Book picks similar to
Hearts of the West by Leah Atwood


mail-order-brides
christian-romance
romance
historical

Year of Jubilee


Peggy Trotter - 2015
    The wilds of Gibson County are just being tamed in the year of 1850, and Jubilee ekes a meager existence. But when Rafe Tanner, a cousin of her abusive dead husband, shows up with the deed to her property, Jubilee’s dream of her own home dissolves. Rafe, stinging from his ex-fiancée’s rejection, offers a business marriage, throwing him and Jubilee together in an effort to make the farm successful. But scars from the past keep her in constant fear of her new husband. The pair masquerades as a love-struck couple at Rafe’s family farm, enduring the romantic notions of his family, and the jealousy of his ex-fiancée. Once home, Rafe realizes his newfound love for Jubilee, and sets out to court her. Meanwhile, Jubilee fights demons from her past as her husband reveals his interest. Can Jubilee let go of her distrust and pain to embrace God’s plan of true love and finally find a place to belong?

Josephine


Caroline Clemmons - 2015
    When the opportunity arises via a newspaper ad, she and her best friend slip away from their oppressive fathers and head for Richmond. Neither can relax until they’re far away from their tiny hometown. With wealthy young widow Lydia Harrison’s help, Josephine and six other young women have a new life waiting in Tarnation, Texas. Michael Buchanan is fairly content running his mercantile and being mayor of Tarnation. The town is dusty and tiny, but it’s growing. He believes it holds all he needs to be happy—except a wife. There are no available women in town, but he hopes Lydia Harrison’s Bride Brigade will offer a woman he can wed. He is immediately attracted to Josephine. But Josephine has every reason to mistrust men in general and politicians in particular. Will her misgivings ruin her chance at happiness?

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

Bride of Pretense


Cami Wesley - 2015
    or the hapless Adelaide Delaney!While on a trip to meet her fiance in an arranged marriage, Adelaide Delaney meets Charlotte, a mail order bride who is on her way to marry a rancher. When their bags, along with their train tickets, are accidentally switched, Addie impulsively takes Charlotte's place. Simply wanting to avoid the marriage her father has arranged, Addie never imagines the difficulties of being a rancher's wife, leaving a trail of hilarious catastrophes in her wake. Will there be any truth beneath the pretense? Or will Addie decide that she is a poor substitute for Josh Harding's bride?

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.

Kissed by a Cowboy / Out of the Flames (Hometown Romance)


Lacy Williams - 2015
    She thinks she’s ready for this homecoming. She’s spent years escaping her perpetual shyness and being Katie Michaels’ tag-along friend, but being back in her hometown brings back a lot of old memories, especially when she is faced with the cowboy she never forgot—Katie’s older brother, Maddox. Twelve years ago, Maddox Michaels was supposed to be somebody. He had everything. A football scholarship. A Division I team scouting him. Maybe even a chance at the pros. Now, he’s a burned-out cowboy working day and night to stay ahead of his brother’s medical bills and keep their family farm from going bankrupt. And trying to be a father-figure for his niece, Olivia. When Haley and Olivia start spending time together, Maddox can’t help remembering those dreams that died alongside his sister. Will being with Haley open his heart to new dreams? USA Today bestselling author Cheryl Wyatt introduces a new series, Haven Bay Heroes, with this contemporary romance novella: Coast Guard fire chief Scotty Cohen learned his lesson when one careless moment on the job cost his best friend his life. So he heads for Haven Bay, Florida, ready to start again. And this time? No distractions allowed. Enter conservationist Lilah McLaughlin—that woman is one major distraction. How is he supposed to ignore her when the marine wildlife rescue center is right next door to the Coast Guard facility—and when she proceeds to break down every wall he’s put up? Then the unthinkable happens, and Scotty must decide: give up Lilah or give up his calling. Whatever choice he makes means he’ll get burned all over again…

