I gave this book a good go but I couldn't get into it and gave up around a quarter way through. Therefore, I will not be reviewing this title. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

I loved revisiting Wallin Landing. Now that all the older brothers are married and the younger siblings are grown, Beth has decided to play matchmaker for her brother, John. She begins corresponding with a mail-order bride on John's behalf--without his knowledge.

But when Dottie Tyrrell arrives things don't go as well as Beth had planned. Dottie is determined to make a better life for herself and her young son, away from the city.

John wants to help Dottie, even though he doesn't want to marry her, or anyone else for that matter. He's been burned in the past, and doesn't want to think about marriage again. But he offers her a place to stay, and he moves back in with his family.

I like how John instantly takes to Peter, he enjoys holding him stories. As John and Dottie get to know each other, they find that they have more in common than he thought, they share a passion for books and literature.

I've always liked John, he is a peacemaker, and has always been more quiet, but he knows how to tell a captivating story. I love how Dottie comes to love his quiet strength, listening ear, and gentle way with her son.

This is a great read from beginning to end, I really liked John and how he is able to quietly stand out, and is comfortable in the man that he is. Dottie and John bring out the best in each other. This was a well written book with great characters and a fast moving plot. Definitely recommend!


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What a delightful, refreshingly genuine, and endearing story! Last night I was just going to start the book and finish it today, but I was so engaged in the twists of the plot and the destinies of the characters I could not put it down until I reached the very satisfying ending of the tale.
The story is well balanced and the plot is built cleverly. It has the perfect portion of drama and trouble, joy and sweetness, faith in God and growth as a character. All the elements are well embedded into the romance, suspense, and the everyday life at the frontier, engaging the mind of the reader, and welcoming to join the scenes.
John Wallin is such a good, lovable man. He is humble, kind, helpful, generous, protective, great with kids, adults, and pets. His doubts of his own worth and input to the society showed his unpretentious nature and made me love and appreciate him even more. He is both alpha and beta, and the perfect mate to Dottie Tyrrell. I loved his relationship with the Lord. John's faith is a natural part of him, and his conversations in prayer with God are artless and sincere.
Dottie's life is currently driven by the motivation to keep her son safe, and herself away from her baby's father. The fear, shame, worrying and suppressing her life, emotions, and future goals and needs are all temporary. Underneath it all is a kindhearted, capable, and lonely woman, wishing for a connection and circle of friends, even family, to belong to.
The connection between John and Dottie is adorable and tangible. The danger intensifying around them increase the depth of the emotions growing between them, yet the feelings are true and real and hold the test of the drama and trouble surrounding Dottie's past.
A charming, genuine, earnest tale that captivated my mind and won over my heart.
~ Four Spoon with a teaspoon on the side

Seattle Washington Territory - 1874

Dottie Tyrrell, age 23, a widow, accompanied by her infant son, Peter, has traveled from Cincinnati to be a mail order bride. Dottie’s marriage to Frank Reynolds had been unhappy but when she discovers that he is already married to another woman, she chooses to flee.

John Wallin, age 28, owns land in Wallin Landing not far from Seattle. Dottie has been communicating via letter with John’s sister, Beth. However, John does not know this until Beth introduces them telling John that Dottie is to be his mail order bride. But John is adamant that he does not want a wife and Dottie is equally adamant that she will not leave without a husband.

But John is a good man and kindly offers for Dottie and Peter to live in his house by themselves and the entire Wallin Landing family and community embraces and welcomes them. John is very nice to Dottie and their friendship soon grows. Can their friendship become love before Dottie’s past comes back to haunt her?

This is a pleasant, clean romance. I found a lot of the story to be rather predictable and simply “vanilla." I am sure there will be other readers who will love it.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is book six in the Frontier Bachelors series. This is a stand alone book, however you will miss some history of the background characters. I have only read one other book in this series and had no problem keeping up with this book, but now I want to go start at the beginning and fall in love with all the characters in this book, especially the Wallin family.

John Wallin is such a humble, hard working man, yet he does not feel like he is husband material. So when his sister surprises him with a mail order bride he is not sure what to do with her.

Dottie Tyrrel has nowhere to go, she will do whatever it takes to protect her baby, even if it is marriage with no love. She is afraid to come clean with the Wallin family, especially John, because she does not feel she will measure up to them. When she comes face to face with her past will she be able to trust John enough with her secret and maybe her heart too?

I love a good story about a mail-order bride! This one is set in Seattle and the surrounding country that was being settled. I loved the location since I took a historical tour the last time I visited Seattle and it was fascinating. Dottie is in a hard spot because she needs employment to support herself and her son, but taking care of her son prevents her from being able to find a job. I feel like this is a situation many single moms still face these days. John is perfect husband material, but his insecurities slowly come to light as he and Dottie get to know each other. Their slow-growing romance is sweet and I loved how their friendship had time to develop, as well as trust and loyalty. It was fun to have the members of John's family from the previous books in the series as the supporting cast, and I hope his sister Beth's story will be next!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

Mail-Order Marriage Promise

Frontier Bachelors - Book 6

Love Inspired Historical


By Regina Scott

September 2017

Inspirational Historical Western Romance



Dottie Tyrrell had been betrayed by a man and was left alone to raise her son. Desperate for a new life far away, she had responded to an advertisement for a mail-order bride. Over the course of several months, she had corresponded with Beth Wallin about her brother John. Dottie hadn't corresponded directly with John, and was a bit hesitant to trust another man. But she hadn't been completely forthcoming either, as she had never mentioned her baby Peter. And she never intended to tell the truth about his father. Then John arrived for their meeting, and she learned that Beth had failed to inform him that she had ordered him a bride.

John couldn't believe what Beth had done. Not only was a woman alone in an unfamiliar place, but she now had no support system. He understood Beth only wished for him to be happy, but he knew he wasn't the type of man a woman wanted as a husband. He would step up and help Dottie until she either found herself a husband, or was able to settle somewhere where she was able to earn a living. The easiest solution for this was to bring her out to Wallin Landing where she could see if there was any work she could do, and meet some of the bachelors, none of whom John thought matched Dottie. He enjoyed spending time with her and Peter, and could easily envision a future with her. John just couldn't imagine that Dottie would ever be happy with him.

Mail-Order Marriage Promise was a lovely romance of healing, love, family and faith. Both John and Dottie have pasts that are jeopardizing a future together, and I loved watching as they reached out to one another to find happiness. Of course, this is Wallin Landing, and it isn't only Beth playing at matchmaker. I have enjoyed this series, and look forward to the next story.







Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

What a wonderful addition to the series. You can read it as a standalone or even as a part of the whole. This title absolutely warmed my heart. I loved the characters the setting and the writing. You can sit and relax and just enjoy as this story unfolds. I was captivated to think about how such things actually happened being a mail order bride and being so brave as to go to someone you do not know and make a life with them! Even now I must say this book will stay with me for a long time as it was written with heart and life and passion. I was given this book in return for an honest review. Anna Swedenmom

I have read all of the other books in this series and have enjoyed following along with the Wallin family! This story was mostly a great addition to the series. I really fell in love with John's strong and steady character. I appreciated his struggle between being a peacemaker and not being a fighter. I felt less love for Dottie. She criticized John for a lot of things (both in her thoughts and speech) while all along she had deliberately misrepresented herself--by not being honest about having a child to begin with. I didn't like her character much.

Overall this story was a great addition to the series because I liked John's character, and getting to read more about the family in general. There were many hints in the book about the possibility of a story for Beth and perhaps the deputy and that has a lot of promise. I also look forward to reading more about Levi, the new minister.

What is Harlequin going to do with their authors from the Love Inspired Historical line now that it has been disbanded? Well-established Western authors like Regina Scott write reliable, easy reads, but I don’t see them being merged with the regular Harlequin Historical line; the books are too different in style and tone.
I’ve been reading most books Scott has put out for a while now, and am vaguely familiar with the little world she has created for this Frontier Bachelors series. Set in a very young Seattle in 1874, my favourite thing about Mail-Order Marriage Promise was the quieter, more intellectual hero from a family of “manly men”. His feelings of inadequacy because he liked quiet nights with his books and his cat immediately made him a likeable man.
I thought it was quite a risk for this *Christian* line to make the heroine an unwed mother (her supposed husband turned out to be a bigamist). It’s entertaining when something like that manages to slip through the cracks of this heavily-censored Harlequin line!
Despite the Christianity, this was another book where I didn’t feel the religion intruded on the story, which is *excellent* for me, but I know some evangelical sorts prefer the preaching.
I’m not a big fan of the hero having to compete with other men for the heroine. Those scenes made me a little uncomfortable, but that’s just me.
One thing: there were three characters who were always together, and always mentioned together: Tom, Dickie and Harry. Was this a joke, or is “every Tom, Dick and Harry” not a term that’s used widely in America?
This was a solid entry to a book line I really am going to miss. These books won’t change the world, but they’re just what I want between heavier reads.