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Daniel's Bride
When a woman has to choose between death and marriage to a total stranger, she must be in a dire predicament....
And for Jolie McKibben, about to pay by hanging for a terrible crime she didn't commit, salvation by marriage couldn't come a moment too soon. Housekeeping for Daniel Beckham, a widower who invoked the town's wedding ordinance to rescue Jolie from the gallows, is better than the alternative...but understanding the silent stranger who is now her husband might just about kill her.
Daniel doesn't believe in Jolie's innocence. And despite his willingness to marry the pretty, defiant "outlaw" on the spot, the prosperous farmer had little to say to her after "I do." But for Jolie, their arrangement of convenience soon deepens into a rich and vibrant attraction that sets her trembling with desire in Daniel's presence. Somehow, she would win his love, body and soul. Unless the desperados on her trail shatter the fragile, trusting bond of husband and wife....
Linda Lael Miller's beloved novel of the American West shimmers with the unbridled passion of two adventurous hearts!
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1992
148 people are currently reading
1052 people want to read
About the author
Linda Lael Miller
553 books3,219 followersThe daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a spacious property outside Spokane.
Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold Fletcher’s Woman in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mysteries and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Long a passionate Civil War buff, Linda has studied the era avidly for almost thirty years. She has read literally hundreds of books on the subject, explored numerous battlegrounds and made many visits to her favorite, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has witnessed re-enactments of the legendary clash between North and South. Linda explores that turbulent time in The Yankee Widow, a May 7, 2019 MIRA Books hardcover, also available in digital and audiobook formats.
Dedicated to helping others, “The First Lady of the West” personally financed fifteen years of her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, which she awarded to women 25 years and older who were seeking to improve their lot in life through education. She anticipates that her next charitable endeavors will benefit four-legged critters.
More information about Linda and her novels is available at www.lindalaelmiller.com, on Facebook and from Nancy Berland Public Relations, nancy@nancyberland.com, 405-206-4748.
Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold Fletcher’s Woman in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mysteries and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Long a passionate Civil War buff, Linda has studied the era avidly for almost thirty years. She has read literally hundreds of books on the subject, explored numerous battlegrounds and made many visits to her favorite, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has witnessed re-enactments of the legendary clash between North and South. Linda explores that turbulent time in The Yankee Widow, a May 7, 2019 MIRA Books hardcover, also available in digital and audiobook formats.
Dedicated to helping others, “The First Lady of the West” personally financed fifteen years of her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, which she awarded to women 25 years and older who were seeking to improve their lot in life through education. She anticipates that her next charitable endeavors will benefit four-legged critters.
More information about Linda and her novels is available at www.lindalaelmiller.com, on Facebook and from Nancy Berland Public Relations, nancy@nancyberland.com, 405-206-4748.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
September 19, 2013
I so wanted to like this more than I did. It had a promising start with brooding widower hero rescuing sweet innocent heroine from the gallows by offering her marriage of convenience. But, after awhile I got tired of him ignoring her, turning to her only when he needed sex as well as constant "you are not staying, I'll divorce you, bla bla...".
The heroine was a doormat who just lamented over and over again over those words. I wanted to shake her and make her do something to make him take notice of her like maybe really leave him. I wanted him to suffer just like he made her suffer!!!
Both of them were VERY annoying.
The heroine was a doormat who just lamented over and over again over those words. I wanted to shake her and make her do something to make him take notice of her like maybe really leave him. I wanted him to suffer just like he made her suffer!!!
Both of them were VERY annoying.
June 13, 2017
Revisited this last night...
He saves her from the noose by marrying her. She'd gotten messed up with a criminal, but was innocent. He is a widower who holds his first wife's memory like a shield against his second wife.
The entire book he keeps her at arms length except when he wants sex. Then there's that little trip to the whore house just after their marriage.
For me it was too little too late and she is a doormat when it comes to him. Kinda depressing too. There's no moments of tenderness. Jolie gets more tenderness from her neighbours.
He saves her from the noose by marrying her. She'd gotten messed up with a criminal, but was innocent. He is a widower who holds his first wife's memory like a shield against his second wife.
The entire book he keeps her at arms length except when he wants sex. Then there's that little trip to the whore house just after their marriage.
