Book picks similar to
The Mistaken Widow by Cheryl St. John


historical-romance
romance
historical
western

A Lady of the West


Linda Howard - 1990
     Victoria Waverly, noble daughter of the war-ruined South, is sold in marriage to a ruthless rancher. Honor and pride help her endure life as a wife in name only but nothing can quench her forbidden desire for hired gunman Jake Roper. His gaze is hard, but tenderness he can't hide promises to unveil to Victoria the mysteries of love. Only true love can destroy.... Jake curses his burning need for Victoria, for he wants nothing to stand in the way of his drive to reclaim Sarratt's Kingdom -- the ranch that is his legacy and obsession. But ancient wrongs and blazing passions will bind together the aristocratic beauty and the powerful cowboy. In a bloody land war, they will fight for Jake's birthright...and seize at all costs the love that is their destiny.

The Bounty


Beth Williamson - 2006
    After three years, the notorious bounty hunter Tyler Calhoun catches up with the elusive lady outlaw. The intensity of their dislike for each other is only matched by the growing passion they cannot seem to control. A loner by nature, a cold hard hunter by choice, Tyler fights his feelings for his prisoner the only way he knows how--by denying them. He's not prepared for how deeply his feelings will run, or how hard it will be to hold her life in his hands. Pursued by two hapless cowboys bent on taking Nicky in themselves, Nicky and Tyler are forced to turn to each other for aid, trust, and comfort as their journey progresses on its rocky road. Caught in a web of lies and murder, they hold on to each other as they travel to Wyoming to confront the man that brought them together. Tyler has to decide if his love for her is worth more than the bounty he was sent to find. Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, some violence.

The Texan's Wager


Jodi Thomas - 2002
    But still, she can't help thinking that something about this strong, silent farmer could be the key to leaving her troubled past behind...and making a worthy wager with her heart.

Caine's Reckoning


Sarah McCarty - 2007
    Caine Allen is a hardened Texas Ranger, definitely not the marrying kind. But when he rescues a kidnapped woman and returns her to town, the preacher calls in a favor. One Caine's honor won't let him refuse. From the moment he beds Desi, Caine knows turmoil will follow. Desi might have the face of a temptress, but she also has a will of iron and while she needs his protection, she's determined that no man will control her again. They establish an uneasy bond, but it isn't enough for Caine. He wants all Desi has to offer. He wants her screams, her moans, her demands...everything. Yet there's still a bounty on Desi's head, and keeping her sexually satisfied is proving easier than keeping her alive.

Only My Love


Jo Goodman - 1992
    But when the gang is finally brought to justice and Mary bolts, Ethan can't seem to get the feisty reporter out of his dreams.Overjoyed to be back in New York with the story of a lifetime, Mary comes face-to-face with the gang's cunning leader who has escaped federal custody. Now Mary can only hope that the man who once attempted to save her will try again.Previously Titled: Wild Sweet EcstasyREVIEWS:"Goodman has a real flair…Witty dialogue, first-rate narrative prose, and clever plotting." ~Publishers WeeklyTHE DENNEHY SISTERS SERIES, in series order:Only My LoveMy Heart's DesireForever in My HeartAlways in My DreamsOnly in My ArmsTHE MARSHALL BROTHERS SERIES in order:Her Defiant HeartHis Heart's RevengeTHE THORNE BROTHERS TRILOGY, in series order:My Steadfast HeartMy Reckless HeartWith All My Heart

Texas Bride


Joan Johnston - 2012
    Now marriage to a stranger is her only hope of finding a home where she and her two younger brothers can escape the brutality of the Chicago orphanage where they live. With any luck, she can even start a family of her own, once the three of them are settled at Jacob Creed’s Texas ranch. But Miranda has one gigantic concern: Her husband-to-be knows nothing about the brothers she’s bringing along. What if he calls off the deal when he discovers the trick she’s played on him?Jake Creed is hanging on to his Texas ranch by his fingernails. His nemesis, Alexander Blackthorne, is determined to ruin him. Jake will never give up, but he’s in desperate trouble. His wife died six months ago in childbirth, along with their stillborn son, and his two-year-old daughter needs a mother. The advertisement Jake wrote never mentioned his daughter—or the fact that he has no intention of consummating his marriage. He’s determined never to subject another wife to the burden of pregnancy. But Jake doesn't count on finding his bride so desirable. He doesn't count on aching with need when she joins him in bed. And he never suspected his bride would have plans of her own to seduce him.

The Chef's Mail Order Bride


Cindy Caldwell - 2015
    She'd been raised to bake in her parents' bakery, and after their deaths, she had planned to carry on the family tradition. Devastated to find out she was losing her family's business, she needed something to do to support herself. When she received a letter from her twin sister's husband in Arizona Territory, suggesting she come out to be the bride of his best friend who was opening a restaurant, it seemed like the perfect solution to her problems. Tripp had gone to the best culinary school in the country, and he knew exactly how to create the perfect meal. He spent hours and hours coming up with just the right menu for his restaurant, only to be told he couldn't get a loan for it unless he married. When his best friend came up with the solution of sending for his baker sister-in-law, it only made sense. Her ideas of the perfect menu were different than his, though. Would the two be able to stay together long enough to convince the bank he was a good risk? Would Sadie be able to convince Tripp that the two of them belonged together after all?

Ribbon in the Sky


Dorothy Garlock - 1991
    Then a cruel betrayal tore them apart and left Letty on a windswept Midwestern farm to raise their son alone. Struggling to build a future over the years, she learned to harden her heart to desire...until big, dark-haired Mike marched into town, looking for his woman and his dream—and ready to fight the world to have her in his arms again.

Short Straw Bride


Dallas Schulze - 1996
    Tired of worrying about who to leave the ranch to when they were gone.Luke could imagine the perfect wife --- biddable, tidy and willing --- and when he saw Eleanor Williams in church one Sunday, he thought she'd do just fine. But little did he know that the practical Eleanor had a mind of her own --- and other ideas about marriage!

Only His


Elizabeth Lowell - 1991
    But she fears this stranger who burns to avenge the wrongs of treacherous men. For Caleb is as wild and unpredictable as the uncivilized land he loves. Yet, though she challenges him at every turn, the spirited southern lady knows this proud, enigmatic loner is her destiny. And no matter what peril awaits, they must face it together -- for Willow has become a fever in Caleb′s blood ... awakening a need so fierce that he would defeat the devil himself to possess her.

The Magic of Christmas: A Christmas Child / The Christmas Dove / A Baby Blue Christmas


Carolyn Davidson - 2008
    Will she find her home, and a loving heart, with the lonely pastor, David McDermott?"The Christmas Dove" by Victoria BylinMaddie Cutler once snubbed bad boy Dylan McCall, but with nowhere else to turn she has come back to town--with a babe in arms. Dylan is a reformed man, and on seeing Maddie again he longs to heal her hurt--and claim her once and for all!"A Baby Blue Christmas" by Cheryl St.JohnTurner Price hasn't been the same since he lost his wife and child. But when he finds a young woman and newborn twin babies in his stable, he realizes this may be his second chance to be a loving husband and father, just in time for Christmas!

Scarred Mail-Order Bride and the Widower


Amelia Rose - 2020
    Desperate for a brighter future, she responds to a mail order bride ad, and soon the Deputy of Daisy Creek is her shimmer of light in the darkness.Deputy Bill Paulson knows grief too. When his wife died in childbirth, he thought he would never find happiness again. Encouraged by his sister, Bill finally begins his search for a wife: he knows his children need a mother, and Jill’s letters are a beacon of hope.Jill finally makes the journey to Daisy Creek to meet the deputy. With her anxiety about her scars and Bill’s grief about his wife, their union is a gamble for both of them, and they’re surprised by their instant connection.But no matter how strong a bond, sometimes reality is hell-bent on testing it, and events soon show that the pair’s trials aren’t over. With a crisis that triggers each of their worst fears, the couple is thrown into turmoil.But they have one thing they didn’t have before: each other. Could it be that this is enough to get them through?Scarred Mail Order Bride and the Widower is a heart wrenching story of two lost souls determined to find love and correct the course of their future.

Emma's Journey


Callie Hutton - 2013
    Barely three weeks into the trip, Peter is killed, and Emma is shocked that the wagon master won’t let her return home. Wagon Scout Davis Cooper has decided this would be his last scouting trip, he intends to obtain land in the new Oregon territory, find a wife, and start a family. When the Wagon Master orders Emma and Davis to marry, she rebels, but eventually comes to realize she can’t go it alone, no matter how stubborn she is. But nothing will make her give up her dream to return home. Can Davis change her mind, and have the life he’s always wanted with his unexpected wife?

Wild Montana Sky


Debra Holland - 2011
    To escape the new mistress of the house, Elizabeth accepts the invitation of her best friend to journey to Montana.The dirt streets and wooden storefronts of Sweetwater Springs and the hardships of ranch living are worlds away from the refinements of Gilded Age Boston, yet Elizabeth is filled with new hope—and buoyed by a wealthy banker’s attentions. Yet it’s cowboy Nick Sanders who slowly awakens her heart and helps her recognize her strengths. And when a deadly influenza epidemic strikes, Elizabeth will fight for those she loves—and the life she’s ready to claim.A USA Today bestseller and winner of Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award, Wild Montana Sky is historical romance at its best—a warm, uplifting story of new love and second chances.The Montana Sky series:Wild Montana SkyStarry Montana SkyStormy Montana SkyMontana Sky ChristmasPainted Montana SkyMail-Order Brides of the West: Trudy

Pieces of Sky


Kaki Warner - 2009
    An authoress and milliner, she carries the weight of a scandalous secret-a horrible shame that has brought her to the West on a desperate search for the only family she can trust: her brother.Fall in love with the first book in the Blood Rose trilogy-a romance of the Old West by a phenomenal new talent.