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Rio Grande Wedding
She was his from the first...
One kiss stole her heart. So when Molly Sheffield realized Alejandro Sosa needed a green-card bride, it seemed only natural for her to stand by his side....
But the pretty widow could not predict the feelings she would have for her new husband. After opening her heart to Alejandro, Molly knew she was meant to spend forever with this man. But she and Alejandro had only so many passionate nights, so many warm and loving days, before they said goodbye.
Or before they fell hopelessly in love...
One kiss stole her heart. So when Molly Sheffield realized Alejandro Sosa needed a green-card bride, it seemed only natural for her to stand by his side....
But the pretty widow could not predict the feelings she would have for her new husband. After opening her heart to Alejandro, Molly knew she was meant to spend forever with this man. But she and Alejandro had only so many passionate nights, so many warm and loving days, before they said goodbye.
Or before they fell hopelessly in love...
248 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1999
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289 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 17, 2025
The cover doesn't do this book justice. At first glance, the book may appear to be just another clichéd Harlequin romance; however, it transcends that expectation. Rio Grande Wedding is unexpectedly profound, emotional, and poignant. It explores significant themes such as loss, prejudice, and immigration. The love story is crafted with authenticity and depth. The characters are relatable and well-developed. This little gem of a book has the potential to resonate with you if you allow it the opportunity.
April 16, 2015
RIO GRANDE WEDDING is my second book by Ruth Wind aka Barbara Samuel and I enjoyed it as much as IN THE MIDNIGHT RAIN. Even though this story was originally published in 1999, it covers a touchy subject that many Americans feel today: illegal immigrants. But the author does it with grace and honesty while looking at both sides.
Molly Sheffield, a young widow and nurse, came upon an unconscious man who was injured from a bullet wound. He was a migrant worker and all her thoughts screamed for her to call the sheriff or an ambulance: anything else than what she does.
She managed to get him home and over a period of days, treated him with compassion and respect. She healed his bodily injuries. At the same time Alejandro Sojas gave her life purpose while nurturing her with tenderness.
"Please," he said. "Call me Alejandro."
She nodded but didn't say the word. Not yet. It would roll on her tongue, lilt in her mouth, but she wasn't ready to taste it.
This was one of those unusual Harlequins/Silhouettes in that it contained quite a bit of depth. There was a confused and racist brother, the townspeople that turned their faces and a very sick little girl looking for her uncle. Though Molly's husband passed away four years before, she carried some guilt because she was attracted to another man.
Like so many short romances, it covered days rather than months that most relationships need to mature. But in this case the hero's kindness in the face of everything that happened made me believe that maybe, just maybe, there is a happily married Alejandro and Molly out there somewhere.
Molly Sheffield, a young widow and nurse, came upon an unconscious man who was injured from a bullet wound. He was a migrant worker and all her thoughts screamed for her to call the sheriff or an ambulance: anything else than what she does.
She managed to get him home and over a period of days, treated him with compassion and respect. She healed his bodily injuries. At the same time Alejandro Sojas gave her life purpose while nurturing her with tenderness.
"Please," he said. "Call me Alejandro."
She nodded but didn't say the word. Not yet. It would roll on her tongue, lilt in her mouth, but she wasn't ready to taste it.
This was one of those unusual Harlequins/Silhouettes in that it contained quite a bit of depth. There was a confused and racist brother, the townspeople that turned their faces and a very sick little girl looking for her uncle. Though Molly's husband passed away four years before, she carried some guilt because she was attracted to another man.
Like so many short romances, it covered days rather than months that most relationships need to mature. But in this case the hero's kindness in the face of everything that happened made me believe that maybe, just maybe, there is a happily married Alejandro and Molly out there somewhere.
May 26, 2011
I enjoyed Rio Grande Wedding, it is a bit different and deals with Mexican illegals who cross over for work and how they are raided by police.
