Mail-Order Marriage

Happy National Blonde Brownie Day!  What is a blonde brownie? You use light brown sugar instead of dark.  In 1973 the Supreme Court of the United States delivered its decision in Roe vs. Wade (legalizing elective abortion in all 50 states).  In 1984 the Apple Macintosh (the first consumer computer to popularize the use a mouse and GUI) was introduced during Super Bowl XVIII (a commercial).  Edward VII is proclaimed King in 1901 after the death of his mother, Queen Victoria. In 2002 Kmart is the largest retailer in the United States to declare Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection (I cannot believe this one is listed as a historical event). These are just a few events that happened in history on January 22.

Mail Order Marriage:    Five Historical stories of marriagearranged by strangers (various authors).  Cinda’s Surprise by Mary Davis involves Cinda Harrison and Lucas Rawlings.  Cinda’s friends decided to help her find a husband.  Cinda agrees to the marriage and wonders why Lucas needed a mail order bride.  Cinda discovers the answer when she arrives at his home.  Will these two be able to make it work?

His Brother’s Bride by Denise Hunter takes place in Cedar Springs, Kansas.  Emily Wagner is traveling to Cedar Springs to meet her fiancé, Thomas for the first time.  Emily is hoping this marriage will help her save her grandmother from her Uncle Stewart’s clutches.  Emily arrives to find Cade Manning, Thomas’ brother.  Thomas died before Emily arrived.  Cade (a widower), though, needs a wife to help with the house and to take care of his son.  Will Emily still be able to help her grandmother?

The third book is Changes of the Heart by Judith McCoy Miller.  Luther Buchanan opened a mercantile in Placerville, California. He needs a wife to help at home and around the store.  He advertises for a mail order bride (but does not mention he wants help with store).  Maura Thorenson feels that Luther’s ad is an answer to her prayers.  Maura wants to get married, but none of the local men will marry her because of her affliction (as she calls it).  Maura answers Luther’s ad but does not mention her affliction (you just know this is not going to go well).  On the trip to California (aboard ship around the Cape) Maura meets Georgette Blackburn.  Georgette desperately needs help and Maura is going to provide it.  Luther is surprised when he picks up his fiancé.  Is there a chance for these two?

Mail-Order Husband by DiAnn Mills is set in Nebraska in 1880.  Lena Walker is a widow with two children.  They have a farm and she needs help to keep it.  She advertises (the local men are disgusting) for a husband (a very rare occurrence).  Gabriel Hunters answers her ad.  He is a bookkeeper and loves to read.  Gabriel figures his book knowledge will help him run a farm (he has never lived on a farm or performed manual work).  Lena is shocked by Gabriel’s appearance (and manner of speaking), but Lena gave her word.  Will Gabriel be able to work a farm?  Can a marriage work between these two very different people?

Forever Yours by Tracie Peterson is set in Bandelero, New Mexico.  Daughtry Lucas is twenty-three and would love to escape her family.  Her father and brothers are over protective.  Daughtry runs away to answer Nicholas Dawson’s ad for a wife.  They are married by proxy before Daughtry starts her journey.  But Daughtry is not quite what Nicholas was expecting.  Does their marriage stand a chance when her father and brother’s show up?

Mail-Order Marriage contains some good stories.  I enjoyed three out of the five of them (the first three).  The story by Judith McCoy Miller was my favorite (and I wish it had been longer).  I give Mail-Order Marriage 4 out of 5 stars.  The stories are all well-written and interesting to read (just some more than others).    They are all Christian stories with nice themes. There is no sex or foul language in any of the stories.  They are good Christian, historical romance stories.  The last two are good, but I just did not enjoy them as much as the other three (just personal preference).

I received a complimentary copy of Mail-Order Marriage from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am currently reading The Silver Suitcase by Terrie Todd.   The wind is blowing and we have had rain.  The cold weather is getting ready to descend on our area (hooray).  I hear it is cold all over the United States.  Make sure you stay warm and safe (especially if you go out driving where there is snow).  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader