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The Fairfax Brides #1

His Mail-Order Bride

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A Wild West wedding!

Thomas Greenwood expected his mail-order bride to be plain and pregnant not a willow-slim beauty! She's clearly no practical farmer's wife, but she's his chance finally to have a loving family

Runaway heiress Charlotte Fairfax fled the possibility of a forced marriage, yet now, assuming a stolen identity, she's wed to a stranger the moment she steps off the train! She plans to stay only until it's safe to leave. Except marriage to kindhearted Thomas is far more complicated and pleasurable than she ever imagined!

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 21, 2017

57 people are currently reading
62 people want to read

About the author

Tatiana March

40 books21 followers
Tatiana March is the author of several romantic novels. She lives in the UK near the river Thames with her boyfriend of 22 years. No kids, no pets, except for spiders and various other forms of wildlife seeking temporary shelter.

When Tatiana is not reading or writing, she enjoys camping, hiking and travelling, particularly in Arizona where her historical western romances are set.

Tatiana is fanatical about research and is currently immersed in the history of Southern Arizona in the 1870s and late Medieval Scotland.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Profile Image for Anna Marie Leffew.
391 reviews19 followers
September 30, 2025
If you're on the hunt for an enthralling read that blends action, romance, and a bit of suspense, look no further than "His Mail-Order Bride: Book 1 of The Fairfax Brides" by Tatiana March. This book is nothing short of a masterpiece, offering a rollercoaster of emotions with its gripping plot filled with murder, deception, and the heartfelt journey of Thomas and Charlotte.

As you dive into this story, you’ll find yourself laughing at the witty moments, crying during the poignant scenes, and rejoicing in the triumphs of the characters. The vivid descriptions pull you right into the setting, making you feel like you’re experiencing every twist and turn alongside them. It’s impossible not to fall in love with the characters and become invested in their lives.

Don’t miss out on this incredible adventure! Once you finish, you'll be eagerly anticipating the stories of Charlotte's sisters, Miranda and Anabel. Grab your copy today, and prepare for a reading experience that you won't be able to put down!

https://amzn.to/42TV1an
Profile Image for Emily.
222 reviews16 followers
July 9, 2017
Charlotte Fairfax is on the run from her cousin, Gareth. Her father was a rich man, and upon his death, he left all of his fortune to her. However, Gareth is bound and determined to get her money and plans to marry her to get it. With the help of her younger sisters, Charlotte manages to escape their home and flees west, planning to hide until she turns 25 and inherits her fortune. While on the train, she comes across a young woman who had committed suicide. Seeing her body, Charlotte decides to assume her identity and take the position that Maude Jackson was set for. Charlotte thinks she is going to become a schoolteacher, or something like that, but in reality, she's set to marry Thomas Greenwood. Charlotte is alarmed by the idea of marrying him, but with no other choice, she agrees.

Thomas is eager to start a family. He was never welcome in his own, and ever since he left them, he has been alone on his farm. He hopes that Maude will fall in love with them, or at least feel indebted to him because he was willing to marry a pregnant woman. However, things don't quite seem right with his wife even as he's falling in love with the sweet, young woman. Charlotte feels guilty over deceiving Thomas, but can't see how to tell him the truth without endangering herself, and isn't sure that she wants to leave Thomas.

Eventually though, the truth comes out, and they decide to annual the marriage, even though in their hearts, neither wants to leave the other. However, there is still plenty of danger left for them to face, both in Arizona and back in Boston that keeps them together.

I thought this was a sweet book. Admittedly, Charlotte was a bit stupid at times. Obviously, she didn't know much about farming or how to cook considering her old life, but there were a couple of common sense things that had me rolling my eyes. She just seemed a little young for 24. Thomas on the other hand was a real sweetheart. He was the epitome of the gentle giant. I loved him and was glad that he found his happy ending.

I didn't really care for how the real Maude Jackson was treated though. I don't know, there was something about her storyline that didn't sit well to me. Also, at one point Thomas says that he wasn't planning on letting anyone know that her baby wasn't his, but I wasn't sure how he was going to pull that off considering she was going to be five months pregnant when they married.

Overall, this was a sweet book, and I absolutely adored Thomas.
134 reviews
May 7, 2019
This book is much better than the super generic title makes it sound. The first half is very well done and charming. Things go downhill a bit in the 2nd half, where some events feel thrown in as if required by an editor.

For example,
Profile Image for N.W. Moors.
Author 12 books158 followers
November 11, 2023
Charlotte is an heiress who flees Boston when her unscrupulous cousin, Gareth, tries to force her into marriage. On the train, she finds a dead woman and assumes her identity, but finds a groom waiting for her at the train station. Thomas also expects her to be five months pregnant as he has accepted that his bride is with child. Charlotte lies, hoping to wait out the time until she's of age and can claim her inheritance.
I didn't like Charlotte much. In addition to her deceit, she also can't cook, do housework, or do any of the other chores that Thomas expects of a farm wife. Thomas is a sweetheart and he put up with a lot from Charlotte before she finally decided to make their marriage work. But the story is interesting and the pacing good.
Profile Image for Marie Piper.
Author 30 books101 followers
July 4, 2017
While I started reading this book (on a camping trip!) expecting a good old mail-order bride story, I was pleasantly surprised by the book. Charlotte's experiences getting west held surprises, Thomas as a hero held surprises, and I did not expect the last half of the book to go the way it did! I'm glad I read it and will look for the other two books - which will continue the saga of the Fairfax sisters.
Profile Image for Sibilor.
97 reviews1 follower
May 18, 2022
A typical mail-order bride book but entertaining and with a plot that takes a couple of twists and turns before resolving. You get attached to Thomas and Charlotte. I liked it.
Profile Image for Carol.
1,241 reviews
March 5, 2017
This book had the potential to be really interesting but by the end, it just fell flat. It was disappointing if I'm honest. Both Thomas and Charlotte were lovely characters and whenever they interacted I couldn't help but want more from each moment but nearly most of the book it never came. Truthfully there wasn't much romance involved. Sure they grew to love one another but where was that romance? I barely saw it. It was heavily overshadowed by dragging inner monologues, at least one random plot device for drama involving a rather absurd crazy man after a woman who stole his gold. And then waits till the verrrryyy last chapter for the HEA moment which we get like no time to savor and enjoy. Completely unfair. Like I said a huge disappointment!

The book WAS interesting, though, that's what's so sad to me. If the relationship between Thomas and Charlotte had been told or developed differently in a more romantic light I might have overlooked the pop-up drama that happened to Charlotte later in the book that just felt out of place. Overall an OK read but a bit of a letdown. Not sure I'll bother with the rest of the series about the other sisters.

Side note: Thomas was a big teddy bear and I'm glad he got his HEA.
Profile Image for Lynsay.
424 reviews
March 6, 2018
This was a nice story and a nice start to a trilogy. The only problem I had was that it seemed like much of the romance happened behind the scenes. I also think one part was kind of a throw away part. I don't think it was needed. I think other parts could have been fleshed out more to give readers a bit more romance between Thomas and Charlotte.

Overall it was a good, well written story.
Profile Image for Susan.
4,808 reviews126 followers
March 29, 2017
Good book. It opens with Charlotte and her sisters in Boston, realizing that Charlotte is in danger. Their unscrupulous cousin is determined to gain control of Charlotte's inheritance and is planning to force her to marry him. With her sisters' help, Charlotte escapes, but with little money and no idea how she'll survive until she's able to gain control herself. After a fright in New York City, she ends up on a westbound train, with no ticket, trying to dodge the conductor. When she finds the body of a young woman in the train's restroom, she takes her ticket and her identity, ending up in Gold Crossing, Arizona. There she is stunned to discover that she is supposed to be a pregnant mail-order bride for a local farmer. Thomas is expecting a plain, sturdy and pregnant woman, not the tiny beauty who gets off the train. She doesn't look anything like the photograph he was sent, but a wife he paid for and a wife he will have.

I enjoyed the development of their relationship. Though Charlotte plans to leave when the danger has passed, she is determined to be the best farm wife that she can. I loved seeing her enthusiasm and resolve. Though Thomas suspects she is hiding secrets of some kind, he is entranced by her beauty and her willingness to be part of his life. He is falling fast and hard for her, when the truth comes out. Hurt and angry at her deception, the marriage is annulled. Charlotte feels incredibly guilty and wants to find a way to make it right. I ached for her as every attempt she made was turned back. But as hurt as he is, Thomas is still protective of her, and can't stay away. There's a confrontation with a deranged miner, where he is injured helping her. More consequences of her deception land her in trouble with the townspeople, she discovers Thomas is in trouble, and she has decisions to make.

I liked both Charlotte and Thomas. Charlotte is smart, though perhaps a bit naïve in her belief that she can carry off her deception. I liked the way that she wanted to make things as easy as possible for Thomas. She had a great sense of humor and was able to laugh at herself and her mishaps. I really liked how she instinctively trusted him. It was sweet to see how she tried so hard to make up for her mistakes. Thomas was a sweetheart. He's a large man who suffered a miserable childhood, feeling unloved even by his mother. He was happy to accept a pregnant woman as a bride, looking forward to forming the kind of family he wanted and never had. I completely understood his hurt and anger at Charlotte's deception. As much as he claimed to want no part of her after the breakup, what he did for her sister showed that he still cared deeply. There were a few times I wanted to shake him for letting his pride hold him back. His big moment at the end was fantastic.

I'm looking forward to reading the sisters' stories.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews

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