Molly is a nurse, someone who is well-liked and respected but she has been lonely ever since her husband died 4 years ago. She has always done the right thing, raised her brother Josh after her parent's death, marry her high-school sweetheart and fall into his plans, not that she didn't love her husband, she does and still grieves but she goes against common-sense and rescues a bullet-hit man she knows is an illegal. She hides him, takes care of him, lies to her brother and even tries to find his niece. Even though Molly hates the deception she knows what she is doing is good and she is following her heart.
Alejandro had a good if not great life back home but to honour his promise to his sister he came to America, to live as someone who had no identity. He feels embarrassed to be at Molly's mercy and is determined to pay back her kindness in some way. He is deeply honourable and treats intimacy seriously.
Molly marries him for his niece. Alejandro, when he sees how people including her brother are treating her, decides to leave. He falls for Molly and only wants her to be happy and even wants her to pursue her dream.
I liked how Molly's love for her dead husband wasn't lessened. I didn't like Molly's best friend and brother though. The book was good.
rating 3.5
Molly is a nurse, someone who is well-liked and respected but she has been lonely ever since her husband died 4 years ago. She has always done the right thing, raised her brother Josh after her parent's death, marry her high-school sweetheart and fall into his plans, not that she didn't love her husband, she does and still grieves but she goes against common-sense and rescues a bullet-hit man she knows is an illegal. She hides him, takes care of him, lies to her brother and even tries to find his niece. Even though Molly hates the deception she knows what she is doing is good and she is following her heart.
Alejandro had a good if not great life back home but to honour his promise to his sister he came to America, to live as someone who had no identity. He feels embarrassed to be at Molly's mercy and is determined to pay back her kindness in some way. He is deeply honourable and treats intimacy seriously.
Molly marries him for his niece. Alejandro, when he sees how people including her brother are treating her, decides to leave. He falls for Molly and only wants her to be happy and even wants her to pursue her dream.
I liked how Molly's love for her dead husband wasn't lessened. I didn't like Molly's best friend and brother though. The book was good.
rating 3.5
May 23, 2010
Reviewed for THC Reviews
"4.5 stars" Rio Grande Wedding is the best category romance that I've read to date and one of the best inter-racial/inter-ethnic romances I've ever read too. I love that this author isn't afraid to tackle difficult or perhaps even controversial topics, and she does so with dignity and compassion. In Rio Grande Wedding, Ruth Wind has created a unique story that explored the issue of illegal immigration from both sides of the coin, and managed to present sympathetic reasons not only for why a foreigner might choose to come to America illegally, but also why some Americans are adamantly against it. By presenting the different points of view, I think she was able to show just how complex this matter can truly be. Ms. Wind writes with a great deal of poignancy both on this issue and the cultural differences that are inherent in an inter-racial relationship, and is especially talented at penning the forbidden love aspect. Her voice is always deeply emotional and rather languid, sometimes bordering on the poetic, especially when she's describing the beautiful settings. This book really pulled me in right from the start, tugging at my heartstrings with a lonely widowed heroine, a seriously injured hero, a sick little girl who was left all alone, and the scruffy stray dog that befriends her. It was a very engaging story to read, and always a pleasure to pick back up after having to set it aside to do other things.
Alejandro is one of the sweetest and gentlest beta heroes I've ever read. He has an Old World charm about him that presents itself not only in his cultural traditions, but also in his gentlemanly ways that occasionally seem a bit old-fashioned. Alejandro is a passionate man who loves with his whole heart, and learned early in life that he can't make love without falling in love which is something I found to be utterly endearing. I thought that having a hero who doesn't get instantaneously aroused in spite of having broken bones and a gunshot wound was a refreshing change with a little dose of realism to it. The author also breaks stereotyping by showing that Alejandro wasn't the kind of guy one would typically think of as an illegal alien, because he has a good solid background with loving family ties in Mexico. Even Molly is ashamed at times when she realizes that the things she has unintentionally thought about him and immigrants in general aren't necessarily true. Alejandro is a man with a deep love of the land, modest hopes and dreams, a natural talent for both art and music and best of all, he truly knows the meaning of honor. He is always tender and kind toward Molly and a wonderful, loving father-figure to his niece, Josephina. This book won the Romantic Times WISH (Women In Search of Heroes) Award, and I can definitely see why. Alejandro was a very unusual hero who was a pleasure to read about.
Ever since her parents died when she and her brother were still in their teens, Molly has always been living her life for someone else while putting her own hopes and dreams on the back burner. At the urging of her aunts, Molly became a nurse like her mother and while she likes her work and is good at it, she misses not having studied art like she wanted to. Still, she felt that she had a responsibility to get a stable job to finish raising her brother. Then she married her high school sweetheart and their lives became consumed with his dream of starting a working farm. When he tragically died, Molly tried to take charge of her life and move into her dream house in town, but was dissuaded by her brother. Now she lives a comfortable but rather lonely life in her rural farmhouse far from town. When Molly finds Alejandro seriously injured on her property, she takes a huge risk by helping him, but in doing so, feels more free and alive than she has in years. Alejandro awakens not only her passions but a newfound zest for life, as well as helping her put the shadows of the past to rest once and for all. Molly is just an all-around nice heroine who is all too eager to help others, and in the process has lost sight of what she needs and wants from life and must learn to step back to rediscover those things.
Occasionally, I found myself wishing for a few more details on certain things or just having a simple feeling of wanting to know more, but for the most part I think this was a weakness caused by the limited length of the book rather than the author's writing ability. For a category romance, Rio Grande Wedding was a surprisingly good and thought-provoking story that broke many of those typical romance clichés. In fact, I think that Ms. Wind took a risk in writing it, and I love it when an author tries to break out of the mold to create something unique. I can see how readers who are really bothered by the issue of illegal immigration might have difficulties with this one especially in our current international climate (this was written pre-9/11). However, I can assure everyone that Alejandro has noble reasons for his actions and I think that those who are open-minded or simply looking for an unusual story will find a very special gem here. All the characters, including the secondary ones, were vividly rendered as though they might be actual people somewhere, making me wonder if the author patterned any of them after people she knows in real life. In any case, they were the types of people I could see myself being friends with if they actually existed. I will admit that the censure that Molly received from her brother, Josh, was rather strong and therefore, overcome a bit too easily, but it didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the story. Overall, Rio Grande Wedding was a sweetly emotional read that I really enjoyed. It is the second and from what I can tell, the only other book in Ruth Wind's Men of the Land multi-line series. The first was a Silhouette Special Edition titled, Meant to Be Married. I'm not sure if there are any character or plot connections between the two, but they both feature rugged heroes who love the land and an inter-racial romance. Rio Grande Wedding is my second keeper in a row from this talented writer which definitely earns her a spot on my favorite authors list. Ruth Wind also writes as Barbara Samuel and Barbara O'Neal.
"4.5 stars" Rio Grande Wedding is the best category romance that I've read to date and one of the best inter-racial/inter-ethnic romances I've ever read too. I love that this author isn't afraid to tackle difficult or perhaps even controversial topics, and she does so with dignity and compassion. In Rio Grande Wedding, Ruth Wind has created a unique story that explored the issue of illegal immigration from both sides of the coin, and managed to present sympathetic reasons not only for why a foreigner might choose to come to America illegally, but also why some Americans are adamantly against it. By presenting the different points of view, I think she was able to show just how complex this matter can truly be. Ms. Wind writes with a great deal of poignancy both on this issue and the cultural differences that are inherent in an inter-racial relationship, and is especially talented at penning the forbidden love aspect. Her voice is always deeply emotional and rather languid, sometimes bordering on the poetic, especially when she's describing the beautiful settings. This book really pulled me in right from the start, tugging at my heartstrings with a lonely widowed heroine, a seriously injured hero, a sick little girl who was left all alone, and the scruffy stray dog that befriends her. It was a very engaging story to read, and always a pleasure to pick back up after having to set it aside to do other things.
