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Mail-Order Mama #4
A Bluestocking for Brad
Emerald Templeton was so desperate to escape an unwanted marriage that she stowed away in a rail freight wagon heading west. Mrs. Turner, owner of an orphanage and a mail order bride agency, sent her to wed a widowed rancher with three young children. But nothing was as she had been promised.
Bradley Malone was alone. He might own a prosperous ranch, have three children, a sister who cared for them, a good friend who only wanted the best for him, and numerous employees who liked and respected him, but he was alone. Since the death of his wife he thought of little else.
The arrival of a mail-order bride and a mother for his children, was not his idea, and not something he had required.
Everyone else thought it was a wonderful idea. How was he ever going to deal with it?
Bradley Malone was alone. He might own a prosperous ranch, have three children, a sister who cared for them, a good friend who only wanted the best for him, and numerous employees who liked and respected him, but he was alone. Since the death of his wife he thought of little else.
The arrival of a mail-order bride and a mother for his children, was not his idea, and not something he had required.
Everyone else thought it was a wonderful idea. How was he ever going to deal with it?
- GenresRomance
147 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 9, 2021
44 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Angela Lain
31 books59 followersMy name is Angela and I live in the countryside in Norfolk, UK, with my husband (who is an engineer and always busy) and my horse. My two children have left home, but I help my daughter with her horses and her whippets. I tend both house and garden rather reluctantly and I write and read. For years I had woven stories in my head, when travelling and watching the world go by, when lying in bed trying to sleep, or just when I was transported by a place or an event. I finally started to put the stories on paper while I sat through several endless nights when my young daughter was ill. The result was several handwritten manuscripts, hard labour over a typewriter and eventually a single romance novel accepted and published back in 1990. Then I gave up, too much family life and a business to run. Finally both children have left home and I am less busy, and now the revolution has happened. Computers. The internet. Self-publishing. I felt able to inflict my creations on the world once again. I write both historical and contemporary romance, although I personally prefer the historical; I enjoy the research. The stories are not erotica, but they are (as one of my lovely reviewers said) a little bit naughty. I don’t leave at the bedroom door. My stories are plot driven, they might get it on, but sex is part of the characters’ lives, not the main purpose. I like a bit of adventure, excitement and danger. My characters have been involved on the Oregon trail, in Indian raids in the west, and in the Crimean war. They have been variously stranded in snow storms, caught in tornadoes and kidnapped by ruffians (one of the young ladies, that is, the heroes are too tough). One thing they always get is their happy ending. I don’t like a book without a happy ending, so I really cannot write one.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 4, 2021
This was a difficult mail-order bride romance for me, mostly because I had a lot of trouble liking the hero. He was selfish and rude, ignored his son, and treated his sister like a servant. Because of that, and a few other issues, it gets 2.5 stars from me, rounded down to 2 stars.
First, it was just too short to have enough character development. I wanted more backstory on both Emerald and Bradley, but especially on Bradley.
Bradley was a selfish jerk for a large part of the story. He treated his son, his sister, and his friend terribly, and then refused to even consider that his son desperately needed a new mother. I get that he was grieving his first wife, but that was no excuse for his terrible behavior -- and it was incredibly selfish of him to ignore his grieving son, who needed him desperately. Then he expected Emerald to live in his home without the benefit of marriage, even though that made many people think poorly of her. In that time period, respectable single women did NOT live with single men.
Emerald was likable, but I wished she had told Bradley off sooner and more often. His behavior was deplorable, and he shouldn't have been allowed to get away with it for so long.
I also thought that Emerald and Bradley fell in love a little too quickly to believe. He didn't even know his friend had ordered a mail-order bride for him, and he was a selfish jerk for much of the story. When he finally proposed to Emerald, I honestly thought he deserved for her to say no.
This is a clean romance, with nothing but kisses. If you only want to read romances that do not include sex scenes, this one might work for you.
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.
First, it was just too short to have enough character development. I wanted more backstory on both Emerald and Bradley, but especially on Bradley.
