring to Clare as his replacement bride has in fact hurt her deeply. It doesn’t seem to matter what she tries, Jesse doesn’t love her. When Clare has an accident and may be permanently hurt, Jesse pulls away instead of closer to her.
Clare must make a decision to stay and remain a disappointment in her father’s eyes as well as her husbands, or fight for what she wants until Jesse’s stubborn heart finally cracks. Will Jesse’s heart welcome Clare or will he face loosing yet another woman in his life?
I do enjoy the simple story lines of Cynthia Woolf’s books. I also like how she has the continuing theme throughout her series…the men are tough, fair and good men but once hurt they turn very stubborn. The women have to be wily and patient until their men finally figure out what is going on!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my review.

[Ira · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series that I read and I really enjoyed it. Yes, they are rather predictable but nevertheless they are nice stories with very lovable characters. Well written, easy to read and charming. Those who have read the first book of the series will meet some old friends at Hope's Crossing. Especially Jo and Sam whose story is told in "The Hunter Bride" appear rather often and I also enjoyed the opportunity so see how their story goes on.

Jesse Donovan and Clare Griggs are the hero and the heroine of "The Replacement Bride" . When Jesse's longtime sweetheart writes to tell him that she has found someone else and wouldn't come to Hope's Crossing to marry him, he is crushed. Although he has given up on love he still needs a wife so he decides to use the same matchmaking agency his friend Sam used to find Jo.
When Clare arrives, she realizes that she is a kind of replacement bride. Even though both get along rather well, the idea of her being nothing but a replacement plagues her especially when Jesse insists that he will never be able to offer her love.

Seriously? I'm a bit frustrated and a bit annoyed as, at least when one is reading romance novels, almost every man seems to be desillusioned and feels himself incapable of ever loving again. Well, yeah, right - and that's why all these women get hellbent on hearing their husbands say that they love them no matter how much they show them what they feel it has to be the words or nothing. *rollseyes*

Okay, back to Jesse and Clare who do not only have to find their way around each other and figure out how much they mean to each other but also have to fight a rival trying to destroy Jesse's business. As he gets bolder and more determined things get really tough and more than one life is at risk.....

I really enjoy these stories - that's why I read all of the books in this series, actually- despite my frustration this constantly recurring theme of spurned love and the resolving refusal to ever love again etc. They are entertaining and well constructed and I really love the characters and the way their tentative relationship blossoms.

[Raecharmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesse Donovan thought he had it all a great life and a woman he loved to share it with. However all that changes when he leave New York for Hope's Crossing in search of gold. When he finally makes his fortune he sends for his bride to be only to discover that she had changed her mind and was marrying someone she considered more suited to her needs. Heartbroken Jesse decides to follow in his friend Sam's footsteps and signs up for a mail order bride of his own. Clare Griggs feels she's a burden on her family. She's the oldest and hasn't found a husband of her own so to ease her family's burdens she signs up to be a mail order bride. Excited about starting a new chapter in her life Clare doesn't realize the challenges she will face once she arrives in Hope's Crossing.

When Jesse sees Clare for the first time he thinks she perfect for his needs. Clare sees Jesse as the man that she will have love, family and a good life with. What neither expected was that someone would try to kill Jesse. Clare helps Jesse keep his injury secret from everyone so no one would attempt to steal his mine. Its during this time that Jesse gets to learn more about his new bride. Once he's recovered however things go back to how they were with him avoiding her unless he wanted something from her. Clare starts to see that Jesse is never going to share her feeling and wonders if she has chosen the right life. When Clare's life is endangered by the same person that had tried to kill Jesse things begin to change.

This was another great read from this author for me. I can't want to read more from this series. If you haven't read this series I highly recommend that you do. You won't be able to put the book down until its finished. Loved this story even more than the first.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Yolanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jesse Donavan left his fiancée in New York to come to Hope's Crossing, Montana to make his fortune in the gold mines. After striking it rich and becoming the richest man in Hope's Crossing, he sends for his bride only to have her change her mind about leaving the city. Determined to be married, Jesse sends for a "replacement bride".

Clarissa "Clare" Griggs is a farm girl looking for a change. When she receives Jesse's letter from Matchmaker & Co., she thinks Jesse is the answer to her prayers. However, Clare can't get over being reduced to being a "replacement" then there's the threat to Jesse's business that adds to her pressures.

My heart went out to Clare. I understood why she doubted herself. Although Jesse only referred to her as his "replacement bride" once, all his plans for Clare were initially made with his former fiancée in mind. With all those daily reminders it's hard for Clare to believe that Jesse wants her. Then there's Jesse's determination not to become attached to Clare due to what happened with his former fiancée. However, a near tragedy brings things into perspective for Clare and Jesse, which leads them to face truths they had both been denying.

The Replacement Bride is a really sweet love story and a delightful addition to the Hope's Crossing series. Clare's perseverance to overcome adversity and make her own place in Hope's Crossing made me keep turning the pages to see what happened next. Hope's Crossing is a wonderful series that I hope you will go out and buy.

[Amanda Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, I enjoyed "The Replacement Bride," but I didn't love it. Jesse left a sweetheart in New York to make his fortune in Montana. He succeeds, but when he sends for his sweetheart she rejects him and says she is staying in New York to marry a man there and not live in the wilds of Montana. He has seen other men get lucky with a mail order bride, so he decides that he will get a "replacement" for his sweetheart and order a bride.
Clare is his match. She is very sweet and sensible and is excited to meet Jesse. Of course, he is handsome and he has money but she didn't realize how rich he actually was through his letter. Clare is ready to be his bride and is devastated when he actually tells her she is his "replacement," bride.
The two actually rub along pretty well together, Clare is falling in love with Jesse, but he is resisting and actually bluntly tells her that he will never love her. Jesse hurts her quite a bit. It also seemed that Jesse had a bit of a personality shift, toward the end of the book he decides that Clare will just probably end up leaving him and that is why he is scared to love her; that attitude kind of came out of left field.
Also odd, the author closed the door on their wedding night, but had love scenes lightly described after the wedding night. As always, this author could have written more passionate scenes. Pretty good and quick read. Good way to escape for a couple of hours.

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.