Mail-Order Brides Collection is full of fun stories. I recommend this book to all romance readers. They are worth the read.

From the beautiful cover to the premise of the book, it got me hooked from the start. There are 9 historical romance short stories in this book and each one holds its own unique intrigue. I just love when I’m reading and I can tell that the author, in this case, the authors, are putting their heart into it. This is a historical romance and with it comes wild west adventures. There are hills and valleys, romance, laughing-out-loud moments, and it kept me reading. Check it out.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Mail-Order Brides collection is a nice selection of nine historical novellas that can be read in any order. (Yes, I read them out of order.) I enjoyed all of them.

I loved all the different novellas in this collection. I read a review that said to "skip the first two" I disagree.
I thought Perfect for the Preacher was adorable!
So many twists and turns and surprises throughout.
I highly recommend this book to those that love Mail-Order-Bride stories.

This book was so much fun to read! All mail order brides did not prove to be what either the bride or groom expected. It was interesting to see how each author portrayed their characters and the outcome of their marriage. This piece of history is often missed. Highly recommended!

The Mail-Order Brides Collection brings us nine historical stories of women who choose to marry a stranger for convenience rather than to marry for love.

Perfect for the Preacher by Megan Besing
-This story is about someone who has trials that she had to go through and how she became more faithful through it.
-There is a lot of judging other people and forming prejudices but then knowing that God’s forgiveness is for all and we are all sinners.
-One of my favorite movies is While You Were Sleeping. There is a scene in the movie that reminds me of the way Margaret kept jumping topics during dinner.

The Outlaw’s Inconvenient Bride by Noelle Marchand
-Mariah tried to leave a life of crime behind and yet she ended up right in the middle of it.
-It has the message of trusting God and trusting those you love
-I liked the action and adventure in this story.

Train Ride to Heartbreak by Donna Schlachte
-There is a message in this story of finding joy even in bad circumstances.
-I liked the plot and the characters. I especially liked that the characters weren’t perfect.
-The children in the train were a little unbelievably resilient in tragic circumstances.
-I found it odd that John can fall in love and propose even without knowing her last name.

Mail-Order Proxy by Sherri Shackelford
-There is a struggle of trying to prove yourself to others and is it really worth it?
-I loved this story and it was one of my favorites in the collection.
-There were lots of funny moments and I loved the banter, characters and storylines.
-Some quotes:
“They each wanted to feel as though they mattered.”
“Would you rather have your life matter to a thousand people or to one person?”

To Heal Thy Heart by Michelle Shocklee
-This story is about a Yankee doctor who doesn’t want a mail order bride who is a southern sympathizer but Phoebe Wagner hides her beliefs and marries Dr. Luke Preston anyway.
-I liked most of the story but the confession and forgiveness would have been better if it had been expanded.
-Phoebe was completely wrong for being married to one man but still in love with another even though he had died.
-Luke was a very likable character except for his flaw in not loving all people.

Miss-Delivered Mail by Ann Shorey
-This was about looking for something better and taking a chance but not asking God to lead you.
-I liked the other family but wish there was more interaction between Daniel and Helena.
-There was also a lot of wasted money on tickets.
-One of my favorite scenes was the one where Helena received a letter from her brother and Daniel recognized the handwriting.

A Fairy-Tale Bride by Liz Tolsma
-This story was another one of my favorites. The characters were well developed and the story didn’t seem rushed, which is often the case with novellas.
-I really enjoyed this story. It was a sweet and different version of Cinderella. It was a clever take on Cinderella using the play instead of the ball.
-I liked the play and the jester scenes as well as their interactions at Maude’s house.
-I have known people like Maude and I feel for those kids.

The Brigand and the Bride by Jennifer Uhlarik
-Jolie is a strong female character, but she put up with too much abuse from her brother.
-I liked that there was lots of action and adventure and the story was filled with details.
-Jolie and Del had a great connection.
-I didn’t actually see a twist coming in the story which made for a nice surprise.

The Mail-Order Mistake by Kathleen Y’Barbo
-I liked the details about the different locations throughout this story.
-I also liked the mystery.
-Things really did seem to fall into Pinkerton detective Jeremiah Bingham’s lap. I would have liked to see more detective work.

Perfect for the Preacher

In order to secure the job as pastor of a congregation, Amos must get married, so he places an ad. Sophie was raised by a kind preacher and his wife, and they encourage her to answer the ad. But Amos doesn't have the job just yet, so when Sophie arrives he is not prepared. An older couple takes her in, while Sophie wonders if Amos still wants to marry her after all.



The Outlaw's Inconvenient Bride

Wyatt is an undercover Pinkerton agent, and he can't just stand by and let a girl unsuspectingly marry an outlaw, the very outlaw he is trying to peg down. So he offers to marry her instead. Myriah sees that Wyatt isn't like the others, and there is plenty of great interactions. Wyatt admires Myriah's ability to adapt to the difficult situation, and he honors their marriage even though he can't tell her the truth just yet.



Train Ride to Heartbreak

Mary and John meet on the train to Heartbreak, they don't exchange last names so it isn't until they arrive that they figure out that she is the woman who answered his ad. The train has many unforseen layovers and is woefully behind schedule, but it gives Mary and John plenty of time to get to know each other. John is quick to volunteer to help out, and Mary cares for the little ones. Will the bond they've formed last?



Mail-Order Proxy

Nothing goes as planned in this humorous story. Delia plans a double wedding by proxy. Delia and Sean disagree about everything, he wants to step up and protect her, but she is determined to to follow through with her plans to interview an outlaw. Will they have a happily ever after in the end?



To Heal Thy Heart

Dr. Luke is excited at the thought of marriage and a family. Phoebe answers his ad because it is the last option for her after her father and fiance died fighting for the Confederate. Dr. Luke isn't thrilled to have a Southern wife, after having serving as a doctor for the Union. But as they get to know each other they wonder if love can bridge the divide between the states.



Miss-Delivered Mail

When Helena finds a letter in the trash, she read it and finds that there is a man expecting a mail-order bride. Helena is touched and goes to meet Daniel. When Daniel discovers the deception he refuses to marry Helena and takes her to stay with the Hallidays, who welcome her with open arms. Daniel is stubborn, but when he sees Helena's kindness, resourcefulness and characters he wonders if she might still give him a chance.



The Fairytale Bride

Nora and her step-sister answer mail-order bride ads from the same town, but only one groom shows up. The groom has a houseful of rambunctious children, and Nora ends up doing most of the housework and watching the children while Maude complains. Josiah has a prosthetic leg, and he got nervous and stood Nora up, but as he get's to know her, he hopes that she will give him a second chance.



The Brigand and the Bride

Del is a man on the run, and Jolie needs a husband. Jolie is expecting a groom, and has a very detailed plan to wed because the preacher being in town only a few days. Mistaken identity leads to their marriage, and as they comes to terms with their union, they finds that they might be just what the other needs.



The Mail-Order Mistake

Neither Jeremiah or May are planning to marry. Jeremiah is a Pinkerton agent on a mission to shut down a mail-order bride scam. May lost her home in a fire, the neighbors take her in, and lock her up forcing her to reply to multiple adverts for a bride. May wants to help Jeremiah put a stop to the scam. Action packed and full of great interaction this is an enjoyable adventure.



A fun collection of stories with brides and grooms from all over, making the best of a sometimes surprising situation.





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This collection features 9 authors and the men seeking wives along with the women answering those ads. We have a preacher with a congregation demanding marriage; detective/outlaw who marries a fellow outlaws intended; a farmer widower who’s looking for someone to raise his children; a military man who stands in proxy for his brother along with the sister of the bride standing proxy for her; a doctor looking for a partner and specifically saying what he wouldn’t accept in a bride; a homesteader needed a wife to claim up; 2 farmers who’s ads were answered by widowers; a gal who has a short window to marry her intended, only the wrong person rushes through and is mistaken for the prospective groom who she learns is a wanted man, or is he?; and a detective assigned the job of getting to the bottom of a mail order bride scheme. All wonderful stories and a collection that was thoroughly enjoyed. All stories move quickly and are wrapped up nicely with no loose ends.
This book was provided by Barbour Publishing via NetGalley. A review was not required and all thoughts are my own.

Another charming collection of short stories from Barbour Publishing. I found Perfect for the Preacher by Megan Besing to be especially moving - it was the perfect selection to begin the book.

I received a free copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Mail-Order Brides Collection Is 9 novellus that is full of twists and turns. There is complications, achievements, entertainment and hard times. You have antagonists and protagonists. There is warmth and harshness. There is hard times and good times. It has everything that you could ever ask for. You will enjoy this book more than you have enjoyed any other that has come before it. It is so much fun and it piqued my interests from the get go and if you that is something you are looking for this then this is for you.

You've got to hand it to the authors in this romance collection. The stories in this collection were just plain FUN to read. Some actually made me laugh out loud! Some of the story lines were different and original and this added to their appeal! I love the variety that different authors add to this collection, after all more than one perspective in a situation makes for an entertaining read!
Absolutely LOVE the Barbour Collections and will continue to read them all!
Pub Date 01 Feb 2018
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing, Inc. through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I normally don't read about mail order brides but wanted to try something different. This book has several authors and each story was great. Each bride has a different situation in their life that brings them to the decision to become a mail order bride. Some were trying to escape circumstances beyond their control and some were trying to start over after losing husbands. They were all very brave to take the chance on a man most had not seen, much less met. Look forward to reading these authors again.

If you like reading stories in this time period, and especially tales about Mail Order Brides, you’ll love this book. The stories are shorter but have interesting storylines and characters. It’s perfect for when you want something lighter, shorter, and easier to read. The authors did a good job on this sweet, clean romance collection. I’m going to buy it for a friend that I know would love it!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review. I was not required to give a positive review. This is my honest opinion of the book.

God is working his magic in the lives of 9 couples who are marrying for different reason like financial, needing a place to live, being helpful to a doctor & a preacher, to needing help with children, escaping from the law, trying to break a mail fraud ring, saving a innocent from outlaws, proxy marrying couple, and not wanting to be an old maid. The authors of these 9 stories have taken you to the 1850-1890 west where their couple start out strangers and with God's intervention fall in love at first sight but take the time to get to know each other. They work their way through the problem and secrets that one or both bring to the relationship. God though whether want their secrets revealed or not brings them to the surface to be tackled by the couples together. Emotions run high and feelings are hurt but with God's help and wisdom they are handled and forgiven. These stories are funny, and will make your tears flow. It gave me insight into what real Christian mail-order brides might have gone through back in the past.

Perfect for the Preacher by Megan Besing 1897 Southern Illinois Sophie Ross is the mail-order bride of Pastor Amos Lowry. Sophie's past will come back to be faced. Amos is basically forced into taking on a mail-order bride by an Elder of the Church because of his youthful experience. As Amos and Sophie get to know each other they fall in love but that love is tested by the Elder who doesn't want Amos as the preacher. When Sophie's past is brought to light it's a shock to the entire community. Amos is in love with her so he won't give her up even after her worst secret is revealed. Deciding to leave the church after marrying Sophie. The town is hit by a robbery of the general store and 22 women are taken hostage. When they are safely returned the community goes looking for the daughter of the Elder who wants Amos out. She shows up at the church where Sophie talks to her about what happened to the girl and what she went through in her old life. The Congregation comes to the side of Amos and Sophie after over hearing what happened to her and start to help women who have had abused.

The Outlaw's Inconvenient Bride by Noelle Marchand Wyoming 1881 Wyatt Coulter aka Luke Bellamy is being an unconventional outlaw by trying to keep innocent Mariah Snow from marrying her mail-order bride because he can't stand her being put into the situation that will come. Mariah is stubborn and won't leave until she sees her groom. When she stubbornly stays, to protect her Wyatt marries her himself. That puts him in a precarious situation because Mariah affects his work and cover. Mariah is keeping a secret that she has outlaws in her family as well. They show up looking for her just as she was attacked by her intended groom. Since the brothers and the gang have found out about a bank in the area they decide to pool their resources and work together only to get caught. Wyatt comes back to round up the last of the gang and reveals his true identity to Mariah.

Train Ride to Heartbreak by Donna Schlachter Pennsylvania & California 1895 Mary is about to age out of the orphanage that she's grown up in. John Stewart has just lost his wife and needs someone to take care of his 2 daughters. The local preacher talks him into taking a mail-order bride. Mary is desperate to find some type of work so she won't end up in the saloon working. When she sees an ad in a paper she writes. John goes to visit his in-laws to discuss his decision to remarry. Mary leaves the orphanage early and starts for her new life. John & Mary end up on the same train headed west. Circumstances throw them together while travelling. They are attracted to each other and because of one disaster after another they end up longer on the train than expected and fall in love with each other not knowing that they are already engaged. Mary decides to call off her engagement but John won't show his feelings until his mail order bride responds to his telegram wanting to cancel their engagement.

Mail-Order Proxy by Sherri Schackleford Montana 1885 Delia is waiting for her sister's groom to show up. Colonel Sean Morgan is waiting for his brother's bride to show up. They figure out that they are both their siblings proxy for the marriage. After the ceremony Delia is taken hostage and Sean tries to safe her. They go to lunch and Sean gets the truth from Delia why she actually came with her sister for the wedding. He tries to talk her out of her appointment with an outlaw for an interview. Delia gets annoyed with Sean with he keeps thwarting his attempts to get in touch with the outlaw. When they find out the paperwork for their proxy marriage is real they work together to go after the judge to get the situation taken care. They get side tracked by helping a young man who is a runaway and having their siblings show up. Unfortunately, before Sean can leave to get the mistake taken care of Delia is taken hostage again by the outlaw she wanted to interview. Delia and Sean realize that they have fallen in love with each other.

To Heal Thy Heart by Michelle Shocklee New Mexico Territory 1866 Post Civil War America and Luke is still suffering the effects of his time as a doctor. Phoebe is still mourning her dead fiancé and the death of her father. Money being an issue she answers Luke's add for a mail-order bride. Phoebe arrives while Luke is at the mining camp tending to some men. He returns and they marry. She helps him attend to patients and they get to know each other. Luke is falling in love with her but Phoebe is still holding onto the fiancé and trying to fight the feelings for Luke. Phoebe finally decides its time to tell Luke the truth and put her fiancé behind her. They're interrupted by a miner wearing a confederate coat and Luke refuses to treat the man's brother. Phoebe get angry and tells Luke about how her father died and goes to help. Luke finds the letter from Phoebe's fiancé that brings back all the old war memories. He goes to the reverend for help and he goes to Phoebe to tell to come talk to Luke. They forgive each the other and confess their love to each other.

Miss Delivered Mail by Ann Shorey Illinois & Washington 1884 Helena is considered an old maid by the people of the town and wants to leave. Cleaning up at home she finds a letter in the trash and thinks about trying to find the owner. Her brother comes home and confesses that he wrote letters as a mail-order bride as a joke. The more Helena thinks about it she decided to use the train tickets to go be the intended bride. Arriving in Washington she is met by Daniel who is furious that she would take his intended brides place and won't let her explain. He drops her with neighbors who graciously take her in. Helena is stubborn and doesn't want Daniel to pay for her return ticket, and decides that she won't go back because there is nothing to go back to. She goes searching for a job and with the help of her hosts starts working at a local mercantile. Meanwhile Daniel realizes how much he's beginning to respect and think about Helena and knows he treated her wrong. He decides that he'll start courting her and get her to change her mind about leaving. All the while they're falling in love. When Daniel is hurt in a harvesting accident Helena rushes to his side. She leaves the next day to start her new life with out him but when a shadow covers her on the train Helena looks up and sees Daniel and they confess their love and head back home to get married.

A Fairy-Tale Bride by Liz Tolsma Texas 1867 Nora and Maude are pulling into the train station to marry two strangers. They step off the train to find only one groom. Maude and Wade marry and have Nora come live with them to help Maude with the house and children but actually Nora does all the work. Josiah from the first sight of Nora thinks she's beautiful and that she won't have any thing to do with him because of his injuries form the war & past experience with other women. Nora is hurt that her groom didn't show up but makes the best of the situation Josiah can't stay away and comes to visit and get to know Nora frequently. He takes part in the town play and is wearing a mask so is able to be himself with Nora. As Josiah's secret come out, Nora treats him like any other man. When Nora finds out that Josiah was her intended groom and the man behind the mask she's mad & doesn't want to see him again. A few days laterJosiah shows up to talk to Nora and resolve their differences, which leads to her revealing about her dead husband being in the hospital. There is a proposal and marriage.

The Brigand and the Bride by Jennifer Uhlarik Arizona Territory 1876 Jolie is trying to meet her mail-order groom at the church. Del is trying to hide from the law. When he shows up to hide out in the church he's mistaken for the groom. Del & Jolie get married and he changes the plans that were supposed to happen. He gets her out of town then leaves her to get back on her own. Instead of heading back into town she heads out after Del, capturing him and using his horse to go back to town. Del escapes and God tells him he needs to protect Jolie. He catches up with her and they strike a deal to help each other. del explains about being wrongly accused of murder and robbery. They almost get caught in town. Jolie's fiancé catches up with her and he explains her brother's involvement in her mail-order plan. Del tries to come to her rescue but is injured. Jolie is taken to the hide out and finds incriminating evidence against her fiancé and his friends and shows Del's innocence. Del comes after Jolie and they get involved into a gunfight with the law showing up to arrest Del. Jolie makes a deal with the marshal to get Del charges dropped. Her brother's gang is caught. Del & Jolie head back to the same church to get married.

The Mail-Order Mistake by Kathleen Y'Barbo Illinois & Louisiana 1857 Jeremiah is a Detective for the Pinkerton Agency and has been given the case of mail fraud using mail-order brides. may has just lost everything in a fire and is taken in by the neighbors next door. Mrs. Barrone is going to match May with a man by having her write letters to them. Jeremiah sends a letter that May answers and that brings him to New Orleans to investigate. he is soon on the trail of the criminals the only thing is trying to figure out if May is a part of it or not. May decides to reject the suitors and takes letter to the post office and on the way her ridicule is stolen. Jeremiah catches the thief and take him to the police station where May shows up to file a report. When she recognizes the boy her stole her ridicule it's revealed that Mrs. Barrone is trying to kill May. Jeremiah takes her under his protection and gets her to testify against Mrs. Barrone. He also makes May a Deputy Detective so she can help him with the case. When Mrs. Barrone is caught she tells them that a man in Galveston is head of the organization. May and Jeremiah head there and discover her father. Where May finds out why her father left his family and that they have a common enemy. May under Jeremiah's supervision becomes part of the Pinkerton Agency. They fall in love with each other and Jeremiah asks to marry her.

While I won’t take time to comment on each individual story (there are NINE of them after all and novellas are so easy to spoil), there are plenty of wild west adventures to go around! I was pleased to discover many of the stories have important lessons to impart to readers in addition to the happily ever after entertainment factor. These big juicy collections from Barbour are always a great place to meet new-to-you authors and I found a few here!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this collection! I love a good mail order bride story and this one was full of them!! All the authors were new to me, I love reading collection with new to me authors cause it helps me find new authors to stalk lol. I honestly don't know which of the stories would be my favorite I loved them all!

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Another great collection by Barbour. Though you don't get to spend as much time with the characters as with novels, these novellas make up for it in variety. Even though each collection has a distinct common thread or theme, it amazes me how different the stories can be. My favorite thing about this collection is that in a culture of marriages being made and broken on the whims of love, this collection had a wonderful old fashioned commitment to stick it out and trust God to grow the love. Back when someones commitment made to God was treated like a commitment made to God! So refreshing :) Enjoyable reads! Though the outlaw groom and proxy wedding were two of my favorites!

A Collection of sweet stories that centre around the theme of mail ordered brides. Not an uncommon thing to happen in the past each of the couples find themselves in different situations. From marriages of convenience to cases of mistaken identity each story will captivate the readers attention. I discovered a lot of different authors that I would love to discover more about. With 9 different authors it was interesting to see how each story would turn out and none of them disappointed. There were also lessons to learn and things to reflect on. For those who love history and are interested in some uncommon love stories I highly recommend this book.

I requested a NetGalley e-galley of this collection based on the title, having only previously read a few novellas by two of the nine authors, Kathleen Y'Barbo and Jennifer Uhlarik. That said, I particularly enjoy an unexpected element in my mail-order bride reads and these novellas did not disappoint.

Chance meetings, deceptions, and unexpected complications are just a few of the obstacles that the hopeful couples encounter, not to mention a few interfering, disagreeable relatives. The heroines are relatable and the heroes are adorable, even when they are getting in the way of their own happiness.

I enjoyed every little twist, turn, and wrinkle in this set of novellas. Each story was interesting, entertaining, a bit uplifting (eventually) and I would gladly read more by any of these authors. My favorites were those with outlaws, cowboys, and colonels. Which of those might actually be Pinkerton agents in disguise, along with which mail-order bride is eager to become "deputized," I leave for you to discover. If you enjoy a good historical romance, this collection will be well worth your time.

Highly recommended. I think at this point I would need to reread all of my "favorite" novella collections from Barbour to make an accurate judgment, but for now I'll just say it - I think this is one of my favorites.

This review refers to an e-galley read courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.