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American West #2
Lost Orphans
When Harry Donovan became an adoption agent for the Orphan Train children, he'd been more accustomed to prosecuting criminals. The orphans depended on him, and he took his new duties seriously. But when his wife died in a flu outbreak, he ignored everything except work, until his irresponsibility stared him in the face. Two children Harry had placed with a couple were in the dry goods store without their parents, and shamefully, he didn't know why. The two seemed to be happy and well-fed, and their lovely guardian appeared to care for them.
Mollie Nelson had been helping the adopted children keep a terrible secret about their new parents, the Robinsons. Like Harry, she'd lost her spouse to illness. Caring for the two youngsters orphaned a second time kept her too busy to grieve. Her farm and the children's needed her attention night and day. She wanted to confide in the handsome adoption agent, but his stern demeanor scared the children when they imagined the new home he might find for them.
Now that the adoption agent is asking questions of the children and their secret guardian, will they be able to continue living with Mollie, or will Harry place them in an unknown new home? Can either guardian or agent ignore the blossoming love between them and do what's best for the children?
Mollie Nelson had been helping the adopted children keep a terrible secret about their new parents, the Robinsons. Like Harry, she'd lost her spouse to illness. Caring for the two youngsters orphaned a second time kept her too busy to grieve. Her farm and the children's needed her attention night and day. She wanted to confide in the handsome adoption agent, but his stern demeanor scared the children when they imagined the new home he might find for them.
Now that the adoption agent is asking questions of the children and their secret guardian, will they be able to continue living with Mollie, or will Harry place them in an unknown new home? Can either guardian or agent ignore the blossoming love between them and do what's best for the children?
- GenresHistorical Romance
150 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2019
149 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 16, 2024
Ok, after trying and disliking book 1 in this series, I decided to go ahead and give this second book a try since I already had it.
It was the same corny, rushed storytelling and discrepancies in the writing.
Corny: This was upon the hero and heroine’s first meeting in the general store. “He wanted to reach out and let a stray curl of hers wind around his fingers, to see if the copper shimmered in the light.” Who thinks and wonders that?!? Most men on a normal day would be lucky to correctly recall our exact hair color, let alone notice coppery shimmering highlights.
Mistakes: On their way home from the general store, the heroine Mellie lets the young boy take over the reins and lets him practice driving the horse/wagon. So he is driving. She praises him that’s he is handling the horses well, etc. Then it says: ‘Their mood dampened, neither youngster said anything until Mellie pulled up to the house. Gracie let out a whoop, climbing over her, and jumping down. Liam handed the reins to her and said….’
So Mellie pulls up to the house, how? She wasn’t driving! Liam was, that’s why he “handed the reins to her”. It was crap like this that interrupted the flow of reading for me. I constantly thought I missed a paragraph somehow and was confused.
Another instance was the heroine pondering how the kids don’t know their birthdays or correct ages, and that the heroine assumed the boy was about 10 yrs old. A few paragraphs later, she was saying how ‘the boy was 11, the same age that Mellie was when she was helping her parents, etc.’
So with it being sweet and clean, corny and rushed, and inconsistencies left and right… I dnf’ed this book as well. Not worth my time. :(
It was the same corny, rushed storytelling and discrepancies in the writing.
Corny: This was upon the hero and heroine’s first meeting in the general store. “He wanted to reach out and let a stray curl of hers wind around his fingers, to see if the copper shimmered in the light.” Who thinks and wonders that?!? Most men on a normal day would be lucky to correctly recall our exact hair color, let alone notice coppery shimmering highlights.
Mistakes: On their way home from the general store, the heroine Mellie lets the young boy take over the reins and lets him practice driving the horse/wagon. So he is driving. She praises him that’s he is handling the horses well, etc. Then it says: ‘Their mood dampened, neither youngster said anything until Mellie pulled up to the house. Gracie let out a whoop, climbing over her, and jumping down. Liam handed the reins to her and said….’
So Mellie pulls up to the house, how? She wasn’t driving! Liam was, that’s why he “handed the reins to her”. It was crap like this that interrupted the flow of reading for me. I constantly thought I missed a paragraph somehow and was confused.
Another instance was the heroine pondering how the kids don’t know their birthdays or correct ages, and that the heroine assumed the boy was about 10 yrs old. A few paragraphs later, she was saying how ‘the boy was 11, the same age that Mellie was when she was helping her parents, etc.’
So with it being sweet and clean, corny and rushed, and inconsistencies left and right… I dnf’ed this book as well. Not worth my time. :(
January 27, 2020
This book is book 2 in a new Orphan Train Series that I ran across last night. I thought that there was no way I could enjoy this book more than other Orphan Train Books I have read, but I was wrong.
Grace and Liam were two precious youngsters who arrived on the Orphan Train and were placed in a home. Within a short period of time, both parents died and the children tried to go about finding food and caring for each other as if there were parents in the home. They also began digging graves for the deceased parents. The next door neighbor caught them grave-digging and convinced them to let her help with the graves and tend the children. (The neighbor's husband also died in the same epidemic.) After helping bury the dead, the neighbor took the children into her home and they became a family.
An adoption agent found the children, decided they must be the missing orphans and fell in love with their foster mother. A new family was formed. So Sweet !
Grace and Liam were two precious youngsters who arrived on the Orphan Train and were placed in a home. Within a short period of time, both parents died and the children tried to go about finding food and caring for each other as if there were parents in the home. They also began digging graves for the deceased parents. The next door neighbor caught them grave-digging and convinced them to let her help with the graves and tend the children. (The neighbor's husband also died in the same epidemic.) After helping bury the dead, the neighbor took the children into her home and they became a family.
An adoption agent found the children, decided they must be the missing orphans and fell in love with their foster mother. A new family was formed. So Sweet !
December 23, 2019
Just when I think I found my favorite Laura Stapleton series, she starts another one that hooks me from the beginning. The American West series of orphan stories is sweet, entertaining and full of surprises! A former family makes an appearance in Mellie, Liam and Grace's story and I enjoyed every moment of this surprising story of what really makes a family. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
January 25, 2020
The author has penned a story that will truly pull at your heart strings. This is a sad but heart warming story of two young children who have been orphaned for a second time. This is Harry, an adoption agent, and Mollie's story as they navigate through the loss the children have experienced and strive to find a solution and run head along into their HEA. I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend it...it is a real page turner and a several tissue story.
April 30, 2020
Harry and Mellie
This is a sweet short love story written by Laura Stapleton. She has done an amazing job with the charms the plot. Mellow has taken in two neighbor children after their parents died unexpectedly. They were now orphans again and fearful they would be separated. Harry is the town attorney and the local agent for orphan placement. You will enjoy discovering how Harry, Mellow and the children become a family and find their happily ever after.
This is a sweet short love story written by Laura Stapleton. She has done an amazing job with the charms the plot. Mellow has taken in two neighbor children after their parents died unexpectedly. They were now orphans again and fearful they would be separated. Harry is the town attorney and the local agent for orphan placement. You will enjoy discovering how Harry, Mellow and the children become a family and find their happily ever after.
November 2, 2020
Very nice
This was a very nice read about Millie and Harry, in search of love and in search of a family their both wanted. Harry lost his wife and child in child birth. Kellie lost her husband to an illness. Both are searching for something. Would it be the orphans that have lost there parents not once but twice. Read how this ends. Very nice read
This was a very nice read about Millie and Harry, in search of love and in search of a family their both wanted. Harry lost his wife and child in child birth. Kellie lost her husband to an illness. Both are searching for something. Would it be the orphans that have lost there parents not once but twice. Read how this ends. Very nice read
May 22, 2022
Harry does all the legal work for an adoption agency. He finds children the right home. When he runs into Mollie in the general store and two of the orphans he placed with the Sullivan family he was immediately curious, and yet smitten with Mollie. Mollie had begun caring for the children after the passing on of the Sullivan family due to illness. This was such a sweet inspirational read.
September 3, 2020
Lost Orphans
Good clean romance. Mellie takes on two orphans after their adoptive parents die. Harry is a by the book representative of the Children's Aid Society. What a combination.
Good clean romance. Mellie takes on two orphans after their adoptive parents die. Harry is a by the book representative of the Children's Aid Society. What a combination.
November 26, 2020
I have to say I have enjoyed all your writings this is my third book thank you so much for your dedication and clean healthy romance of the 1800sjv
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to have honest true feelings and a little bit of an adventure at the same time
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to have honest true feelings and a little bit of an adventure at the same time
March 8, 2020
A lovely Sunday afternoon read.
May 30, 2021
Good
Reading this series in order..really enjoying this book....can't wait for more time to read more.great characters in the books.liked very much
Reading this series in order..really enjoying this book....can't wait for more time to read more.great characters in the books.liked very much
March 17, 2022
Millie is my kind of gal! She got dealt some hard hands but when the call for help came she went above and beyond to answer!
September 19, 2022
Page Turner
Happy endings for a couple and two children that needed to be loved. I loved the story line. Great eork
Happy endings for a couple and two children that needed to be loved. I loved the story line. Great eork
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews