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Dodge City Brides #1
Prairie Bride
Dodge City Brides: USA Today bestselling author Julianne MacLean delivers three breathtaking and passionate full-length novels featuring rugged, alpha-male heroes of the West, all sworn to protect the women they love…
A loveless marriage of convenience on the Kansas prairie turns out to be far more than she bargained for…
HE’S PART OF THE WEST
Briggs Brigman has been burned once before, and the last thing he needs is a beautiful wife who will spend hours in front of the mirror, primping herself. He knows how hard the prairie can be on a woman, and all he wants is a stalwart bride who won’t complain about hauling water from the creek….
SHE’S A CITY GIRL WITH NO IDEA WHAT SHE’S IN FOR…
All Sarah MacFarland wants is to escape her fearful life in Boston and start fresh with a new identity. Answering an advertisement for a mail order bride seems like the perfect solution, until she meets her soon-to-be husband—a ruggedly handsome, strapping farmer who leaves her breathless on their wedding night. But is it possible that two tormented souls can find happiness, when all they know is betrayal, and when trust is the only way out of a tumultuous past that simply won’t stay buried?
(Originally published under the title PRAIRIE BRIDE in 2000)
The Compete Trilogy:
MAIL ORDER PRAIRIE BRIDE – Dodge City Brides – Book 1
TEMPTING THE MARSHAL – Dodge City Brides – Book 2
TAKEN BY THE COWBOY – Dodge City Brides – Book 3
“You can always count on Julianne MacLean to deliver ravishing romance that will keep you turning pages until the wee hours of the morning.” —Teresa Medeiros
A loveless marriage of convenience on the Kansas prairie turns out to be far more than she bargained for…
HE’S PART OF THE WEST
Briggs Brigman has been burned once before, and the last thing he needs is a beautiful wife who will spend hours in front of the mirror, primping herself. He knows how hard the prairie can be on a woman, and all he wants is a stalwart bride who won’t complain about hauling water from the creek….
SHE’S A CITY GIRL WITH NO IDEA WHAT SHE’S IN FOR…
All Sarah MacFarland wants is to escape her fearful life in Boston and start fresh with a new identity. Answering an advertisement for a mail order bride seems like the perfect solution, until she meets her soon-to-be husband—a ruggedly handsome, strapping farmer who leaves her breathless on their wedding night. But is it possible that two tormented souls can find happiness, when all they know is betrayal, and when trust is the only way out of a tumultuous past that simply won’t stay buried?
(Originally published under the title PRAIRIE BRIDE in 2000)
The Compete Trilogy:
MAIL ORDER PRAIRIE BRIDE – Dodge City Brides – Book 1
TEMPTING THE MARSHAL – Dodge City Brides – Book 2
TAKEN BY THE COWBOY – Dodge City Brides – Book 3
“You can always count on Julianne MacLean to deliver ravishing romance that will keep you turning pages until the wee hours of the morning.” —Teresa Medeiros
334 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2000
464 people are currently reading
1117 people want to read
About the author
Julianne MacLean
80 books4,316 followersJulianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the contemporary women’s fiction Color of Heaven Series. Readers have described her books as “breathtaking,” “soulful” and “uplifting.” MacLean is a four-time RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been published in over a dozen languages.
MacLean has a degree in English literature from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a degree in business administration from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. MacLean currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter.
For more information about Julianne and her writing life, please visit her website at www.juliannemaclean.com. Be sure to follow her on Bookbub to be notified whenever her ebooks are offered for FREE or 99 cents. (www.bookbub.com/authors/julianne-maclean) and chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JulianneMacLeanRoman...), Twitter (@JulianneMacLean), and Instagram (@JulianneMaclean).
MacLean has a degree in English literature from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a degree in business administration from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. MacLean currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter.
For more information about Julianne and her writing life, please visit her website at www.juliannemaclean.com. Be sure to follow her on Bookbub to be notified whenever her ebooks are offered for FREE or 99 cents. (www.bookbub.com/authors/julianne-maclean) and chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JulianneMacLeanRoman...), Twitter (@JulianneMacLean), and Instagram (@JulianneMaclean).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
March 25, 2024
I've given this a B+ for narration and a C for content at AudioGals.
The mail order bride trope is a common one in Western Historical Romance, but up until now, I haven’t actually read or listened to one. When Julianne Maclean’s Prairie Bride – book one in her Dodge City Brides series – showed up with the excellent Charlotte North listed as the narrator, I decided it was time to give one a go.
Even though I have no direct experience with this trope, I’ve been around Romancelandia long enough to have been able to make a reasonable guess as to what the story would be about – and I was pretty much spot on. A young woman running from her past travels from the city to the back of beyond to marry a man she’s never seen, doesn’t expect quite the primitive standard of her new home but decides to make the best of it, falls for her husband (who is, fortunately, hot as hell) her past catches up with her, drama ensues – The End.
If by that you infer that the story is predictable – then you’re inferring correctly.
Sarah MacFarland answers an advertisement in a Boston newspaper for a “gentle and peaceful wife for simple life on Kansas prairie. Must agree to toil and plain home.” – and decides it’s both the perfect way to escape from her recent mistakes and to achieve her lifelong dream of husband and family. Right from the off, it’s clear she’s running from something – someone – and when she hopes her husband will forgive her “for deceiving him on their wedding day”, it’s fairly clear what sort of mistake she’s made.
Arthur Brigman – who doesn’t like being called by his first name and goes by Briggs – has advertised for a wife as much because he needs help around his farm as because he wants companionship and someone to share his bed. His brother George – who works as a solicitor in Dodge City – isn’t wild about the idea; Briggs has only recently been jilted by the woman he’d intended to marry and George thinks taking a wife right now is a bad idea. But Sarah is on her way now, so it’s too late to change his mind – even if Briggs wanted to, which he doesn’t. Isabelle was clearly unsuited to the simple, but hard life on the prairie; he hopes the “gentle and peaceful” woman who answered his advertisement will be nothing like her. A plain, healthy (and hopefully strong) woman who isn’t bothered about fancy clothes and hats is exactly what he wants, so when a lovely young woman attired in a stylish dress and hat steps off the train, Briggs is… not happy.
The wedding goes ahead at the courthouse, the wedding night ensues, and of course Briggs discovers his new wife isn’t a virgin. He doesn’t throw a hissy fit, which is a point in his favour; he’s not particularly bothered, until he asks Sarah about her previous lover(s) and she responds by telling him there was only one, and that she loved him (because she doesn’t want Briggs to think she’d have slept with him if she hadn’t been in love.) It’s that part Briggs objects to; his new wife was with another man just three weeks before and for all he knows, is still in love with him.
As I said above, the story hits all the expected beats. Sarah tries hard to keep her disappointment at her new home – a one-room dugout – from showing, but sensing Briggs’ disapproval of her, sets out to prove to him that she can cope with it all. She’s not completely helpless; she knows how to cook and make a fire and other useful practicalities, but Briggs is still peeved at the thought of his wife being in love with someone else, and doesn’t offer any help at all, not even telling her where the fuel for the stove is stored. He might be rugged and handsome and all man, but he acts like a big baby.
Eventually, Sarah’s gumption, her spirit and her eagerness to please cause Briggs to realise he’s been a brat and that she’s trying her best in difficult circumstances, and they start to get along better. Severe adversity (in the form of a plague of locusts that destroys their crops) brings them closer, but Sarah is still holding a potentially devastating secret, and Briggs hasn’t been completely up-front with her, either.
Most romances are predictable; we know where things are going to end up, so they’re about the getting there more than the eventual outcome. The best romances are those in which authors take a well-worn trope and make something new out of it, but sadly, that isn’t what happens here. The first half was okay, as Sarah and Briggs are circling around each other and Sarah is finding her feet, but the romance never really gets off the ground; there are so many misunderstandings and there’s such a lot of distrust between the couple that it’s hard to believe they could ever fall in love – and worse, the hero is a dickhead most of the time. Sarah keeps secrets but gets annoyed with Briggs for not trusting her (when she has ample opportunity to tell him the truth) and towards the end, Briggs in a self-pitying drunken stupor does something so completely stupid and unkind that it torpedoed my (admittedly small, by this point) interest in the romance. The villain is little more than a two-dimensional moustache-twirling cape-swisher, and the only things saving this story from a lower grade are the evocative descriptions of nineteenth century prairie life.
Charlotte North is an excellent narrator, and her performance is really what kept me listening for the whole seven-hours-plus of this audiobook. Her mezzo-range voice is smooth and pleasant to listen to, her pacing and vocal characterisations are good, and she differentiates effectively between all the characters. The secondary cast isn’t large, but each member is distinct from the others and her male voices are especially good. It’s an expressive performance that’s imbued with just the right degree of emotion – I just wish she’d had better material to work with.
My first mail-order bride romance was therefore not a success, and I can’t commend Prairie Bride for anything other than the narration.
This review originally appeared at AudioGals.
The mail order bride trope is a common one in Western Historical Romance, but up until now, I haven’t actually read or listened to one. When Julianne Maclean’s Prairie Bride – book one in her Dodge City Brides series – showed up with the excellent Charlotte North listed as the narrator, I decided it was time to give one a go.
Even though I have no direct experience with this trope, I’ve been around Romancelandia long enough to have been able to make a reasonable guess as to what the story would be about – and I was pretty much spot on. A young woman running from her past travels from the city to the back of beyond to marry a man she’s never seen, doesn’t expect quite the primitive standard of her new home but decides to make the best of it, falls for her husband (who is, fortunately, hot as hell) her past catches up with her, drama ensues – The End.
If by that you infer that the story is predictable – then you’re inferring correctly.
Sarah MacFarland answers an advertisement in a Boston newspaper for a “gentle and peaceful wife for simple life on Kansas prairie. Must agree to toil and plain home.” – and decides it’s both the perfect way to escape from her recent mistakes and to achieve her lifelong dream of husband and family. Right from the off, it’s clear she’s running from something – someone – and when she hopes her husband will forgive her “for deceiving him on their wedding day”, it’s fairly clear what sort of mistake she’s made.
Arthur Brigman – who doesn’t like being called by his first name and goes by Briggs – has advertised for a wife as much because he needs help around his farm as because he wants companionship and someone to share his bed. His brother George – who works as a solicitor in Dodge City – isn’t wild about the idea; Briggs has only recently been jilted by the woman he’d intended to marry and George thinks taking a wife right now is a bad idea. But Sarah is on her way now, so it’s too late to change his mind – even if Briggs wanted to, which he doesn’t. Isabelle was clearly unsuited to the simple, but hard life on the prairie; he hopes the “gentle and peaceful” woman who answered his advertisement will be nothing like her. A plain, healthy (and hopefully strong) woman who isn’t bothered about fancy clothes and hats is exactly what he wants, so when a lovely young woman attired in a stylish dress and hat steps off the train, Briggs is… not happy.
The wedding goes ahead at the courthouse, the wedding night ensues, and of course Briggs discovers his new wife isn’t a virgin. He doesn’t throw a hissy fit, which is a point in his favour; he’s not particularly bothered, until he asks Sarah about her previous lover(s) and she responds by telling him there was only one, and that she loved him (because she doesn’t want Briggs to think she’d have slept with him if she hadn’t been in love.) It’s that part Briggs objects to; his new wife was with another man just three weeks before and for all he knows, is still in love with him.
As I said above, the story hits all the expected beats. Sarah tries hard to keep her disappointment at her new home – a one-room dugout – from showing, but sensing Briggs’ disapproval of her, sets out to prove to him that she can cope with it all. She’s not completely helpless; she knows how to cook and make a fire and other useful practicalities, but Briggs is still peeved at the thought of his wife being in love with someone else, and doesn’t offer any help at all, not even telling her where the fuel for the stove is stored. He might be rugged and handsome and all man, but he acts like a big baby.
Eventually, Sarah’s gumption, her spirit and her eagerness to please cause Briggs to realise he’s been a brat and that she’s trying her best in difficult circumstances, and they start to get along better. Severe adversity (in the form of a plague of locusts that destroys their crops) brings them closer, but Sarah is still holding a potentially devastating secret, and Briggs hasn’t been completely up-front with her, either.
Most romances are predictable; we know where things are going to end up, so they’re about the getting there more than the eventual outcome. The best romances are those in which authors take a well-worn trope and make something new out of it, but sadly, that isn’t what happens here. The first half was okay, as Sarah and Briggs are circling around each other and Sarah is finding her feet, but the romance never really gets off the ground; there are so many misunderstandings and there’s such a lot of distrust between the couple that it’s hard to believe they could ever fall in love – and worse, the hero is a dickhead most of the time. Sarah keeps secrets but gets annoyed with Briggs for not trusting her (when she has ample opportunity to tell him the truth) and towards the end, Briggs in a self-pitying drunken stupor does something so completely stupid and unkind that it torpedoed my (admittedly small, by this point) interest in the romance. The villain is little more than a two-dimensional moustache-twirling cape-swisher, and the only things saving this story from a lower grade are the evocative descriptions of nineteenth century prairie life.
Charlotte North is an excellent narrator, and her performance is really what kept me listening for the whole seven-hours-plus of this audiobook. Her mezzo-range voice is smooth and pleasant to listen to, her pacing and vocal characterisations are good, and she differentiates effectively between all the characters. The secondary cast isn’t large, but each member is distinct from the others and her male voices are especially good. It’s an expressive performance that’s imbued with just the right degree of emotion – I just wish she’d had better material to work with.
My first mail-order bride romance was therefore not a success, and I can’t commend Prairie Bride for anything other than the narration.
This review originally appeared at AudioGals.
September 19, 2016
++Spoilers++
4.5 stars
I'm having some good luck with the freebies lately!
There is so much to say about this book I don't know where to begin.
The story is pretty complex but the major theme is about trust.
I cannot adequately summarize this story and do it justice. So I'll give away some imporant spoilers that will help the safety gang decide if it's for them, and I will also share my thoughts on some items that kinda stuck in my brain.
The hero - He is very mistrustful of women due to having had his heart broken by a woman who broke off the engagement to him. That said, he comes off in the beginning as a total ass. Luckily it's not for long. It's veru soon after when he feels bad for his treatment of the heroine and changes his attitude... until he discovers some more of her secrets. Throughout most of the book he is very sweet and lovable. Near the end though, he does a shitty thing to the heroine by annulling the marriage.. But he realizes his mistake before it's too late and basically grovels back to her....REDEEMED!
The heroine -She constantly withheld information about her past to the hero... for vaild reasons. She had tremendous guilt over doing it, but she felt it was necessary, a sort of self preservation. I did not hate her for this and I don't feel like if she has just told him the truth to begin with that all would have been fine. Her actions were justified.
The villian - Thankfully he was not cartoonish but his motives seemed kinda of weak. He is the man the heroine is escaping from. He is a bigamyst and obsessed with the heroine. To say anymore would give too much away.
The story is fast paced with lots of action and drama. It is was bit of an emotional rollercoater ride for me, though some may feel it was tame. The story just skirted my triggers..and I admit I liked the bit of anxiety at not knowing if I was going to end up upset over certain issues.. but was relieved that it didn't happen.
The two MC's relationship is constantly going up and down in the beginning, but then they do fall deeply in love. The heroine was strong and gave the shit back to him as he deserved, but not quite as much as I wanted her too. She wasn't weak at all, she controlled herself a lot, but sometimes I wanted her to scream at him! She handled things maturely and with dignity (unlike I would have).
I totally loved George, the hero's brother. He was so sweet and I almost wanted the heroine to be with him instead.
Nagged at my brain:
One of my first problems was that of the hero. He came off as too much of a hypocrite and I hated that he was so upset when he found out the heroine had been in love with another before him AND that she wasn't a virgin on their wedding night. I mean HE was getting over a heartbreak from a woman he "loved" AND he was "most likely" not a virgin. So what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander?
Now I say "most likely" because his past experience is not explained, detailed or mentioned at all. The author leads us to think he is experienced but later contradicts it. This is actually important because if he were a virgin, his anger towards her would have been justified and not seemed so much like a double standard. His experience was unclear due to two sentences:
In the beginning, during the first sex scene on their wedding night he said (or thought) "he never had a virgin before" referring to the heroine. So here I am thinking "okay he's experienced." But then about 3/4 of the way through, he's just finished making love to the heroine and is holding her and thinks of how he had "never held anyone this close ever before.".. So now I'm thinking....virgin. It actually makes sense that he was a virgin, especially since he seemed to frown upon a man taking a woman before marrying. So now in my mind I'm thnking...YES he had every right to be angry about the heroine not being pure.
Anyway, other then that, I have no other comments about content.
The writing was really good and the setting was unique. I loved how the author detailed the locust swarm and the dugout houses. I really felt like I was in the time period. The characters were very well developed and felt real. I will definately read more by this author and would recommend this book to others.
Safety:
Hero-Unsure if experienced. I think not, but see above for details and reasons.
Heroine-Experienced. Not pleasureable but not terrible either.
Cheating-No
OW/OM - The woman the hero was formerly engaged to Isabella. He's over her but she pops up from time to time.. nothing happens between them except she once kisses him and he pushes her away and rejects her.
Violence-Mild
Abuse-Mild. Heroine was abused by former lover. Not detailed.
Rape-No
Adultry-Yes. The villian was a bigamyst
Sex-Yes. 3 times or maybe more I think. Nicely done. Tasteful.
MARRIAGE-YES
BABY-yes. Although I want the baby to be the hero's, the author left this unclear. (it could have been her former lover's)
HEA/ILY-YES
4.5 stars
I'm having some good luck with the freebies lately!
There is so much to say about this book I don't know where to begin.
The story is pretty complex but the major theme is about trust.
I cannot adequately summarize this story and do it justice. So I'll give away some imporant spoilers that will help the safety gang decide if it's for them, and I will also share my thoughts on some items that kinda stuck in my brain.
The hero - He is very mistrustful of women due to having had his heart broken by a woman who broke off the engagement to him. That said, he comes off in the beginning as a total ass. Luckily it's not for long. It's veru soon after when he feels bad for his treatment of the heroine and changes his attitude... until he discovers some more of her secrets. Throughout most of the book he is very sweet and lovable. Near the end though, he does a shitty thing to the heroine by annulling the marriage.. But he realizes his mistake before it's too late and basically grovels back to her....REDEEMED!
The heroine -She constantly withheld information about her past to the hero... for vaild reasons. She had tremendous guilt over doing it, but she felt it was necessary, a sort of self preservation. I did not hate her for this and I don't feel like if she has just told him the truth to begin with that all would have been fine. Her actions were justified.
The villian - Thankfully he was not cartoonish but his motives seemed kinda of weak. He is the man the heroine is escaping from. He is a bigamyst and obsessed with the heroine. To say anymore would give too much away.
The story is fast paced with lots of action and drama. It is was bit of an emotional rollercoater ride for me, though some may feel it was tame. The story just skirted my triggers..and I admit I liked the bit of anxiety at not knowing if I was going to end up upset over certain issues.. but was relieved that it didn't happen.
The two MC's relationship is constantly going up and down in the beginning, but then they do fall deeply in love. The heroine was strong and gave the shit back to him as he deserved, but not quite as much as I wanted her too. She wasn't weak at all, she controlled herself a lot, but sometimes I wanted her to scream at him! She handled things maturely and with dignity (unlike I would have).
I totally loved George, the hero's brother. He was so sweet and I almost wanted the heroine to be with him instead.
Nagged at my brain:
One of my first problems was that of the hero. He came off as too much of a hypocrite and I hated that he was so upset when he found out the heroine had been in love with another before him AND that she wasn't a virgin on their wedding night. I mean HE was getting over a heartbreak from a woman he "loved" AND he was "most likely" not a virgin. So what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander?
Now I say "most likely" because his past experience is not explained, detailed or mentioned at all. The author leads us to think he is experienced but later contradicts it. This is actually important because if he were a virgin, his anger towards her would have been justified and not seemed so much like a double standard. His experience was unclear due to two sentences:
In the beginning, during the first sex scene on their wedding night he said (or thought) "he never had a virgin before" referring to the heroine. So here I am thinking "okay he's experienced." But then about 3/4 of the way through, he's just finished making love to the heroine and is holding her and thinks of how he had "never held anyone this close ever before.".. So now I'm thinking....virgin. It actually makes sense that he was a virgin, especially since he seemed to frown upon a man taking a woman before marrying. So now in my mind I'm thnking...YES he had every right to be angry about the heroine not being pure.
Anyway, other then that, I have no other comments about content.
The writing was really good and the setting was unique. I loved how the author detailed the locust swarm and the dugout houses. I really felt like I was in the time period. The characters were very well developed and felt real. I will definately read more by this author and would recommend this book to others.
Safety:
Hero-Unsure if experienced. I think not, but see above for details and reasons.
Heroine-Experienced. Not pleasureable but not terrible either.
Cheating-No
OW/OM - The woman the hero was formerly engaged to Isabella. He's over her but she pops up from time to time.. nothing happens between them except she once kisses him and he pushes her away and rejects her.
Violence-Mild
Abuse-Mild. Heroine was abused by former lover. Not detailed.
Rape-No
Adultry-Yes. The villian was a bigamyst
Sex-Yes. 3 times or maybe more I think. Nicely done. Tasteful.
MARRIAGE-YES
BABY-yes. Although I want the baby to be the hero's, the author left this unclear. (it could have been her former lover's)
HEA/ILY-YES
January 30, 2020
This one came up on bookbub and when I saw that title I couldn't one click fast enough; I'm a complete sucker for the old'marriage of convenience' plot, and love to lose myself in a fantasy of a slower paced, gentler time when man was a true alpha man and a woman spent all day working on household chores.
Scratch that, it sounds horrendous, but I love to read about it, grateful that I don't have to live that way.
I was pleased it was still smutty and there was plenty going plus lots of good chemistry and a nice slow burn. It reminded me of Ellen O'Connell 's books which are some of my top favourite reads ever so it's good to know there are other writers out there producing good, solid escapes I can lose myself in.
Complete story, standalone and available on ku. recommended.
Scratch that, it sounds horrendous, but I love to read about it, grateful that I don't have to live that way.
I was pleased it was still smutty and there was plenty going plus lots of good chemistry and a nice slow burn. It reminded me of Ellen O'Connell 's books which are some of my top favourite reads ever so it's good to know there are other writers out there producing good, solid escapes I can lose myself in.
Complete story, standalone and available on ku. recommended.
November 26, 2023
this ended up being surprisingly good, mail-order bride from a big city to the prairie.
2 things I normally hate are the heroine keeping secrets and the hero distrusting her but they both have good reason to here and I ended up stressed in a good way.
plus, just the right amount of OW/OM drama to make them question everything.
it’s a harlequin historical so…
2 things I normally hate are the heroine keeping secrets and the hero distrusting her but they both have good reason to here and I ended up stressed in a good way.
plus, just the right amount of OW/OM drama to make them question everything.
it’s a harlequin historical so…
March 5, 2012
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I started it at 11 at night figuring I'd read for an hour or two then hit the hay. The book was so perfectly paced and plotted, however, that I stayed up to finish the book. It was just impossible to put down with hoe MacLean dished the tantalizing bits of the characters' backstories out slowly and teasingly and had each chapter lead seductively into the next. Every time I declared "I'll stop at the end of this chapter," I'd get to the end and something would pique my interest so I just had to read the next chapter to see how it panned out.
Despite the fugly-ass cover, this was a real joy to read. It's not Earth-shattering or convention-bucking, but was a good, solid romance with fully-drawn characters. There's no cheap, starchy filler or lazy shortcuts. She shows us two intriguing strangers, each marrying with their own secrets and motives, growing to love each other and form a real marriage through their conversations and actions. I loved the vulnerability in both of them, and really enjoyed seeing them work through their problems together.
Despite the fugly-ass cover, this was a real joy to read. It's not Earth-shattering or convention-bucking, but was a good, solid romance with fully-drawn characters. There's no cheap, starchy filler or lazy shortcuts. She shows us two intriguing strangers, each marrying with their own secrets and motives, growing to love each other and form a real marriage through their conversations and actions. I loved the vulnerability in both of them, and really enjoyed seeing them work through their problems together.
September 25, 2016
Ultimately I was disappointed with the hero and, unbelievably, the villain. I wanted the hero, Briggs, to be a better man and less of a baby. And then villain needed to be more believable, but I guess I might have overlooked it had I gotten a better ending.
Nonetheless the story was very interesting from a historical context as it gave a glimpse of what life might be in sod homes.
Nonetheless the story was very interesting from a historical context as it gave a glimpse of what life might be in sod homes.
November 30, 2023
3.5 stars. This review is full of spoilers, might be a more enjoyable read without knowing any spoilers.
I liked most of it, but I wish that the hero had groveled more at the end. Also, I know many readers will be annoyed by how the heroine didn’t ever choose to reveal the truth to the hero… that really didn’t bother me since I felt her fears were substantial and she hadn’t known the hero long enough to fully trust him.
Mostly safe, but some may not like the level of OM/OW drama
- heroine not a virgin, she had been with OM once (she married OM and immediately found out he was a bigamist so she left him)
- hero’s sexual past not mentioned, but passing comments made me think he wasn’t inexperienced
- no suggestion that hero was in any way a manwhore
- hero was in love with and engaged to an OW, she ran off with another man, but returns and causes some drama for the couple
- heroine’s first “husband” returns and causes drama also
- no others for either after they meet
- there’s some question of heroine’s baby being the hero’s or the OM’s… and that’s never 100% clarified, just that the baby’s ears are the hero’s…?????
- no scenes with OM/OW, no cheating
I liked most of it, but I wish that the hero had groveled more at the end. Also, I know many readers will be annoyed by how the heroine didn’t ever choose to reveal the truth to the hero… that really didn’t bother me since I felt her fears were substantial and she hadn’t known the hero long enough to fully trust him.
Mostly safe, but some may not like the level of OM/OW drama
- heroine not a virgin, she had been with OM once (she married OM and immediately found out he was a bigamist so she left him)
- hero’s sexual past not mentioned, but passing comments made me think he wasn’t inexperienced
- no suggestion that hero was in any way a manwhore
- hero was in love with and engaged to an OW, she ran off with another man, but returns and causes some drama for the couple
- heroine’s first “husband” returns and causes drama also
- no others for either after they meet
- there’s some question of heroine’s baby being the hero’s or the OM’s… and that’s never 100% clarified, just that the baby’s ears are the hero’s…?????
- no scenes with OM/OW, no cheating
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2020
*disclaimer*. This review is strictly based on personal opinion. NOT on the author’s writing abilities (which are top-notch, btw..)
I just couldn’t handle the “hero”. He was such a JERK throughout the entire book and Sarah did nothing but beg him to accept and love her. I don’t care what mistake a lady has made in her past, her HUSBAND should at least be semi-decent to her her when she works so hard to make him happy. No excuse for his behavior in any way shape or form.
The star dropped even more because he wasn’t required to work his way back into her good graces after how excrutiatingly horrible he treated her. I HATE the “Oh, it’s okay you have been an absolute #*#* hat from the moment we met” kiss, kiss and trottle off into the sunset ending.
SO... if this trope doesn’t bother you - I would highly recommend the story. If, however, you are like me.... eh, probably not.
I just couldn’t handle the “hero”. He was such a JERK throughout the entire book and Sarah did nothing but beg him to accept and love her. I don’t care what mistake a lady has made in her past, her HUSBAND should at least be semi-decent to her her when she works so hard to make him happy. No excuse for his behavior in any way shape or form.
The star dropped even more because he wasn’t required to work his way back into her good graces after how excrutiatingly horrible he treated her. I HATE the “Oh, it’s okay you have been an absolute #*#* hat from the moment we met” kiss, kiss and trottle off into the sunset ending.
SO... if this trope doesn’t bother you - I would highly recommend the story. If, however, you are like me.... eh, probably not.
December 6, 2021
1. Hero suuuuuuucked.
2. But it was soapy AF so who fkn cares. Yee haw.
2. But it was soapy AF so who fkn cares. Yee haw.
August 9, 2017
Engaging Entertaining & Pleasing
This mail-order bride story satisfies all the conventions of its genre with a few charming and original elements. The love scenes are few in number and are not so explicit as to constitute erotica. Language is not offensive and religious faith is well regarded. PG-13.
This mail-order bride story satisfies all the conventions of its genre with a few charming and original elements. The love scenes are few in number and are not so explicit as to constitute erotica. Language is not offensive and religious faith is well regarded. PG-13.
May 14, 2016
New cover for Julianne McLean first book that she had out .
What I liked was Julianne wrote about a time that mail order brides were common for the US west .... But also for North America . Most men put an add in the newspaper looking for. Mate . Hero is Briggs and Heroine is Sarah .
Briggs is going in to Dodge City to meet Sarah , who answered his ad in a newspaper back in Boston . Briggs was in love with another woman that found the handle the rough life out in Dodge city. Briggs was ready to marry her .
Briggs ground into Dodge city to meet Sarah . Briggs is hoping that Sarah is not beautiful and she can handle life being hard out west .
Sarah answered the add in the in the Boston newspaper. Sarah is hoping to escape a man and a situation . Sarah is hoping going out west to Dodge city will do it . That her former male will not find her . The situation with the male is that he and Sarah were married . She found a secret about him . Did Sarah read the situation right ??? Did Sarah handle the life out west ??? How did Briggs really feel about her ???
What I liked was Julianne wrote about a time that mail order brides were common for the US west .... But also for North America . Most men put an add in the newspaper looking for. Mate . Hero is Briggs and Heroine is Sarah .
Briggs is going in to Dodge City to meet Sarah , who answered his ad in a newspaper back in Boston . Briggs was in love with another woman that found the handle the rough life out in Dodge city. Briggs was ready to marry her .
Briggs ground into Dodge city to meet Sarah . Briggs is hoping that Sarah is not beautiful and she can handle life being hard out west .
Sarah answered the add in the in the Boston newspaper. Sarah is hoping to escape a man and a situation . Sarah is hoping going out west to Dodge city will do it . That her former male will not find her . The situation with the male is that he and Sarah were married . She found a secret about him . Did Sarah read the situation right ??? Did Sarah handle the life out west ??? How did Briggs really feel about her ???
May 4, 2016
Julianne MacLean I loved this book. A story with believable characters right from the beginning. I finished it within 24 hours, this is how much I enjoyed it and looked forward to seeing how story was developing. Sarah on the run from her past carries a whole lot of luggage besides just her valise. Answering an ad to be a bride seems to be the answer to her prayers, but we find that is not the case. Briggs, single, lonely and carrying his own secrets places the ad. Between the two of them there are secrets that threaten their relationship before they even start.
Can love be enough when there is no trust? Can a new relationship start when old relationships have yet to end? You'll have to read to find out. But the journey in the story is definitely worth taking.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for honest review.
Can love be enough when there is no trust? Can a new relationship start when old relationships have yet to end? You'll have to read to find out. But the journey in the story is definitely worth taking.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for honest review.
February 17, 2017
I liked the start of this book, and the writing style, but there was way too much back and forth misunderstandings and distrust between the hero and heroine. I found both characters very unlikeable. The heroine kept lying and hiding things, then getting mad at the hero for not trusting her when she had a multitude of opportunities to just tell him the truth and end all the misunderstandings. And the hero was far too cold and cruel toward the heroine. Rather than being a strong, if wounded, man, he ended up coming off as mean, petty, and (especially by the end) foolish based on his actions. This would have been a 2-star for me except that I loved the descriptions of prairie life in the 19th century.
December 3, 2016
Inconsistent characters and enough typos to be distracting
The main characters went through crazy mood/opinion shifts all the time. Pretty sure that I got whiplash! Interesting enough plot line, but the leading man just didn't seem like the good guy he should've been. This book felt like a rough draft in a lot of ways.
The main characters went through crazy mood/opinion shifts all the time. Pretty sure that I got whiplash! Interesting enough plot line, but the leading man just didn't seem like the good guy he should've been. This book felt like a rough draft in a lot of ways.
October 26, 2016
The book was free so I can't complain too much, but it just never pulled me in. I found it a chore to read and tiresome. Neither of the main characters were all that likable or interesting. The plot had potential but it never got there. I had to make myself finish it.
August 9, 2022
RECOMMEND (with reservations)
No matter the romance genre, writing characters who don’t communicate especially the smallest things is so unrealistic that I can’t finish the book. This is one of those books. DNF @ 47%. There’s so much lying by the female lead that I find it irredeemable. Then there’s the male lead’s disrespectful treatment of the female lead with terrible double standards, combined with storylines that are filled one right after another with adversity, obstacles, angst, secrets and more negativity. Again, completely unrealistic and it became a chore to keep reading. I’m sure there’s a happy ending but I have no desire to wade through all the “whoa is me”.
So why 3 stars? There are some storylines I really liked.
SEX SCENES - yes. There are two before I stopped reading.
They’re not detailed but they’re nice and romantic. Spoiler they both get ruined in some way by the lies.
No matter the romance genre, writing characters who don’t communicate especially the smallest things is so unrealistic that I can’t finish the book. This is one of those books. DNF @ 47%. There’s so much lying by the female lead that I find it irredeemable. Then there’s the male lead’s disrespectful treatment of the female lead with terrible double standards, combined with storylines that are filled one right after another with adversity, obstacles, angst, secrets and more negativity. Again, completely unrealistic and it became a chore to keep reading. I’m sure there’s a happy ending but I have no desire to wade through all the “whoa is me”.
So why 3 stars? There are some storylines I really liked.
SEX SCENES - yes. There are two before I stopped reading.
They’re not detailed but they’re nice and romantic. Spoiler they both get ruined in some way by the lies.
September 17, 2025
Prairie Bride (2000) is a really good mail order bride story which is set in Kansas 1882.
Sarah answered a notice in her Boston newspaper:
“Farmer Arthur Brigman seeks gentle and peaceful wife for simple life on Kansas prairie.”
But it quickly turns out that it wasn’t. Sarah’s beautiful and hasn’t ever worked on a farm … but most importantly, she’s hiding secrets from Briggs. He has his secrets too that she soon discovers. Both of their pasts come back to haunt them.., causing pain. He’s quite grumpy throughout the story … who could blame him? He values honesty, and trust more people than a pretty face.
This was the author’s first book, tho according to a note at the end, she states she updated it for the kindle edition without changing the essential storyline and characters. Prairie Bride reminds me of The Endearment by LaVyrle Spencer, outstanding HR classic with a mail order bride who heads to the plains.
I found it suspenseful, painful to read at times, and heartwarming with sizzling sex scenes .., all that I like in a really good HR. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sarah answered a notice in her Boston newspaper:
“Farmer Arthur Brigman seeks gentle and peaceful wife for simple life on Kansas prairie.”
But it quickly turns out that it wasn’t. Sarah’s beautiful and hasn’t ever worked on a farm … but most importantly, she’s hiding secrets from Briggs. He has his secrets too that she soon discovers. Both of their pasts come back to haunt them.., causing pain. He’s quite grumpy throughout the story … who could blame him? He values honesty, and trust more people than a pretty face.
This was the author’s first book, tho according to a note at the end, she states she updated it for the kindle edition without changing the essential storyline and characters. Prairie Bride reminds me of The Endearment by LaVyrle Spencer, outstanding HR classic with a mail order bride who heads to the plains.
I found it suspenseful, painful to read at times, and heartwarming with sizzling sex scenes .., all that I like in a really good HR. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 26, 2025
This Western romance was originally published under the Harlequin Historical line in 2000. It was also the author's first book. 25 years later, it's been re-released with a new title and a more exciting cover. The latter may be misleading, as while there are a number of sex scenes, they are all rather tame. The setting is very interesting with its detail of 1800s farm life and the relentless hazards that came with it. The back-and-forth between the mail-order marrieds does get exhausting after a while and you may well decide you hate one or both of them by the time you reach the ending, but overall, I thought this was worth the read.
October 10, 2016
I read the version that she redid from this book (Mail Order Bride) and it was very interesting.
April 19, 2009
This book is one of my favorites. It felt authentic historically since I could actually visualize the scenes and events. The storyline itself was excellent. The idea of a mail order bride intrigues me, and the beginning starts off with secrets, which builds suspense. I had to keep turning the page on this one to see how things worked out. I thought the romance was handled very well. Briggs was a little rough in the beginning but considering what he went through with his past love interest, he was understandably doubtful over whether or not Sarah would stay with him, which is why he is defensive to begin with.
I loved the fact that I couldn't predict what was going to happen next. Just when you think he's not going to welcome her into his arms, he does. And just when you think everything's going to be ok, it isn't. I had no idea how the book was going to end, except that Briggs and Sarah would end up together (I peeked at the end before I started). Julianne MacLean did an excellent job with hooking me in and keeping my interest. I finished this in one day. It's a definite keeper!
I loved the fact that I couldn't predict what was going to happen next. Just when you think he's not going to welcome her into his arms, he does. And just when you think everything's going to be ok, it isn't. I had no idea how the book was going to end, except that Briggs and Sarah would end up together (I peeked at the end before I started). Julianne MacLean did an excellent job with hooking me in and keeping my interest. I finished this in one day. It's a definite keeper!
November 27, 2014
I think this was actually Julianne MacLean's first book and it shows. Talk about big (and little) misunderstandings! The hero/heroine in this story about a Boston woman coming west to marry a prairie farmer, have so many misunderstandings that it is almost comical. These two do not know or trust each other and maybe, due to the shorter length of these Harlequin historicals, MacLean doesn't really have time to properly develop the love that is supposed to have grown between them. Love, but no trust. As they each uncover secrets from the other's past, they constantly question if they can trust the other and each is in turn, angry and resentful. Considering they were married the same day they met, after exchanging just one letter, the distrust is probably a very realistic element, but it doesn't lend much support to the idea of their growing love for each other. It becomes tiresome pretty quickly. MacLean has written some wonderful romances since this, so she obviously learned to temper some of these tropes.That said, if you love prairie romances as I do, this is definitely worth a read.
July 24, 2016
Mail Order Prairie Bride by Julianne MacLean is the perfect book to curl up and read while sipping your favourite drink. This story takes place in Kansas in 1875, and had me hooked from page one. There were twists and turns throughout the story and I didn't want to put down the book until I finished it.
The characters were very likeable (except Garrison, who was devious and dangerous) and I admired Sarah's determination to make the dugout into a cozy home, prepare three hot meals a day, do the necessary housework and daily farm chores, when she had to bathe and wash clothes in the creek, collect "cow chips" for the stove and carry buckets of water to the dugout for cooking, baking and washing her hands.
How many secrets did Sarah have? What were Briggs secrets? Will these secrets destroy their marriage? Will Briggs send Sarah away? Will Garrison become troublesome?
I really enjoyed reading Mail Order Prairie Bride!
Thank you Julianne MacLean for writing this book and providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The characters were very likeable (except Garrison, who was devious and dangerous) and I admired Sarah's determination to make the dugout into a cozy home, prepare three hot meals a day, do the necessary housework and daily farm chores, when she had to bathe and wash clothes in the creek, collect "cow chips" for the stove and carry buckets of water to the dugout for cooking, baking and washing her hands.
How many secrets did Sarah have? What were Briggs secrets? Will these secrets destroy their marriage? Will Briggs send Sarah away? Will Garrison become troublesome?
I really enjoyed reading Mail Order Prairie Bride!
Thank you Julianne MacLean for writing this book and providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 30, 2016
Five stars for the beginning. I really believed in the dugout house and the locusts so bad you had to skim them out of your milk bucket.
Three stars for the end. After such a vivid and unique intro, the second half fell prey to random romance-novel misunderstandings that weren't even set on the farm. Oh, and the hero didn't grow on me. If anything, I liked him less and less as the book progressed.
Four-star average, but I really wish I could have read the ending that went with the beginning....
Three stars for the end. After such a vivid and unique intro, the second half fell prey to random romance-novel misunderstandings that weren't even set on the farm. Oh, and the hero didn't grow on me. If anything, I liked him less and less as the book progressed.
Four-star average, but I really wish I could have read the ending that went with the beginning....
September 17, 2020
With all the bullets flying at the end I was hoping one would hit me to put me out of my misery with trying to finish this book Characters were detached and kept going on and on about the same woes. The “secret” would have been better if the audience had been on it. I would have cared more but instead I was just as annoyed as Briggs. Not that he was all that personable either. Boo who, that boy was whiny!
December 19, 2016
This isn't your usual mail order bride romance .It full of twist and turns beginning before the couple even meets. It even keeps you wondering if this marriage will made it. It's a good continued story. I recommend it to anyone who likes unfolding events during the read to keep you interested.
September 28, 2020
Oh, lawdy! What a complicated, hot mess ensues here, folks. Better brace yourself for some back and forth, will I or won’t I, push and pull, stomp on your heart/hand it back to you, should have told the truth upfront by putting all the cards on the table, why did you believe the bad guy, relationship hanging by a thread, angsty romantic tale.
Between not wanting to give away major spoilers and not having time to go into detail, I simply must skedaddle now, my fellow western mail order bride romance readers. Just know I had some issues and bones to pick with these two knucklehead, Oh, for Pete's sake what were they thinking at times main characters.
However, at the end of the day, I was glad to see them ride off into the sunset together. It just had a couple punches to the overall plot I wasn't expecting, which had me squirming uncomfortably in my seat and enough difficulty processing I nervously finished to the very end. Daggum, I’m still not quite sure how I felt about two things I can't reveal here.
Romance Safety Gang:
Title: Mail Order Prairie Bride, Series: Dodge City Brides (Book 1), Author: Julianne MacLean, Pages: 322, stand-alone but part of a series, complicated hot mess situation surfaces, relationship angst, a couple graphic steamy scenes, damsel in distress, bad OM, brief OW drama, neither MC want other people.
Book 1 - Mail Order Prairie Bride
Book 2 - Tempting the Marshal
Book 3 - Taken By the Cowboy
(I voluntarily read and reviewed a library edition of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/PR firm.)
Between not wanting to give away major spoilers and not having time to go into detail, I simply must skedaddle now, my fellow western mail order bride romance readers. Just know I had some issues and bones to pick with these two knucklehead, Oh, for Pete's sake what were they thinking at times main characters.
However, at the end of the day, I was glad to see them ride off into the sunset together. It just had a couple punches to the overall plot I wasn't expecting, which had me squirming uncomfortably in my seat and enough difficulty processing I nervously finished to the very end. Daggum, I’m still not quite sure how I felt about two things I can't reveal here.
Romance Safety Gang:
Title: Mail Order Prairie Bride, Series: Dodge City Brides (Book 1), Author: Julianne MacLean, Pages: 322, stand-alone but part of a series, complicated hot mess situation surfaces, relationship angst, a couple graphic steamy scenes, damsel in distress, bad OM, brief OW drama, neither MC want other people.
Book 1 - Mail Order Prairie Bride
Book 2 - Tempting the Marshal
Book 3 - Taken By the Cowboy
(I voluntarily read and reviewed a library edition of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/PR firm.)
May 11, 2024
This was my first book by Julianne MacLean. I've read a few mail order bride westerns and am always amazed at how women felt so desperate to marry a man sight unseen. It's like the old fashioned version of the reality shows "Married at First Sight" and better yet, "Farmer Needs A Wife".