Alejandro is one of the sweetest and gentlest beta heroes I've ever read. He has an Old World charm about him that presents itself not only in his cultural traditions, but also in his gentlemanly ways that occasionally seem a bit old-fashioned. Alejandro is a passionate man who loves with his whole heart, and learned early in life that he can't make love without falling in love which is something I found to be utterly endearing. I thought that having a hero who doesn't get instantaneously aroused in spite of having broken bones and a gunshot wound was a refreshing change with a little dose of realism to it. The author also breaks stereotyping by showing that Alejandro wasn't the kind of guy one would typically think of as an illegal alien, because he has a good solid background with loving family ties in Mexico. Even Molly is ashamed at times when she realizes that the things she has unintentionally thought about him and immigrants in general aren't necessarily true. Alejandro is a man with a deep love of the land, modest hopes and dreams, a natural talent for both art and music and best of all, he truly knows the meaning of honor. He is always tender and kind toward Molly and a wonderful, loving father-figure to his niece, Josephina. This book won the Romantic Times WISH (Women In Search of Heroes) Award, and I can definitely see why. Alejandro was a very unusual hero who was a pleasure to read about.
Ever since her parents died when she and her brother were still in their teens, Molly has always been living her life for someone else while putting her own hopes and dreams on the back burner. At the urging of her aunts, Molly became a nurse like her mother and while she likes her work and is good at it, she misses not having studied art like she wanted to. Still, she felt that she had a responsibility to get a stable job to finish raising her brother. Then she married her high school sweetheart and their lives became consumed with his dream of starting a working farm. When he tragically died, Molly tried to take charge of her life and move into her dream house in town, but was dissuaded by her brother. Now she lives a comfortable but rather lonely life in her rural farmhouse far from town. When Molly finds Alejandro seriously injured on her property, she takes a huge risk by helping him, but in doing so, feels more free and alive than she has in years. Alejandro awakens not only her passions but a newfound zest for life, as well as helping her put the shadows of the past to rest once and for all. Molly is just an all-around nice heroine who is all too eager to help others, and in the process has lost sight of what she needs and wants from life and must learn to step back to rediscover those things.
Occasionally, I found myself wishing for a few more details on certain things or just having a simple feeling of wanting to know more, but for the most part I think this was a weakness caused by the limited length of the book rather than the author's writing ability. For a category romance, Rio Grande Wedding was a surprisingly good and thought-provoking story that broke many of those typical romance clichés. In fact, I think that Ms. Wind took a risk in writing it, and I love it when an author tries to break out of the mold to create something unique. I can see how readers who are really bothered by the issue of illegal immigration might have difficulties with this one especially in our current international climate (this was written pre-9/11). However, I can assure everyone that Alejandro has noble reasons for his actions and I think that those who are open-minded or simply looking for an unusual story will find a very special gem here. All the characters, including the secondary ones, were vividly rendered as though they might be actual people somewhere, making me wonder if the author patterned any of them after people she knows in real life. In any case, they were the types of people I could see myself being friends with if they actually existed. I will admit that the censure that Molly received from her brother, Josh, was rather strong and therefore, overcome a bit too easily, but it didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the story. Overall, Rio Grande Wedding was a sweetly emotional read that I really enjoyed. It is the second and from what I can tell, the only other book in Ruth Wind's Men of the Land multi-line series. The first was a Silhouette Special Edition titled, Meant to Be Married. I'm not sure if there are any character or plot connections between the two, but they both feature rugged heroes who love the land and an inter-racial romance. Rio Grande Wedding is my second keeper in a row from this talented writer which definitely earns her a spot on my favorite authors list. Ruth Wind also writes as Barbara Samuel and Barbara O'Neal.
May 11, 2011
Rio Grande Wedding is a lovely romance. Molly a widow and a nurse by profession wakes one morning to find an unconscious and injured man on her property. She takes one look at his dark features and realizes that he must be an immigrant farm worker (in the country illegally) who was likely injured during a raid the previous night. She is contemplating calling the deputy when he lets out a heartrending cry for his lost "Josefina". Molly decides to use her nursing skills to heal his wounds rather than turning him in.
As Molly heals Alejandro and searches for Josefina, who is his eight year old niece, a tender and sensual romance blossoms between them.
This is a little category romance that is jam-packed with more emotion and sensuality than can often be found in a 350+ novel. Although there is a secondary issue that is handled a bit too easily for comfort I'm betting you'll love this one if you enjoy a character driven romance about lonely, vulnerable people.
As Molly heals Alejandro and searches for Josefina, who is his eight year old niece, a tender and sensual romance blossoms between them.
This is a little category romance that is jam-packed with more emotion and sensuality than can often be found in a 350+ novel. Although there is a secondary issue that is handled a bit too easily for comfort I'm betting you'll love this one if you enjoy a character driven romance about lonely, vulnerable people.
Read
September 15, 2021A DNF for now, but I should probably come back to read given all the 4 star ratings.
I just couldn't get over the widowed heroine taking care of the hunky hero while his asthmatic 8 year old niece is out in the dark for at least two nights, maybe more.
She cuts off his jeans (to get to his bullet wound) and lusts after his lean body.
Niece is curled up in a ball in an arroyo because it's cold.
Bypassing sponging, she bathes the hero and lusts after his lean body.
Niece adopts a dog and makes it to town as she looks for her uncle and has an asthma attack.
Heroine lies to the pharmacist to get antibiotics and to her sheriff brother who was in on the raid for illegals.
Another night out, niece huddles with her new dog because it's cold.
Heroine feeds hero soup, gets a mini Spanish lesson on "sopa" versus "caldo", and goes to work where FINALLY someone brings in the unconscious niece, and I was done.
I'm all for a heroine prioritizing her hero, but poor little plot moppet.
I just couldn't get over the widowed heroine taking care of the hunky hero while his asthmatic 8 year old niece is out in the dark for at least two nights, maybe more.
She cuts off his jeans (to get to his bullet wound) and lusts after his lean body.
Niece is curled up in a ball in an arroyo because it's cold.
Bypassing sponging, she bathes the hero and lusts after his lean body.
Niece adopts a dog and makes it to town as she looks for her uncle and has an asthma attack.
Heroine lies to the pharmacist to get antibiotics and to her sheriff brother who was in on the raid for illegals.
Another night out, niece huddles with her new dog because it's cold.
Heroine feeds hero soup, gets a mini Spanish lesson on "sopa" versus "caldo", and goes to work where FINALLY someone brings in the unconscious niece, and I was done.
I'm all for a heroine prioritizing her hero, but poor little plot moppet.
November 26, 2012
Widowed nurse Molly Sheffield finds a wounded migrant worker on her property and takes it upon herself to nurse him back to health after he begs her not to call an ambulance. Undocumented immigrant Alejandro Sosa hates to burden the strange woman who's rescued him, but he can't risk deportation - not while his eight year old niece is stranded alone in the wilderness after an immigration raid. Struck by Alejandro's devotion to his niece, or perhaps due to four lonely years alone on her secluded New Mexico farm, Molly decides to do everything she can to keep him together with his niece in America, even if her deputy sheriff brother suspects they're marrying only to secure a green card.
I really enjoyed this modern take on a marriage of convenience. Wind - who also writes as Barbara Samuel - treats the heady subject with a lot of sensitivity and avoids any grandstanding. Molly's brother is the story's antagonist, but he remains sympathetic or at least relatable even with his zero tolerance approach to illegal immigration. Alejandro isn't some Woobie forced into the role of victim, he's got some misgivings and doubts over whether he's making the right decision to work as a migrant laborer in the US. I liked all the characters more for having some flaws.
Where the book wasn't perfect was in the timing. Everything in the book takes place over a very short period of time. I can buy a week-long whirlwind romance ok, but resolving immigration status, family drama, a gunshot wound *and* tuberculosis as well within a week is a bit much. I really enjoyed the hero and heroine, but I had to put my "this is fantasy" glasses on to digest the neat and tidy ending.
I really enjoyed this modern take on a marriage of convenience. Wind - who also writes as Barbara Samuel - treats the heady subject with a lot of sensitivity and avoids any grandstanding. Molly's brother is the story's antagonist, but he remains sympathetic or at least relatable even with his zero tolerance approach to illegal immigration. Alejandro isn't some Woobie forced into the role of victim, he's got some misgivings and doubts over whether he's making the right decision to work as a migrant laborer in the US. I liked all the characters more for having some flaws.
Where the book wasn't perfect was in the timing. Everything in the book takes place over a very short period of time. I can buy a week-long whirlwind romance ok, but resolving immigration status, family drama, a gunshot wound *and* tuberculosis as well within a week is a bit much. I really enjoyed the hero and heroine, but I had to put my "this is fantasy" glasses on to digest the neat and tidy ending.
May 27, 2011
A truly good "good book" with good balance and good story and, frankly, really .:good:. romance. Realistic, and not of normal fare because of the writer's artistic style in scene description and in the movements of the characters. You could actually see them moving, and in a normal way, not just jerky or, "how did they get over there?".
As another reviewer said, this book breaks the mold on unrealistic, traditional romance to create something that's very, very satisfying. The difference of consuming an ice cream cone, and a homemade flan. AND that Mexican cinnamon coffee described in the book, god I want that recipe.
There was a little discrepancy with the brother's tie-ups, it was a little too neat, I suppose. Same with some of the ending, but the last ending scene was very good at ending the book. So perhaps it didn't matter, that is the only reason I would prefer to give this a 4.5.
Finally, this is a book I will read again. Probably many times. Thank you Ms. Wind for writing this broke-the-mold book.
As another reviewer said, this book breaks the mold on unrealistic, traditional romance to create something that's very, very satisfying. The difference of consuming an ice cream cone, and a homemade flan. AND that Mexican cinnamon coffee described in the book, god I want that recipe.
There was a little discrepancy with the brother's tie-ups, it was a little too neat, I suppose. Same with some of the ending, but the last ending scene was very good at ending the book. So perhaps it didn't matter, that is the only reason I would prefer to give this a 4.5.
Finally, this is a book I will read again. Probably many times. Thank you Ms. Wind for writing this broke-the-mold book.
April 30, 2012
Another great book by Ruth Wind. I recommend all of her books. I have yet to read one that don't enjoy, and this is no exception.
October 12, 2013
This book was like a good wine. You sip, swirl and swallow. And with each droplet you enjoy, savor the richness.
February 28, 2016
Wonderful
A really good read.Keeps you guessing from the beginning to the end.Laughing at the funny parts and tears in your eyes at the sad parts.
A really good read.Keeps you guessing from the beginning to the end.Laughing at the funny parts and tears in your eyes at the sad parts.
March 30, 2022
An underrated gem.
April 2, 2024
This is a romantic novel that would've benefitted from being longer and being released from the constraints of the genre. The heroine in the book is Molly Sheffield, a thirty-something nurse who has been widowed for four years. She comes across an unconscious illegal migrant worker - Alejandro Sosa - who had been shot during a police raid on the farm where he worked. She takes him into her home and begins to nurse him back to health. This is a Harlequin novel so there are no prizes for guessing what way this is going.
What makes this book interesting is what it says about social issues. Apart from illegal migration, there's prejudice and questions about the reality of America for Hispanic people, how farmers rely on low-paid migrants and the financial struggles of working people. The last section of the book would've benefitted from more time and space. I got the impression that if the author hadn't been writing a Harlequin novel with a word limit, she could've kept going. There was more to be said, so the ending felt a bit rushed. It's a pity but it is what it is. This is the first book I've read by this writer and based on how much I enjoyed it, I shall seek out more of them.
What makes this book interesting is what it says about social issues. Apart from illegal migration, there's prejudice and questions about the reality of America for Hispanic people, how farmers rely on low-paid migrants and the financial struggles of working people. The last section of the book would've benefitted from more time and space. I got the impression that if the author hadn't been writing a Harlequin novel with a word limit, she could've kept going. There was more to be said, so the ending felt a bit rushed. It's a pity but it is what it is. This is the first book I've read by this writer and based on how much I enjoyed it, I shall seek out more of them.
March 27, 2022
I love a good old fashioned romantic book. This one ticked all the boxes. Will they won’t they? What do you think will happen
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews