Marrying the Preacher's Daughter

by Cheryl St.John

Bounty hunting was just a job for Gabe Taggart—one he needed to fund his sister's education. But now Irene has finished school, and Gabe is ready to settle down, find a husband for Irene and—best of all—set aside his past. His adventuring days are over…until his intervention in a train robbery leaves him injured, under Elizabeth Hart's care. Despite his plans for a quiet life, antagonizing his feisty caretaker is the most fun Gabe's ever had. Elizabeth provokes him, too, with her strong mind, kind heart and high principles. Gabe hopes to win her love, but will his dark history bar him from marriage to the preacher's daughter?

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

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 2011

Reviews

[Lynn Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for the 2012 TBR Challenge, and since it was a B- for me, we'll call that 3.5 stars. I've loved some of St. John's Harlequin Historicals, so I wanted to try one of her inspirationals. Marrying the Preacher's Daughter is a very sweet and cozy read. St. John does a good job of writing about children and families without making the reader feel emotionally manipulated, and that talent is evident here as much of the story is set among the heroine's family. There were parts of the book I liked a lot, but there were also some pretty glaring editing issues and the pacing toward the end felt uneven.

You can find my TBR Challenge column here on the All About Romance blog: https://allaboutromance.com/tbr-chall...

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was delighted with this book from page one, and Gage became an immediate favorite! I loved his comments, I was often laughing out loud. :) The banter between him and Elisabeth was so much fun. I enjoyed the character development and thought it was well done and believable. Gage and Elisabeth both changed at just the right pace, and I was totally happy with the ending. :)

[Lacy Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gabe Taggart is ready to quit bounty hunting and start a new life with his sister. Too bad the train he is on is waylaid by bandits and he has to rescue the beautiful Elisabeth Hart. Their attraction is instant but both have reasons to be wary. A great romance and fun summer read.

[BlueJeansAndTeacups · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marrying the Preacher's Daughter by Cheryl St . John 2011

Colorado 1876

Gabe Taggert: Bounty hunter, a bit burdened, a just man, teasing. Not a man of faith.

Elisabeth Hart: strong, kind, a bit misguided. She was a bit hard for me. Something about her was just not as enjoyable as I would like. I didn't care for her dabbling with kisses knowing Gabe wasn't a Christian. Her dad is a preacher; she ignores her head and upbringing. Eventually that gets resolved, but it didn’t sit right.

Throughout the story, her dad is more often referred to as Sam, instead of Preacher, Reverend or Pastor or "her father" or Mr. Hart. I found that odd. I also am perturbed whenever an author uses multiple names that start with the same letter - it's hard to keep people straight e.g. Gil, Gabe, Abigail, Anna, Arlene

The negative situations with Rhys are very vague. There was a lot of potential for more drama and it just fell flat for me.

I did like the faith elements and scripture quotes and what an incredible gunman Gabe was. He was also extremely thoughtful.

Overall, a decent story.
3☆☆☆

I purchased this book from Thriftbooks.com.
All opinions are mine alone without expectation or compensation.

[Trudy Cordle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Gabe and Elisabeth's story!! Gabe and Elisabeth meet on a train. They don't speak to each other until the train is being held up, and then Elisabeth tells him to take out his gun and stop them. Gabe ends up doing as she asked when one of the men physically threatens her. When they reach Jackson Springs, Gabe spends the night at the doctor's office, and the next day is moved to the Hart residence, where he and Elisabeth realize that Elisabeth is going to be caring for him. The more time they spend together, the more sparks fly, and not just attraction sparks! Elisabeth is sure Gabe isn't for her, especially when she finds out what he used to do for a living, even though everyone else doesn't hold it against him. Gabe realizes that Elisabeth will never accept him, and resigns himself to that, even though he is changing thanks to his knew relationship with God. Love how it's Gabe himself who gets Elisabeth to see how wrong she's been!

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, this was fine but not great. I really liked Gabe and I found the portrayal of his conversion and spiritual growth to be compelling and well done. But I really struggled with Elisabeth. She's shocked -shocked! - that this guy who's clearly never been to church or studied the bible doesn't recognize verses from Proverbs or biblical references. Uh, has she never met any non-church people in her 20 years? Worse, instead of seeing this as a chance to talk to Gabe about her beliefs and teach him, she's smug and condescending - all, "How can you not know this?" and "What do you mean, you've never heard of Proverbs?" This was probably my least favorite Cheryl St. John book.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gabe & Elisabeth’s story is a compelling read. When train robbers try to rob the train they both happen to be on, Elizabeth urges the man next to her to do something. That man does and is wounded. From there, it’s comical in some ways, but these two are constantly at each other. Both are opinionated and have strong convictions. I began to wonder if they would ever see how much they enjoyed sparring with each other. I enjoyed every page of their story and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. A true page-turner.

[Marcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing story.

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐⭐➕
This had many typos in it that had not be corrected. At least one incendent, no 2, where character names were mixed up.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please note: This is the second in a pair of linked books. You will enjoy them more if you read them in order (see below).

This is the story of the eldest of Samuel Hart's daughters from THE PREACHER'S WIFE. The author has made an excellent transition; Elizabeth has become a cautious young woman, always searching for the right decision. But her well-ordered life is severely shaken when she is on a train that is robbed. Refusing to give up her dead mother's ring (worn around her neck), she sets off a chain reaction of events that lead to the deaths of most of the robbers and the injuring of her seating companion, Gabriel Taggart.

Gabe has an interesting back story; he is on the train to see his abandoned land, planning to build a home for himself and his sister, Irene. His sister has spent most of her life in boarding schools; she has no idea what Gabe did in order to pay all those fees.

Instead of building that house, Gabe winds up wounded at the preacher's house with Elizabeth as his reluctant nurse. Elizabeth quotes Scripture to Gabe in passing. It is quite humorous when he tries to guess who said it. Obviously, Gabe was not brought up going to church.

In order for them to be together, Elizabeth and Gabe and must each change. This is a pleasant, well-paced story. It was nice to see the Hart family again. I hope the author writes further about this interesting group of individuals.

The Hart Family
The Preacher's Wife
Marrying the Preacher's Daughter

[Anita Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is well written, I will not finish it in one day if it is not well written. I fell for Gabe and hated Lis right away. Who do you think is better? People like Gabe who unconsciously practice Christianity but claim as heathen or Lis who spoke about Christianity all the time but so judgmental and narrow minded... I don't understand why Gabe ended up with Lis; Abigail is a better choice if you ask me. Aside from that, for enticing such reflection, I think this book is a solid 4 stars. It will be better if the conflict over the land escalated...or if the train bandit family really come to avenge their brothers...the book is suffering because there are no satisfactory villain. The only villain I found in the book is the so call "lady protagonist"...she is the only one standing between Gabe and the happy ending he deserved...Pah! Thusly, I deduct one star for making your own heroine the only villain of the book.

[Catherine Richmond]

I had a long trip ahead of me and didn't want to get stuck on a plane with a bad book. So I saved up Cheryl St. John's latest releases. She's an author to depend on for a great read, each and every book.

Poor Gabe is trying to be an upstanding citizen, the kind of gentleman is proper sister can be proud of. But he keeps getting roped into crises calling for his skill as a gunman. Then, instead of being grateful for saving her and her precious jewelry, Elizabeth is repelled by his violence. Seeing how these two worked it out made my long flight more enjoyable!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absolutely delightful book, and the way the main characters, Gabe and Elizabeth, relate to each other is so fun to read about. Cheryl St. John demonstrates in a wonderful way how a very grounded, experienced Christian may find themselves learning deep spiritual and life lessons from someone very new to belief in God, and how God's plan for our life may end up being quite different from what we imagine. I enjoy reading about this little community, and hope this one has a sequel.

[April Suter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story that is the continuation to "A Preacher's Wife". Elizabeth's life and goal changes on the train ride home of which is robbed. A stranger, Gabe, saves her from giving up her mother's ring and definately gets her attention. Gabe's sister, Irene, also shows up in town and Cupid is busy. I hope the author gives us another peek into Jackson Springs, Colorado.
280 pages

[Bruna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The inspirational part did not bother me. I even enjoyed it. The reason for only 3 starts is that the romance was lacking something. Chemistry maybe? Also, the book has several mistakes. For example, it says the name of a character in place of another. That happens more than one time. I would say this book is just okay.

[Patriciaw]

Elisabeth and Gabe make a great couple. They kind of know it but given her independence and his past, it takes them a while to come to together. Along the way, Gabe's sister Irene arrives, and the singular romance becomes a delightful two-for-one tale.

[Brenda Mazur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes you feel so good, it takes you away into their world. Cheryl's books are so full of love, she is a great author.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

After I read this book Cheryl became one of my favorite authors. I could not put the book down and am looking forward to her next book.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read, love the ending, really good,

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've enjoyed it very much.
This romance has great characters and an excellent plot.
This book is a Page-turner and I recommend it to anyone looking for a well-written romance!

[Collene · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always exciting to find a new author. Cheryl St. John is a new author I will be reading more from.

[steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Forget I read this at work during two lunch hours this week. It was a good stories. Like the two main characters and all the family members that surrounded them. It was enjoyable.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was nice book. I do not normally read inspirational genre. I did like both the characters and the story was interesting.

[CP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely romance.

[micki · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book.