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The Brides #2
Texas Bride
Tell Me You Don't Love Me.
Tell Me You Don't Want Me...
The Texas sun kissed her hair with gold; the Western sky gave its luminous blue to her eyes. Rachel Rivers was the most beautiful woman Brand Selby had ever met. He noticed her tremble when she saw him standing, tall and magnificently handsome, in the doorway of the schoolhouse, and his blood burned with a hungry flame. One look between this proper schoolteacher and this powerful Comanche half-breed had lit a passion no power on earth could extinguish. But they lived in a land scorched by hatred for the Indian, and where Rachel was courted by Brand's enemy, Texas Ranger Jason Brown. Here one kiss could seal the lovers' doom and make Rachel an outcast from her own kind. Here amid danger and deadly enemies, Brand had to choose between life and love -- as the woman who ruled his heart surrendered to him forever...
Tell Me You Don't Want Me...
The Texas sun kissed her hair with gold; the Western sky gave its luminous blue to her eyes. Rachel Rivers was the most beautiful woman Brand Selby had ever met. He noticed her tremble when she saw him standing, tall and magnificently handsome, in the doorway of the schoolhouse, and his blood burned with a hungry flame. One look between this proper schoolteacher and this powerful Comanche half-breed had lit a passion no power on earth could extinguish. But they lived in a land scorched by hatred for the Indian, and where Rachel was courted by Brand's enemy, Texas Ranger Jason Brown. Here one kiss could seal the lovers' doom and make Rachel an outcast from her own kind. Here amid danger and deadly enemies, Brand had to choose between life and love -- as the woman who ruled his heart surrendered to him forever...
344 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1988
129 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Rosanne Bittner
84 books621 followersI am a USA-TODAY best-selling author with 41 years, 76 books, and numerous writing awards behind me. My major genre is historical romance. I have always written for standard publishers but am now writing strictly for Amazon so I have more freedom to write real history. My most recent publication is SHADOW TRAIL, the 6th book in my Outlaw Hearts series. I also wrote and published my first full-length contemporary story, DANCING BENEATH YOU, in September 2022, a romance involving mystery and a depiction of reservation life in the Badlands of South Dakota. My best sellers are my SAVAGE DESTINY series (7 books) and my OUTLAW HEARTS series. See my website (www.rosannebittner.com) for details on all my books - most available for Kindle and in print. I am known for great love stories filled with real history and high emotion. I have also written many Native American stories, all based on real history.
I love American history. For those of you who have not yet read my books, my stories are generally set in the American West of the 1800s and feature vividly described, historically accurate settings that span the US from Missouri to California, from Canada to Mexico. Many of my books portray the poignant history of our Native Americans, and though the characters are my own, I use real historical locations and events in all my novels. I have also written about the French & Indian wars, American Revolution, the War of 1812, the war with Mexico (the Alamo), and the Civil War.
National magazine ROMANTIC TIMES has called me the "Queen of Western Romance" and an "emotional powerhouse." My husband and I have traveled the west for nearly 40 years and I have visited just about every location mentioned in my books.
Visit my website at www.rosannebittner.com and my Facebook Author page. And be sure to join Rosanne Bittner's Heart of the West Street Team! Happy reading!
I love American history. For those of you who have not yet read my books, my stories are generally set in the American West of the 1800s and feature vividly described, historically accurate settings that span the US from Missouri to California, from Canada to Mexico. Many of my books portray the poignant history of our Native Americans, and though the characters are my own, I use real historical locations and events in all my novels. I have also written about the French & Indian wars, American Revolution, the War of 1812, the war with Mexico (the Alamo), and the Civil War.
National magazine ROMANTIC TIMES has called me the "Queen of Western Romance" and an "emotional powerhouse." My husband and I have traveled the west for nearly 40 years and I have visited just about every location mentioned in my books.
Visit my website at www.rosannebittner.com and my Facebook Author page. And be sure to join Rosanne Bittner's Heart of the West Street Team! Happy reading!
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 27, 2015
I guess this one was a little unsettling for me as Texas Rangers are usually portrayed as rough around the edges, may skirt the law not being merciful to villlians but have an inate code & integrity. This Ranger is corruption personified. Another unsettling is the brother publicly outted his sister's relationship even when he'd been raised tolerant and professed to love her.
I loved the heroine's compassion & belief that everyone's entitled to an education. The hero impressed me as he straddled two worlds he was trying to become a bridge as well as get evidence against a corrupt lawman.
Not an easy tale as it the whole scheme involves raids provoking prejudice while vile men get rich on women & kids misery.
I loved the heroine's compassion & belief that everyone's entitled to an education. The hero impressed me as he straddled two worlds he was trying to become a bridge as well as get evidence against a corrupt lawman.
Not an easy tale as it the whole scheme involves raids provoking prejudice while vile men get rich on women & kids misery.
May 22, 2017
You ever have one of those book worms? You know, where you remember a scene in your head from a book but have no idea the book? I knew the scene I was thinking of was from a Rosanne Bittner book and how awesome was it to revisit a few of her stories before finally finding it! And once I satisfied my book worm, I was HOOKED and needed to start over from the beginning.
Brand and Rachel have a beautiful love story that has settled itself deep in my heart. You can't go wrong meeting and falling in love with these two. I loved it even more reading it the 2nd time! The trials they faced from every side (including from family) just proved how much strength and beauty love can have!
Brand and Rachel have a beautiful love story that has settled itself deep in my heart. You can't go wrong meeting and falling in love with these two. I loved it even more reading it the 2nd time! The trials they faced from every side (including from family) just proved how much strength and beauty love can have!
January 20, 2021
I'm big fan of historical western romances, but for some reason I had never read a book by Ms. Bittner before. "Texas Bride" was everything I wanted it to be: a forbidden love story between a respected school teacher and a Comanche half-breed that everyone fears.
Brand Selby is my favourite kind of hero: he is strong yet gentle, his lack of formal education doesn't diminish the richness of his inner world. The conversations between him and Rachel were almost philosophical at times, which made me so happy because I love when characters challenge each other's views and connect on more than a physical level.
Bottom line, I loved "Texas Bride" and I hope to read more from Ms. Bittner.
P.S. There are some disturbing scenes portrayed and discussed in this book, so please check the trigger warnings beforehand.
P.S.S. At one point Rachel talks about claustrophobia, but since the book is set in 1845, the term was unknown at the time. The first known use of "claustrophobia" was in 1879.
Brand Selby is my favourite kind of hero: he is strong yet gentle, his lack of formal education doesn't diminish the richness of his inner world. The conversations between him and Rachel were almost philosophical at times, which made me so happy because I love when characters challenge each other's views and connect on more than a physical level.
Bottom line, I loved "Texas Bride" and I hope to read more from Ms. Bittner.
P.S. There are some disturbing scenes portrayed and discussed in this book, so please check the trigger warnings beforehand.
P.S.S. At one point Rachel talks about claustrophobia, but since the book is set in 1845, the term was unknown at the time. The first known use of "claustrophobia" was in 1879.
not-finished
September 17, 2025DNF around 58%
This story was fine. I thought the romance development was very sweet. But by this point they both admitted their love. The story was starting to drag.
This story was fine. I thought the romance development was very sweet. But by this point they both admitted their love. The story was starting to drag.
November 20, 2014
I bought this book used a while back and it just sat on my shelf unread. I'm on an old-school historical romance kick right now, so I gave it a try. This one surprised me by how good it was. It didn't have the most complicated plot, but the writing was great.
The heroine, Rachel Rivers, returns to Austin, Texas after completing school in St. Louis. Her parents are dead and her three brothers are now running the family ranch. She gets a job as a school teacher in town and looks forward to beginning her career.
Half-breed Indian, Brand Selby, has also just moved back to the Austin area. He isn't accepted by the community and secretly asks her to teach him to read. And oh my god, aren't the two of them just adorable together?
It's nice to finally read a western where the half-breed Indian doesn't take all his bitterness out on the heroine. I haven't read a story where the characters love for each other was this sweet in a while. There were plenty of bad guys and trials for them to go through, so there was more to it than just forbidden love.
The heroine, Rachel Rivers, returns to Austin, Texas after completing school in St. Louis. Her parents are dead and her three brothers are now running the family ranch. She gets a job as a school teacher in town and looks forward to beginning her career.
Half-breed Indian, Brand Selby, has also just moved back to the Austin area. He isn't accepted by the community and secretly asks her to teach him to read. And oh my god, aren't the two of them just adorable together?
It's nice to finally read a western where the half-breed Indian doesn't take all his bitterness out on the heroine. I haven't read a story where the characters love for each other was this sweet in a while. There were plenty of bad guys and trials for them to go through, so there was more to it than just forbidden love.
December 6, 2021
Wow! Another great story by author, Rosanne Bittner! I always get transported to another time and place when I read her novels. This is the 2nd book in the series and my favorite one so far! Texas, during this time, is on the verge of becoming a state, however, it is still a wild and dangerous place with rebel Comanche Indians and the Mexican Comancheros running amuck. There are many raids on innocent people. Women/girls and Livestock are stolen to be sold in Mexico. The Texas Rangers work to round up the outlaws. Sometimes, the Rangers are no better than the outlaws themselves. You will find all in Texas Bride. It picks up where the main characters Emma and Joe Rivers from book 1 had moved to Texas years earlier. It starts out sad with Joe Rivers having just died. (Emma died 5 years prior). Texas Bride is about their only daughter Rachael Rivers. This is her story.
January 5, 2023
Texas in the mid 1840’s was a harsh land filled with new ranchers, Comanche Indians and lawless Comancheros up from Mexico. Rachael Rivers has returned to Austin from school in St. Louis where she plans to teach. That is until she met half-breed Brand Selby. The rest is the story of life filled with challenges, death and destructive behavior of outlaws. I hated that there were Texas Rangers who were lawless and stole life, ranches and people to sell as slaves in Mexico. It no doubt happened but I like to think Texas Rangers are all good. Thanks for a good read.
Read
November 18, 2022I loved Tennessee Bride, the prequel to this book.and when I read a romance or its sequel, I need to know that the characters have a happily ever after. I purchased an omnibus and I just progressed into this book naturally, only to.find out that the characters I loved from the first book died, and very very young. And that's the opening line of the book.
I cannot read this, ugh. A do not read for me.
I cannot read this, ugh. A do not read for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2022
Caution, need tissues for this book...
Didn't know the first chapter would make me get the tissues already! If you follow this series you must read them in order to know what I am referring too. Will definitely put on my re-read lists, characters have great chemistry which is a must. Off to read more of this authors books.
Didn't know the first chapter would make me get the tissues already! If you follow this series you must read them in order to know what I am referring too. Will definitely put on my re-read lists, characters have great chemistry which is a must. Off to read more of this authors books.
September 22, 2023
I gave it 4.5 stars only because it was a little slow to start and had POV's that I didn't care for that slowed down the story but I loved the Rachel and Brand. I felt like their relationship was well developed it didn't move too fast.
October 8, 2019
Good Reading
I truly love Indian Romance and Roseanne Bittner you are the bomb. Looking forward to the 3rd book in this series.
I truly love Indian Romance and Roseanne Bittner you are the bomb. Looking forward to the 3rd book in this series.
May 24, 2021
Oh Rosanne Bittner I love your books. Great story of forbidden love!
August 22, 2023
Good book. Good characters. Good and bad. It’s was a good book.
September 17, 2023
good book
This was a good book. There was a part that drug a little but I still liked it. Would recommend
This was a good book. There was a part that drug a little but I still liked it. Would recommend
March 27, 2025
2.5 stars
May 21, 2019
This is book two of a trilogy; this story picks up after the deaths of Emma and Joe. Their only daughter, Rachel Rivers, has spent three years training to be a teacher. She has returned to the Austin area where her three brothers are working the ranch their parents owned.
She's hired as a teacher in the Austin area at about the time that Texas is trying to be admitted to the Union. Although statehood is coming, Texas is still plagued by outlaw bands, renegade Comanches and dangerous bands of Comancheros, who pillage and steal women and children settlers for sale in Mexico. Texas Rangers are trying to keep the peace but they have a great deal of land to protect.
One of those Texas Rangers is a crooked man, Jason Brown. He wants to marry Rachel, but she is afraid of Jason. In the meantime, she meets Brand Selby, a half-breed Comanche with a small ranch north of Austin.
When Rachel tells Jason that she will not marry him, Jason's passion turns to rage and he plans to capture Rachel and sell her to the Comancheros.
The story seemed a little slow until the last few chapters. However, it was well worth reading.
Brides Series
1) Tennessee Bride - Emma Simms and Joe Rivers
2) Texas Bride - Rachel Rivers and Brand Selby
3) Oregon Bride - Marybeth MacKender and Joshua Rivers
She's hired as a teacher in the Austin area at about the time that Texas is trying to be admitted to the Union. Although statehood is coming, Texas is still plagued by outlaw bands, renegade Comanches and dangerous bands of Comancheros, who pillage and steal women and children settlers for sale in Mexico. Texas Rangers are trying to keep the peace but they have a great deal of land to protect.
One of those Texas Rangers is a crooked man, Jason Brown. He wants to marry Rachel, but she is afraid of Jason. In the meantime, she meets Brand Selby, a half-breed Comanche with a small ranch north of Austin.
When Rachel tells Jason that she will not marry him, Jason's passion turns to rage and he plans to capture Rachel and sell her to the Comancheros.
The story seemed a little slow until the last few chapters. However, it was well worth reading.
Brides Series
1) Tennessee Bride - Emma Simms and Joe Rivers
2) Texas Bride - Rachel Rivers and Brand Selby
3) Oregon Bride - Marybeth MacKender and Joshua Rivers
September 3, 2014
Texas Bride is book 2 in the Bride series by Rosanne Bittner. The setting is in and around Austin, Texas in the 1800’s. She developed her characters well and the plot is interesting. It is a very good sequel to Tennessee Bride.
Rachael Rivers has finally come home. Her parents, Emma Simms and River Joe, had built up a ranch near Austin where they raised their three four children: Joshua, Rachael, Matthew, and Luke. They were very tolerant of those who were different. They were especially tolerant of Indians since River Joe was brought up by Cherokee Indians. Rachel was sent East to school and has returned to take up teaching in the school in Austin. Here she is confronted by Jason Brown who wants to marry her. He is a Texas Ranger with questionable morals and ethics. She doesn’t know anything about him; but he just frightens her.
Brand Selby is a half-breed who has bought a place outside of Austin. He is determined to find a way to bring down Jason for all of the terrible things he has done. Brand is treated horribly by the townspeople but he doesn’t strike back. He keeps his patience. He doesn’t intend to fall in love but he falls in love with Rachael Rivers.
Who will win the hand of Rachael Rivers? What will happen between Brand and Jason?
Rachael Rivers has finally come home. Her parents, Emma Simms and River Joe, had built up a ranch near Austin where they raised their three four children: Joshua, Rachael, Matthew, and Luke. They were very tolerant of those who were different. They were especially tolerant of Indians since River Joe was brought up by Cherokee Indians. Rachel was sent East to school and has returned to take up teaching in the school in Austin. Here she is confronted by Jason Brown who wants to marry her. He is a Texas Ranger with questionable morals and ethics. She doesn’t know anything about him; but he just frightens her.
Brand Selby is a half-breed who has bought a place outside of Austin. He is determined to find a way to bring down Jason for all of the terrible things he has done. Brand is treated horribly by the townspeople but he doesn’t strike back. He keeps his patience. He doesn’t intend to fall in love but he falls in love with Rachael Rivers.
Who will win the hand of Rachael Rivers? What will happen between Brand and Jason?
May 16, 2015
Texas Bride is a fabulously written book. I was on the edge of my seat the entire book. Joe Rivers (River Joe) & Emma River's boys are left on their parents Ranch, their daughter has returned from St. Louis for a teaching job in Austin. Oh My, the events that transpire in this book is so dramatic. It's another Rosanne Bittner classic. A MUST READ.
January 7, 2016
Texas Bride is a fabulously written book. I was on the edge of my seat the entire book. Joe Rivers (River Joe) & Emma River's boys are left on their parents Ranch, their daughter has returned from St. Louis for a teaching job in Austin. Oh My, the events that transpire in this book is so dramatic. It's another Rosanne Bittner classic. A MUST READ.
August 11, 2015
My second read by Rosanne an I loved it. In my honest opinion, you won't be confused with reading them out of order as I read this one first as the story appealed to me more (love full Indian or half Indian heroes that falls for white heroines).
August 22, 2016
This was a great read. I like the hero and heroine. They were both strong individuals overcoming great odds.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews