Book picks similar to
Santa's Mail-Order Bride by E.E. Burke
romance
christmas
ebooks
historical-fiction
Hearts of the West
Leah Atwood - 2015
Whether you have just a few minutes to enjoy a novelette, or the time to really get immersed in the dust and grit of a western town, there's something here for everyone.Step into a day when outlaws ran free, the land was wild, and guns blazed at the drop of a hat!
After the Rain
Rand McCade made a promise to his dying wife to one day remarry. He doesn't want to remarry, but a promise is a promise. Pressured to marry a violent man, widowed and pregnant Lettie Morgan seeks out an agency which finds brides for men in the west. Can two hearts, broken and grieving, put their pasts aside and blend their lives into one?
A Lady in Defiance
Charles McIntyre owns everything in the lawless mining town of Defiance. When three sisters show up stranded, alone, and offering to open a "nice" hotel, he is intrigued enough to let them stay...especially since he sees feisty middle sister Naomi as a possible conquest. Naomi wants no part of Defiance or the saloon-owning, prostitute-keeping Mr. McIntyre. It would seem however, that God has gone to elaborate lengths to bring them together. The question is, "Why?" Does God really have a plan for each and every life?
Rocky Mountain Oasis
When Sky Jordan hears that his nefarious cousin has sent for a mail-order bride, he knows he has to prevent the marriage. No woman deserves to be left to that fate. Still, he's as surprised as anyone to find himself standing next to her before the minister. Brooke's new husband turns out to be kinder than any man has ever been. But then the unthinkable happens and she holds the key that might save innocent lives but destroy Sky all in one fell swoop. It's a choice too unbearable to contemplate...but a choice that must be made.
Bounty
Luke Jordan's mother's dying words rang in his head. "Take these to your brothers." His brothers? The Jordan gang of outlaws. Why did he have to waste time tracking them down? Cat Cahill's morning rides are a pleasant diversion from her mother's lectures on marrying a civilized man from the east. Despite her prayers, Cat hasn't found the man she would want to spend the rest of her life with until she runs into Luke. One town trying to avoid a buyout, one gang worth their weight in gold, bounty hunters intent on taking the Jordan gang in more dead than alive = two in love and a bunch in trouble.
Charity's Gold Rush
After Charity saves handsome Gabriel Williams' daughter from being trampled he asks her to marry him. And Charity believes he's the answer to her prayers. Gabe and Charity agree to a marriage in name only, although Charity is upset that now that she has found a man she could see herself making a life with, he isn't interested in anything more than someone to watch his children, and he's a gambler to boot - just like Pa who got her into this mess. By the beginning of the following spring, if both parties are in agreement, they'll annul the marriage and part ways. Neither expects love to interfere with their plans or for God to intervene with a plan of His own.
A Snowy Christmas in Wyoming
E. Ayers - 2011
Is love preordained? An old diary from when Jessie and Clare Coleman settled on the land in the 1840's provides a history of their life. But tucked between the pages is an unrequited love between Clare Coleman and a tall Native American. Does love and land come full circle? In this season of giving, will fate reach through time to give a gift of love? Andy Coyote settled into the job as foreman on the Coleman ranch. He's got custody of his thirteen month old daughter and the situation is perfect for both of them until Caroline Coleman returns home for Christmas and one of the worst blizzards in years hits the area. He's forced to accept Caroline's help to move a herd of cattle and mixed in it are several head from another ranch in the community. Cattle rustling still happens. Caroline Coleman has her dream job as a Washington, D.C., news anchor for a national broadcast, but home is in Wyoming on her family's ranch. She has everything that money can buy, but the things that she really wants can't be purchased. Raised with solid, hard working, family values, she knows her life in the spotlight isn't real. She wants a man who appreciates the ranch, loves her for who she is and not what she is, and she wants a family of her own. And she doesn't like the idea of Andy Coyote taking advantage of her grandmother.
Second Chances
Lynn Coppersmith - 2020
Two years after becoming a widow, Naomi Tisdale is determined to make a new life for herself in Oregon. She is not interested in marriage. In fact, she really just wants to be left alone. But when she meets her new neighbor, she is no longer interested in solitude, and she's determined to gain more than just his friendship.Aidan McKenzie knows immediately that Naomi is the woman he wants for a wife. With her beauty, charm, intelligence and willingness to work hard, she embodies everything he has been searching for. But scars from her first marriage remain, and Aidan wonders whether he can convince her to take a second chance on love.Publisher's Note: This historical western romance contains steamy, graphic scenes and a theme of power exchange.
Amelia (The Brides of San Francisco #5)
Cynthia Woolf - 2016
Her stunning voice made her the darling of New York's theater district since she was fifteen. She's never been more than an asset to her mother, never been just a woman to the young up-and-coming men who want to use her to advance their own careers. Amelia loves to sing, but is willing to give up fame, fortune and her future on the stage for just one thing...love. Convinced she'll never find what she needs in New York, she makes the daring decision to leave her life behind and travel to the other side of the country as a mail order bride in San Francisco where she won't be anything more than a wife, where her future husband will look into her eyes and see her heart. Wealthy prospector Phillip Dumont learned how to take care of himself from a very young age. With his father’s death, his mother decided to follow her dream and she abandoned her family when he was eighteen years old. Phillip raised a house full of younger siblings on his own. Now, his youngest sibling, his sister, is in need of a woman's touch. Phillip knows he'll never trust a woman enough to give her his heart, and decides a mail order bride will provide a soft touch for his sister and keep the gold-digging women at bay. But Phillip is in for a shock. He is instantly attracted to his new wife and tempted to trust her with more than his name. No matter how vehemently Phillip demands obedience from his wife, his sister and his heart, not one will listen. When an old partner seeking revenge comes for his bride, will Phillip be able to see beyond the secrets of her past to save his family?
Oregon Trail Dreamin' Series
Kathleen Ball - 2018
She takes her horse and rides to Independence Missouri to join a wagon train and start a new life. Mike Todd, the Wagon Master doesn’t allow single women to have their own wagons. It causes fights and distractions. Susan solves her problem by marrying Clancy Willis in name only. Unfortunately Clancy’s true nature doesn’t take long to show and Susan finds herself married to a drunkard. Along the trail, once again, Susan is forced to marry another man in name only and this time it is Mike Todd. As soon as they make it to Oregon they plan to have the marriage annulled but their hearts become hopelessly entangled. Mike Todd has two brothers to raise. They are guides on the wagon train and he decided long ago he’d raise them and forget about having a wife and child of his own. Both vow to sacrifice their hearts’ desire to give the other happiness. Will they come to realize their lives and love have only just begun? A Lifetime to Share Eli Todd is a tall, handsome captain of a wagon train bound for Oregon. Life has taught him if he allows people into his heart, he ends up losing them. Amelia Cruthers is a pretty, young woman with a limp. She's a hard worker who starts out the trip to Oregon with her parents, until they try to leave her behind. In shock, she watches them cross a river by ferry without her. Thankfully, the kind, strong Eli Todd takes her with him. Admiring her spunk and work ethic, he gives her a job cooking for the crew. After a fall from his horse, Amelia tends him and he realizes she is sweetness on earth. Her parents demand he marry Amelia, since she spent time alone with him, nursing him. Eli figures why not? He won't be home most of the year anyway, and Amelia could have a safe place to live on his ranch. What could possibly go wrong? Amelia never thought to be married. She'd been told her hip was too hideous for a man to look upon and that she couldn't have children. The distance they try to place between them doesn't work, leaving them both hurt with longings that could never be fulfilled. But there are secrets, and when they realize they'd been lied to, do they take the leap at a lifetime to share? A Love Worth Searching For Jed Todd has been looking for Lily since the day she was abducted along the Oregon Trail. This time he is the wagon master. Word comes that his trapper friends have found and bought Lily for him. He rides fast and fierce to get to her and is relieved to find her in one piece. The way he felt about her before she'd been stolen wasn't a figment of his imagination. From the moment he saw her again, he knew his love was real. Lily isn't well received by the others on the wagon train and realizes that having a relationship with Jed would only hinder him in life. He'd never be accepted in polite society. Once in Oregon, she plans to leave for Washington territory to live alone. Attempts on her life and the life of a young girl make Lily realize that she and Jed share a love worth searching for. So Many Roads to Choose It’s finally time for Smitty to settle down after all of his trips on the Oregon Trail. He has Lynn and a houseful of orphans but he also had a wife, he’s always been faithful to. Brenda lied and said she was with child, Smitty’s child over ten years ago. It’s time to dissolve their marriage.
The Rancher Takes A Bride
Sylvia McDaniel - 2000
This cunning widow is determined to find wives for her brood of handsome sons.Rose Severin speaks to the dead or at least she pretends to until she can earn enough money to make her way to New York and become a famous actress like her mother. Travis Burnett is resolved to rid the frontier town of imposters like Rose. But Eugenia thinks the fiery Rose is just the woman for her obstinate son. She schemes to keep Rose at the family ranch where Travis soon realizes that the supposed spiritualist is more than just a pretty swindler.
Mail Order Ruth
Charlotte Dearing - 2020
Worse, her fiancé is a rogue and probably a thief. With nothing more than her wits, she must fend for herself and the baby.Her only hope lies with Gideon, a gruff but charming cowboy. The tall, gallant Texan offers Ruth safety, a haven for her and the baby.Gideon set out to find his stolen money. Instead he finds a mail order bride, two ragged orphans and a basket of striped kittens.Gideon’s looking for a thief. The crook’s missing, but Gideon meets his fiancée, a lovely blue-eyed beauty. Ruth’s sassy and plenty exasperating. She cares for a tiny baby, and the two stir a protective instinct inside him. Before he knows it, he’s got more trouble than he can shake a stick at.Ruth says she knows nothing about the stolen money. But is the girl as innocent as she claims?
The Secret Diary of a Magnificent Lady
Aria Norton - 2019
But when she suddenly finds out the striking news that her childhood sweetheart is engaged to another, her hopes dissolve and her heart is torn apart. Is there anything left to let her believe that the door to his heart might one day be open again, or has she lost him forever? Henry Montague is under a lot of pressure to marry a woman of his father’s choosing. When a dear friend approaches him with an unusual request, he decides that they have no other option than scheming together . But as their false betrothal is celebrated among their ignorant families, he finds himself enraptured by a woman he meets by chance. Will he find a way to court the fascinating lady who has stolen his heart, even though he is engaged to another? Matilda’s diary holds all her secrets, and when it falls into the hands of Henry, she wants nothing more than to run away. Will having all her secrets exposed to Henry cause more chaos in her life, or will it offer her a way to achieve what her heart deeply wants?
The Three Disgraces Series
Elena Greene - 2014
The Incorrigible Lady Catherine ~ Lady Catherine Harcourt, daughter of a duke, tries to escape her cold, repressive family by eloping with a rake. She is exiled to her aunts’ cottage in the Lake District, where she meets Philip Woodmere, a gentleman farmer as kind as he is ruggedly attractive. She is drawn to Philip’s strength and warms to his lively family, but a secret from her past threatens their chance for happiness. The Redwyck Charm ~ Marcus Redwyck, Earl of Amberley, reluctantly agrees to wed an heiress in order to save his estate. But his equally reluctant bride, Juliana Hutton, runs away and masquerades as an opera dancer. When they meet, passion leads them to the edge of scandal. Even when all is revealed, it will take all of Marcus’s resolution and the fabled Redwyck charm to win the spirited Juliana’s heart. Saving Lord Verwood ~ Penelope Talcott distrusts Lord Verwood, a notorious rake who’s meddled in the lives of her friends. But she accidentally saves his life and becomes entangled in his affairs. Someone is trying to kill Verwood. Despite herself, Pen is impelled to help. Scandal forces them to marry and return to his estate in Cornwall, where Pen must solve the mystery of the tortured man she has come to love. Reviews: The Incorrigible Lady Catherine “The story gives fresh new twists to traditional Regency plotlines and introduces a well-drawn cast of characters, three of whom cry out for their own tales to be told—the notorious Lord Verwood and Catherine’s two school friends . . . Elena Greene is a talented writer to watch for when looking for a pleasurable, meaty Regency romance.” – Jane Bowers, in Romance Reviews Today The Redwyck Charm “I consider The Redwyck Charm one of the best Regencies I’ve read in the past few months. Elena Greene is a reliable author who delivers the kind of story Regency readers love.” – Barbara Hume, for Rakehell Saving Lord Verwood “Elena Greene writes an intriguing tale of hope, love and joy. In this clever story of just who rescues whom, the political intrigue and developing passion between the main characters neatly blend together to make a highly pleasurable read.” – Romantic Times (4 and 1/2 stars)
Pursued
Elaine Manders - 2016
Carianne Barlow never expected to leave her Philadelphia townhouse and travel to the wild-west, but when she inherits a fortune, conditions are attached. She must carry out her grandmother’s vision of a western culture center anchored by a library to rival those of the east. Such an undertaking requires political support, and no one is more influential than Rhyan Cason, a handsome rancher with the reputation of hardened businessman and rabble rousing lobbyist with a preference for the ladies. Carianne gets on the westbound train with no thought of the treacherous world awaiting her in the little prairie town near Rhyan’s sprawling ranch. When Rhyan asks her to catalog his library, Carianne jumps at the chance without considering the ramifications. She rejects any romantic notions. Rhyan is known to be a heart-breaker, and he is an atheist, which doesn’t set well with her Christian beliefs. But they are thrown together when events take a dangerous turn, and menacing undercurrents run through the town. Then Carianne learns too late Rhyan is pursued by a sinister enemy determined to destroy everything he cares for, including her. As they get closer to exposing the adversary, they realize he—or she—wants them both dead.
The Teacher's Bride
Natalie Dean - 2017
Marston isn’t so sure about this arrangement. Will he finally cave-in…just in time for a Christmas wedding? Greta Samuelson was only fourteen the year Kansas bled, but by the time the Civil War had ended, she was a woman of steel. The war had left only broken pieces of men for single women to comb through, so there wasn’t much for her in Atchison, Kansas. She longs to go west where her brother is. When the wagon train driver arrives in town, he’s got a letter he wants her to see. It’s from a schoolteacher announcing his desire for a wife, primarily asking for a woman of good composure, strong sensibilities and sufficient education to assist him. Greta has not had a great deal of formal education, but she has a good writing hand, and sends back a letter saying she is interested. When Marston first meets Greta, he is disappointed. He had expected a mature, scholarly woman, not a mere slip of a twenty-year-old girl. Greta, however, sets out to prove she is a woman to contend with, even for a thirty-two-year-old teacher. She rolls up her sleeves and takes on the Wild West with as much fortitude as she had shown while living through the Civil War. But can she win Marston’s heart in time to be a Christmas bride? Or will he decide she is too young for him… AUTHOR’S NOTE: Enjoy this clean historical western romance short story! I have plans to turn it into a series to keep you happily reading. Also included are 3 bonus stories! Don’t miss out on this one…it’s one of my best written stories yet!
Bounty Hunter's Woman
Eugenia Riley - 2016
. . But never did he dream he’d have to track down and capture his own bride! Raised motherless, beautiful feisty Kate Maloney hates the proud, disdainful father who abandoned her upbringing to a series of failed governesses and strict boarding schools. When Kate’s rancher father reaches his wit’s end and sends her to live with a brutal schoolmistress in East Texas, Kate retaliates by burning down the boarding school. Languishing away in jail, Kate has no idea her father is at home plotting her comeuppance . . . Ready to leave the harsh trail and settle down, handsome bounty hunter Charlie Durango never dreamed his most dangerous quarry would be his own future bride! When Charlie agrees to an arranged marriage with Jeb Maloney’s lovely daughter, he is stunned when his willful fiancée rejects him, sight unseen, and rides off into the treacherous Texas Hill Country on the eve of the Comanche moon. Charlie gives chase, only to be rewarded when Kate shoots him through the shoulder and steals his horse--all before she even realizes he is the man her father chose! Theirs becomes a battle of wills hot enough to ignite the Texas prairie. But the smoldering attraction between Charlie and Kate proves stronger than them both. The headstrong lovers blaze a trail of passion and pride as they head for a reckoning as fierce and shattering as the searing love that binds them. Bounty Hunter's Woman is a fun and sexy Western Historical Romance of approximately 104,000 words. Author Eugenia Riley is the renowned, bestselling author of dozens of historical, contemporary and time-travel romances, including the classics A Tryst in Time and Bushwhacked Bride. She has numerous romances available in Kindle.
Christmas Ever More
Christina McKnight
To do so, she sets out to host the grandest holiday celebration Foldger’s Hall has ever seen; proving to everyone—including herself—that she has more to offer than the hardship and loss she has brought to her family. A woman forging a new path in life... Mrs. Ruby Jakeston is tired of others taking care of her. She is ready to show everyone that she can look after more than just herself and her new husband; she also wants to set her overprotective friend at ease, and bring her hellion sister to heel. A girl lost and in search of a place to belong… Lady Ellington is on the brink of losing the only home she’s ever known. The last thing she wants is to attend a grand soirée. However, when her older sister demands her presence at a country Christmas party, she is compelled to attend. With only a stablehand as her companion, she arrives at a house teeming with unfamiliar faces—and nowhere to hide. A trio of women holding out hope for three different holiday miracles… Christmas ever more.
Once Upon the Prairie
Lenny Davis - 2014
Once Upon The Prairie - A Western Romance Novella (The Brides Of Courage, Kansas, Book 1)Married to the meanest rancher in Kansas, unhappy Mina Morlock lives in a golden cage, as her husband is also the richest man in the state.Her husband's foolishness puts him in awful opposition to the charismatic cowboy Jesse Bartleby and his men.Drawn to Jesse, but married to Neville Morlock, Mina does the right thing — and finds a happily-ever-after that she had not dared to dream of.Enjoy this clean sixty-page Western romance by Lenny Davis.The Brides of Courage, Kansas, Series of historical Western Mail Order Bride Romances:"Once Upon the Prairie," Book 1"She Came One Winter," Book 2"A Bride In Spring," Book 3"Heart of Summer," Book 4
Winter's Wild Melody
Emma V. Leech - 2020
A Rogues and Gentlemen Christmas NovellaCaught in the storm on his way home after a week of overindulgence, Viscount Debdon takes shelter in an abandoned farmhouse, only to realize…He is not alone.When his ghostly companion is revealed to be not only an earthly body but a heavenly one too, the temptation to remain lost in the woods is hard to resist.