I received an ARC from NetGalley and I'm willingly leaving a review
I was reading along, feeling a sense of déjà vu. Then it clicked. It's the same story as The Golden Bride (book #8). Change the names, characters, situations, but in the end, it's all the same. Same waste as in the author's other books (full sermons, full long prayers, full bible study!, full verses, etc.). Slavery is exchange for conjugal abuse and fraud. I didn't see any romance, no spark, no chemistry; it was more of a mystery suspense with many triggers. There were many chapters where it was all "Thank you, Marvelous, I'm so sorry". The most interesting parts were the in-and-out of the Pony Express company. Kimberley Woodhouse is the reason why I stopped reading the books in this series according to my deadlines. She wrote 4/12 books.

I think this book started out strong, but lost steam as it went on and I ended up loosing interest and didn't finish it.

An enchanting romance, mixed with the drama and mystery of the Pony Express and a forger on the loose. Not to mention the mystery between Jackie and Mr. Vines. When put together, this makes an invigorating tale that reads with the impact of a longer novel but with the fast pace that keeps a reader up late into the night.

In this exciting story in pre civil-war pony express era Jacqueline "Jack" now has the responsibility of running her station after her father passes. It's interesting to know that the pony express only lasted a few years and the people connected to it had to run it as a smoothly oiled machine. Dedication was a must for it to work. When a man, Elijah, stops at her station he's looking for his boss' heir. As they slowly get to know each other, and when danger comes thier way, past and present collide to make for a heat felt story. Great faith content, historical details and immersion.

Jack (Jackie) runs a station for the Pony Express. If any of you loved the Young Riders like I did, this book will pique your interest. This series “The Daughters of the Mayflower” is written by various authors and covers some interesting time periods of American History. I’ve read a few books in the series and this is one of my favorites. The conflicts are more solid, The secrets that have brought people out West for a fresh start or to hide are more realistic. Jackie is a conflicted yet strong woman protagonist. There are a lot of Christian themes and values that fit nicely in this Women’s Historical Fiction. I love that I learned new things about this fascinating time in American history and our nation’s expansion. One fact that I’ve repeated when speaking about this book to friends is “Did you know that the Pony Express only ran for 19 months? Yet, something about it has captured our collective imagination.” Whether it’s the importance of getting mail to those pioneers expanding our nation westward, the adventure and tenacity of those who rode, housed & fed as well as supported the Pony Express.

I thank both #NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request for an ARC copy.
I recommend this book for its historical fiction value.

As much as I didn't want to like this book I really liked this book. I was pulled in from the beginning and it never let go. You have "Jack" who is running one of the pony express stops. There is shootings, fraud, love, and hidden truths. I enjoyed it very much.

Another masterpiece by Kimberley Woodhouse. Engaging series. Well written. Endearing characters. Romance. Mystery. Five stars.

I have really enjoyed this series’s. You are looking clean books that have adventure, love and a bit of mystery. You will love this series!! Happy Reading 🤩

I loved this book. Great, well-built characters. Interesting story with vivid details. Another wonderful addition to an amazing series.

This was an especially intriguing book to read. I love learning everything I can about the Pony Express. Can you imagine getting your mail from a young man who rode a horse as fast as he could across country? The mail you receive may be old news by the time you receive it. I loved how the author described how fast the horses traveled to the way stations and barely stopped long enough to get a fresh horse, deliver the mail and take off with a fresh pouch filled with mail going to other cities. We all know the saying about how the mail is delivered come rain , hail , sleet or snow. These men lived that everyday.

Jackie is running the station on her own since her father passed away. The town she lives in is barely a town with few buildings and a handful of people. You could tell everyone was close and I loved how they had church every Sunday sitting around a table. Their discussions were lively and everyone came away with a renewed sense of His presence. I would love to be part of this little town and experience all it had to offer.

There are two intriguing mysteries going on in the story that kept me glued to the book. One is about forgery and the other is about a woman and baby who disappeared a long time ago. Two men show up in town to investigate for their employers. One will take on the forgery case while the other will
try to determine if he has finally found the lost child that his employer has been searching for.

Elijah is a wonderful character and intends to help his employer with a special request. Elijah finds himself in a little town where Jackie is. I think he was impressed that she was running the station and had everything under control. There is an abundance of historical facts in the book which I loved reading about. I thought Elijah was an honorable man and I liked how he felt protective of Jackie.

It is a great story about forgiveness, redemption and faith.

sadly i dnf this hole series because I just couldn't gt in to it , it why i haven't been post reviews

I have enjoyed the Daughters of the Mayflower Series, and this one is one of my favorites.

In the Express Bride, readers are exposed to the Pony Express and what life was like for those that ran stations and rode circuits. I was surprised to learn the Pony Express didn't run very long! How could I have missed that bit of information? This was all very interesting and the author's note at the end added more detail about this unique time in U.S. History.

I enjoyed this story line and learning about the Pony Express in the Utah Territory. I also enjoyed the cast of characters in the story. Each had a unique personality and purpose. The author did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life.

Pony Express… To be honest, I had never heard that name before! For those who also don’t know what I’m talking about, the Pony Express was a mail service of sorts? From what I understand, there were many pony express ”stations” throughout America that transported mail. It was faster, more efficient than regular stagecoach mail because young men (*coughs* they had to weigh less than 125 lb 😂) on mounted horses raced at very fast speeds non stop until the next pony express station to get the mail to the rider waiting in the next station.

