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Crest Stone Mail-Order Brides #2
A Rancher's Bride
Can a rancher and a socialite put their differences aside to find love?
Jacob Fletcher's ranch has always been first in his life. But after seeing his sister happily married, he can't get the idea of a wife and a family out of his mind. With few women nearby, he places an advertisement for a mail-order bride—one who is strong and capable, and able to care for the house while he spends his days tending to the ranch.
Susannah Hughes is on the verge of spinsterhood. With an uncle who refuses to let her marry, she sets her sights West after a dear friend finds love in Colorado. Surely a rancher will be able to provide a good life for a young woman used to city comforts. She answers Jacob's advertisement, packs up all she owns, and heads West. But the ranch isn't the picture of refinement she imagined, and Jacob isn't particularly tolerant of her expectations.
His new wife is afraid of the chickens, despises dirt on her clothing, and can hardly cook an edible meal, and yet Susannah's kindness and friendly disposition slowly make it easier for Jacob to not only overlook her shortcomings, but enjoy her company. Just as Jacob and Susannah begin to acknowledge their feelings, a mysterious package arrives for Susannah—and danger isn't far behind.
Will Jacob and Susannah's love survive a man driven solely by greed?
A Rancher's Bride is the second book in the sweet and clean Crest Stone Mail-Order Brides series. It can be read as a standalone or enjoyed as part of the series. The Crest Stone Mail-Order Bride series is a spin-off of Cat's Gilbert Girls series, and many of your favorite characters appear in both series.
Jacob Fletcher's ranch has always been first in his life. But after seeing his sister happily married, he can't get the idea of a wife and a family out of his mind. With few women nearby, he places an advertisement for a mail-order bride—one who is strong and capable, and able to care for the house while he spends his days tending to the ranch.
Susannah Hughes is on the verge of spinsterhood. With an uncle who refuses to let her marry, she sets her sights West after a dear friend finds love in Colorado. Surely a rancher will be able to provide a good life for a young woman used to city comforts. She answers Jacob's advertisement, packs up all she owns, and heads West. But the ranch isn't the picture of refinement she imagined, and Jacob isn't particularly tolerant of her expectations.
His new wife is afraid of the chickens, despises dirt on her clothing, and can hardly cook an edible meal, and yet Susannah's kindness and friendly disposition slowly make it easier for Jacob to not only overlook her shortcomings, but enjoy her company. Just as Jacob and Susannah begin to acknowledge their feelings, a mysterious package arrives for Susannah—and danger isn't far behind.
Will Jacob and Susannah's love survive a man driven solely by greed?
A Rancher's Bride is the second book in the sweet and clean Crest Stone Mail-Order Brides series. It can be read as a standalone or enjoyed as part of the series. The Crest Stone Mail-Order Bride series is a spin-off of Cat's Gilbert Girls series, and many of your favorite characters appear in both series.
111 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 30, 2021
112 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 5, 2023
This was a good palate cleanser from the pile of awful books I’ve read lately. A sickly sweet, quick read. No swearing or sexy times, which is unfortunate as I like both, but I knew going in that’s what I was getting so I just had to imagine him doing her dirty behind the barn or in the chicken coup.
May 22, 2023
This was a sweet mail-order bride romance, with likable characters, but it needed more character development. I needed more backstory on both Susanna and Jacob. It gets 3.5 stars from me, rounded up to 4 stars.
By the way, if you read the prequel to the author's Gilbert Girls Series, Jacob was introduced briefly in it. His sister is Kate McFarland, the wife of the manager of the Gilbert Hotel where the Gilbert Girls work.
Susannah was likable, and some of the scenes where she is trying to get used to life as a rancher's wife were a lot of fun (I loved the one with the chickens!). I did think it was a bit unrealistic that she went from not being able to cook at all, to suddenly making complicated recipes and delicious baked goods. I get that the housekeeper (who was sick at the time) was telling her what to do -- but no one learns to cook that fast. I did really like that Susannah was so sweet, though, and that she took a real interest in the lives of her husband's ranch hands. It was easy to see why Jacob fell in love with her.
Jacob was likable, too, and I liked that he didn't get angry at Susannah when she didn't know how to cook or clean. He realized that she had no idea it would be her responsibility, and understood that she was trying to learn. I did think he should have tried a little harder to encourage her when she made mistakes, though, since she was so hard on herself. For the most part, though, Jacob was very good to her, and they made a good couple.
I think I would have enjoyed it more if more backstory had been included on both Susannah and Jacob.
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.
