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Mail-Order Brides on the Run #1
Cowboy for Annabelle
When an impoverished southern belle becomes the mail-order bride of a rugged cowboy…
If Annabelle Lane is going to fling her penniless self into a dreadful marriage of convenience, it’s going to be on her terms, and that’s that! Unfortunately, her options are desperately slim these days. She can:
(1) Either marry the old codger who claims it’s the only way he’ll forgive her late father’s debts,
(2) Or sign one of those infernal mail-order bride contracts her boarding house roommates have been prattling on and on about.
She chooses option two and soon finds herself on the run to escape the clutches of option one. She can only pray her intended groom is a man worth running toward.
Ethan Vasquez is known as the most ruthless range rider in the west. He’s good at protecting livestock from bears, wolves, and rustlers. Unfortunately, it’s a life that leaves no time for courting, no matter how determined he is to have a family of his own someday. When a dare from a fellow range rider has him scrambling to send off for a mail-order bride, he never imagines how quickly she will arrive or how much trouble will follow. It’s a good thing he knows a thing or two about handling predators. He can only hope she finds his heavily scarred hands — once joined with hers in holy matrimony — worth having and holding after the danger is past.
If Annabelle Lane is going to fling her penniless self into a dreadful marriage of convenience, it’s going to be on her terms, and that’s that! Unfortunately, her options are desperately slim these days. She can:
(1) Either marry the old codger who claims it’s the only way he’ll forgive her late father’s debts,
(2) Or sign one of those infernal mail-order bride contracts her boarding house roommates have been prattling on and on about.
She chooses option two and soon finds herself on the run to escape the clutches of option one. She can only pray her intended groom is a man worth running toward.
Ethan Vasquez is known as the most ruthless range rider in the west. He’s good at protecting livestock from bears, wolves, and rustlers. Unfortunately, it’s a life that leaves no time for courting, no matter how determined he is to have a family of his own someday. When a dare from a fellow range rider has him scrambling to send off for a mail-order bride, he never imagines how quickly she will arrive or how much trouble will follow. It’s a good thing he knows a thing or two about handling predators. He can only hope she finds his heavily scarred hands — once joined with hers in holy matrimony — worth having and holding after the danger is past.
178 pages, Paperback
First published June 24, 2022
570 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
About the author
Jovie Grace
54 books73 followersJovie Grace is an Amazon bestselling author of sweet historical romance full of faith, hope, love, and cowboys. Readers can connect with her at Cuppa Jo Readers on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/Cuppa....
She also writes sweet romantic thrillers as Jo Grafford. To join her New Release Email List, visit www.JoGrafford.com.
She also writes sweet romantic thrillers as Jo Grafford. To join her New Release Email List, visit www.JoGrafford.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
September 7, 2025
I'm so glad that I decided to take a chance on a new to me author as I really enjoyed this mail order bride clean romance!
July 22, 2022
Annabelle Lane is a once Southern belle who is no more once the war is over. She has lost everything, including her home. She is on the run from the creepy old man who bought her family's home and who says she has to marry him to pay off a debt her father owes him. To avoid him, she signs up to be a mail-order bride way out in Texas to a man named Ethan Vasquez. He is a well-known range rider who she hopes will protect her and be kind to her. What she finds is something much more.
With her enemy from back home, hot on her tail, will she survive to live a happy life with Ethan or will that be snatched from her grasp?
This is a sweet, clean romance and the first to start the series. I can't wait for the next one now.
I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
With her enemy from back home, hot on her tail, will she survive to live a happy life with Ethan or will that be snatched from her grasp?
This is a sweet, clean romance and the first to start the series. I can't wait for the next one now.
I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
June 26, 2022
I loved all the characters in the book, but especially Annabelle and Ethan. She was spunky and wanted to do things her way. He wanted to do whatever he had to do to protect her, even though they had just met. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I received a free ARC, and this is my honest opinion.
I received a free ARC, and this is my honest opinion.
December 3, 2024
*4.75 stars*
October 11, 2025
An engaging, faith-rooted romance with heart and hope.
