a must read the loved it, the author does a great job will read more from the the author.

loved this book. makes me want to read the rest of the series.

This is the last book from the author's Mail Order Bride series, (which are just the beginnings of the Bitter Creek books), about the Wentworth orphans, unless there will also be books about the two boys. This is Josie's story. Ridiculous coincidences abound in these books, but it is fiction.

The last we saw of Josie, she had been kidnapped by Sioux warrior. This book begins in the Sioux village where the Duke of Blackthorne and his best friend and soon to be brother-in-law, the Earl of Seaton, find her tied to a pole, half naked and being horrible beaten by the Sioux warrior. Blackthorne rescues her, but instead of taking her to a doctor he decides to schlepp her back to England with him, so she can "get the best help possible". Her wounds are so severe that in real life, if she didn't die from them, the voyage on the ship would have killed, but this is fiction. When they get to England, she is still very ill, but he is bound to be married, so he asks Seaton, to find her the best care and then send her back to America. But Seaton did not do that, instead after she had recovered, she is sent to isolated castle owned by Blackthorne, where she is put to work as a maid. Also incarcerated there are Blackthorne's two nephews, who remind her of her own to brothers and whom she grows to love. The Pinkerton's finally find her and she plans her revenge on Blackthorne, only as these things usually happen things are as they appear.

If you ignore the silliness above, this is a nice addition to the saga of the Wentworth children. I received an ARC from netgalley.com.

Out of A Bitter Creek series, I missed only one book. But Blackthorne’s Bride is right up there with her early works. Josie reminded me of Sloan, Bayleigh and Creighton (Joan Johnston’s Sisters of the Lone Star Series) Josie was just as strong and determined just like those women. Strong in that he takes a strong person to overcome be almost bitten to death. And later finding yourself kidnapped and held against your will.

Of course, behind a strong female character must be a strong male character. And Marcus Wharton fit that bill. Marcus had his own issues. Getting over the death of his wife and child. And, caring the responsibility of taking care of twin sisters and the estate that was left to him by the death of his father the Duke of Wharton. To do that he must find an heiress, but Marcus isn’t ready to take on another bride so soon.

Blackthorne’s Bride illustrated that you can overcome just about anything if one sets their mind to it.

This is the fourth mail order bride of the Wentworth sisters. It has been well worth the wait. I would rather an author take her time and write a great book than rush through a story and write a so-so book. As has been written in other reviews, it is a stand alone book but I highly recommend you read the other books in the series because they are also great. This is Josie's story. The Duke of Blackthorne finds her tied to a post being whipped. He rescues her and takes her back to England with him. While sailing home he tends to her wounds and scars. Though he marries someone else he never forgets her. When he meets her two years later she knows who he is but he doesn't recognize her. His wife has died and he needs to marry a rich woman to save his estate. Josie has just found out she is very rich and because of things that have happened to her in the last two years she decides to marry the Duke and get her revenge. This story has a lot of surprises in it. Josie finds out the the Duke is really not as bad as she thought he was. Without giving away any of the actual plot away it was fun seeing the sister's reunited. I hope there will be more in this series. Josie did have two brother's that need to find wives. I highly recommend this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Blackthorne's Bride as the culmination ofJoan Johnston's Mail-Order-Brides Series.
As always her characters are fascinating and memorable. Story is well told and leaves you wanting more.
One loses oneself in the plot and characters and keeps wanting more.
Once again Joan Johnston has combined adventure, mystery and above all romance, to show the magic of relationships and that love is worth all the risks.
Well written, well worth reading.
A devoted reader

I couldn't wait to read Josie's story but now that I have it's bittersweet because it's the end the mail-order bride series. Technically this book can be read on it's own but I highly recommend reading all of the series. In fact I'm tempted to go back and reread them just to refresh my memory of what happened to each of the Wentworth girls. Josie has been missing from the family for two years after she was kidnapped by Sioux Indians after their wagon was attacked. Fortunately, Josie was rescued by the Duke of Blackthorne but only after she had been severely whipped. But now she finds herself in England, away from her family, no longer penniless and determined to make the Duke own up to his responsibilities. This was a great historical romance as both Josie and the Duke, Marcus were determined not to love one another. However, Marcus has never forgotten the young woman he rescued years ago, but he doesn't realize that Josie is that woman. Once again Joan Johnston has managed to not only create characters that you cared about but also managed to seamlessly weave their story into the entire Blackthorne / Creed saga that she has been writing for years in both historical and contemporary romances. And as a bonus to this story, there is an update to how each of the Wentworth women are doing with their respective families.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

This is book had me hooked from the first page. I could not put it done and stayed up late to finish it. I love Josie and Marcus. I already can't wait for the next book. No spoilers. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I would have hated to lose the watch, but a life is a life.

