The Lawman Claims His Bride

Charity House #4

by Renee Ryan

For five years, U.S. Marshal Logan Mitchell has dreamed of returning to his sweetheart in Denver. He never imagined he'd find Megan Goodwin locked in a prison cell. Megan has no memory of what happened the night the outlaw was murdered. And though Logan is sure of her innocence, proving it is only half the battle. Remembering the killer's identity will clear Megan's name but could lead danger right to her door. Logan will protect her life with his. But forging a true marriage takes trust, faith and the courage to open their hearts to God's plan—wherever it leads….

Genres: Romance, Christian Fiction, Historical, Historical Romance, Christian Romance, Love Inspired, Westerns

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Renee Ryan grew up in a small Florida beach town. Surfing didn’t work for her, but that didn’t keep her from watching others tackle the waves. To entertain herself during those countless hours of “laying-out”, she read many of the classics. It wasn’t until the summer between her sophomore and junior years at Florida State University that she read her first romance novel. Hooked from page one, she spent hours consuming one book after another while working on the best (and last!) tan of her life.

Two years later, armed with a degree in Economics and Religion, she explored various career opportunities, including stints at a Florida theme park, a modeling agency, and a cosmetic conglomerate. She went on to teach high school Economics, American Government and Latin in between coaching award-winning cheerleading teams. Several years later, with an eclectic cast of characters swimming around in her head, she began seriously pursuing a writing career. What better excuse to avoid housework and ignore clocks?

Reviews

[Melody Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really have to question whether I read the same book that others have reviewed so highly. I cannot reconcile the book I read to the high praises of other readers. The only thing I enjoyed was the Christianity aspect of the story.

In my opinion, this book was slow moving and there was not much excitement to keep me interested. The ending was nice but an ending is just a brief few pages compared to the 280 pages it took to get there. The anticlimactic read did not meet my expectations.
For me, it was very easy to figure out the killer as I had that pegged from very early on.

Please read for yourself. It could be that it was not a good fit for me although I normally love this genre.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good romance usually ends with a hero and heroine realizing they are in love. The obstacles to reaching this realization make for a great read. What would happen if the author started with a hero and heroine who have professed their love? With her book, The Lawman Claims His Bride, Renee Ryan proves a story featuring characters already in love can have great romantic tension, unpredictable twists, and lessons to be learned.

Kept apart for five years by the heroine’s circumstances and the hero’s misguided concern for his beloved, Logan Mitchell and Megan Goodwin finally marry under difficult circumstances. Finding themselves battling unseen criminals and preconceived notions of each other, their love is tested in a most entertaining and thoughtful manner. Ryan’s creative style is showcased as she explores the marriage building blocks of faith, desire, and trust. The Lawman Claims His Bride is an adult, “out of the box” story worth reading again and again.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story! Sweet and Caring couple.

[Ausjenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It starts out with Megan in big trouble she is trapped by an outlaw and then ends up in Jail for his death. Logan is a US Marshal who has loved Megan for 5 years and is back to marry her finds her in jail. He doesn't believe she's guilty but Megan has no memory of what happened. Logan wants to protect Megan and that means Marrying her. I love how the story unfolds and we see the struggles that Megan and Logan face. Logan feels he has to protect Megan and at times is treating her as if she is fragile, something Megan is not happy about, she also questions if he really loves her or if he just feels a sense of protection. I also love the mystery aspect of this story. Great book.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book!!!!! It was amazing. I loved the way that it was packed full with adventure, mystery and romance. It was so sad in some parts that it made me cry and in others it made me smile or laugh. I loved the way that the author wove different novel genres together to create a masterpiece. It was very detailed in descriptions of the characters and the surroundings around them. I loved the way that the two maion characters never gave up!!! Whenever they were in trouble they relied on God and each other and kept going. They overcame all diffulties or obstacles and enjoyed life. If I could I would rate this book a 10 :)

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did finish it because I really wanted it to be done in my head, but it wasn't easy. The book was slow moving and the writing is very poorly done. I was surprised at how bad it was and kept expecting it to get better. It was sweet and clean although adult in content and the Christian aspect was nicely done. When I want to finish a book I have to give it a least a 2 but it was pushing it.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Renee Ryan has DONE IT AGAIN!...This HAS to be MY FAVORITE of the charity house series so far! I CANNOT express how MUCH I LOVED this book! Maybe there is some bias on my part, since I've LOVED this couple (Logan Mitchell and Megan Goodwin) since the first charity house book 'The Marshall Takes A Wife' when they fell in LOVE as kids! LOVED them more as adults, in their own story. And WOW! Does this couple have chemistry! AGAIN WOW! Not all couples in romances do. This one has tons!!! Of course, it's better, if you've read ALL of Renee's Charity house series, to follow this couples romance from kids' to their own story as adults! I have a new FAVORITE HERO in Logan 'SIGH!' I was literally sighing, right along with Megan in this book! Which, I don't usually do LOL! LOVED that this was a little different than other LI, in that, Logan and Megan were already in LOVE and are married (for convienence?, but NOT REALLY, since they are in LOVE), towards the beginning of the story. Instead of at the end, like most LI. LOVED the murder mystery drama tied in to the romance/love story....AGAIN, I CANNOT say enough about this book. If you like LI book's/LIHistorical's/Any Historical/or just a sweet, heartwarming romance then, I HIGHLY recommend Renee's books. Again, you may one to start with Renee's other 3, previous Charity Hose books' (If you haven't already.) To be able to follow this couple from the beginning...LOVE the COVER too! LOVED EVERYTHING about this book!

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had realized that there were two books inbetween in this series but the site I use did not show them. I have Hannah's Beau and will still read it even though it is before this one. The other book is Loving Bella. I believe some things happen in those books that would help make some things clearer in this book, although it was excellent I think that would have made it better.


Logan Mitchell has returned to Denver after being in San Francisco for the past five years. Logan became a lawman to prove he was a better person than his brother Hunter who was an outlaw. He returned to claim Megan as his bride. She was too young when he left and he had some growing up to do as well. When he gets to Denver it is too find Megan in jail for murder. Logan does not believe for a minute that his sweet Megan could kill someone but it seems she has lost her memory. She cannot give any details of what happened and why she was at the house of ill repute.
Megan has been waiting for Logan's return for five long years and now that he has come back here she is in jail with no memory of what happened to her. She was a young woman of seventeen when he left and now she is more mature and a wiser woman and more in love with him than ever. Will their love have a chance or will she be found guilty.
This was an excellent read.

[Highland-dreamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think if I see Renee Ryan's name on the book, I am definitely buying it. I have enjoyed every one of her books that I have read so far. I loved the murder-mystery aspect to the story, even though the author left enough hints that you could easily figure out the culprit, it was nicely done. And the love story was sweet and had a nice epilogue. I hope that we will see a story about Hunter in the near future!

My one complaint in the story was how Trey was portrayed. I didn't like his character in this book at all, which I thought was so different from in the Marshall Takes a Bride. I could feel Logan's frustration with him, because I was frustrated, too!!

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I now need to go buy the other books in this series, I am hooked on Renee Ryan's style of writing!! I was hooked from page one, and had a hard time putting this down at all! The whole book appealed to me. Excellently written characters that were easy for me to relate to, a very interesting plot, and the perfect amount of romance! I kept wishing I were lucky enough to get a guy such as Logan... Sigh.

[Terri Pray · Rating 1 out of 5]

Megan, as a heroine, struck me as a TSTL so I really had to force myself to read this one. But, after nine chapters, I'd had enough.

Logan wasn't much better, to be honest, so I truly wasn't the target audience for this book.

[Leslie whetzel]

Good read not my normal read but free book

I recommend this book
want the rest of the books by this author. looking forward to that

Renee Ryan good author

[✨ Gramy ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

.
Enjoyable historical tale, even if the murderer was fairly obvious.

The characters were believable and grew throughout the story.

The relationships were also strengthened, as their faith in God increased.
.

[Debra Nottingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

A good clean religious book with no cuss words. My kind of book. A lot of dealing with trouble and how God helps us

[Phylisha Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my second Charity House book. Enjoyed and look forward to reading the rest.

[Patti Fischetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

True love conquers all!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had romance, crime and redemption all in one story. I am reading the
books in order. Now on to
book number 5.

[Reading Fanatic · Rating 4 out of 5]

**4 1/2 Stars**

I truly enjoyed this book. At the heart of the story is a super sweet romance between two people who really love each other. It's the fourth book in the Charity House series, but after a little investigation I came to the realization that book five of the series, Charity House Courtship, should really be book one. That's because the events of that story take place prior to the events in this one, and also precedes the events in books one, two, and three. We do meet the couple from book five in this story, and they are already married and have been for some ten years. In any event, LAWMAN CLAIMS HIS BRIDE is a good book. The hero, Logan, is totally and completely devoted to his beloved Megan, and has been for over five years. Logan fell in love with Megan at first sight, but was convinced by others that Megan was too young for marriage and that he needed to wait. In the meantime, Logan went off to pursue a career in law enforcement so that he would have the means to provide a good life for Megan when they finally did get married.

Now five years later, Logan returns only to discover that Megan has been arrested for the murder of a man who attacked her. Very quickly Logan dispenses with the ridiculous idea that Megan could be a killer, but there is the concern that Megan could possibly identify the real killer and thus the scepter of danger hangs over her head until that individual is apprehended. In order to protect her, Logan takes Megan to his family’s' ranch. Most of the story is devoted to the couple's adjustment to one another after a five year separation. Megan is no longer a girl, but a woman fully grown, and one who is not only independent, but also determined to stand on her own two feet. Logan has his work cut out learning to deal with this “new” Megan. LOL

There is a hint of intrigue as Logan tries to uncover the identity of the real killer, and by the time his identity is revealed I had already figured it out...there are a lot of clues provided throughout the story. FYI, as you might expect with an inspirational romance, this is a clean story; no sex. Despite the fact that there are no explicit scenes in the book, there is some focus on the intense physical attraction between the couple—especially Logan’s attraction to Megan. I do like the fact that the author brought up the issue physical attraction between the couple, because so often Christian romance novels try to pretend as though there isn't physical love between a husband and wife. Furthermore, even though the issue is raised in this story, it is by no means crude! All in all this was a very nice story and one that I happily recommend. Happy reading!

[Carrie Daws · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books where I wish I could add half-a-star as I really think this is closer to 3-1/2 stars for me. While I enjoyed the basic storyline, a few things bothered me. First of all, a few things were just grammatical preferences, like the use of periods after each word to add drama and emphasis. Once or twice in modern stories makes sense to me, but in historical novels like this, it just seems out of place.

Secondly , some things didn't make sense. For example, Logan knocks on the front door of an orphanage then opens the door to ask if anyone is home because the place seems deserted. An orphanage, deserted? Then he hears the headmaster call from the back of the house, and Logan then walks a labyrinth of corridors to find the man in his office, behind a closed door. Would these two men really have heard each other? And the man was still sitting at his desk? Wouldn't most men have at least gone to the door to see who was coming in his house?

Third, the 'bad guy' was obvious pretty early on. I understood that part of Logan's motivation was to make sure he was nothing like the 'bad guy', yet for a family who never mentioned this man to anyone, Logan spent a lot of time thinking about him and this character's backstory.

Finally, the author used a lot of Scripture throughout the book. It was all appropriately used, but I wonder if average people of the time period would actually have quoted the verses. Perhaps I'm odd in that I remind myself of principles or partial verses instead. But, again, this is just a personal preference where I felt the biblical quotes were overdone.

I do not feel like i wasted my time reading the story, and the events kept me turning the pages to see how all would be revealed. I'm just not sure I will continue with more books in this particular series.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am going to give this book four stars even though I was a bit put off by all the sex talk - innocent, in the bounds of marriage. I wasn't put off by the subject itself, I've read plenty, but in the way it was presented. First of all, I highly doubt that such intimate matters would have been discussed with Logan's parents. I also think that Megan would have been quite embarrassed if his mother insisted on the issue. This is a really private matter - especially in the time period - and would not have been a topic of discussion.

Second of all, too much emphasis was put on the actual physical act instead of the spiritual bonding that needed to take place in the marriage. It just seemed like half the book concerned Logan and Megan's actually having sex...Thirdly, the language they used in discussing the issue was a bit cheesy. "Make me your wife, Logan." Instead of "Make love to me" or some other more regular wording that would have probably taken place. There is nothing dirty about the topic. It's beautiful when two people are married and not something to tip toe around. But I just a bit put off by all the "making her his wife" when they were already married and the other odd language used. Consummating a marriage,becoming intimate, or even making love would have been simpler terms.

I do not want this to be the deciding issue in buying this book. Like I said, there was nothing dirty about the topic. I just was a bit uncomfortable with the way it was handled at times. The story was excellent. A lot of the reviewers claimed they knew "who" from the beginning, but I actually didn't until it was revealed. I'm not sure why, but I had my mind set on someone else...it just never crossed my mind!

[Jammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was just not the book for me. I didn't like the writing style, I didn't like the story, and I didn't like the characters.

So. One. Thing. That. I. Didn't. Like. Was. The. Use. Of. Periods. EVERYWHERE. It's a good technique to make a point, but when overdone it is just irritating.

The story was not very interesting to me. It started out good, there was a murder and the main character was accused. But it went downhill from there. They kept trying to throw evidence in there, but by the time that it was all figured out, I was beyond caring. The story seemed to be all over the place. The author tried to go back and forth through time and to different places, but I didn't feel like it was as smooth as it could have been.

As to the characters, they all seemed very weak to me. They seemed weak like they were easily persuaded about everything and couldn't think for themselves. But they also seemed like they were not very well formed by the author.

This could have been a great story with a little more polish, but the way it is, it's not for me.

[Anna Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bored. Me. To. Absolute. Tears.

I made it 24% of the way before I... there was just no WORDS for how slow this book moves. It's mind-blowing. It's not badly written, just an ab.so.lute. drag.

First you have a murder scene - an outlaw about to rape an innocent. She shoves him back, he hits his head on a mantle, she turns at the sound of a familiar voice, and then faints... waking later to find she's been accused for the murder of outlaw by way of knife jammed into his chest. She doesn't remember a thing.

Conveniently, the love of her life arrives after a FIVE YEAR absence the very next day. He's a U.S. Marshall and is going to get to the bottom of this. Except that... GAH, it never WENT anywhere. I swear, she wrote the same paragraph three times in a row, using different words in one spot. It was just THAT stagnant.

I couldn't stand it. Better luck to you.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

For five years, U.S. Marshal Logan Mitchell has dreamed of returning to his sweetheart in Denver. He never imagined he'd find Megan Goodwin locked in a prison cell. Megan has no memory of what happened the night the outlaw was murdered. And though Logan is sure of her innocence, proving it is only half the battle. Remembering the killer's identity will clear Megan's name but could lead danger right to her door. Logan will protect her life with his. But forging a true marriage takes trust, faith and the courage to open their hearts to God's plan—wherever it leads….

It was pretty predictable and repetitive. The climatic explanation didn't seem to fit the behaviors. I don't want to give anything away. Will probably not be reading any more in this series.

[Deanna Albert]

Great but don't read if you're not religious.

The author's writing style is lovely, and the characters are immediately likeable, but I got this book expecting a romance novel with everything that goes with them.

I was not expecting prayers or references to being Christian on every page. I was not expecting the love scenes to be skipped over completely, either. I almost couldn't tell that they'd happened. I knew who the antagonist was about 3 pages into the book, too.

If you enjoy books about extremely religious characters where the entire plot is obvious, then you'll like this one.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lawman Claims His Bride was a very good book. Marshal Logan leaves for five years. Everyone told him the girl he loves was to young to get married five years ago. He never stopped loving Megan. When he returns to town he fines Megan in jail for killing a man. Megan can't remember what happened. They get married that same say. Logan takes her to his families ranch. She knows who killed the man and has blocked it all out. A lot goes on. Turns out Logan's brother, Hunter, killed the man because the man killed his wife. A very good read. Can't wait to read Hunter's story. I missed the first two books in the series.

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

US Marshall Logan Mitchell has spent 5 years in training and service building a reputation and career before returning home to Denver to marry his sweetheart. When he returns he finds her in jail with no memory of the day before when she was found with an outlaw with a knife in his chest at the local brothel. Fairly quickly it is determined that she did not commit the murder but did see the killer. Logan must protect her and find the killer. The story was pretty good, drawing in characters from earlier volumes without overdoing their roles.

[Lesia Chambliss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story of sweet romance. I loved to main characters, their families and the Godly lives they lead. I love reading of life on a ranch and the strong family ties they share. Most times the story has great flow, however at times it felt as if Biblical Verses were just thrown in at the last minute. It doesn't detract from the story the Author is telling though, and I will definitely be reading the rest of the Charity House books. Thank you, Renee Ryan, for sharing this inspirational story of love.

[Patty Beaty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. a very sweet story of love and how that love handles adversity. the way it shouled be handled with growing love and asking for the help of God. I don't like to give spoilers away in my reviews, it takes some of the joy out of reading a book. the author has strong believable characters and the story is very well written. perfect love story for adults and without any reservations I highly recommend for the young as well

[Susan Lower · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't your usual sweet romance with idle plots. This book started out putting the main character in a place no Christian woman should be and puts her in a position that we don't see when reading inspirational fiction. I applaud the author for starting a book this way and telling this story. It was real and real circumstances that didn't feel over played or swept under the carpet.

Every chance I got I was reading this book, I couldn't seem to put it down!

[Catherine Richmond]

Marshall Logan Mitchell returns to Denver, all ready to marry his fiancée, Megan. Unfortunately she's in jail. She was found in a brothel next to an outlaw with a knife in his heart. Logan has to find the murderer and prove Megan's innocence, so they can marry.

This is part of a series, but enjoyable as a stand-alone. The "upcoming attractions" chapter from The Outlaw's Redemption looks very intriguing!

[Kari Trumbo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was really boring. Parts of it were grammatically off. In a few places she switches the tense in the middle of a sentence, she uses periods after every word in a few places to add pauses, and ellipses frequently.

I like reading novellas and usually I want the novella to be longer, this book proves that is not always a good idea. This book should have been a novella, a short one. It feels like situations were added just to add to word count.