I’ll be honest—I can’t imagine being desperate enough to sign a mail-order bride contract, but for Annabelle, the heroine in this story, there truly was no other option. After losing her family, her home, and her way of life, she’d endured more than most, and the pressure of Mr. Featherfall’s vile behavior left her with a single escape route. Thank goodness she had her dear friends—Penelope, Olivia, Magnolia, Emmaline, and Eliza Jane—who had also suffered during the war. Their fierce loyalty and resourcefulness helped her survive long enough to board that life-changing train.
This is where the plot really takes off. The author masterfully paints Mr. Featherfall as the kind of villain you love to hate, and I found myself flipping pages anxiously, just waiting for Annabelle to meet her prospective groom. I was praying right alongside her and her friends that this cowboy would be kind, stable, and capable of rescuing her from her dire situation.
Enter Ethan Vasquez—and wow, what an entrance! Like Annabelle, my eyes went wide at their first meeting. He made an unforgettable impression, and I quickly grew fond of his tight knit, loving family. Their warm, protective embrace of Annabelle was a highlight of the story for me.
Despite the hopeful new beginning, Annabelle’s troubles didn’t instantly vanish. The plot held strong with tension, conflict, and well-paced twists that kept me deeply invested. I had full faith in Ethan’s unwavering desire to keep Annabelle safe—his strength and protective nature were truly admirable.
The romance between Ethan and Annabelle is sweet, respectful, and gently passionate. While their chemistry is clear, the intimacy is implied rather than explicit, which I appreciated. Their emotional connection is built on kindness, honesty, and patience. Watching them slowly open up to one another was both satisfying and heartwarming.
As someone who enjoys faith-based romance, I was comfortable with the light inspirational thread woven throughout. However, there is one particular scene with a strong spiritual tone that felt a bit jarring compared to the rest of the book’s more subtly integrated messages. Even as someone who values scripture, the shift in tone caught me off guard, though the story soon returned to its original flow.
The author did a fantastic job establishing a core group of characters with rich backstories, and I’m already tempted to dive into book two, which focuses on Penelope and one of Ethan’s brothers (yes, I read the sneak peek!). Ethan’s family and Annabelle’s circle of friends are sure to bring more heartwarming moments in the next installment.
I’ll be honest—I can’t imagine being desperate enough to sign a mail-order bride contract, but for Annabelle, the heroine in this story, there truly was no other option. After losing her family, her home, and her way of life, she’d endured more than most, and the pressure of Mr. Featherfall’s vile behavior left her with a single escape route. Thank goodness she had her dear friends—Penelope, Olivia, Magnolia, Emmaline, and Eliza Jane—who had also suffered during the war. Their fierce loyalty and resourcefulness helped her survive long enough to board that life-changing train.
This is where the plot really takes off. The author masterfully paints Mr. Featherfall as the kind of villain you love to hate, and I found myself flipping pages anxiously, just waiting for Annabelle to meet her prospective groom. I was praying right alongside her and her friends that this cowboy would be kind, stable, and capable of rescuing her from her dire situation.
Enter Ethan Vasquez—and wow, what an entrance! Like Annabelle, my eyes went wide at their first meeting. He made an unforgettable impression, and I quickly grew fond of his tight knit, loving family. Their warm, protective embrace of Annabelle was a highlight of the story for me.
Despite the hopeful new beginning, Annabelle’s troubles didn’t instantly vanish. The plot held strong with tension, conflict, and well-paced twists that kept me deeply invested. I had full faith in Ethan’s unwavering desire to keep Annabelle safe—his strength and protective nature were truly admirable.
The romance between Ethan and Annabelle is sweet, respectful, and gently passionate. While their chemistry is clear, the intimacy is implied rather than explicit, which I appreciated. Their emotional connection is built on kindness, honesty, and patience. Watching them slowly open up to one another was both satisfying and heartwarming.
As someone who enjoys faith-based romance, I was comfortable with the light inspirational thread woven throughout. However, there is one particular scene with a strong spiritual tone that felt a bit jarring compared to the rest of the book’s more subtly integrated messages. Even as someone who values scripture, the shift in tone caught me off guard, though the story soon returned to its original flow.
