Wilhelmina, A Winter Bride

Brides for All Seasons #1

by Rose Wilder

If opposites attract these two strangers will collide with the force of a raging storm.

Out of options, Wilhelmina Wilkins heads west to marry a total stranger upon answering a mail order bride ad. What could have been a fairytale beginning turns out to be this bride’s nightmare. Instead of meeting Wilhelmina at the train station, her husband-to-be is in the center of town brawling.

Marcus Hamilton is blindsided twice, first, by a mail order bride ad posted for him by his mother and sister, and secondly, by the beauty of the woman who arrives to marry him. That the bride wishes to cancel all plans after he fails to make a good first impression will not do. How far will Marcus have to go to prove his worth?

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

161 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 17, 2017

Reviews

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wilhelmina by Hildie McQueen
Winter Bride, from the Brides for all Seasons series. Historical romance, mail-order bides.
Wilhelmina answers a mail-order bride advertisement and heads west to get away from her manipulative family.

Poor girl has no idea what’s she’s in for. She led a privileged life in the East but the small town where she’s to be married is remote and without the comforts she’d used to like a maid and household help. She’s never cooked by herself before let alone clean or do laundry. But to give her props, she’s brave for venturing west on her own, and is willing to roll up her sleeves and learn to do what’s necessary without complaint.
The groom really needed to grow up and get over his issues. Fortunately Wilhelmina handles herself with backbone and smarts and he soon sees a better life ahead.
Delightful.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, boy, did this book ever need a proofreader. There were words missing in random sentences, the wrong word being used (as if spell-check automatically changed the word to something else) or the author just didn't know which word or spelling to use.
I took a bunch of stars off my rating because of these problems.
It was a great story idea, but this author just messed it up with the problems I just described.
How these horrible e-books even get published is beyond my comprehension. Have a bit of self-respect and get the book proofread and edited - don't just run it through spell-check and call it done.

[Tiffany Ehrob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to Wihelmina, A Winter Bride on audible. I enjoyed the overall story. I haven't read many historical romance book but I am coming to enjoy them alot and find myself wanting to some more.

Wilhelmina and Marcus story starts off rocky but from the moment Marcus see her he knows she the one. At first Wilhelmina is turned off by him but as time moves on and she gets to know him better she falls for him more and more.

These characters were my favorite but I also enjoyed Eleanor who is Marcus's sister. She was so nice and sweet and she did so much for her family even moved imher and her husband into her parents house to help take care of there sick mother.

I can't wait to see what sparks fly between Tobias and Aurora.

[Crystal P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost gave this book a 4 because it was quite simple. But then, I thought about it and realize sometimes simple is best. I am not a fan of historical romance because I think sometimes it gets bogged down in the high society side of things and can find that quite wearing if I am not 100% into the story.

This story started off in the thick of high society and changed to the mountains of Montana. It got right to the point and the characters truly only struggled with learning to communicate as husband and wife. The mail-order bride concept was interesting and the reason behind its use in the story made perfect sense. One thing that I saw in other reviews is how she accepted the differences in her life in Montana too easily. Yes, she did, but I think that hints at how truly unhappy she was in that high society life and I can feel that on every level - it always seemed excessively boring to me!

The narrator could have been a little better, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless.

[Suzanne Bourgeois]

this is a feel good romance. this book was made to cuddle up and read, mostly because it take place in the winter and the descriptions of the cold and snow made my southern LA butt a touch chilly, ;). That ending though... it feels like it just stopped in the middle of the story. not a cliff hanger, just not done yet. i guess that's to make you want to read the rest of the series. well it worked for me! I am going to have to read the rest of these.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can you say mail order bride? This story reminds me of the Harlequin historicals I read in my late teens to early twenty's. Such a long time ago! I knew how the story would go. There would be conflict between a strong determined woman and her equally strong stoic husband. I listened on audible while not super fond of the narrator, it worked well enough not to distract me. I've already downloaded book 2.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of research went into this story of life in the wild west.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the occasion of my *ahem* 29th *ahem* birthday, I decided to treat myself to Hildie McQueen's complete Brides for All Season series in paperback format. Yeah... I'm not into eReaders.

As luck would have it, I was able to begin this series on my birthday, and have recently read, "Wilhelmina: A Winter Bride". It was a light, easy summer read.

I found some parts of the book rather weak on details, and the story seemed to end rather abruptly. The hero was a bit too stubborn for my liking as well.

Okay, might as well begin book #2 in the series, "Aurora: A Romantic Bride" :)

[Vania Nunes · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Wilhelmina's father remarried, her life became a fairy tale... but not the good one
Her stepmother, Laverne Wilkins, wanted all the attention of the Season on her daughter, Gilda.
Unwillingly, Wilhelmina ends up attracting attention from Ernest Jameson. He was part of a powerful family, but both he and his brother Milford followed the bad example of their father, Milford Jameson III, and were known as true rakes.
As Wilhelmina did not want to give in to Ernest's insistence, he spread that she was a girl who easily gave away any man, putting her in an endless gossip.
Wilhelmina's father did not seem to believe his own daughter's version and to spare his wife and Gilda from meeting with her, Wilhelmina would be sent to live with her Aunt Maureen.

But before that happened, Wilhelmina contacted Eugenia Price and learned that she worked to help good men find brides - mail order bride. Wilhelmina is mainly interested after knowing that her best friend, Aurora, could no longer maintain their friendship after the scandal in which Wilhelmina was involved, since Aurora would marry the other brother Jameson.
Wilhelmina sends her letter to the candidate and decides to anticipate her trip to Montana.

Marcus Hamilton was not looking for a bride. His mother and sister, Eleanor, decided it was time for him and his brother Tobias to get good wives. They sent the ad looking for a wife for him.
When he knows that a certain Wilhelmina from Philadelphia had answered, he is excited. But he hoped she would only show up in Montana after winter.
When she wrote her date of arrival, the house he was building was not yet fully ready. They would have to get married soon and go and live in the big ranch house of his parents.

Wilhelmina's first impression of her future husband could not have been worse. He did not show up at the train station to pick her up and then she finds out he was involved in a fight.
Yet she was determined to keep the marriage plan.
The Hamilton family welcomed her very well.
Marcus's mother was dying of cancer, and everyone lived to make her as comfortable as possible.

The big challenge, however, was not just that she and Marcus seemed to have nothing in common, but that she had been raised to be a lady and knew nothing about domestic service. Each day she needed to learn lots of tasks at the ranch because winter would soon arrive and they would be trapped in their homes.
Despite the challenge, the marriage continues. Mrs Hamilton's illness gets worse. Wilhelmina and Marcus need to trim the edges of their relationship that seems to get worse every day, but by their coexistence and observation, the feeling between them begins to grow.
But which of the two would be the first to admit that they could not live far from the other?

Romance from start to the end, with some funny scenes and a great feeling when you finish reading.
Now I want to know how will be Tobias' story and if he will accept the bride his family wants to give him.
5 stars

[Scherry at The Novel Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

When life hands her a curve ball, Wilhelmina must decide whether to live miserably with her aunt in Virginia or to take a chance on a whole new life in Montana as a mail order bride to handsome Marcus Hamilton. She decides to travel from Philadelphia to Montana to accept Marcus' proposal. Their first encounter is certainly less than perfect, but can things still work out?

This is a sweet, clean romance and a quick read at only 168 pages. It is currently free on Kindle Unlimited. I added on the Audible version for a few dollars more, but I ended up reading the e-book version instead of the Audible version. Actually, the book itself was quite good but the narrator on the audible version made Wilhelmina sound like a snob and Marcus sound a bit too cold and drab. I don't think that was the intention of the author because when I read the actual book, I had an entirely different vision of these two characters and I absolutely loved them! So my advice is to stick with the book and toss the audio.

Wilhelmina, a Winter Bride is the first book in the Brides for all Seasons series. I'm looking forward to seeing how things work out with Tobias and Aurora in the Spring, and I'm looking forward to reading more from this amazing author, Hildie McQueen.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very quick read.

Wilhelmina is from a wealthy family in Philadelphia. She has been wrongly accused of touching a man inappropriately. Her father has promised to send her out of town to get rid of the stain on the family.

Marcus lives on a large ranch in Montana. His mother and sister have sent letters to an agency to find mail order brides for Marcus and his brother, Tobias.

And the adventure begins.

The characters in the book are interesting. Ms McQueen has created people who act like human beings. In short, they are a long way from being perfect. But, they are still generally likable.

Wilhelmina and Marcus start out slowly. Eventually, they come to an understanding about what it takes to make a marriage. There is humor and drama and a true sense of loss. But, life does go on and people do try to overcome.

There are quite obvious things in the book which are not appropriate for the time or place. The reader can overlook all the glaring errors, because they do not have any true relevance to the outcome of the story.

This is as much a story of family love and support as it is a romance.

[Shweta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I have read a good romance after a while and I do read a lot of romance but most of those first books in the series, never excite me enough to go through the entire series. This one was a pleasant surprise that, I do want to go through the entire Brides series. I loved Wilhelmina's character. She was headstrong, intelligent and brave. Everything I look for in a good female lead. She was also pretty level headed which is a perfect match for someone like Marcus. Marcus's character was a surprise for me. He was stubborn and tough etc etc, everything we expect from a run of the mill romance hero, but he cried. He showed his sensitive side. He opened up to people and more importantly he told what's on his mind to his wife when he confessed, without any reservations. His straight forward personality was such a refreshing change from a deeply wounded confused brooding heroes. I loved the book and was sad when it ended. Would definitely read more from the series.

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story, Wlilhelmina is forced to marry someone she doesn't love so she take things into her own hands and answers an ad for a Mail Order Bride. How strong and brave she is to leave home on a train and go out West to marry someone she doesn't know.

This is a great story with adventures throughout. The storyline was interesting and entertaining with strong outstanding characters. My eyes opened wide when a character was named Eugenia Price who was a great author in the1990's. What an amazing thing to do, name a character of a well know author in the storyline. I really liked that the story was carried over throughout the winter season in Montana all through the first year of Wilhelmina and Marcus first year of marriage.

This is an outstanding author to enter tidbits of history throughout the story. Note: Wilhelmina was Queen of the Netherlands in 1890-1948 and during World War II. I recommend this book to everyone.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expelled from Philadelphia's society by a disappointed father, Wilhelmina would find another form of punitive punishment than living with her bitter aunt in Virginia. Her dearest friend Aurora was forbidden to associate with her as well. The nightmare began while attending the socially elite Jameson party. Falling prey to the scheming younger son, Wilhelmina defended herself against his advances resulting in his lies compromising her reputation. Seated on a park bench reflecting on her problems, the answer came to her by way of Lady Eugenia Price's Matrimonial Gazette. One advertisement stood out paramount to all others, Marcus Hamilton, Montana. Will the socialite succeed in her mission as a mail order bride without a maid to assist her?

[Alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilhelmina is an amazing woman. After a scandalous evening which leaves her reputation tarnished, but nothing happens to the male, Wilhelmina decides to take control of her life and accept a mail-order marriage instead of being banished to her aunt's farm. Her future husband, Marcus, has a tendency to act first and think later. Both of them will need to adjust to their new lives.

One of my favorite parts of the book is when Marcus and Wilhelmina have their first argument. Marcus made a decision that effects both of them and didn't talk to Wilhelmina about it first. I loved that Wilhelmina didn't back down and made sure that even though she agreed with the decision he better discuss it with her first next time.

I am looking forward to book 2.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 5 out of 5]

The romance is not as much as Wilhelmina and Marcus' story but in the storytelling itself. The author has written a gem of a prose here. She tells the story in a way that does not involve too much pathos or too much drama but in stark though fictional reality without stripping the heart from it. One can still see beauty (in the wide open spaces and in the great peaks of Montana as well as in the people themselves and how they relate to one another), feel what the characters feel (like Marcus' manly yet endearing foibles struggling to overcome his alpha mode vis~a~vis his wife's self~assertion) and be pretty much in the center of all that is happening without getting maudlin. Brilliant! P.S. ~ this is also one Hilarious read. Recommended for those who love a well~written prose.

[Amber Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilhelmina, A Winter Bride was fine for a quick short read, but I'm not sure if I'll continue the story. I listened to it on Audible and thought the narrator didn't do a great job, which may be why I didn't love it. All the voices sounded the same and everything thing was read more as a statement rather than acting out the parts. It made it hard to keep track of who was who. The depth of Wilhelmina also came off stilted. Here she is, a society girl used to having everything handed to her and now she's out west having to fend for herself and she didn't seem to be too distraught or out of place. She would talk about not knowing what to do, but she didn't seem to be emotionally affected. If I get around to the next in the series I'd try reading rather than listening on Audible.

[ButtonsMom2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook Review:
Overall – 4
Performance – 3
Story – 4

Good story, OK narration.

As far as I know this is the first audiobook I’ve listened to performed by Meghan Kelly but her voice sounds awfully familiar… Her voice is pleasant but, unfortunately, I couldn’t tell a lot of difference between the different female characters or between the different male characters.

I admired Wilhelmina’s bravery in setting out as a mail-order-bride. This really isn’t my typical kind of romance to read or listen to but it had been in my digital library for quite a while and I’ll be seeing the author in February at Coastal Magic in Daytona Beach.