Monty sounds like a prince. Not.

Poor Blackthorne has no idea where you've been, honey. You'd think Seaton would have said something.

Who paid for the Pinkerton, by the way?

Where did all these Blackthornes come from? They're everywhere!

Talk about a meet-cute! She's there to save him from money troubles, yet ends up asking him for money! Haha!

Have some prunes, Grandmama.

I know Lark's all starry-eyed, but that was kind of rude. Poor Lindsey should have at least been invited.

Fanny sounds crazy.

His father whipped him for getting locked in a dungeon, but he's the one who took three days to notice his kids were missing.

I've heard of angry sex, but never scared sex.

He took the whole she's-the-one-he's-been-wondering-about thing better than I thought.

Get a little self-confidence, mate.

Um, Lark, why are you horrified that you'll have to marry Seaton when you say you love him and basically stalked him across the country?

Those two women should be shot.

This novel was a good read. The plot was good. The author combines romance, mystery, and some adventure in this story.
Marcus Wharton, the Duke of Blackthorne, saves Josie Wentworth from a Sioux Indian who was whipping her. He gives the Sioux a gold watch and whale bone knife to trade for Josie. He does not know where her family is or if she has any since she was ill and in pain. He brings her to London and takes care of her on the ship from America to London. When Marcus arrives, he asks his friend Seaton to return her to America when she is healthy and he marries Seaton's sister.
Two years later, Josie is still in England. She has written to Marcus but receives no reply. Marcus' nephews are not being cared for properly and Josie promises to get them away from the home. She was sent there as a maid. She is very angry at Marcus and plans to get revenge and to take his nephews to America with her. Josie finds out she is a wealthy woman and her siblings have been looking for her. Marcus needs a wealthy bride to save his estates and his wife died in childbirth. Marcus has always admired the woman he saved from the Indian and wanted to see her again.
Marcus and Josie meet but he does not yet remember her. They marry and Josie puts her plans into action. However, she sees a caring side to Marcus and does not understand why he abandoned his nephews and did not answer her letters. As the story goes, truths are revealed. Nothing is as it seems. Will Josie return to America? Will Marcus ever learn Josie's true identity? Who made sure that Marcus and Josie did not know each other?

Blackthorne's Bride is a wonderfully written novel. The story is interwoven with other books written by Ms. Johnston, but I enjoyed it as a stand-alone novel.

The tale of Josie Wentworth and Marcus Wharton, the Duke of Blackthorne is full of excitement, intrigue, passion and love. Josie is an unusual heroine as she was completely adaptable to whatever situation she found herself in. The transition from serving as a maid to becoming a Duchess is elegantly maneuvered, without any angst involved. From the beginning to the end Josie is most concerned with helping and taking care of others. She is loyal, intelligent and charming. What a perfect heroine.

Marcus is also an ideal hero. He is gentle, considerate and forgiving. Marcus spends quite a bit of time in the dark as to what is happening around him, but once he catches on, he's back on track to being the man Josie deserves.

Ms. Johnston has written a highly entertaining and compelling tale, one I thoroughly enjoyed.

What a lovely and satisfying way to end the "Mail Order Brides "series: "Texas Bride," "Wyoming Bride," and "Montana Bride" Yes, it can be read as a stand alone story, but don't deprive yourself of the others. They are all amazing! It is one of my favorite series. It is packed with steam and romance. This is the eagerly awaited story of Josie, the youngest Wentworth sister, whisked away to England after being rescued from a tribe of renegade Indians by a handsome Duke. I don't want to give too much away so I'll leave it at that. This a must-read for all Joan Johnston fans. I have read everything Ms. Johnston has written. She is the Queen of steam and romance, and never fails to deliver a story that draws the reader in from the very first page. It keeps you enthralled in the story until the end. This is a keeper!