What it's about: Sarah MacFarland responds to a newspaper ad by Arthur "Briggs" Brigman wanting a "...peaceful wife for simple life on Kansas prairie. Must agree to daily toil and plain home." Briggs pays for her trip from Boston to Kansas because the villain she's trying to escape keeps a tight hold on her money. Sarah admits to herself that she could be jumping from the frying pan into the fire with her decision to marry a stranger, but she also knows she can get out of it at the last minute if things look questionable. So I have to believe she does it more to have someone else pay for her travel to the west (ok, Kansas is more midwest).
What I've never liked about this type of story is that the woman doesn't do thorough homework on her prospective groom. There are no references (on either side) so she could be getting into a physically and emotionally abusive relationship. And isn't that just what she's trying to escape?🙄
As for Briggs, he truly doesn't care what his mail order bride's physical appearance is. He probably thinks only plain and homely looking women respond to those ads and that's exactly what he wants. A woman who will work hard on his farm that he won't fall in love with. So he's not the best hero in my opinion.😒
It's considered historical "fiction", so I remind myself of that when the author writes of the locust invasion. The story begins in 1875 and maybe there was more than one grasshopper infestation, but I found that the grasshopper plague actually occurred in 1874.
Overall it was a quick read and I actually finished the book. I gave it 2.5 stars but rounded up to three. The good news is that I can count it toward my reading challenge!😊
I'll give this author another try. I have to give credit to published writers (even after several rejected manuscripts the author refers to in her acknowledgements section) because they continue to work hard doing what they love. But I think I'm done with mail order bride books.
What it's about: Sarah MacFarland responds to a newspaper ad by Arthur "Briggs" Brigman wanting a "...peaceful wife for simple life on Kansas prairie. Must agree to daily toil and plain home." Briggs pays for her trip from Boston to Kansas because the villain she's trying to escape keeps a tight hold on her money. Sarah admits to herself that she could be jumping from the frying pan into the fire with her decision to marry a stranger, but she also knows she can get out of it at the last minute if things look questionable. So I have to believe she does it more to have someone else pay for her travel to the west (ok, Kansas is more midwest).
What I've never liked about this type of story is that the woman doesn't do thorough homework on her prospective groom. There are no references (on either side) so she could be getting into a physically and emotionally abusive relationship. And isn't that just what she's trying to escape?🙄
As for Briggs, he truly doesn't care what his mail order bride's physical appearance is. He probably thinks only plain and homely looking women respond to those ads and that's exactly what he wants. A woman who will work hard on his farm that he won't fall in love with. So he's not the best hero in my opinion.😒
It's considered historical "fiction", so I remind myself of that when the author writes of the locust invasion. The story begins in 1875 and maybe there was more than one grasshopper infestation, but I found that the grasshopper plague actually occurred in 1874.
Overall it was a quick read and I actually finished the book. I gave it 2.5 stars but rounded up to three. The good news is that I can count it toward my reading challenge!😊
I'll give this author another try. I have to give credit to published writers (even after several rejected manuscripts the author refers to in her acknowledgements section) because they continue to work hard doing what they love. But I think I'm done with mail order bride books.
July 19, 2021
3.5 Stars.
This was a mixed feeling. I wanted to like this so much.
I felt like it could have been a 5 had it not for certain factors I listed below. It's good but not quite.
O I was so in for a surprise. This was a love story encapsulated by anecdotes of farming. It was refreshing. I did not realize I loved it until I found myself not able to put down the book, even to have dinner.
I loved the beginning, loved the heroine's tenacity in trying her best to be a farmer's wife. Loved the gruffness of our hero. But I was angry and upset with the heroine's deceit. She could have come clean so many times.
This story was so full of lies and hidden truths, it was too painful to read. If they could just come clean with each other, everything would pan out by itself.
Also the
Briggs = 30 y/o, green eyes, shoulder length hair, tall, muscular, a rancher. Rough around the edges.
Sarah = Slim, beautiful, a Bostonian!!!, dark hair, brown eyes.
This was a mixed feeling. I wanted to like this so much.
I felt like it could have been a 5 had it not for certain factors I listed below. It's good but not quite.
O I was so in for a surprise. This was a love story encapsulated by anecdotes of farming. It was refreshing. I did not realize I loved it until I found myself not able to put down the book, even to have dinner.
I loved the beginning, loved the heroine's tenacity in trying her best to be a farmer's wife. Loved the gruffness of our hero. But I was angry and upset with the heroine's deceit. She could have come clean so many times.
This story was so full of lies and hidden truths, it was too painful to read. If they could just come clean with each other, everything would pan out by itself.
Also the
Briggs = 30 y/o, green eyes, shoulder length hair, tall, muscular, a rancher. Rough around the edges.
Sarah = Slim, beautiful, a Bostonian!!!, dark hair, brown eyes.
August 18, 2022
Mail order bride western romance is always my favorite but not many authors are able to pull this genre perfectly but MacLead does this...... It is one of the best cow boy romance I have ever read..... I love how the hero is dominant but also very subtle and caring towards his lady.....
The story is how both hero and the heroine have a past and they get into th is marriage to run away from their past.... Both unaware of each other past have certain trust issues that lead to the story becoming more interesting
In all these mail order bride genre what I love the most is how ylthe hero stands by the heroine no matter what..... The hero and heroine might even be in a middle of a fight but still they stand by each other at bad times..... That's why I live this genre and this book was able to pull this one pretty good
The story is how both hero and the heroine have a past and they get into th is marriage to run away from their past.... Both unaware of each other past have certain trust issues that lead to the story becoming more interesting
In all these mail order bride genre what I love the most is how ylthe hero stands by the heroine no matter what..... The hero and heroine might even be in a middle of a fight but still they stand by each other at bad times..... That's why I live this genre and this book was able to pull this one pretty good
February 29, 2024
“Mail Order Prairie Bride” by Julianne MacLean pgs. may vary read on iPhone 621 Western Romance Mature Readers Warning: This story does have some minor domestic abuse/assault (physical and with a weapon) so read with care. Note not the whole storyline though. The story is about Sarah MacFarland and Albert “Briggs” Brigman who each were on their own path of sorrow, loneliness, as well as lovelessness when “Briggs” applied for a “bride” and Sarah answered, not realizing they would be the answers each was looking for in the end. We need villains and Isabelle, as well as Garrison, who are of both of their pasts and bound to unravel everything the two have struggled to fragilely bring together. Though as with most relationships, when you base it on truth, trust, honesty and respect you manage to find your way if you are willing.
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