For me it was too little too late and she is a doormat when it comes to him. Kinda depressing too. There's no moments of tenderness. Jolie gets more tenderness from her neighbours.
June 13, 2023
Just reread this and it was great. The heroine was amazing. Daniel not so much. I don't think he cheated but the whole Pilar situation bothered me. He didn't deserve someone like Jolie. He treated her badly for 80% of the book I would guess. I cried several times when he hurt her. She was just so spunky too. I loved that. I am glad I reread it too. Its like an old friend.
June 16, 2017
Was on the edge of my seat for most of this book.
And I love that just as much as I hate it.
I thought Daniel's attitude a bit cruel, no matter how misguided his intentions were. That's just plain messed up.
All Jolie wanted - NEEDED - was his love. And he denied her that throughout the whole book. And then at the end where he blithely tells her ...
Am I too emotionally invested in these books??
I can't freaking help myself.
You're a cruel and hateful so-and-so, Linda Lael Miller.
And I love that just as much as I hate it.
I thought Daniel's attitude a bit cruel, no matter how misguided his intentions were. That's just plain messed up.
All Jolie wanted - NEEDED - was his love. And he denied her that throughout the whole book. And then at the end where he blithely tells her ...
Am I too emotionally invested in these books??
I can't freaking help myself.
You're a cruel and hateful so-and-so, Linda Lael Miller.
November 16, 2020
My marathon of westerns romance is going on and Jolie deserves my respect
Daniel can learn some manners and respect
Nice
Daniel can learn some manners and respect
Nice
July 4, 2011
For a good portion of this book I wanted to strangle Daniel, but Jolie was such a fantastic heroine that she kept me going. Time and time again she was hurt and humiliated, but she loved with her whole heart and broke down the walls surrounding Daniel's broken heart. There were a host of well-written secondary characters that I grew to care about! I had bad luck with another one of LLM's older novels, but this one was a treat.
September 10, 2020
A little hokey and populated with stock Western characters, DB was actually kind of a fun read, although it could easily have been trimmed by about a hundred pages without any real loss. Set in the post-Civil-War (1870s) Washington Territory, DB delivers a nice glimpse of the rigors of frontier life, with its cycles of harvest, birth, and death and the simple pleasures of nature, family life, sex, and community. I like MoC stories—something about strangers with a strong initial attraction having to learn about one another appeals to me, and this one delivers pretty nicely in that regard. Some readers were annoyed by how long the hero remains emotionally unavailable to the heroine, but I've been reading a lot of Betty Neels, so I'm inured I guess. ;-)
I’m surprised I liked this as much as I did, because the characters are so standard-issue: lusty farmer, Daniel; sassy, hardworking heroine Jolie; a “widder woman” who befriends her; a couple of appealing orphans; the mustache-twirling villainous mill owner who all but ties Jolie’s BFF to the railroad tracks; the varmint desperados who keep showing up to torment our heroine and threaten her new-found and tenuous happiness. Almost laughable, but somehow LLM makes the MCs likable and three dimensional, and the supporting cast serve to keep the action and the angst moving along.
Quick plot summary:
Both Daniel and Jolie were engaging characters, as were most of the secondary characters, although Daniel’s hot and cold treatment went on too long and the whack-a-mole outlaws got annoying after a while. Some GR reviewers found Jolie to be a doormat—I didn’t find that at all: she stood up for herself and her friends; she bravely tried to protect those she loved; and given how much she enjoyed “carrying on” (as they called it) with Daniel, it made sense to me that although she was often hurt by Daniel’s sporadic rejections and his refusal to admit to any feelings for her, she would still want to sleep with him (not that they slept much :-D). I liked Daniel too—he had some nice depths: salt of the earth with smarts and a sense of humor; alpha but not domineering; a strong love of family but a very private core that kept him from letting anyone too close too easily.
A little trite, sure, but kind of sweet with enough angst to keep it from becoming cloying. The period detail was terrific, with the grit and dust and constant threat of death keeping the story very firmly rooted. There’s a lot of sex in this—sex in the woodshed, in the study, in the bedroom, beneath the cook wagon—and it’s fairly graphic (if a little clunky sometimes). I liked the heat—for a long time, it was the only way Daniel would allow Jolie to get close to him and the only times he let down his barriers. That bothers some readers, but since Jolie’s enthusiastic participation is because she so thoroughly enjoys the sex, and not some manipulative way to get Daniel to love her (although she wants that too), it didn’t bother me.
Overall, a good, if not stellar, story with enjoyable historical detail and a plot that probably could have used some trimming but worked for the most part. This is the first LLM I can remember reading, and I'll probably give some of her other works a shot.
I’m surprised I liked this as much as I did, because the characters are so standard-issue: lusty farmer, Daniel; sassy, hardworking heroine Jolie; a “widder woman” who befriends her; a couple of appealing orphans; the mustache-twirling villainous mill owner who all but ties Jolie’s BFF to the railroad tracks; the varmint desperados who keep showing up to torment our heroine and threaten her new-found and tenuous happiness. Almost laughable, but somehow LLM makes the MCs likable and three dimensional, and the supporting cast serve to keep the action and the angst moving along.
Quick plot summary:
Both Daniel and Jolie were engaging characters, as were most of the secondary characters, although Daniel’s hot and cold treatment went on too long and the whack-a-mole outlaws got annoying after a while. Some GR reviewers found Jolie to be a doormat—I didn’t find that at all: she stood up for herself and her friends; she bravely tried to protect those she loved; and given how much she enjoyed “carrying on” (as they called it) with Daniel, it made sense to me that although she was often hurt by Daniel’s sporadic rejections and his refusal to admit to any feelings for her, she would still want to sleep with him (not that they slept much :-D). I liked Daniel too—he had some nice depths: salt of the earth with smarts and a sense of humor; alpha but not domineering; a strong love of family but a very private core that kept him from letting anyone too close too easily.
A little trite, sure, but kind of sweet with enough angst to keep it from becoming cloying. The period detail was terrific, with the grit and dust and constant threat of death keeping the story very firmly rooted. There’s a lot of sex in this—sex in the woodshed, in the study, in the bedroom, beneath the cook wagon—and it’s fairly graphic (if a little clunky sometimes). I liked the heat—for a long time, it was the only way Daniel would allow Jolie to get close to him and the only times he let down his barriers. That bothers some readers, but since Jolie’s enthusiastic participation is because she so thoroughly enjoys the sex, and not some manipulative way to get Daniel to love her (although she wants that too), it didn’t bother me.
Overall, a good, if not stellar, story with enjoyable historical detail and a plot that probably could have used some trimming but worked for the most part. This is the first LLM I can remember reading, and I'll probably give some of her other works a shot.
Read
September 5, 2016I spent several hours looking for something to read and I came across this. I had really high hopes. It started out great, an innocent woman in need of saving and a broody man who helps her. Daniel saves Jolie from hanging for a crime she didn't commit by marrying her. And at 14% . I love a broody asshole hero, but he never tried to be her friend.
I don't even know what else to say right now! I'm just.... Grrrrr!!
I don't even know what else to say right now! I'm just.... Grrrrr!!
October 26, 2015
I read this book for the A Book A Day Keeps the Boredom at Bay challenge. 11–Its etymological originates from a Germanic compound ainlif meaning "one left". Read a book with only "one left" - it can be the only option left, or the only survivor, or the last of a set of events, the last book left in a series, etc.
When we start this book, the heroine is minutes away from being hung for murder. The hero offers to marry her, which somehow will get her a reprieve from this sentence in the wild west of 1800s Washington State. Marrying him was truly the only option left.
The premise confused me, but I was hoping this book would be a fun read because I've enjoyed some of this author's other books. I was absolutely wrong, unfortunately. The hero is just straight up mean, the heroine is beyond too stupid to live (not telling him if there is a scary bandit around? going around on her own when she's the only one who knows that said bandit wants to kidnap her?) and there are too many damn secondary characters with boring roles to play. It also seemed really rapey in parts, too. The hero would be super mean to the heroine, but then he'd get her clothes off and she would "surrender" to him. Ugh. I give it 2 stars because the setting is well done and I cared enough to try to complete it, but this book took forever to read and I'll never get my time back.
When we start this book, the heroine is minutes away from being hung for murder. The hero offers to marry her, which somehow will get her a reprieve from this sentence in the wild west of 1800s Washington State. Marrying him was truly the only option left.
The premise confused me, but I was hoping this book would be a fun read because I've enjoyed some of this author's other books. I was absolutely wrong, unfortunately. The hero is just straight up mean, the heroine is beyond too stupid to live (not telling him if there is a scary bandit around? going around on her own when she's the only one who knows that said bandit wants to kidnap her?) and there are too many damn secondary characters with boring roles to play. It also seemed really rapey in parts, too. The hero would be super mean to the heroine, but then he'd get her clothes off and she would "surrender" to him. Ugh. I give it 2 stars because the setting is well done and I cared enough to try to complete it, but this book took forever to read and I'll never get my time back.
September 15, 2018
I wanted to give this one more star buuuuuuuut I couldn't do it. The heroine was the only one doing anything! After saving her in the beginning, the hero kinda just does his own thing. And he can, for some reason, buy alot of stuff. I actually like the heroine because she was not educated but driven, kind, and wanted to be around good people. Hero just wanted his old family back. We get it, your first wife was awesome, how about falling in love with your wife a bit? Sure they had a bunch of sex but it never changed anything relationshipwise. The heroine was the only one who changed. The author needed to keep up the duel perspectives but gave up around midway. The same things kept happening too! The villians came back to the ranch like 10 times(think it was 3/4 but it read like everyday). Hero keeps wanting to dump people 'I'll send these orphans away, and take you to San Fran and buy some more things'. I liked the community feel of the story but certain characters flitted in and out that you kinda forgot who they were. And did we get to see the big show down? Nah, off page and a quick wrap up, bleh. Wanted more than what I got.
August 7, 2024
conflicted on this book bc it should have so good, but it just wasn’t.
daniel is awful - and after 30% his coldness to his wife was just ridiculous …. like ! he literally chose to marry her, she didn’t force him !!!!! (or even consent really) so i got tired of the distance he kept between them (until the last 98%) real fast. also - i would have loved some backstory ? this book is sooo long for no real reason (nothing happens until maybe the end), there could have been at least one scene talking about daniel’s first wife in more detail. for example, daniel mentions briefly that she was a child-bride and after reading the entire book, i still don’t know what that even means !!!!!! also, the fact that she was asian (chinese?) is never discussed, even though i have to assume that this kind of pairing would have been somewhat irregular in this time period.
also, jolie kind of sucks. at around the 50% mark i was so done with her falling all over daniel when he gave her the slightest bit of attention … like girl stand up !!!!!!
disappointing
daniel is awful - and after 30% his coldness to his wife was just ridiculous …. like ! he literally chose to marry her, she didn’t force him !!!!! (or even consent really) so i got tired of the distance he kept between them (until the last 98%) real fast. also - i would have loved some backstory ? this book is sooo long for no real reason (nothing happens until maybe the end), there could have been at least one scene talking about daniel’s first wife in more detail. for example, daniel mentions briefly that she was a child-bride and after reading the entire book, i still don’t know what that even means !!!!!! also, the fact that she was asian (chinese?) is never discussed, even though i have to assume that this kind of pairing would have been somewhat irregular in this time period.
also, jolie kind of sucks. at around the 50% mark i was so done with her falling all over daniel when he gave her the slightest bit of attention … like girl stand up !!!!!!
disappointing
June 9, 2025
Glad to be done with it.
I disliked both the H and the h—
H was a selfish, insufferable man who constantly hurt the h.
And h? A total doormat—grateful to H for a single decent day, only to start resenting his authority and demanding love and respect.
What annoyed me most was how she kept the children without even discussing it with him. That was infuriating.
There was zero love between them, and absolutely no chemistry.
I disliked both the H and the h—
H was a selfish, insufferable man who constantly hurt the h.
And h? A total doormat—grateful to H for a single decent day, only to start resenting his authority and demanding love and respect.
What annoyed me most was how she kept the children without even discussing it with him. That was infuriating.
There was zero love between them, and absolutely no chemistry.
August 28, 2010
This book certainly makes you appreciative of your modern every day appliances ;)
My review: http://bit.ly/bBRYeD
My review: http://bit.ly/bBRYeD
July 4, 2015
Could have been better. Really liked the first part of the book, though.
Read
January 27, 2020Sadly, a former fav bites the dust. I’m breaking up with Daniels Bride after 28 years together. My 16 year old self loved this book & my 44 year old self is saying don’t call me; I’ll call you.
July 8, 2017
What an amazing journey this book turned out to be. From the opening scene, the story was a whirlwind of an adventure. The story centered around grieving widower and farmer Daniel Beckham and the unfortunate Jolie McKibben who was in the wrong place at the right time.
The story open with Jolie standing on the back of a wagon with a noose around her neck and this is the first time Daniel lays eyes on her. He is coming out of a supply store when he sees a woman about to be hanged and the only way to save her is via a strange town ordinance that if a man offered the condemned woman marriage and she consented, then she would be saved from the hangman’s noose. Daniel, on impulse offers to marry Jolie as well as reimburse the townspeople the $500.00 that was taken during the bank robbery and murder of the bank president by Jolie’s two traveling companions. These nefarious pigs cut and run and left Jolie to stand trial for a crime she had no part of.
After the marriage Daniel takes Jolie to his rather prosperous farm but he makes it clear that their union would be temporary. He expected a full marriage complete with sex, cooking, sewing, and housekeeping but no emotional involvement on his part. Dan’s heart was encased in ice following the death of his beloved first wife Ilse, his little girls, and unborn baby. Oh but fate, and Jolie McKibben, had deeper plans for this emotionally wounded, closed-off farmer.
The secondary characters were also well-developed, I loved the blunt-speaking handyman Deuter, adored the sweet couple, Joe and Nan Culley as well as the non-judgmental, motherly Verena. The two orphaned siblings, Hugh and Gemma and tugged at my heart. I wanted to slap Daniel every time he spoke of sending those vulnerable, stowaway kids back to Spokane.
But I simply adored the feisty Jolie! I felt as though I was walking with her on her journey to fight for the life and man that she wanted and who could also take care of herself. Jolie did not back down from defending those more vulnerable people that she care for. I stood up and cheered when Jolie stood up against an evil man to rescue and defend her friend Nan as well as welcoming her new sister in-law, Mary, with warmth and compassion. The sex scenes were sensual and plentiful but never overwhelmed the story. The epilogue was very nicely done but I wished that it had been a but longer.
”Daniel’s Bride” was absolutely a treasure to read and my first Linda Lael Miller book. I doubt that she could have topped this gem of a story. Although I am not primarily a romance reader, this one will go on my keeper’s shelf.
The story open with Jolie standing on the back of a wagon with a noose around her neck and this is the first time Daniel lays eyes on her. He is coming out of a supply store when he sees a woman about to be hanged and the only way to save her is via a strange town ordinance that if a man offered the condemned woman marriage and she consented, then she would be saved from the hangman’s noose. Daniel, on impulse offers to marry Jolie as well as reimburse the townspeople the $500.00 that was taken during the bank robbery and murder of the bank president by Jolie’s two traveling companions. These nefarious pigs cut and run and left Jolie to stand trial for a crime she had no part of.
After the marriage Daniel takes Jolie to his rather prosperous farm but he makes it clear that their union would be temporary. He expected a full marriage complete with sex, cooking, sewing, and housekeeping but no emotional involvement on his part. Dan’s heart was encased in ice following the death of his beloved first wife Ilse, his little girls, and unborn baby. Oh but fate, and Jolie McKibben, had deeper plans for this emotionally wounded, closed-off farmer.
The secondary characters were also well-developed, I loved the blunt-speaking handyman Deuter, adored the sweet couple, Joe and Nan Culley as well as the non-judgmental, motherly Verena. The two orphaned siblings, Hugh and Gemma and tugged at my heart. I wanted to slap Daniel every time he spoke of sending those vulnerable, stowaway kids back to Spokane.
But I simply adored the feisty Jolie! I felt as though I was walking with her on her journey to fight for the life and man that she wanted and who could also take care of herself. Jolie did not back down from defending those more vulnerable people that she care for. I stood up and cheered when Jolie stood up against an evil man to rescue and defend her friend Nan as well as welcoming her new sister in-law, Mary, with warmth and compassion. The sex scenes were sensual and plentiful but never overwhelmed the story. The epilogue was very nicely done but I wished that it had been a but longer.
”Daniel’s Bride” was absolutely a treasure to read and my first Linda Lael Miller book. I doubt that she could have topped this gem of a story. Although I am not primarily a romance reader, this one will go on my keeper’s shelf.
April 9, 2025
BOOK CLUB READ? Book club regret.
Not the worst book I ever read but at least the worst book I ever read did not have Daniel in it.
Not the worst book I ever read but at least the worst book I ever read did not have Daniel in it.
October 11, 2024
This was my first novel by this author; and didn’t really enjoy it - there wasn’t much dialogue between the fmc and mmc, I couldn’t connect with either of them - which is important to me.
May 29, 2023
I really wanted to rate this book higher but all of these characters were just too stupid to live.
Jolie was a doormat, Daniel a turd, I just couldn't.
And honestly the person I was most bothered by was Nan. She immediately shacked up with the biggest butthead in town after her husband died even though she had lots of friends who would have been happy to help her after her husband died. This dude abused her and got her addicted to laudanum WHILE SHE WAS PREGNANT. 🙄
The story is at least interesting and Jolie has the worst body betrayal I've ever read in a heroine and I honestly understand a lot of the critical reviews of this book. I still recommend it if you want to read something that's going to have you calling all of the characters dumba$$es while you read it
Jolie was a doormat, Daniel a turd, I just couldn't.
And honestly the person I was most bothered by was Nan. She immediately shacked up with the biggest butthead in town after her husband died even though she had lots of friends who would have been happy to help her after her husband died. This dude abused her and got her addicted to laudanum WHILE SHE WAS PREGNANT. 🙄
The story is at least interesting and Jolie has the worst body betrayal I've ever read in a heroine and I honestly understand a lot of the critical reviews of this book. I still recommend it if you want to read something that's going to have you calling all of the characters dumba$$es while you read it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2023
I liked the start of this book with the heroine about to be hanged for the robbery of a bank and murder of the clerk. Daniel saves her at the last minute by agreeing to marry her right there. He is a widow who also lost his young daughter and he just wants a wife to help out on the ranch. He is powerfully attracted to her, but feels like he is betraying his dead wife. I liked how she made the best of her new situation and wanted to be the best wife she could. This was an enjoyable read, though it took Daniel until almost the very end to admit his feelings.
August 13, 2017
3.5
The whole book is:
Jolie gets angry at Daniel for not caring enough about her-->Jolie swoons in Daniel's arms during a hot sex session-->Jolie is happy again-->"I LUVV YOU DANIELLL"--->DANIEL I"M PREGGO-->Daniel: "WHAA HOOWW NOO I AM A DISLOYAL BASTARD TO MY FIRST WIFE"-->Me: .....you had sex literally every fucking minute...of course she's fucking pregnant.
The whole book is:
Jolie gets angry at Daniel for not caring enough about her-->Jolie swoons in Daniel's arms during a hot sex session-->Jolie is happy again-->"I LUVV YOU DANIELLL"--->DANIEL I"M PREGGO-->Daniel: "WHAA HOOWW NOO I AM A DISLOYAL BASTARD TO MY FIRST WIFE"-->Me: .....you had sex literally every fucking minute...of course she's fucking pregnant.
November 15, 2019
Realmente el protagonista era insoportable, nunca se explicó durante todo el libro por que hacía determinadas cosas, al final no se puede comprender un personaje así, además del hecho que fue capaz de abandonar a la viuda de su mejor amigo a su suerte, sabiendo lo malo que era el hombre que manejaba su suerte en ese momento, cero encanto de héroe.
February 13, 2010
Very good marriage of convenience story. I liked how the whole story wasn't about when they would sleep together but rather them learning to adjust to each other and fall in love. The plot held together very well and the book gave a good flavor of the times. Well written believable characters.
January 21, 2013
It was ok. Daniel was an ass the majority of the book. I get that's how he is.. but some growth would have been nice to see.
Disappointing epilogue but at least there was one so I am grateful for that
Disappointing epilogue but at least there was one so I am grateful for that
June 17, 2017
Didn't like this at all. I found Daniel to be a selfish asshole and Jolie was a doormat for letting Daniel treat her the way he did. The subplot with Mr. January/Rowdy/Blake/Nan didn't add much to the story, either.
April 27, 2025
If i could rate this negative stars i would. Holy shit this is the worst and when I say the worst historical romance book I have ever read I say it with my whole chest.
Where to start. Well Daniel is a complete waste oif skin and air, an absolute fucking asshole who basically used his outlaw (but obviously innocent) wife as a whore/servent for about 90% of the book. And said whore/servent had not one iota of self resepct. She belived her husband was out having sex with a hooker while shes at home cooking and cleaning and breaking her back for him, because why would a man be able to look after himself. Might aswell buy a wife to take care of it and oh ya its not like she had choices because the sherrif gave her 2 options become a wife or die. Which I was intially okay with because I had some hope that the author would at least make him treat her like an actual human being but no, she didnt even seem to mind being his personal whore while he let her belive he was out with other women because he was going to send her away anyways. Why would he send her away you ask? oh because he decided after taking her virginity, love and labour that I actually dont want to get close to my wife and im done with her after all, women are expendable who cares. he decides or at least in my opionion uses the fact that she didnt have a choice to marry him as an excuse to send her away because "he took away her choices" but than DOSENT ASK HER IF SHE WANTS TO LEAVE, completly countracting exactly what he belived was the right thing because at the end of the day he didnt actually have a moral compass and just did what he felt was best for himself.
And while shes stewing in anger and feeling betrayed, she just says I love you please keep me. STAND UP. AND LEAVE WHERE UR NOT WANTED. And the best part was through all there missdeeds and wrongdoings whenever he wanted to get his dick wet guess who was there wanting and willing when she literally didnt have a modicum of his respect in return. When she asks him i want one thing in return from you in this marriage: fidelity.... his response: MEN HAVE NEEDS. MEN HAVE NEEDS what about my need to fucking shoot you you abolute peice of shit. This entire time Jolie is being like hunted by those two men she originally got in trouble because of and instead of idk protecting her or ensuring her saftey he leaves her alone time and time again for her to be taken and accosted by these men repeditly only to question her loyalty and innocence time and time again becaus she was scared to share that there was trouble brought up by her past actions. Then finally on page 326 out of 328 after she was taken by those psychoes he says "hes loved her from the moment he saw her". STFU no you havent you treated her like shit, you didnt even appreciate all she did for you as its her job because shes a woman.
However, the worst part about this whole book was her. SHE WAS HORRIBLE the entire time wallowing and crying instead of idk maybe opening your fucking mouth and speaking about your issues. Now i have no problem with a MMC who is really distant because of past issues (his wife and 2 kids dying) yes this horrible he has a right to be sad and closed off but the FMC MUST have idk maybe a backbone or a fucking mouth to speak about her issues. But no, why would the author give the woman personality or even a fucking say in anything. Like some readers might think oh she speaks her mind because she opposed her hustbands ideas when it came to things she morally and ethically couldnt agree with for exmple when he wanted to send 2 orphans they away to a happy family who can take them (like basically telling her thats not us and will never be us) which is a slap in the face in of itself but thats it. When it came to her opinions of her treatment she voiced her issues but always let him use her body (because im not counting that as a dual participation when she was so hurt by him but still proably felt the need to "preform her wifley duties" despite his ABHORENT behaviour). And i belive that was the only way she felt his love so took whatever crumbs he decided to give her.
With HR you need to have some sort of a feminist character to counteract the insane amount if misogony built into the the genre because of the time setting but no this girl was the fucking empitome of ill speak up for whats right and wrong when it comes to everyone else but not myself. Kind of makes me really sad to see because I hope women are not seeing this book and seeing a good romance. And dont get me wrong I am not the morally superior reader, i love dark romance, mafia romances, and my fair share of HR tropes that counteract every feminst belief i hold but this was horrible. Because no matter how bad the MMC was the FMC was just worst for allowing this behavour to occur. This quote honeslty embodies how i feel after reading this book: "at a certain point, you're no longer just a product of your environment or upbringing. The way you choose to act becomes your personal responsibility"
these characters should hang this quote above the mirror as a fucking mantra or way to live because holy shit im so mad i wasted 2 days reading this absolute work of shit. Sorry not Sorry.
Where to start. Well Daniel is a complete waste oif skin and air, an absolute fucking asshole who basically used his outlaw (but obviously innocent) wife as a whore/servent for about 90% of the book. And said whore/servent had not one iota of self resepct. She belived her husband was out having sex with a hooker while shes at home cooking and cleaning and breaking her back for him, because why would a man be able to look after himself. Might aswell buy a wife to take care of it and oh ya its not like she had choices because the sherrif gave her 2 options become a wife or die. Which I was intially okay with because I had some hope that the author would at least make him treat her like an actual human being but no, she didnt even seem to mind being his personal whore while he let her belive he was out with other women because he was going to send her away anyways. Why would he send her away you ask? oh because he decided after taking her virginity, love and labour that I actually dont want to get close to my wife and im done with her after all, women are expendable who cares. he decides or at least in my opionion uses the fact that she didnt have a choice to marry him as an excuse to send her away because "he took away her choices" but than DOSENT ASK HER IF SHE WANTS TO LEAVE, completly countracting exactly what he belived was the right thing because at the end of the day he didnt actually have a moral compass and just did what he felt was best for himself.
And while shes stewing in anger and feeling betrayed, she just says I love you please keep me. STAND UP. AND LEAVE WHERE UR NOT WANTED. And the best part was through all there missdeeds and wrongdoings whenever he wanted to get his dick wet guess who was there wanting and willing when she literally didnt have a modicum of his respect in return. When she asks him i want one thing in return from you in this marriage: fidelity.... his response: MEN HAVE NEEDS. MEN HAVE NEEDS what about my need to fucking shoot you you abolute peice of shit. This entire time Jolie is being like hunted by those two men she originally got in trouble because of and instead of idk protecting her or ensuring her saftey he leaves her alone time and time again for her to be taken and accosted by these men repeditly only to question her loyalty and innocence time and time again becaus she was scared to share that there was trouble brought up by her past actions. Then finally on page 326 out of 328 after she was taken by those psychoes he says "hes loved her from the moment he saw her". STFU no you havent you treated her like shit, you didnt even appreciate all she did for you as its her job because shes a woman.
However, the worst part about this whole book was her. SHE WAS HORRIBLE the entire time wallowing and crying instead of idk maybe opening your fucking mouth and speaking about your issues. Now i have no problem with a MMC who is really distant because of past issues (his wife and 2 kids dying) yes this horrible he has a right to be sad and closed off but the FMC MUST have idk maybe a backbone or a fucking mouth to speak about her issues. But no, why would the author give the woman personality or even a fucking say in anything. Like some readers might think oh she speaks her mind because she opposed her hustbands ideas when it came to things she morally and ethically couldnt agree with for exmple when he wanted to send 2 orphans they away to a happy family who can take them (like basically telling her thats not us and will never be us) which is a slap in the face in of itself but thats it. When it came to her opinions of her treatment she voiced her issues but always let him use her body (because im not counting that as a dual participation when she was so hurt by him but still proably felt the need to "preform her wifley duties" despite his ABHORENT behaviour). And i belive that was the only way she felt his love so took whatever crumbs he decided to give her.
With HR you need to have some sort of a feminist character to counteract the insane amount if misogony built into the the genre because of the time setting but no this girl was the fucking empitome of ill speak up for whats right and wrong when it comes to everyone else but not myself. Kind of makes me really sad to see because I hope women are not seeing this book and seeing a good romance. And dont get me wrong I am not the morally superior reader, i love dark romance, mafia romances, and my fair share of HR tropes that counteract every feminst belief i hold but this was horrible. Because no matter how bad the MMC was the FMC was just worst for allowing this behavour to occur. This quote honeslty embodies how i feel after reading this book: "at a certain point, you're no longer just a product of your environment or upbringing. The way you choose to act becomes your personal responsibility"
these characters should hang this quote above the mirror as a fucking mantra or way to live because holy shit im so mad i wasted 2 days reading this absolute work of shit. Sorry not Sorry.
April 14, 2012
Touching story of love that grows with time
February 27, 2018
How I hate doormat heroines! I would have killed the hero in 10 pages :/
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