Whispers of Love


Kimberly Rae JordanLesley Ann McDaniel - 2016
    She hates that he represents a major change in her family’s business, but finds herself intrigued by him, too. Will Makayla be able to see that change can be a good thing, professionally and personally? Or will Ethan be back to square one—in need of a job in a new city?Not This Time by Leah AtwoodAmie Reynolds wakes up on her wedding morning to find a note from her fiancé that he left the country. Needing to escape her heartache, she visits her great-aunt’s lake house for the summer and meets Drew Sullivan. Romance between them blooms, but will Drew’s secret tear them apart?Homestands by Sally BradleyA pro athlete stumbles across his ex-wife, the son she hid from him, and the rare opportunity to right his wrongs, but a secret from the past threatens their attempts to repair their shattered relationship.Secrets of Sunbeams by Valerie ComerOne animal control officer with her own escapee goat. One solar architect whose report has been eaten. Can romance and urban farming blossom on the same city block?Overture and a Prince by Christina CoryellShe’s an actress who can’t seem to get out of character. He’s a mechanic who puts little stock in imagination. Will their love story make it to the opening curtain?Gentle Like the Rain by JoAnn DurginIsabella Caccavale’s stable life plunges into a tailspin after she buys her aunt's general store in Evergreen, Maine. When “runaway” lawyer Sidney Prescott roars into town, he jump-starts her wounded heart. Will Sidney find what he seeks in quaint little Evergreen or will he take Isabella’s heart with him when he returns to Boston?Teapots & Tiaras by Autumn MacarthurWhen their best friends’ wedding in London pushes medical missionary Matthew Coalbrooke and bubbly shoe-aholic kitchenware saleswoman Anita Kiernan together, it’s dislike at first sight. But God has a bigger plan for them than they can possibly imagine.Oceans Apart by Lesley Ann McDanielThis is the Inn at Crescent Cove's biggest weekend since Lily Duarte bought it last year—a wedding. Now if only she can stop dwelling on the last wedding she planned then called off at the eleventh hour…her own. When an employee quits and handsome best man Matthew Case steps in to help, Lily’s thoughts of what might have been start to fade away.The Lifeguard, the Abandoned Heiress, and Frozen Custard by Carol MoncadoAdam Wilkerson is looking forward to a summer of fun working at the Serenity Landing Aquatic Center. Gwendolyn Cranston-Schmidt is looking for a fresh start. Can they see past both of their secrets to find their way to a real relationship?Flight 259 by Staci StallingsIt was only a chance occurrence. When Jenna Davis happens to sit next to Dr. Scott Browning and his young son on the plane to Newark, she has no idea how that one chance decision will change all of their lives forever.Smile for Me by Jan ThompsonA workaholic assistant principal who meticulously plans his schedule months in advance meets an easygoing potter and art teacher with no sense of time, living her life as the seasons come and go. Crossing paths again at the Summer-by-the-Sea Day Camp sponsored by his church in the Bahamas, how can they work together if they cannot see eye to eye?The Other You by Marion UeckermannFive years spent searching for her identity brings photojournalist Taylor Cassidy no closer to the truth. When Taylor is sent to South Africa to uncover the story behind winegrower Armand DeBois’s flagship wine, Aimee Amour, their meeting raises questions that demand answers—for them both.

That First Montana Year


Donna L. Scofield - 2015
    But she's a minister’s daughter and pregnant. To save embarrassment for the families, and hoping a fresh start will help them become the sweethearts they were before, B’Anne agrees to leave everyone and everything she knows and go with Will to the Montana Territory. They hope Will's uncle Hiram, whom he has never met, will guide them in their homesteading. Uncle Hiram welcomes Will, but treats B’Anne coolly until he realizes she isn’t a “frills and furbelows” girl. Although Will seems to care for B’Anne, she loses her confidence when she discovers a letter from Will's former sweetheart. Will's secrecy threatens to build a wall between them. Spring arrives, and with it the promise of renewal. But is B’Anne's hope for a fresh start enough to sustain the young couple through the years of hard living under that big Montana sky?

Rocky Mountain Redemption


Lisa J. Flickinger - 2020
    If only she could out run the lingering nightmares.Charles Bailey, camp foreman and Stony Creek's itinerant pastor, develops a reputation to match his new nickname — Preach. However, an inner battle ensues when the details of his rough history threaten to overcome the beliefs of his young faith.Amid the hazards of camp life, the unlikely friendship growing between the two surprises Isabelle. She's drawn to Preach's brute strength and gentle nature as he leads the ragtag crew toiling for Pollitt's Lumber. But when the ghosts from her past return to haunt her, the choices she will make change the course of her life forever—and that of the man she's come to love.

To Claim Her Heart


Jodie Wolfe - 2018
    Finding property and preaching to the lost are his only ways of honoring his deceased fiancée. He hasn't counted on Elmer (Elsie) Smith claiming the same plot and refusing to leave. Not only is she a burr in his side, but she is full of the homesteading know-how he is sadly lacking. Obtaining a claim in the Cherokee Strip Land Run is Elsie Smith's only hope for survival, and not just any plot, she has a specific one in mind. The land's not only a way to honor her pa and his life, but also to provide a livelihood for herself. She's willing to put in whatever it takes to get that piece of property, and Elsie's determined to keep it. Her bitterness is what protects her, and she has no intentions of allowing that preacher to lay claim to her land . . . or her heart. Written for the General Market (G) (I): Contains little or no; sexual dialogue or situations, violence, or strong language. May also contain some content of an inspirational/religious nature. Similar novels in this genre may be categorized as: historical romance, inspirational historical romance, christian romance, and wholesome historical romance.

