Darrell learns that love can sneak up on a person but so can danger! If Darrell Dean wants to inherit half of the Silver Queen mine, he needs to marry. Though he doesn't like the girl, he agrees to marry the local saloon owner's daughter. He doesn't expect a woman to interrupt the wedding who claims to be his wife.If Willa VanDurring wants to escape the danger stalking her, she needs a new name and home far away from the threat. At her guardian's urging, she agrees to marry Darrell Dean by proxy and then immediately leaves to join him in Colorado. She's shocked to find him marrying another woman.Can a man who didn't agree to marry a proxy bride and a woman pursued by a murderer make a life together? What happens when the danger finds her? In a town with no law, how will she survive?
It's a dark and twisted tale that brings Willa and Darrell together, despite this they are perfectly matched and determined to outwit those who wish them harm. Willa finds herself thrust into a world very different from that she knows, but at no point does she let her fears overtake common sense and for that you have to respect her. She is smart, kind, loving and generous, a true sweetheart and everything Darrell could have hoped for. I read this on Kindle Unlimited.
A fun and intrigue filled Proxy Bride book! This book starts in New York with Willa being whisked into a Proxy marriage very quickly. She doesn't understand totally what is happening until it is over and done with. Then she is whisked to the train station by her Guardian and sent off to join her husband in Colorado! Her proxy husband Darrell Dean is in the middle of a marriage ceremony when she arrives and has no idea she exists. She stops the wedding, and creates quite a scene. This begins the intrigue and danger. Love comes quickly between the two, but there are some huge hurdles they must jump to reach their HEA. This book is well written and I enjoyed it very much. I received an ARC of this book and am choosing to leave an honest review.
This is an excellent story with great character development. Imagine as a bride walking into the church to supposedly meet your proxy groom to find him in the process of wedding another!!!! The story has lots of intriguing elements to keep one guessing what is going to happen including greed, deception, mystery, lies, a bad guy or two, good friends, romance and a HEA. I really enjoyed this book (it is a real page turner) and highly recommend it.
A Bride for Darrell was an enjoyable experience :) it's been a while since I read a "moving to the West" story, and the first proxy bride-themed, but I think it won't be my last. I was surprised that the book was Christian since the blurb didn't mention anything about it, but it was a pleasant surprise.
I certainly liked that this story had everything, from sweet romance to a bit of mystery/suspense/danger concerning Willa and her marriage to Darrell. I also found the length of this story to be perfect for my introduction to the proxy genre, but at the same time found it difficult to keep up when more characters kept popping up. However, the narrator did a wonderful job with all the voices (from older to young women, to the different male ones), as well as the nuances and range of emotions (from angry to soothing and everything in between).
Overall, an enjoyable sweet romance proxy bride story perfect for fans of the author and the genre. ~ 4.5 stars
Content: violence: a woman is poisoned; a man kicks a woman in the ribs, head, and touches her breast. Sex: their marriage is consummated but it all happens behind closed doors. However, there are references to it (either when she's remembering that night or by physical evidence like her finding a wet spot in bed).
Willa is confused about what's going on but her guardian arranges her to wed by proxy and go to safety. There's a redheaded man after her. She doesn't know much else for details except that her Grandfather had sent her away to school, supposedly to keep her safe. She arrives in town to find Darrell at the church, about to wed someone else! Darrell needs to marry to gain his inheritance. The saloon-keeper's daughter wore him down until he agreed to marry her. But their wedding is interrupted by the arrival of his WIFE. Did he maybe arrange a proxy wedding after he had his concussion and that's why he doesn't remember? They need to piece together what's going on while also adjusting to newlywed life. This is a clean, sweet romance. I thought the mystery was really interesting. And it was pretty good all around.
(3.5 stars) - mail order romance with mystery & suspense
Wholesome with a two-pronged mystery to give it a double dose of suspense. The plot transition between chapters wasn't always smooth, and it was a little weak in places compared to previous, but it was still a fairly entertaining novella.
*Clean romance level: sweet kisses
*Scene of threatened rape & death, while not overly lengthy or detailed, may be distressing for some readers
*Religion: protagonist is a Methodist, but the handful of light faith moments are generically Christian, as well as natural to the story
Willa has only ever lived in one place that she remembers. It is a girls school. Suddenly for reasons that are unknown to her she is suddenly entering into marriage as a proxy bride. She has been prepared to one day marry but didn’t know she would be entering into marriage in this manner. But Darrell is even more surprised. He never sent for a proxy bride. And even more shocking she arrives to interrupt the marriage he arranged for himself with a local girl. This book had a few twists and turns as it wasn’t all about two people learning to live their lives together. It was more about the circumstances that brought the two together. There is mystery surrounding those circumstances.
Wow!! This book is action-packed from beginning to end!! Willa's guardian rushes her to a lawyer's office and into a proxy wedding with no explanations; just a warning to watch out for a red-headed, scar-faced man. She arrives in Colorado just in time to stop her proxy husband from marrying someone else. Darrell has no memory of a proxy marriage, but he is relieved to be saved from marrying a woman e doesn't like. Then, boom!! Suspicious things begin to happen. Very exciting story. I couldn't put it down. Definitely 5 stars
This bride by proxy book was really enjoyable. I listened to the audiobook which was even better. A surprised Darrell is stopped from saying his vows at the alter when Willa makes her appearance. If you like mail-order bride books with a mystery to it you will enjoy this one. The author sure kept me guessing about the marriage and the mystery taking place. I enjoyed the fact that the bride and groom didn’t fight all the time. I received a copy of this audiobook from the author but was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Being swept away from the only home she ever had Willa finds herself on the train to meet she was married to by proxy. But when she arrives she’s just in time to stop her husband Darrell’s wedding. Why did he send for a proxy bride when he was about to get married to someone else? And there’re more strange things that needs to be answered. Interesting story, it will keep you guessing until the problems are solved.
I really enjoyed this story. I really loved the hero and heroine in this story. Both characters were absolutely wonderful as added a few others too, but some were downright dastardly. This story has all the good, bad, and really ugly stuff we come to love in western romances. I highly recommend this story in the Proxy Bride series, and I have loved all the books I've read from this author. She is amazing.
I listened to the audiobook of this story. Narrator was good. Darrell needs a wife to gain his inheritance and Willa needs to get away from danger. She agrees to become a proxy bride to Darrell, but he doesn't know that. When she arrives in Colorado, she interrupts his wedding to the saloon owners daughter. He rather be married to Willa. Can these two people make a go of it, before the danger arrives in town. Great story. I was given a copy of this book by the author for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. There was a lot going on, but it was easy to keep up with. Darrell an Willa both agree on a proxy marriage so they can both claim their inheritance. But, it seems someone is out to harm both of them. I loved both of the main characters and how Darrell regained his faith. The story wraps up nicely, with all the mysteries being solved and a HEA. It's a great book by talented author Marisa Masterson.
This is my first book by Marissa Masters and won’t be my last! The characters were wonderful, I really enjoyed Willa. The story was very engaging from beginning to end. There was mystery, action and romance. The whole story just was such a sweet tale, what was meant for evil God turned around for the good of his children. Awesome book! Was given a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
Darrell owned a small mercantile in a small sliver mining town. He needed a wife soon in order to meet the requirements of an inheritance. Will was a student at a private girls school. She needed to answer a proxy mail order bride request to leave town for her own safety. How will this work for the both of them?
This was an interesting, complicated story. I think there were more bad folks than good ones. But the Proxy Bride and her husband lived through the other folks greed and violence to their happily ever after. It was amazing that they could really like each other having never met till she arrived in Colorado.
In a twist on the usual beginning to a proxy marriage, Marisa Masterson brings the story of Willa, a bride who didn’t know she was going to get married, and Darrell, a groom who finds his wedding interrupted by his heretofore unknown proxy bride. This delightful story has more than a few surprises and twists. It was fun to read and I totally enjoyed it.
I enjoyed the storyline but it seemed like it changed points of view mid-paragraph. A narrator told much of the story and occasionally it would slip into first person. It was just really confusing at times. On the plus side this was very clean-no bad language, some nondescript kissing, and only marital relations implied not described.
The story might have been good if the story line and editing had been better. Plot and characters were very tangled and not even well defined by the end of the book. Many times the tale went from third person to first person narrative, even in the middle of a sentence. Very disappointing!
Willa VanDurring is away at a private school that her ill grandfather sent her to. As she's getting older her school master decides to whisk her off on a day trip and ends up at a lawyers office to find she's married by proxy to a man named Darrell Dean. This early mail order bride romance is full of twists and turns that will keep you wanting more.
A triple crown winner-proxy bride romance, Christian and suspense
Once started to read, I had to finish before stopping. The book was very well written! I did figure out some of the mystery as more of the story was revealed but not everything or the "whys" behind the plots. In this case God certainly brought this loving couple together
This was just the read I needed: a sweet, loveable escape with just enough drama to keep me engaged. The characters are well developed, the story had good pacing, no lagging or rushing in the telling of the tale. Jenn Lee does a fantastic job narrating this book and bringing the characters to life. I really enjoyed listening to this book.
He didn't send for a Proxy Wife but got one anyway
They were after her inheritance , I liked the way the story was told how they stopped the people from getting it from her and how she ended up really married to him.
Will a becoming a proxy bride turned out to be quite a mystery. However, Darrell soon felt grateful she arrived, even with the complications. I enjoyed the hints and false leads, as well as the suspense in this sweet romance.
Many twists and turns in this murder mystery romance. Willa was sent as a proxy bride being given no information the groom did not even know she was coming! - Babs
A Bride for Darrell is the first book from this author that I have ‘read’ (via Audible). It is a sweet, wholesome Christian romance with a little suspense added. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest of the Proxy Bride series.
This story was difficult to follow. The author switched from third person to first person quite often. Poor grammar was also a problem. A book that could have had such potential was sadly lacking.
WOW! I just finished A Bride for Darrell and I would highly recommend it. It is a book that grabs you right from the start and you can't stop until the end. Great job Marisa Masterson!