Brides of Montana is a great 3-book series by Kelly Eileen Hake, easy to read novellas. Three young women from three different generations face hardships and obstacles in their path to love in Montana. Each story can be read alone, but all of them are tied to a small town and a generational family that began with the first story. Good Christian read by a great author..... I received a copy of this book from the Publisher and Netgalley; all the opinions expressed in this review are all my own.

Brides of Montana is a great 3-book series by Kelly Eileen Hake, which I find a great author. I enjoyed all 3 stories. It’s funny that I found myself frustrated with the characters of the first story the most. With the miscommunication going on in that one… Ugh! I found myself wanting to yell at them to speak up so they understood each other better. I loved how Kelly painted the Montana scenery and I could see it in my mind. Such brave ones to be some of the first to go and develop a new land for them and their families to live on for the long haul.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Brides of Montana
A Time to Plant
This book started out slow for me, the first story was not my favourite out of the three but it lay the foundation for the rest of the stories, most probably because the thrill of the chase wasn’t there, they were already engaged.
A Time To Keep
I thoroughly enjoyed the second story which followed Rosalind who had arrived as a baby with her mother, grandparents, Delana, her mother and her brother to meet Dustin, Jakob and Rosalind’s father Arthur. The babies born in the previous book were all grown up and it was interesting to see where the characters of the previous story were. I loved Rosalind’s relationships : with her father, her brother, Marlene her best friend and of course with Ewan. The ending was bittersweet but definitely worth the read.
A Time to Laugh
The final story was my favourite in this book. It follows Vanessa ‘Nessa’ Galbraith, Rosalind and Ewan’s daughter, and Isaac Friemont, Dustin and Delana’s miracle baby who came 20 years after his sister Marlene. Marlene’s Daughter Julia is also present as Nessa’s best friend… just as their mothers relationship. I was most amused that Isaac was only slightly older than his niece and she was practically his friend. Nessa’s relationship with her father was similar to her mother’s relationship with her grandfather and it was so heart warming. It was really interesting to how the women’s point of view differed from the men. A lovely story.
The book was wrapped up quite nicely with all the main characters from the previous stories all together. I have thoroughly enjoyed Kelly Eileen Hake’s stories overtime and this book was no disappointment.
Thanks to Netgalley and Barbour Publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

Brides of Montana fantastic, you read one and think the other can't be better or as good and-ehhh-you're wrong-they are. The stories are scintillating, tantalizing and enjoyable on so many levels, abounding in faith in our LORD JESUS CHRIST-which by the way is the most important thing to me and mine. These were all written by one author which makes it fun. The first story was about Delana when she and her mom lost her dad and brother in the war went to meet her fiance who was making the way clear to build the house for the two of them, but he didn't get the letter she sent him to let him know they were on their way and........ Nah you will have to read the book to find out. The second story is about Rosalind, she is the Friemonts daughter the first stories children that have all grown up and she is to be set up with the Delana and Dustin's son. Are they in love with each other though? Ewan comes in with the railroad-does he throw a monkey wrench into the mix? How does he help Rosalind in any way? In The Last Story it is about the prior stories to Children named Isaac and the daughter of Dustin and Alana Vanessa, who are expected to get together. There comes along a new man to town then the ties That bound are tested. Will the ties That bound break? Or will it stand another person getting in the way.

Three stories about family and friends and life in the 1860-1920 Montana. The life of a settler is hard as Dustin, Jakob and Author find out when they head to Montana to stake claims. Making little head way they are given a surprise by the arrival of their family and friends about a year later. The first story centers around Dustin and Delana who where engaged before he left and she is Jakob's sister. After the death of her brother Hans and her father shortly after, Delana keeps the promise made to her father to sell their store buy supplies and head for Montana. Between a letter gone awry and another not written the 3 men have know idea that the rest of their family is coming until they show up. Dustin is thrown for a loop because he didn't have the year to build the house and make it perfect for his wife to be. So it takes a little getting used to the fact they've arrived ahead of schedule and his bride to be and he need to get reacquainted causes some misunderstandings and tension. While god helps them through it all. The next generation of Montana Bride is the baby girl Rosalind who arrives with her mother and the rest of the group in the first story is all grown. Her family and the Friemonts want a match between her and the son that Delana and Dustin had. Rosalind and Brent have grown up together and have known each other all their lives. Brent is in love with her but she isn't in love with him. When the railroad comes to town and Ewan comes to set up the forge the railroad uses he meets Rosalind and her family. They are attracted to each other but Rosalind heeds the advice of her parents and proceeds with caution. Brent tries to claim her but she put him in his place. Ewan decides to stay the winter in Saddleback which is the name of the town that the homesteads have morphed into so that he can spend more time with Rosalind. She has a younger brother with breathing problems and when he becomes sick it's up to her and Ewan to try to save him all the while getting closer. The last book in the trilogy centers around Issac and Vanessa who are the children of Rosalind and Ewan and Dustin and Delana. Again the two have known each other all their lives and are expected to bring the 2 families together like the parents are hoping. When Issac proposes and Nessa turns him down their relationship is tested by a new family who moves to town. When the son and daughter take a interest in Vanessa and Issac that complicates their feelings for each and their relationship. On a trip to Yellowstone National Park with the brother and sister and the best friends of Issac and Nessa and Nessa's grandmam the situation comes to a boiling point where a lie ends up bringing out the truth. If you like Historical Christian Fiction with a heavy emphasis on relating to god and quoting of scriptures then I would recommend this 3 in 1 book. Montana Brides is a Trilogy of family love and the love of god and how he helps the characters see and learn from their mistakes so that all comes out as he has intended. Personally, I like a Christian/Inspirational book but when the book has a lot of god's scriptures even though they go along with the story I seem to get bored with it.

This is a great book for those who are unfamiliar with the genre of Christian fiction. Readers who enjoy prairie fiction will love this. Also, a small toe in the water is all one needs to be hooked on these authors.

A beautiful historical romance taking place over 3 generations of a family. This was a wonderful book written with a sense of humor yet not rude. A beautiful Christian romance written by the daughter of Cathy Marie Hake, a wonderful author in her own write. They both write Godly Christian fiction and do it way entertaining us while getting a Christian message across.
Pub Date 01 Oct 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing, Inc. for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a three in one novel.

-A Time to Plant - Delaha is excited to finally being reconnected to her fiancé, Dustin. But will it be the reunion she is expecting? There were many times in this novella that I wanted to shake some since in Dustin. You can really see the difference in men and women and how they think and express their love.

-A Time to Keep - This novella is a continuation of a Time to Plant, just years later and still a stand a lone book. Rosalind loves her town and family but also loves adventure. When she finds out the train is coming to town will it become a prison to her or maybe bring all the adventure she can imagine. Ewan never imagined finding a place to settle and a loving family to do it with. Yet will he find the strength to stay and support the family or is it best to leave?

-A Time to Laugh- This stand a lone novella is part of the Montana Brides series. Nessa is a fun loving, independent girl who has always only wanted the love of her childhood friend, Isaac. Between some twist and turns and some misunderstanding will Nessa ever get her desire or does God have someone else in mind for her?

I love it when a series is all together in one book. Learning about generations of families is fun, watching them grow and struggle and find happiness is always fun too.

Three stories in one, I particularly loved the fact it followed the generations down! I enjoy reading old western style stories and these were wonderful. I loved the range of characters from courageous God fearing women to their stubborn husbands, I felt the range was nicely balanced.

Brides of Montana had three stories about two of the founding families in that area, the first story gives background for the next two stories. We see Dustin Friemont has gone ahead to Montana and prepare a home for his fiance, Delana. After her brother and father die, Delana prepares to move from the East to Montana, and sends Dustin a letter but he never receives it and is totally unprepared for her arrival.

I love that Delana has tried to prepare for their home and items that they might need, she arrives with materials and animals that come in pretty handy when she finds that there is no home for any of them! Both Dustin and Delana struggle as they want to please the other but with a lack of communication, all they do is feel frustrated and disappointed.

The next story is years later as the baby of the first book, Rosalind is now a young lady looking for love. Everyone is pushing her towards Delana and Dustin's son, Brent but she feels more brotherly love toward him. When the railroad comes to town with additional men, I expected disaster but was pleasantly surprised that Rosie found Ewan and Marlene found Johnny.

The last story is another generation of the families finding love as they continue to put their faith in God. Rosalind and Ewan's daughter, Nessa has always loved Isaac Friemont, surprise late baby for Delana and Dustin. Isaac just goes along with what is expected and proposes to Nessa which is a disaster and doesn't even realize how much he has hurt her by his careless proposal. This was a harder story for me to read as Nessa wondered if she should move on as she wanted a marriage based on love not obligation.

The stories were good clean reading and fun to read about the pioneers that helped settle the area. All I can say is that I am so glad that I did not have to work that hard!!

Brides of Montana is stories of three generations of brides beginning with early settlers in Montana. The Allbright, McLean and Freimont families are close friends and their children end up strengthening the relationships. The families face many difficulties during the 1800s but their faith in God sees them through. My favorite was the second story with Irish immigrant, Ewan, Gailbraith. If you enjoy historical fiction, you will enjoy brides of Montana. I received my complimentary e-book through NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

Good old fashioned western love stories filled with Godly principles and characters who love Him...

Three stories in one are the kind of books that introduce you to wonderful authors,,, when they also center around a state where you happen to live for a time, that makes it all the more fun. I thoroughly enjoyed these adventures. From the brave women who set out to find their husbands in the brutal Montana terrain to the stubborn men who want what is best for their woman, these stories will remind you of God's wisdom as well as His abundant ability to keep us in all things.

Brides of Montana by Kelly Eileen Hake is a wonderful three in one novel- A Time to Plant, A Time to Keep, and A Time to Laugh. It begins with the first generation and then the following two books continue the next generations so it all follows as one story rather than three unrelated stories.
The book begins in 1865 when Dustin Friemont, Jakob Albright and Arthur Maclean have gone on to Montana to set up their households and prepare for their future wives and family to arrive. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the fiancés need to leave sooner and since the mail service is not great they arrive before the letters they have sent. The party has grown larger than expected and will arrive with Delana Albright (fiancé of Dustin), Kaitlyn Albright (wife of Arthur), Delana’s mother, brother, their cook and stable master as well as Kaitlyn’s parents. The men are quite surprised as they are not prepared but everyone makes the best of the situation.
I enjoyed this book immensely. It is well-written and the characters are well-developed so that you feel you really know them. The stories each continue the first one and build on what has happened before. Book 2 is focused on the children and in book 3 we meet the grandchildren of the original brides. There are ups and downs and conflicts in each story and they are nicely resolved by the end when the characters rely on God and not their own understandings. I rate this book 5 of 5 stars and recommend it for everyone who loves historical Christian novels.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Brides of Montana is a very well written collection. I enjoyed each selection and the fact that they are all connected by the same family. Loved the Montana setting. A new author to me an she has a good style of writing. I anticipate reading more of her work.

I enjoy reading 'Brides Books.' And this one was beautifully written. Ms Hake is a wonderful storyteller...this book captured my attention for the first page. I have shared it w/ all of my reading friends. Thank you for the opportunity to read...and share it.

Cathy Marie Hake is an author with a significant humorous streak to her writing. I have loved her stuff for many years. Kelly Eileen Hake is Cathy Marie's daughter and writes in the same genre and for a long time, I felt she needed to grow to be as good as her mother. With the three novellas in the collection, Brides of Montana, Kelly has grown up. These are the best offerings she has produced.

Using the passage from Ecclesiastes 3, she uses a single theme for each novella, and each novella covers a generation of a group of families who all moved to Montana together. Taking place in the years 1864, 1886, and 1916, the families all face different challenges that make the stories come together. The repetition of characters throughout the novels allows for significant development.

Delana and Dustin move through misunderstandings before they get their act together. Rosalinnd wants adventure and the coming of the railroad brings the opportunities for those adventures. Nessa and Isaac have been paired together by their families ever since they were born. It takes a new family coming to town to show them what true love is.

This is a five-star book, two thumbs up, and a homestead in Montana.

My thanks to Barbour books for allowing me to read and review this book.

A sweet, charming, Wild West story spanning 4 generations of pioneers in Montana.

This book was like cuddling up under a blanket in the dead of winter to watch Hallmark channel movies about the West. In fact, the Hallmark Movies (and the books that inspired them) of the Love Comes Softly series entered my mind often while I was reading.

The family was sweet to follow, and their adoration for God and continual prayers is something I aspire to also do. I live in Wyoming where it is traditional and mostly Christian, so this series following generations that live a harsh life with dedication to God and the ability to stay in one area hits close to home.We have cars (promise). We have indoor plumbing, A/C, central heat, and Walmart. But the land is harsh. Winds continually get to 80 mph, the winter is bitter cold (think -20*) and long, and the summer is blistering (100*)--though our summers are not as difficult as the dessert state's. Welcome to the West. And it made it easy to picture the exact setting of a little frontier town in Montana.

It isn't for everyone, but it is clean and sweet. It has very little action because it is just about life as a pioneer woman. And it is incredibly predictable. But sometimes we all need a break from the hustle and bustle and this 3-in-1 provides the sanctuary to take a breath.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kelly Eileen Hake, and Barbour Publishing, Inc. for the free ARC--advanced reader's copy--in exchange for an honest review.

Brides of Montan is a 3-in-1 Historical Romance Collection is a fun read by Kelly Eileen Hake. The book includes the following stories:
A Time to Plant
A Time to Keep
A Time to Laugh
I liked all of three of them, especially A Time to Laugh. A true delight!
Recommended
4 stars.