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Such a tiny lie…
Desperation drove her…
She couldn’t know the risk…
Melody stretched the truth a bit—quite a bit—when she wrote to her groom-to-be. After the death of her grandmother, Melody Fraser must quickly leave what has been her home in South Carolina. There are those in the village who think she murdered her Nana Fraser. She’s innocent but there’s talk about arrest and prosecution. To escape, this Southern belle agrees to become a mail-order bride in far away Montana. Surely things will work out, won’t they?
Nicholas “Nick” Walker is a doctor from Boston whose wife and children were killed when mortar fire destroyed the home in which they lived. Unaware of precisely what life in western Montana will be like, he buys a medical practice far from the ravages of the Civil War. He wants a competent nurse who can assist him with operations and care for patients as his plans expand for a hospital. He wants a well-organized wife to keep him company and start a family. With his usual efficiency, he combines the two into one job description when he requests a mail-order bride.
What will it take to teach Nick that—although she isn’t what he expected—Melody is exactly what he needs?
Desperation drove her…
She couldn’t know the risk…
Melody stretched the truth a bit—quite a bit—when she wrote to her groom-to-be. After the death of her grandmother, Melody Fraser must quickly leave what has been her home in South Carolina. There are those in the village who think she murdered her Nana Fraser. She’s innocent but there’s talk about arrest and prosecution. To escape, this Southern belle agrees to become a mail-order bride in far away Montana. Surely things will work out, won’t they?
Nicholas “Nick” Walker is a doctor from Boston whose wife and children were killed when mortar fire destroyed the home in which they lived. Unaware of precisely what life in western Montana will be like, he buys a medical practice far from the ravages of the Civil War. He wants a competent nurse who can assist him with operations and care for patients as his plans expand for a hospital. He wants a well-organized wife to keep him company and start a family. With his usual efficiency, he combines the two into one job description when he requests a mail-order bride.
What will it take to teach Nick that—although she isn’t what he expected—Melody is exactly what he needs?
- GenresChristmasWestern Romance
157 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 8, 2019
249 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Clemmons
134 books384 followersThrough a crazy twist of fate, Caroline Clemmons was not born on a Texas ranch. To make up for this tragic error, she writes about handsome cowboys, feisty ranch women, and scheming villains in a small office her family calls her pink cave. She and her Hero live in North Central Texas cowboy country where they ride herd on their rescued cats and dogs. The books she creates there have made her an Amazon bestselling author and won several awards. Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, and Pinterest.
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Click on her Amazon Author Page for a complete list of her books and follow her there.
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Subscribe to Caroline’s newsletter at www.carolineclemmons.com to receive a FREE novella of HAPPY IS THE BRIDE, a humorous historical wedding disaster that ends happily—but you knew it would, didn’t you?
She loves to hear from readers
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 7, 2020
This is an OK Western romance, but Nick was really hard to like. Because I didn't like Nick, this novella gets 2.5 stars from me, rounded down to 2 stars.
This is a sweet romance, and does not contain sex scenes. There were a few editing problems, and I thought the story was a bit too unrealistic.
I didn't like Nick much at all. He was arrogant, bossy, rude, demanding, and sometimes just really mean to Melody. She didn't deserve to be treated like that, when it was his fault that he didn't specify he wanted his mail-order bride to be a hospital-trained nurse. He made Melody feel unworthy, and treated her as if she wasn't good enough for him. Then right after he did/said something that upset her, he would think that he didn't deserve her anger, and she should just "get over it". I thought he was a jerk most of the time. I honestly couldn't see why Melody fell for him, since he treated her so badly. I get that Melody needed their relationship to work out, since it would ruin her reputation if it didn't -- but I thought she deserved a nicer guy.
One other thing that bothered me was an error in the story line. A few times in the story, it said that Charity and Lewis (the couple from the first book in this series) got married at the Christmas Eve service the year before. But they didn't get married then -- they married in the church as soon as Charity and her friends arrived in Angel Creek, which was several weeks before Christmas. The author should have made sure she got that information correct if she wanted to include it in Melody's story.
It also bothered me that Melody and Nick didn't talk to each other enough. If they had communicated as they should, some of their problems could have been avoided. It always bothers me when a couple has problems because of a lack of communication -- seems like the author does it just to add unnecessary angst.
My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.
This is a sweet romance, and does not contain sex scenes. There were a few editing problems, and I thought the story was a bit too unrealistic.
I didn't like Nick much at all. He was arrogant, bossy, rude, demanding, and sometimes just really mean to Melody. She didn't deserve to be treated like that, when it was his fault that he didn't specify he wanted his mail-order bride to be a hospital-trained nurse. He made Melody feel unworthy, and treated her as if she wasn't good enough for him. Then right after he did/said something that upset her, he would think that he didn't deserve her anger, and she should just "get over it". I thought he was a jerk most of the time. I honestly couldn't see why Melody fell for him, since he treated her so badly. I get that Melody needed their relationship to work out, since it would ruin her reputation if it didn't -- but I thought she deserved a nicer guy.
One other thing that bothered me was an error in the story line. A few times in the story, it said that Charity and Lewis (the couple from the first book in this series) got married at the Christmas Eve service the year before. But they didn't get married then -- they married in the church as soon as Charity and her friends arrived in Angel Creek, which was several weeks before Christmas. The author should have made sure she got that information correct if she wanted to include it in Melody's story.
It also bothered me that Melody and Nick didn't talk to each other enough. If they had communicated as they should, some of their problems could have been avoided. It always bothers me when a couple has problems because of a lack of communication -- seems like the author does it just to add unnecessary angst.
My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.
February 4, 2020
Melody Fraser leaves her home in South Carolina to be a mail order bride for Dr. Nicholas Walker who is a doctor from the East and now makes his home in Montana. Although Melody has nursed her grandmother with mental issues, she is not the experienced nurse that Nick had expected, and he is disappointed. He has lost two children and a wife in the Civil War.
When Melody and Nick come upon an Indian maiden who is injured, they take her into their home to nurse her back to health. Melody shows her many skills as a nurse, homemaker, cook, and host to the Indian maiden’s family and braves who show up to see the girl and who expect to be fed as well. Through her many skills, abilities, and kind nature, she wins over the doctor.
This is a refreshing story with a strong compassionate heroine. Caroline Clemmons write realistic characters who face trials and tribulations and find constructive cunning ways to overcome them. She draws you into intriguing stories that keep you turning the pages late into the night to discover the ending.
When Melody and Nick come upon an Indian maiden who is injured, they take her into their home to nurse her back to health. Melody shows her many skills as a nurse, homemaker, cook, and host to the Indian maiden’s family and braves who show up to see the girl and who expect to be fed as well. Through her many skills, abilities, and kind nature, she wins over the doctor.
This is a refreshing story with a strong compassionate heroine. Caroline Clemmons write realistic characters who face trials and tribulations and find constructive cunning ways to overcome them. She draws you into intriguing stories that keep you turning the pages late into the night to discover the ending.
November 17, 2019
This is a sweet and heart warming story with lots of twists, turns, surprises and action. It is Melody and Nick's story with excellent character development. You will meet old friends from earlier books in the series, some new friends, some unusual friends/acquaintances, and some not so good folks. Melody and Nick had both suffered much as a result of the Civil War, and Melody had spent years nursing her grandmother. As a couple, they had a lot of emotions to work through before reaching their HEA. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Don't miss this one as I know you will enjoy it.
December 12, 2020
Not the woman he thinks he needs...
...but perfect for him!
If only Nick had realised this before berating and rejecting her! Will Melody ever forgive him? Nick takes a journey of self discovery during this book and goes from cool and slightly resentful to warm and loving.
Melody has run for her life, to then be rejected again...she cannot do anything right. She is confused and distressed but determined to prove Nick wrong, prove she is exactly what he needs in a wife.
For me this is the best book of the series so far, I can't wait for more books and the whole series is available on Kindle Unlimited too!
...but perfect for him!
If only Nick had realised this before berating and rejecting her! Will Melody ever forgive him? Nick takes a journey of self discovery during this book and goes from cool and slightly resentful to warm and loving.
Melody has run for her life, to then be rejected again...she cannot do anything right. She is confused and distressed but determined to prove Nick wrong, prove she is exactly what he needs in a wife.
For me this is the best book of the series so far, I can't wait for more books and the whole series is available on Kindle Unlimited too!
November 13, 2019
I loved Melody and Nick's story. Melody went through so much taking care of her grandmother, living through the Civil War and then escaping to Angel Creek, Montana as a Mail Order Bride hoping to start a family. Boy was she in for a surprise. Loved all the characters in this town (except for three). Great story! Thank you, as always, Caroline Clemmons for a wonderful book.
April 7, 2021
Awkward, but an adventure
I love stories where the woman are strong and not the victim. Honestly would have been done with Nicolas, can't stand arrogance and rudeness, but the story unfolds beautifully and although the chemistry was never present in this story, growing respect and admiration was.
I love stories where the woman are strong and not the victim. Honestly would have been done with Nicolas, can't stand arrogance and rudeness, but the story unfolds beautifully and although the chemistry was never present in this story, growing respect and admiration was.
December 7, 2021
Enjoyed reading this book
I was as surprised as Melody by the doctor’s reaction to finding out she wasn’t a professional nurse. She had a hard time settling in to her new life when she wasn’t sure how he would react to anything she did. There were many surprises and suspenseful happenings. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this western romance.
I was as surprised as Melody by the doctor’s reaction to finding out she wasn’t a professional nurse. She had a hard time settling in to her new life when she wasn’t sure how he would react to anything she did. There were many surprises and suspenseful happenings. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this western romance.
November 11, 2019
Not a nurce
The war had taken a lot out of her but she was taken care of her nana. The story of how strong a person can be in time of war. Caroline Clemmons did a great job . I know you will love the book as I did .
The war had taken a lot out of her but she was taken care of her nana. The story of how strong a person can be in time of war. Caroline Clemmons did a great job . I know you will love the book as I did .
November 22, 2019
Melody( Angel Creek Christmas Mail Order Brides Book 7)
Feisty heroine, sweet disabled child, confused hero and crazy and manipulate ex-girlfriend. Made for very interesting reading. Caroline never fails.
Feisty heroine, sweet disabled child, confused hero and crazy and manipulate ex-girlfriend. Made for very interesting reading. Caroline never fails.
January 8, 2020
Melody and Nick
A wonderful story that I enjoyed reading so much! I won't do a synopsis since others have already done so. I have enjoyed reading all the Angel Creek Christmas Brides stories. I recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
A wonderful story that I enjoyed reading so much! I won't do a synopsis since others have already done so. I have enjoyed reading all the Angel Creek Christmas Brides stories. I recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
January 28, 2020
Great series......
I've been enjoying reading this story, Melody, the series is very interesting and entertaining. The woman was in a hurry to leave town, the gossip was that she had poisoned her grand mother, who she cared for till she died.
I've been enjoying reading this story, Melody, the series is very interesting and entertaining. The woman was in a hurry to leave town, the gossip was that she had poisoned her grand mother, who she cared for till she died.
Read
January 6, 2021Melody did not face a good situation.
The man she came to marry wanted someone else for a wife. She has several experiences that make him realize she was what he needed,including shooting the war off an ouylaw.
The man she came to marry wanted someone else for a wife. She has several experiences that make him realize she was what he needed,including shooting the war off an ouylaw.
November 24, 2019
New beginning
I enjoyed this story. I recommend this book. It tells of a mail order bride going to meet the man she is to marry. He is the town's new doctor.
I enjoyed this story. I recommend this book. It tells of a mail order bride going to meet the man she is to marry. He is the town's new doctor.
Read
December 9, 2019Intriguing
I would have to say that I found this story very intriguing
It was certainly unpredictable and kept me interested from the beginning until the end
I would have to say that I found this story very intriguing
It was certainly unpredictable and kept me interested from the beginning until the end
December 22, 2019
Melody
Southern girl full of charm goes to Montana and a whole new life. Blackfoot Indians,and a doctor who wants a nurse lead to a delightful adventure.
Southern girl full of charm goes to Montana and a whole new life. Blackfoot Indians,and a doctor who wants a nurse lead to a delightful adventure.
January 16, 2020
Another installment of the girls from Charleston who become mail-order brides to escape the results of the Civil War had on their beloved city.
January 27, 2020
Great!
Melody, is not only a romance but a suspense novel as well. Keeps you not wanting to put it down.
Melody, is not only a romance but a suspense novel as well. Keeps you not wanting to put it down.
February 24, 2020
Melody(Angel Creek Christmas Brides Book 7)
This is the seventh book in this series about love and marriage at Christmas time and travel of mail order brides
This is the seventh book in this series about love and marriage at Christmas time and travel of mail order brides
January 2, 2021
Great
A great story with depth and perfect for the time period. The life of a broken hearted doctor finding a way to make a life with his new bride.
A great story with depth and perfect for the time period. The life of a broken hearted doctor finding a way to make a life with his new bride.
February 16, 2021
Nice story
Nice story, but a little too much about the Native American guests. Not enough time for the two main characters!
Nice story, but a little too much about the Native American guests. Not enough time for the two main characters!
May 11, 2022
I loved the Series
January 21, 2020
Wonderful book and a wonderful series.
December 8, 2019
Melody (Angel Creek Christmas Bride Book 7)
I really enjoyed this well written book and the well thought out characters. This is the 7th book in this series. I haven't read any of the other stories in this series, just happen to see this one and since Caroline is one of my favorite authors, I downloaded it, settled in to wherever the story would take me. JudyE
I really enjoyed this well written book and the well thought out characters. This is the 7th book in this series. I haven't read any of the other stories in this series, just happen to see this one and since Caroline is one of my favorite authors, I downloaded it, settled in to wherever the story would take me. JudyE
March 24, 2023
I love them all!!!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews