Book picks similar to
Return by Allison Merritt
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genre-otherfiction
horse-obsessed
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Belinda's Sweet Escape: Mail Order Bride Romance
Mercy Levy - 2021
She has run away from her parents after they gave up her baby for adoption against her wishes. Betrothed to a rich young tyrant, her baby would have proven to be a scandal in the city, and they were doing their best to cover it up. As a result, Belinda ran away to make her own life, and soon reached news that her parents had tragically passed. Determined to remain on her feet, Belinda refuses to go back to her rich estate. Instead, when things get hard, she becomes a mail-order bride and heads out west. The man she marries has a small child, about the same age as her own child would have been. She can’t help but fall in love with the family, but there seems to be a dark secret he’s not telling her. Why doesn’t he ever mention his first wife? What happened to her? Is Belinda going to face the same fate his previous wife did, or is she simply going crazy?
The Movie Star Becomes a Cowboy
April Murdock - 2021
After a messy divorce, she devotes herself to caring for her five-year-old son and running Silverstone Ranch. She may not be happy, but she can be content—if her eccentric father will only give his passion projects a rest.The latest involves hosting Cade Cooper, a drop-dead-gorgeous movie star, for an “all-inclusive” learning experience. With the upcoming rodeo, Marguerite doesn’t have time to placate an entitled snooty celebrity who insists on getting in her way. It’s as if Cade wants to annoy her.Cade prides himself on researching every role he lands, right down to the boots. His visit to Silverstone Ranch starts out like every other research trip… until he meets Marguerite. Intelligent, beautiful, and in charge, Marguerite’s nothing like the superficial women he spends time with in L.A. And her little boy is too adorable to resist.She won’t trust any man again, let alone a method actor. He’s determined to convince her of his sincerity. Then circumstances force him to break the one promise he made her—and she may never be able to forgive him.
Accidental Bride and Groom
Iris Abbott - 2012
Here the weather is hot and the cowboys and ranchers are even hotter! Something must be in the water, because a rash of weddings is about to hit the good folks of Rancher's Bend!Emma hasn’t had the easiest life. An abusive and alcoholic father taught Emma to guard her heart. She doesn’t do relationships. She doesn’t believe in commitment. And she doesn’t give her trust easily. One of the very few people to earn her trust and friendship is Lynn James.Now Emma’s best friend is getting married in two weeks. Emma returns to the James family ranch to assist with last minute wedding details. The first sign that things might not go as planned occurs when the bride meets Emma at the airport. The bride and groom are going to Mexico City as part of an earthquake search and rescue mission. That leaves Emma, and Lynn’s older brother to handle any wedding issues.Well-laid plans quickly deteriorate. Lynn and Bruce are incommunicado. Emma and Landon are forced to spend more and more time together as they try to salvage Lynn's wedding plans. Now thanks to fate and a series of small disasters, the wedding is becoming custom made for Emma and Landon.The chemistry between Emma and Landon is explosive, and they fight the rising attraction. Both have avoided serious relationships for very different reasons. That's about to change. The more time they spend together, the closer they become. Will they be able to overcome their insecurities and lack of trust? Do they love each other enough to become the accidental bride and groom?
Dog Gone
Diane Moat - 2016
The animal has been brutally tortured and killed, and Sam is incensed by its senseless death — and the apparent disinterest of the local police. She resolves to learn more about saving animals in distress but soon realizes that this can be a frustrating business as her efforts are constantly hampered by endless rules and red tape. In desperation, Samantha turns to crime in her efforts to tackle those who harm and abuse animals, while never losing her focus of finding the man who killed the dog she found. Assisted by a gorgeous "fence," a social media guru who spends her life indoors, and a retired gangster, Sam follows her instincts with an undeterred and unrelenting fortitude until she finally tracks down the heartless killer and faces him in a final reckoning. DOG GONE is a satisfying adventure for animal lovers everywhere.
Songbird Cottage Beginnings
Sylvia Price - 2020
Sam MacAuley and his wife Annalize are total opposites. When Sam wants to leave city life in Halifax to get a plot of land on Cape Breton Island, where he grew up, his wife wants nothing to do with his plans and opts to move herself and their three boys back to her home country of South Africa. As Sam settles into a new life on his own, his friend Lachlan encourages him to get back into the dating scene. Although he meets plenty of women, he longs to find the one with whom he wants to share the rest of his life. Will Sam ever meet “the one”?Get to know Sam and discover the origins of the Songbird Cottage. This is the prequel to the rest of the Pleasant Bay series.
Cowboy for a Season
Janalyn Knight - 2019
Years of trying and failing to bear a child have given her an air of sadness overlaid with a hardened determination to persevere. Hiring Brazilian Professional Bull Rider, Alex, who is on a slow road to recovery from potentially career-ending injuries, will help Hanna get her wheat in before the fall rains come. The handsome cowboy makes it clear that he will return to bull riding before the start of the new PBR season in January. Alex didn’t count on his ex-wife dropping off his toddler daughter Chloe without warning. Hannah didn’t count on caring for the cowboy or his precious daughter. Despite his love for Chloe and the way he cares for Hannah, Alex’s goal remains the same—to return to bull riding, the only life he’s ever wanted. Three hearts hang in the balance, and one decision will break them all. If you like hot cowboys, strong women, and ranching in the new West, then this book will have you burning through the pages.
Billionaire Cowboy's Runaway Bride
Hope Moore - 2020
He’s a confirmed bachelor, she’s a runaway bride who needs his help.After confirmed bachelor, Cole Tanner catches the garter at his friend’s wedding he finds a dazed and confused runaway bride limping along the back roads of his hometown of True Love, Texas and stops to help.Tulip Jones obviously can’t say no to public marriage proposals—this is her second time to be a runaway bride! She needs help in more ways than one—can Cole teach her how to become a confirmed bachelorette and learn to say no?They’re a perfect match until love gets in the way!The billionaire bachelors of True Love, Texas are about to meet their matches...
Unbranded
Ben Masters - 2014
For their trail horses, they adopted wild mustangs from the US Bureau of Land Management that were perfectly adapted to the rocky terrain and harsh conditions of desert and mountain travel. A meticulously planned but sometimes unpredictable route brought them face to face with snowpack, downpours, and wildfire; unrelenting heat, raging rivers, and sheer cliffs; jumping cactus, rattlesnakes, and charging bull moose; sickness, injury, and death. But they also experienced a special camaraderie with each other and with the mustangs. Through it all, they had a constant traveling companion—a cameraman, shooting for the documentary film Unbranded. The trip’s inspiration and architect, Ben Masters, is joined here by the three other riders, Ben Thamer, Thomas Glover, and Jonny Fitzsimons; two memorable teachers and horse trainers; and the film’s producers and intrepid cameramen in the telling of this improbable story of adventure and self-discovery.
Emma of Crooked Creek
M.K. McClintock - 2014
Emma Hawkins is a dedicated doctor in the little town of Crooked Creek, Montana Territory. Casey Latimer is a wounded soldier in search of a new home and a new beginning. When Casey, battered and bruised, quite literally falls at Emma's feet, she is duty-bound to help him. What happens next is something Emma never expected.EMMA OF CROOKED CREEK is the first short story installment of the Crooked Creek series set in post-Civil War Montana.From the AuthorA little background on Crooked Creek . . .Emma of Crooked Creek was originally written for a short story contest, but while writing it, I realized that I had the makings of a new series that I very much wanted to write. Set in post-Civil War Montana Territory, the characters, time period, and setting came alive, and I'm looking forward to adding to this collection over time.Most of the stories in this series will be short stories or novelettes, but there will be at least two full-length novels, one of which will be a Christmas novel, and another an exciting battle-and-romance-filled western adventure.You'll have a chance to meet many characters from this unique Montana town, but for now, I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into Crooked Creek.
Fake Boyfriend
P.G. Van - 2019
The guy she had a crush on in school is her mother’s best friend’s son who will also be at the party. She got over her school crush years ago, but she knows everyone will be giving her pitiful looks at the party and wedding that follows, which is the main reason for her to want to skip all the events. She can’t believe her luck when she finds out the handsome stranger who offers to give her a ride to the farmhouse is actually willing to attend the party as her boyfriend—her fake boyfriend. What happens when she needs to live the lie for more than just the one pre-wedding event and has to bring the fake boyfriend to the wedding? Is the handsome stranger willing to be part of the charade? Note: Fake Boyfriend is a short, contemporary romance.
Grayson: A Beckett Brothers Novel Book 5: The Beckett Brothers
Susan Fisher-Davis - 2020
Northern Delights
Claire May - 2017
Her step-mother, Bertha is a bitter, vengeful woman and the dark bruises on Kate’s arms serve as a daily reminder as to just how bad some days can get. When an opportunity presents itself, Kate decides to take a chance on finding true love and happiness. With the help of her dearest friend, Laura, and the vivacious Mrs Livingston, she soon embarks on a journey that will see her leave Kansas and head north to Montana to become a mail order bride. Ethan Wright knows heartache. At just twenty two years of age, he’s certainly lived through his fair share. Both his Ma and Pa are gone, and now too is his older brother, leaving him the sole guardian of his adorable, yet mischievous young niece, Emily. But Ethan doesn’t know the first thing about raising a little girl. His farm is suffering, and he’s fallen terribly behind on the domestic front. He’s drowning in pots and pans and if he doesn’t do something soon, then little Emily might just be taken away from him for good. So Ethan does the only thing there is left to do, he sends off a letter for Boulder Valley’s first ever mail order bride. Northern Delights is a sweet tale of loss and longing, hardship and grief. It’s a story of romance that defies the common definitions, finding love and beauty in the most unexpected places. “We’ll be each other’s light in the darkest of days.”
Dating the Rogue Cowboy (Lime Peak Ranch Family Drama)
Lucy McConnell - 2018
When Bri is thrown into a fence and almost trampled by a high-spirited horse, Oakley’s doubts and fear of being alone threaten to shut down her their rodeo season before it begins. She doesn’t have the knowledge or the experience to coach Bri; but, she knows who does—the helpful but shy cowboy from work: Will Dumont. William Dumont spent his growing-up years in the saddle. He ran away from the Lime Peak Ranch at age 18 and has created a life for himself in the Silicon Slopes far away from rodeo, the Lime Peak Ranch, and his family. However, he wouldn’t mind spending time with the woman who walks by his desk every day. There’s just something special about Oakley. Which is why, despite all his misgivings, he agrees to coach Oakley’s little sister. But, William can’t hide from the Dumont legacy—not in the rodeo circuit—and soon his family becomes tangled in the complicated and delicate strands of his and Oakley’s potential relationship. In order to keep Oakley in his life, William will have to figure out what kind of a man he wants to be: a runaway or a rogue cowboy.
The Streets of Sundown
John Glasby - 2017
Vengeance. The town of Sundown is in the iron grip of Darby Wicker. A sadistic power-hungry man, Wicker came west after the Confederates were defeated. By the time the Sundown folk realised what a snake he was, it was too late. He had his finger in every pie in town. Not only that, but he murdered the Sheriff in cold blood and appointed the cowardly Sheriff Veldon in his place. Turning his eye to the local ranches, he schemes to buy them all out and cement his monopoly on Sundown. He doesn’t care much if they refuse him – he’ll just burn their ranches to the ground. With Washington convinced the West has been tamed, Wicker knows the US army won’t trouble him and the town will be powerless to stop him. But he doesn’t count on Bret. Hellbent on revenge, Bret’s been hunting Wicker for eight years – and it’s personal. But even he can’t believe how bad things are in Sundown. Sheriff Veldon is as yellow-bellied as they come, letting Wicker’s murderous gunmen do as they please. In fact, the only person Bret trusts in Sundown is Fay Saunders – a singer at the Golden Ace Saloon. For some reason, she wants to see Wicker dead as much as Bret does. Meanwhile, despite Wicker’s attacks on the ranchers, none of the ranches want to form an alliance of sort. It’s a fine mess but Bret knows that if he gives the ranches and decent folk of Sundown some hope that Wicker can be driven away, they’d be on his side. And where better to start cleaning out Wicker’s corruption than on The Streets of Sundown… A classic Western, The Streets of Sundown is a thrilling and gun-toting story.
Madeline's Match
Annie Lane - 2017
After reading a very unusual request for a mail order bride, she travels to Conrad, Montana to meet her cowboy groom, whose letter said, "I love surprises more than just about anything else..." According to Seth Lawson, he has a balanced life - working hard all week & playing hard all weekend. Whiskey and him are slowly becoming best friends. But his older brother, Samuel, has had enough of Seth heading down the wrong path - so young Seth is about to get the surprise of his life. ~ A romantic story about finding a place, and a person to call home. ~ About Seasons Sons & Daughters... Just like the first 4 books, it too is set in Conrad, however, 10 years have gone by. Doc Lawson's six children are now just about all grown up, and so too is the garrulous & handsome Earl "Junior" Mason. It's now the youngsters' turn to experience the joy of love and marriage. Matchmaking & mail order brides (and one lucky husband) seem like just the ticket! After all, it worked out just fine for their parents -- what could possibly go wrong? ~ Catch up with the original Seasons brides - Charlotte, Beth, Alice & Belle; their very lucky husbands - Thomas, Earl, Gabe & Simon 'Doc' Lawson; Sheriff Calhoun & his pie-baking wife Louise & the ever-listening & ever-watching, Miss Mabel Clay. Meet new folk too - like Mr. Morton Campbell, a newspaper man with a very theatrical flair. ~ The Seasons Mail Order Bride series: * Series 1 - Seasons * Book One - Charlotte's Summer Book Two - Falling for Beth Book Three - Alice in Winterland Book Four - Spring Belle * Series 2 - Seasons Sons & Daughters * Book One - Madeline's Match Book Two - Hannah's Hope Book Three - Sarah's Choice Book Four - Stella's Fella