Luke's Montana Bride


Maya Stirling - 2015
    The Brothers of Montana series. Three brothers and their search for love Montana 1887A friendship that could turn to loveGrowing up in the small town of Montana Falls, Amber Scott and Luke Dunbar had always been friends, even if sometimes it had seemed like they were enemies . Then Amber left to become a nurse, and Luke believed he'd lost her forever. Now that she's back in Montana Falls, both Luke and Amber discover they need each other like never before. Handsome lawman Luke Dunbar knows that reunions don't always go smoothly. Especially if the woman he believes to be his one and only love is determined to resist his every attempt to show her just how much she means to him.Can Luke seize his second chance at love, and can Amber overcome the barriers to finding a happy ever after with a friend who is now so close to becoming the love of her life?Each novel in the series is a complete standalone story with a happy ending and no cliffhangers.

Mail Order Abigail


Charlotte Dearing - 2020
     Next, she’s duped into boarding a Texas-bound ship. When she arrives in Texas, she discovers Mr. Walker has been hoodwinked, as well. The tall, handsome rancher is furious when he discovers the deception, and vows to send Abigail home as soon as the next ship sets sail. Abigail is certain that she doesn’t belong in Texas. Boston has always been home. But as the weeks pass, Mr. Walker’s anger softens. He makes a startling confession – he’s read her letters a hundred times, or more. His lingering gaze, his gentle banter and slow tender smile play upon her heart. She resists the gruff cowboy’s charms. Barely. But how can she not love his nephew, an orphaned infant? As the day of departure looms, the small, motherless baby might unravel the last of her fragile defenses. Abigail dares to hope… that home is where the heart is.

Grace be a Lady


Heather Blanton - 2015
    Think like a lady. Act like a man. Banished to the dusty cow town of Misery, Wyoming for an alleged affair, Grace Hendrick is facing the hardest decisions of her life. If she tries to return to Chicago, her husband promises to whisk their four-year-old son off to a boarding school and Grace will never see him again. She has no choice but to play along, at least temporarily. But in order to survive--and to save her son--she needs money. Misery, however, isn't brimming over with jobs for respectable women. Stubborn and proud, Grace refuses to consider prostitution. Since she'd rather die than give her husband that kind of victory, she forges an audacious plan. If she has to live in a man's world, she'll live as a man. Thad Walker is the middle son of the oldest, most successful cattle baron in Wyoming and he always puts ranch work first. One chance meeting with Grace Hendrick, though, batters his resolve like a hail storm in July. When Grace's brother Greg Henderson gets hired by a local widow lady, Thad figures the kid is the straightest path to Grace's heart. Friendship and love blossom, but so do the lies. Eventually, deceit catches fire and threatens everything Grace and Thad hold dear. Set against the backdrop of the Johnson County War, 1891 Wyoming will prove more explosive than the mean streets of Chicago.

Mail Order Bride : Savannah's Cowboy (Westward Wanted)


Crystal Anne Tilden - 2014
    This big step seems her best chance to find a husband. After all she is twenty-four and a schoolmarm on the fast track to spinsterhood. Wearing her best hat and her bravest face, she steps off the train expecting to find a respectable marriageable man waiting for her. Specifically she expects to be met by “a fine-looking bachelor rancher of twenty-six years of age in need of a cheerful, sturdy and well-mannered wife.” Instead she is met by a rangy looking cowhand who is fifty years old if he is a day. When she refuses to marry him and rebukes him for misrepresenting himself he tries to force her to go with him. A handsome cowboy strides over and confronts the lying creep who lured her out West. He is every inch her idea of the perfect cowboy, strong and handsome, confident and heroic. After he runs off the lout, she thanks him. She remembers him from the train. The moment he boarded she noticed his striking gray eyes and his charismatic way. Unfortunately since a woman and three small children were with him she took him for a married man. But he isn’t. He is looking after his widowed sister and little nephews. Good news. Savannah, resigns to wait a week for the Georgia bound train to come, but soon learns the school teacher is seriously ill and volunteers to substitute for as long as she is needed, even though it will delay her departure. As sickness spreads through town and her relationship with the cowboy becomes more complicated, it becomes unclear whether she will find love in Dovetail or return home content to be a spinster schoolmarm. Also by Crystal Anne Tilden The Best Selling Christian Western Romance, Mail Order Bride: Carrie and the Cowboy

No Place for a Lady


Maggie Brendan - 2009
    After the death of her father, Crystal is relieved to be leaving the troubles of her Georgia life behind to visit her aunt's cattle ranch. Despite being raised as a proper Southern belle, Crystal is determined to hold her own in this wild land—even if a certain handsome foreman named Luke doubts her abilities.Just when she thinks she's getting a handle on the constant male attention from the cowhands and the catty barbs from some of the local young women, tragedy strikes. And saving the ranch from a greedy neighboring landowner means Crystal must take charge of a cattle drive, ready or not. Can she rise to the challenge? Or will she head back to Georgia defeated?