The Express Bride revolves around this intriguing concept. It mashes up the story of a young woman, Jackie, secretly in charge of a Pony Express station her father managed until his recent death, and Elijah Johnsons, a successful young businessman with a tragic past.

I loved the family interaction between Jackie and her little ”brothers”. The carrier boys for the Pony Express became like her family, and the way she nurtures them and helps them to grow spiritually is so adorable.

Somehow (I won’t tell you how because It’s a spoiler) Elijah and Jackies stories come together and both are faced with difficult choices that will forever impact their lives. That’s when they turn their eyes to God for guidance and discover that God’s plans are far greater than they would’ve ever imagined.

From criminals to treasure hunts, this book will transport you to the little pony express station… where supposedly nothing happens…were Jakies’ only dream was to run it for the rest of her life and live quietly with her brothers….until somehow she is wrapped up into spy work, forgery, and Elijah Johnson 😂.

What I loved about the book was reading about the lives of the people who run such establishments! It was super interesting seeing how this ”family” worked together to make their pony Express station successful.

The characters arc’s was very well done as we see spiritual growth as well as a good Christian message.

I found it really edifying the little verses scattered through the book. I loved how the characters prayed about things in their heads before making decisions, and it was refreshing to see the male MC doing the same, asking God to take hold of his thoughts and actions, etc.

Content-wise, this book is one of the cleanest books in the whole world. In that regard, I felt the love relationship in this book was too abrupt? Not a fan of insta love, but in this case, it was somewhat cute.

Jackie is supposed to be 26 but to be she felt like a 20-year-old… The way she approached things was a little too childish.

The plot was good, but it was way too slow for my taste. I need action when reading historical fiction books! There were some parts in the book that I felt didn’t move the plot forward and I would even dare say not necessary?

My fav section of the book was the first 5%…If you read this book you’ll know why… After that, everything slows down. I don’t want to say I didn’t like the book, because I found it refreshing, I’d rather say this is more of a book to read little by little and not in one sitting. The messages are very deep and will leave you pondering life and your relationship with Christ ❤️.

Cleanness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️3/3

Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️3/3



My personal rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

The Express Bride #9 The Daughters of the Mayflower by Kimberley Woodhouse

1860 Utah Territory and the Pony Express bring this delightful story to life. The author brings the lives of those living in the Utah Territory and history to life with vivid descriptions. I did not know much about the Pony Express before reading The Express Bride. I like that the main character, Jacqueline “Jack” Rivers is the station manager; a woman station manager is unusual. There are long held secrets that come to light after a loved one dies. Jack is shocked when the secret is revealed. She is further shocked when a passenger steps off the Stage Coach. A heartwarming story.

~I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher (no monetary gain were exchanged), this is my honest review~

I have always been fascinated by the Pony Express so I expected to enjoy this book and was not disappointed. I really did enjoy the characters of Jack and Elijah as well as all the Express boys and Elijah's employer, whose story of personal redemption was especially compelling. There were times I found Jack a little simple in her thinking, but it honestly made a lot of sense the more I learned about her upbringing so that worked for me. I found the counterfeiting subplot unnecessary and found it to be more of a distraction than a help in moving the story along. What I did not expect was to have a character who is never alive in the entire course of the book to steal the show. I personally thought Jack's father, Marshall Rivers, was the most interesting character in the entire story, and I found myself wanting less of other parts of the story, especially the counterfeiting parts, and more of him. The few letters he left for Jack just left me wanting more - I wanted to know all about his story - his thoughts and his faith through the hardships he described. But alas, that was not the story I got. So while this was a good story, it was somehow made a little less by making me want a different story.

This is a wonderful historical romance!

I absolutely loved Jack Rivers! She has been shaped by the dad who raised her and the life that they have lived running a Pony Express Station and stagecoach stop. She has a firm foundation in Christ and a love for the bible. As her life goes through unexpected changes she finds that she needs every bit of that foundation to help her get through.

I definitely enjoyed seeing how the relationship between Jack and Elijah grows throughout the book. The mystery that is involved about the counterfeiters is interesting and brings just the right amount of danger into their lives.

This story has a strong component of the redemption of Christ. This brings up the need to see beyond the past of a person and move into forgiveness. We all know people that have changed drastically and now need these things from us.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All of the opinions expressed are my own.

This was not my favorite. The research was fantastic, and the writing was well done, but the story and pacing did not captivate me. I was unable to complete the book. I would be willing to read this author again though, since this problem could be on my end and simply have to do with my reading interests at the time!
I will not be posting a review to my blog or goodreads because I do not like to post reviews if they are below 3 stars. I would give this one 2.5 stars since I was unable to finish it.

The Express Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse has been one of my favorite reads this year! I loved the premise of Jacqueline Rivers taking over the running of the Pony Express station when her father died.
I loved learning about the Pony Express when I was a child, so reading in greater detail about the Express and how the stations and riders worked was fascinating. This piece of historical fiction is so much more than a love story! There is that, but just as impressive is the intrigue, mystery, and danger that run throughout the story.

I highly recommend this book! My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC for this my honest review.

This was a fun read !
I totally enjoyed reading this book over Christmas this year. I loved getting to learn more about the pony express and a certain girl :) plus I really enjoyed the way Kimberley Woodhouse worked in the story of Daniel as well. A very well done book and I look forward to reading more books by this author.

You can never go wrong with the Daughters of the Mayflower" series. Each book is written in a different historical time period, which is fascinating. The book Express Bride is one of my favorite stories. The story characters come to life and very likable. The storylines draw you in and makes you feel like you're a part of the book! I would recommend the book and series to others.