Hildie is now writing Highlander romances so I think I’ll try one of those next.

[Bonnie Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb clearly explains the premise so I won’t repeat it. This book has interesting characters and a good storyline. Just like many of the mail-order brides, Wilhelmina answered the ad out of desperation. (The ads had photos of the men, which I found unusual for the time.) Her relationship with Marcus developed nicely and she also set herself to take on the tasks of a rancher’s wife.
The book has a few minor editing errors, but otherwise is good. My big issue is the abrupt ending, especially in the Audible version.
The Audible narrator, in my opinion, detracted from the story. The dialogue was stilted and the voices were all over the place.

[Cindy C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an enjoyable story! Wilhelmina is a heartwarming romance. Hildie McQueen characters come to life as you find yourself drawn into their story, the scenes are so strikingly detailed it paints an incredible backdrop that makes you feel like you are one with the story, passion, family love, trials and tribulations laughter and a few tears. The scenes are so strikingly detailed it paints an incredible backdrop that makes you feel like you are one with the story and will keep you reading to the end.

[Tiffany Van Hoosan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winter is for love

Excellent story! Wilhelmina braves everything to escape her life and become a mail-order bride. It’s a rocky meeting and initially a rocky few weeks of marriage. In the backdrop are the shadows of the decline and eventual loss of Marcus’ mother.

The book was very well written with a developing relationship between the young couple and the grief as another’s life came to a close. Like all good books it touches the heart. You won’t regret reading it.

[Melody Oakerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mail order brides go out west

This is a lovely story of a high society young woman who wants to make her own decisions about her future and a young man that has a mother and sister who want to see him safely we'd. The story moves along at a nice pace and love and laughter and sorrow all add to a depth of emotion that many "mail order bride" story's never achieve. Look forward to the next book to see what happens to the next set of lovers.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mix thoughts about this book.

I sort of enjoyed reading this book with exceptions that the timelines were all over the place. Just when you wondered about what happened concerning one happening it jumped to the next, then back. And no less the ending was just not my definition of an ending. I want to read the next book about Aurora but I am inclined it may leave me up in the air as well.

[Angeline Gallant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aweful

I struggled to get to the half way mark. The main character, Wilhelmina, is terrible and I can't grow to like her no matter how much I read. She just gets worse. I feel so bad for Marcus. The author also needs to edit the book for errors, especially in the first few chapters. The book would have been better if the main character was more likeable but at almost halfway done the book, I can't stomach her. To keep reading this book is a waste of my time.

[Katy Beth Mckee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wilhelmina has been put in a bad circumstanced through no fault of her own. But she takes control of her life and decides to head west as a mail order bride. Marcus is a bit rough around the edges but he is a good man. They have to learn how to be a couple but they do work on things together. I also like how much Wilhelmina was willing to work to learn about what she needed to do to be a homestead wife. This was a sweet winter romance. #CMCon26

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful introduction to this new series. Wilhelmina's reputation is ruined when she refuses the advances of a not-so-nice man. He spreads lies about her which her stepmother and the rest of society readily believe. Wilhelmina runs into an acquaintance who runs a mail-order bride service and she offers Wilhelmina the opportunity to start over in a new place. But, being raised in a well-to-do household with servants her whole life, she is ill-prepared for life as a rancher's wife in Montana.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

High society Wilhelmina was set to be booted out of her home. Her step mother and sister always get the upper hand. Rather than go to live with an aunt, she answers an ad to be a mail order bride in Wyoming. Marcus' mom and sister wrote the ad. Can she endure the life of a rancher's wife? I loved this book and am eager to read the next one in this series!

[Sally Stackhouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

With her reputation in disgrace, through no fault of her own, Wilhelmina travels to become a mail order bride. She is transported from high society, city living to the Wild West where she has to learn how to run a house and do daily chores that she’s never done before.

A short, sweet book, nothing too taxing plot wise.

[Kasey Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining...

I enjoyed this story enough to overlook its need of better proofing while I read it, but others might not. The story flows well with interesting characters. Sadness and joy are well balanced along with challenges and triumphs. Very nicely written, add a different proof reader and the next book of the series should be even better.

[Dorothey Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilhelmina, a Winter Bride

I really liked this story. Due to things beyond Wilhelmina’s control, she agreed to become a mail order bride. When she did arrive at her destination, her intended was not there to meet her. Wilhelmina and Marcus were married but there were many change to be made. Enjoy