By the way, if you read the prequel to the author's Gilbert Girls Series, Jacob was introduced briefly in it. His sister is Kate McFarland, the wife of the manager of the Gilbert Hotel where the Gilbert Girls work.
Susannah was likable, and some of the scenes where she is trying to get used to life as a rancher's wife were a lot of fun (I loved the one with the chickens!). I did think it was a bit unrealistic that she went from not being able to cook at all, to suddenly making complicated recipes and delicious baked goods. I get that the housekeeper (who was sick at the time) was telling her what to do -- but no one learns to cook that fast. I did really like that Susannah was so sweet, though, and that she took a real interest in the lives of her husband's ranch hands. It was easy to see why Jacob fell in love with her.
Jacob was likable, too, and I liked that he didn't get angry at Susannah when she didn't know how to cook or clean. He realized that she had no idea it would be her responsibility, and understood that she was trying to learn. I did think he should have tried a little harder to encourage her when she made mistakes, though, since she was so hard on herself. For the most part, though, Jacob was very good to her, and they made a good couple.
I think I would have enjoyed it more if more backstory had been included on both Susannah and Jacob.
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.
October 2, 2021
I absolutely LOVED "A Rancher's Bride" by Ms. Cahill! It's now become my favorite of the many books I've read by her.
Susannah answers an ad in the "matrimony newspaper" to be a mail order bride to a handsome rancher to get away from her controlling and overbearing Uncle Bertram. When she arrives, she discovers Jacob is even more handsome that the picture he sent. After marrying in town, Jacob brings Susannah to his ranch, gives her a very brief tour of his home, and then heads off to work on the ranch. When he returns much later, he discovers Susannah might not be all he had hoped for. The cowhands will be showing up for dinner shortly, and Susannah can't imagine where the cook and servants are! Shocked that she is the one expected to house clean and cook, Susannah is apologetic to the cowboys who are served a very meager dinner that night. However, during dinner, as she addresses each cowboy by name and has a kind discussion with each one, their hearts seem to forgive and love her kind words immediately.
As days continue, there are a number of fiascos, even a kitchen fire, and Susannah continues to feel a failure. But she perseveres and finds she loves living on the ranch as Jacob's wife because she's needed. Jacob tries his best to patiently survive the near-disasters, and the story has several touches of humor. I laughed when Susannah had to go to the chicken coop her first morning at the ranch; and after she finishes gathering eggs for breakfast, she is so relieved and joyous, that she tells the chickens, "Thank you all!"
After 1 near disaster, Susannah takes a walk, and danger befalls her. A few twists and turns occur, Jacob reassures Susannah of his love after rescuing her, and they have their HEA. The author draws the reader into each character. Susannah's exuberance and Jacob's tender love are felt throughout the book. I also enjoyed the few folks from Book 1 that make a brief appearance in this story.
A clean romance with adventure and spunk that I highly recommend! I received a complimentary ARC of this book and have freely given my honest opinion in this review.
Susannah answers an ad in the "matrimony newspaper" to be a mail order bride to a handsome rancher to get away from her controlling and overbearing Uncle Bertram. When she arrives, she discovers Jacob is even more handsome that the picture he sent. After marrying in town, Jacob brings Susannah to his ranch, gives her a very brief tour of his home, and then heads off to work on the ranch. When he returns much later, he discovers Susannah might not be all he had hoped for. The cowhands will be showing up for dinner shortly, and Susannah can't imagine where the cook and servants are! Shocked that she is the one expected to house clean and cook, Susannah is apologetic to the cowboys who are served a very meager dinner that night. However, during dinner, as she addresses each cowboy by name and has a kind discussion with each one, their hearts seem to forgive and love her kind words immediately.
As days continue, there are a number of fiascos, even a kitchen fire, and Susannah continues to feel a failure. But she perseveres and finds she loves living on the ranch as Jacob's wife because she's needed. Jacob tries his best to patiently survive the near-disasters, and the story has several touches of humor. I laughed when Susannah had to go to the chicken coop her first morning at the ranch; and after she finishes gathering eggs for breakfast, she is so relieved and joyous, that she tells the chickens, "Thank you all!"
After 1 near disaster, Susannah takes a walk, and danger befalls her. A few twists and turns occur, Jacob reassures Susannah of his love after rescuing her, and they have their HEA. The author draws the reader into each character. Susannah's exuberance and Jacob's tender love are felt throughout the book. I also enjoyed the few folks from Book 1 that make a brief appearance in this story.
A clean romance with adventure and spunk that I highly recommend! I received a complimentary ARC of this book and have freely given my honest opinion in this review.
October 12, 2021
I have enjoyed all of Cat’s books I have read and like those, this didn’t disappoint! While neither Jacob or Susannah were intentionally misleading in their letters to each other they both had such different expectations of the other. Susannah fully expected to ‘run the household’ to mean direct the staff in the way she had been raised and was accustomed to. What a shock she realized she had stepped into when the time came for her to actually do all of the work herself, not just for her & Jacob but for all the ranch hands as well. Jacob was afraid she had intentionally misled him and his first thought was anger. Yet the way Cat developed Susannah’s character to be so incredibly personable and take such an effort to get to know each one of the men that worked on the ranch had them paying little attention to the fact that they were consuming barely edible food as they visited with her from that first meal after her arrival. Her personality began to grow on Jacob as well. I was drawn in right away and fell in love with these people as this story progressed. I really enjoy how Cat makes me feel as though I am sitting in the room with the characters watching things unfold as if her books were a play, not the written word! I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Historical Mail Order Bride Stories.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the author but this review is my voluntary and honest opinion.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the author but this review is my voluntary and honest opinion.
September 30, 2021
Once again this author has brought us a sweet and heartwarming story, yet one full of human frailties and angst. This is Jacob Fletcher and Susanna Hughes' story, and the character development is excellent. Jacob, after seeing how happy his sister is in her marriage, decides to send for a MOB. Susanna, who has been forbidden to marry by her uncle and deemed a spinster, answers Jacob's advertisement and heads West. Oops...Jacob wanted a wife who understood ranch life, could cook and care for the house. Susanna could barely cook and did not like all of the "dirt" that was part of the ranch life. Will Susanna learn to cook and learn to enjoy the ranch? Will Jacob be patient with Susanna while she tries to learn and will her sweet and kind disposition win him over? Will Jacob be able to protect Susanna when a strange letter arrives for her which poses a danger to her? Will their relationship grow into a HEA? Be sure and read this wonderful story which is a spin-off from the Gilbert Girls but is a stand alone. I know you will enjoy it as much as I did.
October 1, 2021
My thoughts about this novel:
• From socialite to rancher's wife. From pampered woman to hard working accomplished wife was the journey of Susannah.
• I admired Susannah's determination to acquire the skills needed to help her new husband. She had none of the skills needed to be a rancher's wife.
• Jacob was an admirable character with a lot of patience and understanding.
• There was some mystery, action and intrigue along with romance in this novel.
• I liked the author's writing style. It immersed me into the story right away and held my interest until the very end.
• This was a clean read and I appreciated that the author presented a great story without swearing and sex.
I was given an advance copy of this book by the author. My review was voluntary and my opinions were my own. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Cat Cahill.
• From socialite to rancher's wife. From pampered woman to hard working accomplished wife was the journey of Susannah.
• I admired Susannah's determination to acquire the skills needed to help her new husband. She had none of the skills needed to be a rancher's wife.
• Jacob was an admirable character with a lot of patience and understanding.
• There was some mystery, action and intrigue along with romance in this novel.
• I liked the author's writing style. It immersed me into the story right away and held my interest until the very end.
• This was a clean read and I appreciated that the author presented a great story without swearing and sex.
I was given an advance copy of this book by the author. My review was voluntary and my opinions were my own. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Cat Cahill.
May 5, 2024
If this were real life, I don't think Jacob and Susannah would have lasted. He needed a woman with skills (cooking, cleaning, etc) and she had none of those. But because this is fiction, he showed more patience than I thought he would have and gave her the chance to learn these things. They made it work.
The story was well written as were the characters. I enjoyed seeing the transition from when they first met to the last chapter. A friend of Susannah's is mentioned and they are in another series by the author so I plan to read those next.
The story was well written as were the characters. I enjoyed seeing the transition from when they first met to the last chapter. A friend of Susannah's is mentioned and they are in another series by the author so I plan to read those next.
September 30, 2021
Susannah is not spoiled even though she has never cooked or cleaned before. On her first day as a mail order bride, she doesn’t understand what was expected of her. She willingly throws herself into learning everything she needs to know. After several disasters both she and Jacob wonder if it would be best for her to return to Kentucky. Watching their confidence and love grow makes a story you will want to read.
I received a free copy of this book and this is my voluntary, honest review.
I received a free copy of this book and this is my voluntary, honest review.
October 1, 2021
It is good to be back in Crest Stone and visit with old friends. Cat Cahill’s characters are both strong but they are total opposites. There is a lot of adjustment going to be needed to get Susannah and Jacob in the same book, much less on the same page. Susannah’s expectations and Jacob’s are on opposite ends of the spectrum but both are willing to adjust. I loved this book and look forward to more in the series.
October 11, 2021
This was an excellent story. I immediately like Susannah, I could so clearly see her in my mind and knew we would be instant friends. The story was a beautiful written sweet romance with a touch of mystery. Pulls you in and keeps you turning pages.
Was given a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
Was given a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
October 12, 2021
Beautiful story
I appreciate the relationship between mother and daughter. I love the thoughtful behaviour towards older members of the family and those who worked on the ranch. This is a beautiful love story that is clean, sweet, and wholesome reading for all ages. I highly recommend books by this author.
I appreciate the relationship between mother and daughter. I love the thoughtful behaviour towards older members of the family and those who worked on the ranch. This is a beautiful love story that is clean, sweet, and wholesome reading for all ages. I highly recommend books by this author.
October 2, 2021
Tearjerker
As always a fantastic read. Enjoyed everything Abe this couple. Why don't this women know how to go to the mercantile and by a cookbook. Susanne did pick up on cooking very quickly thanks to Mrs. Abbott. Just happy they found love and a purpose.
As always a fantastic read. Enjoyed everything Abe this couple. Why don't this women know how to go to the mercantile and by a cookbook. Susanne did pick up on cooking very quickly thanks to Mrs. Abbott. Just happy they found love and a purpose.
October 4, 2021
I love this author and am in awe of her talent. This is a sweet romance. The characters are all like family to each other. But of course there were a couple of flies in the ointment, enough to cause true gratitude.
October 7, 2021
Cat Cahill has an extraordinary talent writing characters that will suit each other! They come alive the minute you start reading the book. This story that will grab your attention from the very first page and keep you reading until it is finished!!! I know you are going to love this story.
October 25, 2021
Great Book
Loved this second in the Crest Stone Mail Order Brides book.This one had a great story with some action/Mystery in it that made it such a great read.I couldn’t put it down.
Loved this second in the Crest Stone Mail Order Brides book.This one had a great story with some action/Mystery in it that made it such a great read.I couldn’t put it down.
March 3, 2022
What will he do with a perfect-seeming mail order bride that doesn't know how to do housework? Can they make it work?
This was a cute and clean story. It takes place in the same town as the first book in the series but it felt like it's own story and people, which was nice.
This was a cute and clean story. It takes place in the same town as the first book in the series but it felt like it's own story and people, which was nice.
May 29, 2023
Didn’t love it but didn’t hate it either.
Genre: historical romance
Age: adult
Series/Standalone: series but can be read as a standalone
Tropes: mail-order bride, heiress
Content:
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Genre: historical romance
Age: adult
Series/Standalone: series but can be read as a standalone
Tropes: mail-order bride, heiress
Content:
Rating: 3/5 Stars
August 25, 2024
Believing in one's self
This is another sweet clean read by Cat Cahill. A the characters were well developed and storyline was centered around believing in one's self worth. I again fell in love with the characters. I highly recommend reading this book.
This is another sweet clean read by Cat Cahill. A the characters were well developed and storyline was centered around believing in one's self worth. I again fell in love with the characters. I highly recommend reading this book.
October 1, 2021
Once again you have given us a wonderful story
The story line was very interesting and sweet
The story line was very interesting and sweet
December 29, 2022
I enjoyed this sweet book.
April 22, 2023
Definitely an enjoyable read. There is some romance, mystery, and a bit of adventure. The story is easy to follow and moves along at a good pace. On to the next one.
May 16, 2023
Great book to an already great series!
You won’t be disappointed with the second book in this series. All of Ms. Cahill’s books are a delight to read!
You won’t be disappointed with the second book in this series. All of Ms. Cahill’s books are a delight to read!
October 29, 2024
Great book
I really enjoyed this book. I had just enough suspense and a whole lot of love. I recommend this book.
I really enjoyed this book. I had just enough suspense and a whole lot of love. I recommend this book.
June 22, 2025
Ok
Ok.
Deviants from formula or part of?
Housekeeper too sick to assist. She must learn to cook and manage bousehold.
Ok.
Deviants from formula or part of?
Housekeeper too sick to assist. She must learn to cook and manage bousehold.
October 18, 2025
I truly enjoyed this book. I loved Susannah’s personality and Jacob’s patience with Susannah. Looking forward to reading book 3 in the series.
December 16, 2025
Another great book by Cat Cahill!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews