Book picks similar to
The Substitute Bride by Janet Dean


romance
love-inspired
love-inspired-historical
christian

A Bride for Keeps


Melissa Jagears - 2013
    Not again. He's already been jilted by three mail-order brides and figures a wife just isn't in his future. However, a well-meaning neighbor hasn't given up on seeing him settled, so she goes behind his back to bring yet another woman to town for him.Julia Lockwood has never been anything more than a pretty pawn for her father or a business acquisition for her former fiance. A mail-order marriage in faraway Kansas is a last resort, but she'll do anything to leave her life in Massachusetts and the heartbreak she's experienced there.Although Everett doesn't see how a beautiful, cultured woman like Julia could be happy sharing his simple life, he could really use a helpmate on his homestead. Determined to prove she's more than just a pretty face, Julia agrees to a marriage in name only. Faced with the harsh realities of life on the prairie and hesitant to explore the tentative feelings growing between them, can Everett and Julia ever let each other in long enough to fall in love?

Colorado Courtship: Winter of Dreams / The Rancher's Sweetheart


Cheryl St. John - 2013
    Yet she needs a fresh start away from scandal. And Ben Charles's unflinching faith could be her path to something truly precious—a new family. The Rancher's Sweetheart by Debra UllrickThe cowboys on her uncle's ranch show Sunny Weston no respect—except for foreman Jed Cooper. A riding and roping contest is Sunny's chance to prove herself. But now that she's falling for Jed, will she find courage to take the biggest risk of all, and trust her heart?

Unlawfully Wedded Bride


Noelle Marchand - 2011
    She's been married, by proxy, to a man she's never met, thanks to her young siblings' meddling! Kate offers her "groom" room and board at her farm until the annulment is granted—nothing more. After all, what else could this predicament be but a blunder that needs fixing?Nathan Rutledge arrives on Kate's doorstep, seeking a fresh start—with a family that needs his help more than Kate will admit. The shadows in both their pasts will be no match for a bright new beginning. But first, he has to convince a woman frightened of love to throw caution to the Texas wind…

Lady Outlaw


Stacy Henrie - 2012
    But Jennie Jones is desperate to save her family's ranch from foreclosure. And the risks seem worth it, until her upright new ranch hand offers a glimpse of how much is really at stake.Former bounty hunter Caleb Johnson is ready for a new, clean start. With a woman like Jennie, he could build a future there in Utah territory. But only if his gentle faith can guide her in a choice between the land she's fought so hard to save and a future by his side.

Hearts in the Highlands


Ruth Axtell Morren - 2007
    Her life was devoted to her simple yet enduring faith, to good works and to the elderly lady whose companion she was. She believed herself content. But that was before her mistress's handsome nephew returned to London, after many years spent abroad as an archaeologist.The shadows in Reid Gallagher's memory-haunted eyes touched Maddie's heart. When he asked her to travel with his family, to help with his work, she could scarcely refuse. And as she came to know this man better, amid the breathtaking beauty of the Scottish Highlands, she began to wonder if two solitary souls might yet find new life--and love--as one.

High Plains Bride


Valerie Hansen - 2009
    But she didn't foresee the tornado that tore their wagon train apart. Now her father is dead, her mother and sister are injured and their twin wards are missing. There's nowhere to turn but the fledgling Kansas settlement of High Plains. Town founder Will Logan steps in to search for the twins and house the Carters...for now. He's not cut out for family life long-term. But Emmeline's got her own ideas, and when this high plains bride chooses her groom, nothing will get in her way!

In a Mother's Arms: Finally a Family / Home Again


Jillian Hart - 2009
    But does handsome town doctor Sam Frost want a wife, or a housekeeper for his daughters? With the help of two little matchmakers, Molly might end up with the family of her dreams.Home Again by Victoria Bylin - When her troublemaking son vandalizes the town church, Cassie O'Rourke comes face-to-face with town sheriff — and former love — Gabe Wyatt. The honorable lawman offers to help tame her wild child, if he can come courting. For the love of her son, dare she entrust her heart to this man once more?

A Mother for His Children


Jan Drexler - 2014
    Ruthy didn't realize the job meant caring for ten children—and for their handsome widowed father. To Levi Zook's mind, Ruthy is too young and too pretty to be anyone's housekeeper. A marriage of convenience will protect her reputation and give his children the security they dearly need. But it could also give them the courage to grasp a new chance at happiness—if Ruthy is willing to risk her wounded heart once more.

Homefront Hero


Allie Pleiter - 2012
    Leanne Sample can't help being impressed—although the lovely Red Cross nurse tries to hide it. She knows better than to get attached to the daring captain who is only home to heal and help rally support for the war's final push. As soon as he's well enough, he'll rush back to Europe, back to war—and far away from South Carolina and Leanne. But when an epidemic strikes close to home, John comes to realize what it truly means to be a hero—Leanne's hero.

Beauty in Disguise


Mary Moore - 2013
    Concealing her stunning hair and sapphire eyes beneath a dowdy facade, she's grateful to earn her keep as companion Kate Montgomery. Until she comes face-to-face with her past in Lord Dalton, the only man she has ever loved.The debutante Dalton fell in love with years ago was beautiful beyond compare. The gentle, mysterious young woman he encounters at a country house has qualities he now values more highly—until he learns of her deception. Kate has broken his heart not once, but twice. Can faith help him see that love, like true beauty, always comes to light?

The Unexpected Bride


Debra Ullrick - 2011
    Unfortunately, his brother has some intentions of his own, and plans to see to it that Haydon finds happiness once more. So he answers a "groom wanted" advertisement--in Haydon's name--and sends Haydon to meet his new bride at the stagecoach stop!For beautiful, cultured Rainelle Devonwood, any dangers she may face in the Idaho Territories are preferable to staying with her abusive brother. So even when Rainee learns she's a mistakenly ordered bride, she won't let Haydon drive her away. She's up to the challenge of life on the difficult, demanding frontier...and the greater challenge of opening Haydon's heart again.

Love Unexpected


Jody Hedlund - 2014
    But stranded at Presque Isle port after their steamboat sank, Emma Chambers and her brother, Ryan, couldn't be farther away from security. While Ryan at least can find work, Emma can't even find a place to stay. An unlikely solution arises when the lighthouse keeper, who recently lost his wife and is struggling to raise his young son, arrives in town. A traveling preacher believes they might be the answer to each others' problems, and after a hasty marriage, Emma is headed back to the lighthouse with this handsome but quiet stranger.But nothing in her wandering life has prepared her for suddenly being asked to raise a child and keep a house. Struggling at every turn, Emma also suspects Patrick may be keeping something hidden from her. In town she hears whispers about strange circumstances surrounding his previous wife's death, and it seems as though Emma's answered prayer for a home and family may actually be something much more dangerous.

Calico Christmas at Dry Creek


Janet Tronstad - 2008
    But when influenza claims her husband and baby, Elizabeth doesn't know if she can go on. Then a stranger approaches her with a plea she can't ignore.Jake Hargrove is desperate. His brother's death left him in charge of his two part-Sioux nieces--one an infant. Jake knows the baby can't survive the harsh western winter without a wet nurse. A marriage of convenience with this grieving mother seems to be the only answer. Fighting for the acceptance of their charges gives Jake and Elizabeth new purpose. With the Christmas season approaching, dare they hope that they also could receive the gift of love?

Paper Roses


Amanda Cabot - 2009
    Leaving the past behind in Philadelphia, mail-order bride Sarah arrives in San Antonio ready to greet her groom, Austin Canfield, a man she has never met but whose letters have won her heart from afar. But there is one problem--he has died. And Sarah cannot go back East.As Sarah tries to reconcile herself to a future that is drastically changed, Austin's brother, Clay, struggles with his own muddled plans. Though he dislikes working on the family ranch and longs for a different life, Clay is driven to avenge his brother's death. But something between them is growing and neither Clay nor Sarah is ready to admit it. Book 1 of the Texas Dreams series, Paper Roses will sweep readers into the Hill Country with a tale of love and loss, closed doors and beautiful possibilities that will leave them wanting more.

Wooing the Schoolmarm


Dorothy Clark - 2012
    Now she dedicates herself to teaching Pinewood's children, including the new pastor's young wards. If she didn't know better, Reverend Calvert's kindness could almost fool Willa into caring again. Almost... Though Matthew Calvert adores his niece and nephew, he wants a family of his own, too. The more he sees of the pretty schoolteacher, the more he wants that future with her.  Yet Willa, so warm to her pupils, is ice-cool toward him.  But where there's a woman like Willa, there's a man determined to guide her back to love.