The author did a fantastic job establishing a core group of characters with rich backstories, and I’m already tempted to dive into book two, which focuses on Penelope and one of Ethan’s brothers (yes, I read the sneak peek!). Ethan’s family and Annabelle’s circle of friends are sure to bring more heartwarming moments in the next installment.
June 28, 2023
LET IT BE SO
The story is the first in the new series, Mail-Order Brides on the Run which are clean historical western stories. The story begins in Atlanta, Georgia after the Civil War has ended. So many young women are left to fend for themselves, losing their families and all their possessions. A small group of women have banded together, staying together in a boarding house, and working jobs to survive. But what happens when one is faced with a lecherous old man who claims he has the right to her in marriage? Annabelle Lane’s friends come up with a plan to help her escape and go westward as a mail-order bride to a small town with only about fifty inhabitants.
“It’s as if my life has been reduced to choosing between the frying pan or the fire.”
The Ford family runs a large ranch and uses range rovers to keep up with the longhorn cattle. The only female is Paloma Ford, a widowed mother to grown men. A plan has been devised to send off for mail-order brides, starting with one. The first groom will be widower, Ethan Vasquez.
The story’s plot will have Annabelle shocked by the actions of Mr. Dale Allard Featherfall, who now owns the plantation owned by her family. After the death of her father, the bank foreclosed on the property. But now Mr. Featherfall is looking for his fourth wife and has informed Annabelle that it will be her to pay family debts owed to him. With the help of her friends, she will be matched up and shipped out the very next day as a mail-order bride heading to Texas. But trouble follows all along the way. Ethan is now responsible for his new bride and her well-being and to try and discover why someone is after her. There doesn’t seem to be an end to the length they will go to find her either.
The story has mystery, suspense, danger, and eventually a clean romance. I like Ethan and Annabelle together—but this union isn’t without issues and secrets. The story is a fascinating page-turning tale that has a great cast of characters and some surprises. I’m looking forward to more books in this series and to seeing what happens to Annabelle’s friends back in Atlanta. Will they too come to the same area to marry?
“The best is yet to come.”
The story is the first in the new series, Mail-Order Brides on the Run which are clean historical western stories. The story begins in Atlanta, Georgia after the Civil War has ended. So many young women are left to fend for themselves, losing their families and all their possessions. A small group of women have banded together, staying together in a boarding house, and working jobs to survive. But what happens when one is faced with a lecherous old man who claims he has the right to her in marriage? Annabelle Lane’s friends come up with a plan to help her escape and go westward as a mail-order bride to a small town with only about fifty inhabitants.
“It’s as if my life has been reduced to choosing between the frying pan or the fire.”
The Ford family runs a large ranch and uses range rovers to keep up with the longhorn cattle. The only female is Paloma Ford, a widowed mother to grown men. A plan has been devised to send off for mail-order brides, starting with one. The first groom will be widower, Ethan Vasquez.
The story’s plot will have Annabelle shocked by the actions of Mr. Dale Allard Featherfall, who now owns the plantation owned by her family. After the death of her father, the bank foreclosed on the property. But now Mr. Featherfall is looking for his fourth wife and has informed Annabelle that it will be her to pay family debts owed to him. With the help of her friends, she will be matched up and shipped out the very next day as a mail-order bride heading to Texas. But trouble follows all along the way. Ethan is now responsible for his new bride and her well-being and to try and discover why someone is after her. There doesn’t seem to be an end to the length they will go to find her either.
The story has mystery, suspense, danger, and eventually a clean romance. I like Ethan and Annabelle together—but this union isn’t without issues and secrets. The story is a fascinating page-turning tale that has a great cast of characters and some surprises. I’m looking forward to more books in this series and to seeing what happens to Annabelle’s friends back in Atlanta. Will they too come to the same area to marry?
“The best is yet to come.”
June 26, 2022
Cowboy for Annabelle. When a family in the 1800's decide to settle their own town, hire men to help find and care for the longhorn cattle that run wild in Texas, they find something missing. About 50 men and only Paloma Ford to try to control these boys. She has 5 of her own and has taken in Ethan as her son not by blood. He is over the range riders that make sure the cattle does not meet any harm or run away. Paloma and her eldest sons Jameson and Keegan decide to get women for the town. They get the brothers and the most important men of the town together and explain their mail order bride plan and draw straws as to who has to get married first. Now this has hit these men like a brick wall but all go along with it. The one that draws the short straw is Gray and Ethan thinks Paloma has feelings for him so he says he is swapping straws with Gray. When the stagecoach arrived with the mail order bride in front of the church in El Vaquero Annabelle arrived with bandits shooting at her as they dive into the church. Ethan arrives crawling and shooting at the bandits at the church and has torn pants and looks rough. He just had fought a bear away from the cattle by hand. When the cowboys from town arrive and run off the bandits Annabelle and Ethan say their vows in front of his family and some friends. Paloma comforts Annabelle by telling her he looks really nice when he cleans up. This belle from Atlanta decides that is exactly what Ethan needs. A hot bath and to care for his injuries from the bear fight. This is just the beginning and the story gets more exciting the more you read. This new series has hit a high five with me!
I received a ARC copy to give my honest review.
I received a ARC copy to give my honest review.
October 31, 2023
This is a well-thought-out plot and execution; my only complaint was some cheesy dialogue in the middle of the story. This book does an excellent job of explaining just how difficult it was to live after the Civil War. The place is Atlanta, Georgia and a group of women have banded together to share their pennies and humble apartment. Life is very hard.
However, it gets harder when Annabelle, one of the young women, takes some washing to her former home, where a carpetbagger lives. He wants to marry Annabelle but demands she marry him to defray the expenses he paid to defray the medicines her mother needed before her death. Annabelle doubts his assertion but has no way to disprove it. It would be her word against a wealthy man.
Since Annabelle is in dire circumstances, she becomes a mail-order bride in Texas. It is a sparsely inhabited region, and the Ford men who own the ranch want to get families started to create a town. To that end, they hire a mail-order firm to send a first bride to try it out. The first groom is Ethan Vasquez, a widower.
This is the story of how Anabelle (with no farm experience) learns to create a life with her husband. The shadow of the lecherous old man who wanted to marry her in Atlanta follows her to Texas. This makes for an exciting story.
However, it gets harder when Annabelle, one of the young women, takes some washing to her former home, where a carpetbagger lives. He wants to marry Annabelle but demands she marry him to defray the expenses he paid to defray the medicines her mother needed before her death. Annabelle doubts his assertion but has no way to disprove it. It would be her word against a wealthy man.
Since Annabelle is in dire circumstances, she becomes a mail-order bride in Texas. It is a sparsely inhabited region, and the Ford men who own the ranch want to get families started to create a town. To that end, they hire a mail-order firm to send a first bride to try it out. The first groom is Ethan Vasquez, a widower.
This is the story of how Anabelle (with no farm experience) learns to create a life with her husband. The shadow of the lecherous old man who wanted to marry her in Atlanta follows her to Texas. This makes for an exciting story.
June 27, 2022
I don’t normally read many historical westerns, but I really enjoyed this charming story with a bit of suspense. Annabelle Lane must leave Atlanta or be forced to wed. A man foreclosed on her family’s plantation when her father didn’t return from the Civil War. All she has left of him is his gold watch. She and her five friends share a room and are barely surviving so she decides to sign up as a mail order bride. Hopefully, at a later date, her friends will join her in Texas. The travel is alarming as she wasn’t prepared for the threats along the way. Is this what it will be like living in Texas? Arriving in town, she is immediately wed to her betrothed, Ethan Vasquez, one of the most revered range riders. He works for the Ford Brothers and they agreed to sponsor mail order brides to come to their town. He is surprised by her strength and the way she has made his cabin a home. She regrets the trouble that followed her, but finally feels safe. I enjoyed the honest conversations between them as they slowly began to fall in love, but are the threats really over? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation, from the author, for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)
June 27, 2022
Annabelle is a former Atlanta debutant. She and 5 of her friends share a boarding house room and struggle to survive in 1867 Atlanta. Annabelle's home is purchased by a wealthy man who claims that Annabelle's father left a large debt. She could pay the debt by becoming his bride and producing an heir. To get away from the evil man, she signs on as a mail order bride. Debt collectors are chasing her as she boards the train for TX.
Ethan is a range rider. He works for the Ford family. He is a member of the family in every way. When the oldest Ford brother says they need to send for mail order brides to grow their little town, Ethan isn't interested. His wife died in child birth 4 years ago and he doesn't want to go through that pain again. But, he draws the short straw and signs up.
When Annabelle arrives, it is amid a shoot out with bandits trying to rob the stage coach.
Ethan and Annabelle get married and settle in. I love the banter between them as they get to know each other. Fun, sweet book.
Ethan is a range rider. He works for the Ford family. He is a member of the family in every way. When the oldest Ford brother says they need to send for mail order brides to grow their little town, Ethan isn't interested. His wife died in child birth 4 years ago and he doesn't want to go through that pain again. But, he draws the short straw and signs up.
When Annabelle arrives, it is amid a shoot out with bandits trying to rob the stage coach.
Ethan and Annabelle get married and settle in. I love the banter between them as they get to know each other. Fun, sweet book.
June 23, 2022
This story has action, danger, love, tenderness and suspense! I loved it all! This is a new series by a wonderful author! I can't wait for the rest of the characters to get their stories! Annabelle was so fantastic! Everything she's had while growing up has been taken from her and she's destitute. That would be SO difficult! She and several of her friends live in a dilapidated boarding house, trying to make ends meet but then the rich man in town who bought her childhood home demands she marry him to pay off her father's debt! No way is she going to marry that jerk, so she'll become a mail-order bride to a cowboy out west instead! Ethen is a range rider and a bachelor but longs for a wife & family. I loved Ethan right away! He'd had great loss in his life and was trying to be positive. When he marries Annabelle, he has to protect her from the danger she brings with her, and I loved the protective instinct that kicks in! A great story!
June 26, 2022
This is the first in a new historical romance series and what a start! Annabelle and her friends are a group of displaced southern belles living together in a boarding room in Atlanta. Annabelle’s situation is most dreadful and the girls see an ad for a mail order bride, she volunteers. The action begins as soon as she leaves the lawyer’s office. Ethan is a range finder in a new virtually woman less town in western Texas, the family he works for, who has also taken him in and thinks of him as one of their own, is working with the agency and Ethan volunteers to be first. Their arrangement is fun and interesting from the start. They truly do appreciate one another before their relationship becomes one of husband and wife. There is humor, love, faith and action in this wonderful story with a HEA. You don’t have to like this genre to fall in love with this story. Great beginning!
I received a free copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 24, 2022
Annabelle is in a major bind. She has lost everyone in her family and almost every material possession during the War and now she discovers that she is responsible for her father's debts. She can marry the old codger who says she's indebted to him. He's old enough to be her grandfather and he's looking for a wife and heir after his three previous wives died. Annabelle's other option is to leave town in a hurry and become a mail order bride out west.
So it's no surprise that Annabelle takes the train to Texas to wed Ethan, a range rider who is seeking a wife with an adventurous spirit. Well, what an adventure this option turns out to be with sweet romance, intrigue and chicanery.
This is a riveting, fast-paced clean read that you won't be able to put down. Lots of great characters, too. I received a free copy and this review is my honest opinion, freely given.
So it's no surprise that Annabelle takes the train to Texas to wed Ethan, a range rider who is seeking a wife with an adventurous spirit. Well, what an adventure this option turns out to be with sweet romance, intrigue and chicanery.
This is a riveting, fast-paced clean read that you won't be able to put down. Lots of great characters, too. I received a free copy and this review is my honest opinion, freely given.
July 15, 2024
ummmmm
Pretty standard kindle unlimited clean romance level of writing - nothing to knock your socks off, but coherent and enjoyable. Plot is predictable and fun, and the religion is less preachy/prevalent than other religious novels but definitely there. However, our main character comes from wealth in Atlanta and all of her relatives died in “the war”. Around the time of cowboys in Texas and when railroads were new. But this book deftly avoids any of the actual implications of what it might mean to be a Southern Belle at this time period, and how her family’s wealth was made, and what exactly her father believed in that was worth going to war for. Well, maybe not entirely, as our main character suspects her unmet husband might be a brute based on his last name Vasquez so she definitely is somewhat racially prejudiced.
Pretty standard kindle unlimited clean romance level of writing - nothing to knock your socks off, but coherent and enjoyable. Plot is predictable and fun, and the religion is less preachy/prevalent than other religious novels but definitely there. However, our main character comes from wealth in Atlanta and all of her relatives died in “the war”. Around the time of cowboys in Texas and when railroads were new. But this book deftly avoids any of the actual implications of what it might mean to be a Southern Belle at this time period, and how her family’s wealth was made, and what exactly her father believed in that was worth going to war for. Well, maybe not entirely, as our main character suspects her unmet husband might be a brute based on his last name Vasquez so she definitely is somewhat racially prejudiced.
July 2, 2022
This is a sweet and heartwarming story that is Book #1 in this new series. This is Annabelle Lane and Ethan Vargas' story, and the character development is outstanding. Annabelle flees from Atlanta to become a MOB rather than marry an evil old man who threatens to take the family plantation unless she marries him or pays him a large sum of money. Ethan is a range rider for the Ford Brothers ranch who sends for a MOB and Annabelle responds to his request and heads west. When danger and trouble follow Annabelle, will Ethan be able to protect her? As they work together to overcome the trouble feelings begin to develop between them; will it grow into a HEA? Be sure and read this great story to find out; it is a real page turner and I know you will enjoy it as much as I did.
July 8, 2022
A great start to the series.
Annabelle has lost all of her family and even her home. Mr. Featherfall bought her family home and proposes marriage to Annabelle. She wants no part of it. So her roommates show her an advertisement in the newspaper for mail-order brides. Since Mr. Featherfall is insisting that she owes him, she is the first one to venture to Texas.
Ethan is a range rider on the Ford brothers ranch. They drew straws to see who would take the first bride and Ethan volunteered.
The first time they saw each other, Ethan was smitten and Annabelle was a little repulsed.
There were times when I laughed and times that were sad but it was a great read and I can't wait for the next one.
Annabelle has lost all of her family and even her home. Mr. Featherfall bought her family home and proposes marriage to Annabelle. She wants no part of it. So her roommates show her an advertisement in the newspaper for mail-order brides. Since Mr. Featherfall is insisting that she owes him, she is the first one to venture to Texas.
Ethan is a range rider on the Ford brothers ranch. They drew straws to see who would take the first bride and Ethan volunteered.
The first time they saw each other, Ethan was smitten and Annabelle was a little repulsed.
There were times when I laughed and times that were sad but it was a great read and I can't wait for the next one.
July 20, 2022
Cowboy for Annabelle
Annabelle lost her family and then her home to war. The horrible man who took her home when the banks foreclosed has said she owed him for her fathers debt, which she doubted even exist. He tells her that she has to marry him or he will send the debt collectors out for her. She flees Atlanta and becomes a mail order bride to get away. Ethan has lost a wife and infant to the harshness of his home and job. Yet when the idea of a mail order bride comes up he volunteers to be the one to try it first. He doesn’t have to love her to provide a home for her. When Annabelle arrives with guns blazing all around, Ethan knows he has to keep her safe. Their story is intense and exciting. There is danger in abundance. Will Ethan be able to keep Annabelle safe?
Annabelle lost her family and then her home to war. The horrible man who took her home when the banks foreclosed has said she owed him for her fathers debt, which she doubted even exist. He tells her that she has to marry him or he will send the debt collectors out for her. She flees Atlanta and becomes a mail order bride to get away. Ethan has lost a wife and infant to the harshness of his home and job. Yet when the idea of a mail order bride comes up he volunteers to be the one to try it first. He doesn’t have to love her to provide a home for her. When Annabelle arrives with guns blazing all around, Ethan knows he has to keep her safe. Their story is intense and exciting. There is danger in abundance. Will Ethan be able to keep Annabelle safe?
June 28, 2022
A cowboy for Annabelle,the first book in a new series.I loved Ethan and Annabelle.Annabelle applies to become a mail order bride to escape from her enemies.She ends up going to the west to a cowboy ranch to marry Ethan vasquez.
Her enemies follow her there.
When Ethan finds out everything about Annabelle and that she tried to escape from marrying the old codger who took over her father's estate and became a mail order bride.There a quite a few twists and turns along the way,kept me on the edge of my seat.Highly reccomend this book.Pick up your copy now to follow Ethan and Annabelle's story.
I recieved a free arc for this book by the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Her enemies follow her there.
When Ethan finds out everything about Annabelle and that she tried to escape from marrying the old codger who took over her father's estate and became a mail order bride.There a quite a few twists and turns along the way,kept me on the edge of my seat.Highly reccomend this book.Pick up your copy now to follow Ethan and Annabelle's story.
I recieved a free arc for this book by the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 23, 2022
Fun characters and tender storyline.
Annabelle is twenty-three whose plantation was bought by a rich old man. When he tries to force her to marry him in payment for a debt she didn’t even knew existed, she makes the difficult decision to become a mail-order bride.
Ethan is a range rider with a great reputation who works on a ranch in west Texas. He lost his wife and baby a few years earlier and doesn’t think he’s ready to get married again.
Will these two people find happiness and help build the new town?
*I received this book for free for my unbiased review.
Annabelle is twenty-three whose plantation was bought by a rich old man. When he tries to force her to marry him in payment for a debt she didn’t even knew existed, she makes the difficult decision to become a mail-order bride.
Ethan is a range rider with a great reputation who works on a ranch in west Texas. He lost his wife and baby a few years earlier and doesn’t think he’s ready to get married again.
Will these two people find happiness and help build the new town?
*I received this book for free for my unbiased review.
June 23, 2022
I absolutely loved this first book in the series of Mail Order Brides on the Run and had a hard time putting it down! It was so entertaining and adventurous. The romance between Ethan and Annabelle, the other characters, and lots of adventure all worked together wonderfully for a great story. Annabelle fit into life on the ranch so well. I am looking forward to the rest of this series and am so excited to see what happens to the next bride on the run and the cowboy that she gets matched with.
June 26, 2022
Ethan Vasquez a widower not intending to marry. He is gently pushed into a mail order bride.
Annabelle Lane is a southern miss who is desperate to leave her past behind. But it keeps catching up with her.
I really enjoyed this book. The references to "all things bright and beautiful" were touching. Also, the surprises at the end were intriguing although not totally unexpected. Can't wait to see all the Belles back together.
I recieved a free copy so that I can tell you what I honestly think. Hope you enjoyed my review. Now go enjoy the book.
Annabelle Lane is a southern miss who is desperate to leave her past behind. But it keeps catching up with her.
I really enjoyed this book. The references to "all things bright and beautiful" were touching. Also, the surprises at the end were intriguing although not totally unexpected. Can't wait to see all the Belles back together.
I recieved a free copy so that I can tell you what I honestly think. Hope you enjoyed my review. Now go enjoy the book.
June 28, 2022
A great start to a new series! Annabelle was a southern Belle through and through until the war. She is forced to become a mail order bride to escape someone trying to force her hand in marriage. As she meets Ethan in less than ideal wedding, she realizes country life is going to be very different. I loved this series and seeing the changes in both Annabelle and Ethan as they not only become husband a wife by name but also develop a relationship. I am excited for the rest of the books in this series.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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July 15, 2022Good all around story
I was worried that I would not like this because I usually avoid Christian stories, but this story was awesome.
It was a good premise, strong, likeable characters, even romance and adventure. The characters build up their relationship over time and interact and the story just draws the reader in. I am very lucky to have been offered a chance to read for free, but I was not able to, sorry Jovie. So, I procured this book on my Kindle and read it and was so hapoy that I did. This story is a great way to while away time on a sunny beach.
I was worried that I would not like this because I usually avoid Christian stories, but this story was awesome.
It was a good premise, strong, likeable characters, even romance and adventure. The characters build up their relationship over time and interact and the story just draws the reader in. I am very lucky to have been offered a chance to read for free, but I was not able to, sorry Jovie. So, I procured this book on my Kindle and read it and was so hapoy that I did. This story is a great way to while away time on a sunny beach.
April 4, 2025
And he tied her to the railroad tracks
What a sweet mail-order bride story. After the Civil War Annabelle was destitute and struggling. There were bad men after her for her fortune she didn't even know she had. She signed up to be a mail-order bride. Her husband to be, Ethan, had previously been ,married and lost his wife and child. Between just getting to each other, the bad men after her and working as range riders it was a struggle but love won out in the end. I would recommend this book to everyone.
Thank you Jovie Grace for a wonderful book.
What a sweet mail-order bride story. After the Civil War Annabelle was destitute and struggling. There were bad men after her for her fortune she didn't even know she had. She signed up to be a mail-order bride. Her husband to be, Ethan, had previously been ,married and lost his wife and child. Between just getting to each other, the bad men after her and working as range riders it was a struggle but love won out in the end. I would recommend this book to everyone.
Thank you Jovie Grace for a wonderful book.
June 22, 2025
I love Jovie Grace’s stories. The characters are realistic with complex backgrounds and issues. She does a great job of world building, and I can smell the dust of the streets in the Old West. It was fun to watch Ethan get backed into obtaining a mail-order bride and his reactions to Annabelle when she arrives. It’s all about expectations, and he more comfortable dealing with his horses and wildlife than a woman he’s only just met. Annabelle’s issues follow her, and rather than send her packing, Ethan takes on dangerous villains to keep her by his side – a swoonworthy hero. Great story.
June 25, 2022
So much packed into one story, romance, villainy, heroism, family and humor. Annabelle Lane and Ethan Vasquez weren’t a match made in heaven or where they? The rough range rider and the impoverished southern belle would never have met if circumstances hadn’t been desperate. I really enjoyed the fact that Annabelle did her best to stand on her own two feet and Ethan soon learned to love that independent streak. Thank you, Jovie Grace for this book
June 25, 2022
Cowboy for Annabelle is a sweet, clean, heartwarming, historical romance between Ethan and Annabelle. They have both suffered terrible losses. In addition, Annabelle is ruthlessly pursued by a tyrant. She arrives at the church in a hail of bullets! This well written book with its air of suspense, kept me reading far into the night since I could not put it down. I love Ethan, the Ford brothers and Paloma, their mom. This wonderful tale cements the fact that family is not just biological!
September 8, 2022
I enjoyed this story about Annabelle. She is a damsel in distress because a wicked OLD man insists she marry him. He has had several wives & they have all suddenly died. She is trapped & her only recourse is to run away becoming a mail-order bride. When she meets Ethan he looks like a wild bear & she wonders if she's made a huge mistake. This is also a mystery. The ending was quite a surprise. I received an ARC. This is my voluntary opinion.
August 28, 2023
MOB with Christ
This was a great book with a secret sleuth in the MOB business. Having 7 single men on the Ford Ranch in Texas offered lots of businesss along with a plan to settle their town with families.
A real tied down to the tracks wife in her young marriage yet exuding strength while getting to know her new man! Annabelle escaped out of horrible clutches into the arms of her dreams!
This was a great book with a secret sleuth in the MOB business. Having 7 single men on the Ford Ranch in Texas offered lots of businesss along with a plan to settle their town with families.
A real tied down to the tracks wife in her young marriage yet exuding strength while getting to know her new man! Annabelle escaped out of horrible clutches into the arms of her dreams!
October 9, 2023
Annabelle, after the Civil War, had need to escape Atlanta where the man who bought her family's estate was in pursuit of her for marriage and an heir. She goes the mail-order route and flees to Texas to become the bride of Ethan Vasquez. Little did she know that she would be in pursuit by her rejected suitor and a wanted woman over some bogus claims. A well-written, rooting-tooting western with much action. A short, sweet and clean, entertaining good bedtime read.
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