Bradley was a selfish jerk for a large part of the story. He treated his son, his sister, and his friend terribly, and then refused to even consider that his son desperately needed a new mother. I get that he was grieving his first wife, but that was no excuse for his terrible behavior -- and it was incredibly selfish of him to ignore his grieving son, who needed him desperately. Then he expected Emerald to live in his home without the benefit of marriage, even though that made many people think poorly of her. In that time period, respectable single women did NOT live with single men.
Emerald was likable, but I wished she had told Bradley off sooner and more often. His behavior was deplorable, and he shouldn't have been allowed to get away with it for so long.
I also thought that Emerald and Bradley fell in love a little too quickly to believe. He didn't even know his friend had ordered a mail-order bride for him, and he was a selfish jerk for much of the story. When he finally proposed to Emerald, I honestly thought he deserved for her to say no.
This is a clean romance, with nothing but kisses. If you only want to read romances that do not include sex scenes, this one might work for you.
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.
April 11, 2021
The author has written a sweet and heartwarming story, yet one filled with lots of human emotions. This is a story of murder, grief, revenge, lies, a prison escape, danger, and romance. This is Bernadette ("Blaze") Cook and Andrew ("Drew") Wagner's story. Blaze who was planning to head West to become Drew's MOB, takes her nephew Kenny with her after her sister is murdered by her husband. Upon her arrival, Drew is not sure he believes Blaze's story about who Kenny is suspecting that Kenny might actually be her son. As the couple navigate through the suspicions and try to build a relationship, Kenny's father escapes from prison and tracks Blaze down putting all of them in danger. Will Blaze and Drew's relationship survive not only the stress on their relationship but will both of them as well as Kenny be able to escape the danger? Will Blaze and Drew build a HEA? Be sure to read this wonderful story to find out. I know you will enjoy it as much as I did.
May 12, 2021
Brad and Emerald
This is a mail order bride sweet tale written by Angela Lane. She has filled each page with excitement, adventure and a little humor too. Emmy was an orphan that was raised by her uncle and aunt. They were cruel and were now trying to marry her off to a man thirty years her senior. She escapes their home with just a few clothes and very little money. She hops a rail car and go to she doesn’t know where until she feels more safe. She finds residence at an orphanage/mail order bride office. She decides on a widowed rancher and heads out another state to meet him only to find a grumpy, mean tempered man still trying to recover from the loss of his first wife. You will greatly enjoy discovering how they are forced into marriage only to find their happily ever after.
This is a mail order bride sweet tale written by Angela Lane. She has filled each page with excitement, adventure and a little humor too. Emmy was an orphan that was raised by her uncle and aunt. They were cruel and were now trying to marry her off to a man thirty years her senior. She escapes their home with just a few clothes and very little money. She hops a rail car and go to she doesn’t know where until she feels more safe. She finds residence at an orphanage/mail order bride office. She decides on a widowed rancher and heads out another state to meet him only to find a grumpy, mean tempered man still trying to recover from the loss of his first wife. You will greatly enjoy discovering how they are forced into marriage only to find their happily ever after.
April 9, 2021
Her didn't expect her...
... but definitely needs her, as do his children.
Brad is lost in grief, he struggles every day, ignores his children and is angry at the injustice of the world. His anger hits an all time high when Emmy appears, but if he thinks he can take his frustrations and temper out on her he is in for a shock. Emmy may be running and lost but Brad's anger brings out her feisty side!
Brad needs to return to the land of the living....but will Emmy and his children be enough to pull him from his grief?
A lovely addition to the Mail Order Mama's series, I read this on Kindle Unlimited.
... but definitely needs her, as do his children.
Brad is lost in grief, he struggles every day, ignores his children and is angry at the injustice of the world. His anger hits an all time high when Emmy appears, but if he thinks he can take his frustrations and temper out on her he is in for a shock. Emmy may be running and lost but Brad's anger brings out her feisty side!
Brad needs to return to the land of the living....but will Emmy and his children be enough to pull him from his grief?
A lovely addition to the Mail Order Mama's series, I read this on Kindle Unlimited.
January 29, 2022
A Bluestocking for Brad
This was such a good book! I loved it. It was well written and had an interesting storyline. Emerald had to get away from her Uncle and ended up going to Wyoming to become a mail order bride to Brad. There's only one problem. Brad didn't even know of her existence, until she arrived. As the story evolves, you get to know the characters in the book and see Brad struggle with his reluctance to allow Emerald into his life. This was a very enjoyable book to read and I look forward to reading more by this author.
This was such a good book! I loved it. It was well written and had an interesting storyline. Emerald had to get away from her Uncle and ended up going to Wyoming to become a mail order bride to Brad. There's only one problem. Brad didn't even know of her existence, until she arrived. As the story evolves, you get to know the characters in the book and see Brad struggle with his reluctance to allow Emerald into his life. This was a very enjoyable book to read and I look forward to reading more by this author.
April 15, 2021
Good story
I enjoyed reading Brad and Emerald’s story very much. It is well written and the children are adorable. Brad was very hard for me to like. He ignored her and the children, wasn’t nice to her or his sister, and focused too much on his dearly departed wife. After Emerald was in danger he decided to marry her. He was redeemed somewhat. The book was very good even when you wanted to throttle him.🙂
I enjoyed reading Brad and Emerald’s story very much. It is well written and the children are adorable. Brad was very hard for me to like. He ignored her and the children, wasn’t nice to her or his sister, and focused too much on his dearly departed wife. After Emerald was in danger he decided to marry her. He was redeemed somewhat. The book was very good even when you wanted to throttle him.🙂
June 21, 2021
Very nice
This was a very nice easy to read book. This book was about Emerald and Brad. Brad is a widow with three small children. A friend of his requested a Mail order bride for him. Emerald is trying to escape a unwanted marriage to an older man, so she runs away. She rides in a train boxcar just to get away. Brad wants nothing to do with her. Need to read to see how it goes.
This was a very nice easy to read book. This book was about Emerald and Brad. Brad is a widow with three small children. A friend of his requested a Mail order bride for him. Emerald is trying to escape a unwanted marriage to an older man, so she runs away. She rides in a train boxcar just to get away. Brad wants nothing to do with her. Need to read to see how it goes.
July 18, 2021
Good and fun read!
Loved the storyline and how it built over time. One of the things I noticed most and liked it tremendously is the author didn’t spend a lot (if any!) time in the female thinking back over and over, or bemoaning the fact an event hasn’t taken place fast enough.
A little bit of doubting, etc. is fine and normal. But sometimes authors seem to use it as ‘filler’. Ms Laine does not and THANK YOU for that 😀
I look forward to reading more of her work.
Loved the storyline and how it built over time. One of the things I noticed most and liked it tremendously is the author didn’t spend a lot (if any!) time in the female thinking back over and over, or bemoaning the fact an event hasn’t taken place fast enough.
A little bit of doubting, etc. is fine and normal. But sometimes authors seem to use it as ‘filler’. Ms Laine does not and THANK YOU for that 😀
I look forward to reading more of her work.
April 13, 2021
Not only was Brad not expecting a mail order bride, he would never have picked Emerald which would have been a mistake, she was just want he needed. Angela Lain brings, humor, patience, impatience, romance and some interesting characters. I’m just going to state this, Cherry should have knocked Brad upside the head long ago.
May 17, 2021
Run away Bride
Apparently back in the day being a woman who likes to read made you a blue stocking. Who knew? Well I suppose anyone reading this review is also a blue stocking so join in reading about a woman bold enough to think for herself. And not to be forced to marry someone who thought it was a good idea to whip a woman into shape!
Apparently back in the day being a woman who likes to read made you a blue stocking. Who knew? Well I suppose anyone reading this review is also a blue stocking so join in reading about a woman bold enough to think for herself. And not to be forced to marry someone who thought it was a good idea to whip a woman into shape!
July 11, 2021
Emerald and Brad 💞
New to me author, and I truly enjoyed the story. A little surprised at the old style term used for a female dog…it did catch me off guard. But otherwise, very clean and sweet story.
I can’t imagine how some young ladies back then faced situations similar to Emerald. That Pastor John was pure evil.
New to me author, and I truly enjoyed the story. A little surprised at the old style term used for a female dog…it did catch me off guard. But otherwise, very clean and sweet story.
I can’t imagine how some young ladies back then faced situations similar to Emerald. That Pastor John was pure evil.
February 11, 2023
Wicked relatives
Emeralds mother died when she was10 years old and she never knew her father. She's been living with her aunt and uncle who never treated her like an equal because her father had fought in the Civil War as a Confederate. When she overheard a conversation between her uncle and the preacher, she knows she needs to escape. Then, her adventure begins.
Emeralds mother died when she was10 years old and she never knew her father. She's been living with her aunt and uncle who never treated her like an equal because her father had fought in the Civil War as a Confederate. When she overheard a conversation between her uncle and the preacher, she knows she needs to escape. Then, her adventure begins.
July 2, 2021
Good Reading!
This was my first time reading a book by Angela Lain. I found this to be a interesting, relaxing book! Read the whole thing in one sitting! Look forward to reading more from her.
This was my first time reading a book by Angela Lain. I found this to be a interesting, relaxing book! Read the whole thing in one sitting! Look forward to reading more from her.
June 12, 2022
Good Clean Read
This book is full of wonderful characters. The story is interesting and full of twists and turns. You can lose yourself in the pages. Sometimes I didn't want to come back to the present time. So please read this GOOD CLEAN READ!
This book is full of wonderful characters. The story is interesting and full of twists and turns. You can lose yourself in the pages. Sometimes I didn't want to come back to the present time. So please read this GOOD CLEAN READ!
April 10, 2021
A Bluestocking for Brad ( Mail Order Mama Series Book 4)
A very good story about a young woman that travels to be a mail order bride and the groom rejects her but they find love
A very good story about a young woman that travels to be a mail order bride and the groom rejects her but they find love
April 12, 2021
Very good book!
This story is well written! The characters and situations are written in a realistic manner that has the reader rooting for a happy ending.
This story is well written! The characters and situations are written in a realistic manner that has the reader rooting for a happy ending.
April 14, 2021
Loved it!!💜
Emerald is on the run. A truly unique mail order bride story that had me enthralled from the start. A great read.
Emerald is on the run. A truly unique mail order bride story that had me enthralled from the start. A great read.
July 11, 2021
Good story
It had a good story line. There were quite a few wordy sentences- extra words thrown in that just didn’t make any sense.
It had a good story line. There were quite a few wordy sentences- extra words thrown in that just didn’t make any sense.
October 11, 2021
I really like this series!
As a mature person I prefer the love that comes to not only the couple but also the lovely children.
As a mature person I prefer the love that comes to not only the couple but also the lovely children.
February 26, 2024
You will Enjoy this Book
This has been a good story, love the storyline and the chacters were good. You will have a good time reading this story.. Good story
This has been a good story, love the storyline and the chacters were good. You will have a good time reading this story.. Good story
June 21, 2025
Sweet Romance
Most love stories aren’t that different, but I love sweet romance stories centered on Christ…the best love story of all!!
Most love stories aren’t that different, but I love sweet romance stories centered on Christ…the best love story of all!!
December 23, 2025
Sweet Historical Romance
Although the author proclaims to write a "bit naughty" The naughtiest thing this couple did was snuggle together the night before they married. I don't want to give the details away, but it was innocent and they did have only one bedroll.
I loved the waystop and Colt's decision, and of course those beautiful children! But Emmy is the true star of this tale! She's a Phoenix rising from the ashes of adversity and growing stronger with each difficulty!
Although the author proclaims to write a "bit naughty" The naughtiest thing this couple did was snuggle together the night before they married. I don't want to give the details away, but it was innocent and they did have only one bedroll.
I loved the waystop and Colt's decision, and of course those beautiful children! But Emmy is the true star of this tale! She's a Phoenix rising from the ashes of adversity and growing stronger with each difficulty!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews