The 9th installment of the Daughters of the Mayflower series, the "The Express Bride" is well-written and has given me a greater understanding of how the Pony Express actually operated. What a difficult undertaking that must have been. While the underlying plot concerns Elijah's search for his employer Charles Vines' long-lost daughter, a compelling subplot concerning counterfeiting is woven throughout.

The characters are all delightful, including the deceased ones we know from their written words. Jackie and Elijah make a wonderful couple, and their romance is sweet and believable. There is a strong emphasis on forgiveness and God's love. The references to religion is heavy-handed at times. Even so, I still loved this book. 4.5 stars. I've read this series out of order and have two I have yet to read, but this is my favorite so far.

This book was easily 4.5 stars, which I will round up to 5 just because I liked it that much.  It was so reminiscent of the 1990's show Young Riders with Cody, Hickock, Lou, Ike, Kid, Buck, and of course the always patriarchal Teaspoon, which was about the Pony Express.  Loved that show, hated when the cancelled it (which they seem to do quite often with shows I like).  But if you watched the show, this book puts you right back in it.

This is the story of Jacqueline "Jack" Rivers who has just lost her father, who was the owner/operator of an Express and carriage stop in Carson Sink.  She keeps the boys in line and keeps the stop running just like he would.  When the carriage comes with two visitors, Mr. Elijah Johnson catches her eye.  Elijah is on a mission from his boss, Charles Vines, to find his daughter who went West with her mother.  Mr. Crowell, the other visitor, is trying to find forged bonds and enlists Jackie and Elijah in his mission to find who is doing the forging.  But spy work comes with all types of roadblocks, including murder, shootings, and lying.  When Elijah and Jackie start looking into log books kept by her father, Jackie finds a letter with a secret to her past.  

This was a great book about the desperation of a mother to rid her daughter of a life where darkness has taken over her father, but in the end learning that forgiveness can heal all wounds. I am loving this series, and the books seem like they are getting better and better as it goes.  

I received a free copy from Netgalley and Barbour Books in exchange for a review.  All opinions are my own.

The Express Bride. Woodh.ouse
Setting is of 1860.a carriage to take her bundle of joy, and jewelry when she was a treasure to her husband. The threats and bruises she’s wanting to get as far away as she could. To running a pony express station in Utah at the beginning of the civil war, to others she is know as Jack. The work is hard, and hopes she won’t be discovered. Then Elijah comes looking for the lost daughter of his employer, the clue he was given had to be wrong, a good historical era of time when we had the pony express.
Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion by Net Galley and Berkeley.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Barbour Books for a free ebook copy!
This was my least favorite of the Daughters of the Mayflower series.  The plot was slower, and I didn’t enjoy the characters.

Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 3
Pace: 2
Plot development: 2
Characters: 2
Enjoyability: 2
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 2 out of 5

This is another fantastic read in the Daughter's of the Mayflower series. It can be read as a standalone, but believe the entire series is worth reading. The descriptions of the pony express station and how it was ran and what it took to keep it going is amazing. The descriptions of the various riders and horses and how they accomplished it was quite well done. The H/h were good people. The hero was sent by his boss to find the daughter he hadn't seen since birth. "here's the worst" horrible domestic violence, not graphic, but hard to stomach anyway. This was the heroine's mother and father i am talking about. It has a Christian theme throughout that is woven in just right. The romance is not described as well as i would have liked. I would be cautious who i recommended this to because of the part of the heroine's dad being evil, but it did show that heroine's mother had courage and fled across country to protect herself and her daughter.
I would recommend this for adults with a warning.  This was an excellent story and i love the history lesson on the pony express. Thrilling times.

I received this as an ARC thru netgally and opinions are my own.

THE EXPRESS BRIDE by KIMBERLEY WOODHOUSE is an historical romance novel with a good Christian message and quite a bit of suspense.
The story takes place in the 1860's at the time of the Pony Express, and it is at the remote Carson Sink Station that the bulk of the action takes place.
The author has done a great deal of research into that time in history. It is an enjoyable read with likeable characters.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

I was so excited to see another novel to the Daughters of the Mayflower Series. Kimberley Woodhouse did not disappoint. This is a beautifully written Christian historical fiction book, laced with romance.  The  first few pages of the story are packed with adventure and suspense.  Jacqueline Rivers is a very strong female character, living in a man's world doing a man's job. Love, redemption, sacrifice and loyalty are all woven throughout this story. I love reading one of Kimberley's books, I learn so much about history. I found all the details about the Pony Express drivers and there job very exciting. I loved this book and would recommend it. I received a copy from Barbour Books through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

When I opened this book I was so excited to learn that this was about the pony express riders and the fair maiden at the express station. 
I love stories about the pony express and I can get never get enough of the pony express! Can you imagine what would happen if we the pony express in today's world? Wow!! 
I can't imagine riding a horse at breakneck speed across the country just to get the mail in on time.

What a wonderful book! It is written in such a way that you can see all the scenery and action that is taking place. This is a christian historical romance that is full of action, mystery and suspense. This is the first fiction book I've read about the Pony Express and really enjoyed it. I highly recommend this book. Thank you Barbour Publishing  via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own and I've pre-ordered the paperback version. Yes, it's that good!!

A wonderful story of a young lady that is in charge of a Pony Express station in Utah territory at the beginning of the Civil War! Her world is turned upside down, as she learns that everything she thought she knew is challenged! Excellent story but ended much too soon for me! Loved it!

I have been reading the Daughters of the Mayflower series since book one and have enjoyed all of them. The Express Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse did not disappoint!

It is filled with murder, mystery, romance and even a Bible study on Daniel! This book had me from the get-go. And even though this is the ninth book in the series, it can be read as a standalone, so don't despair if you think you have to "catch up" first -  you don't. Although I highly recommend all the books in this series. 

I loved how the characters grew in their faith, but all their flaws were shown beforehand. The reader has no doubt that no matter how bad you think you are, God is merciful and forgiving to all who seek Him with a repentant heart. Forgiveness is an important theme in this book and makes it all the more touching at the end.

A thrilling story that captivates the imagination and the heart. I highly recommend it!

The book was provided by Barbour Publishing through NetGalley.

Jackie "Jack" Rivers now runs the Pony Express station in place of her late father. She cleans the lodging rooms, cooks all the meals, and manages all of the riders and post. Always fearful that she will be demoted and seen as "less than" because she is a female, she works hard to abolish that idea, proving she belongs just as much as one of the male riders. One afternoon an Elijah Johnson hops off the train at this Utah station on a secret mission himself- to look for the long lost daughter of his employer. All of his clues lead him to this town, yet he can't seem to connect the pieces, and Jack obviously cannot be the heir as she had a father. While all of this is occurring, they are in the midst of a counterfeit scam going on in the territory that needs all of the character's help to solve. 

 

This book had me in its grips right from the very first page! I am always partial to books that are easy to understand and picture right from the first chapter, it makes understanding what is going on so much easier and enjoyable. This story was so fascinating! I haven't read much historical fiction about the Pony Express but it's incredibly stimulating and different than the WWII dramas out now. I also genuinely loved the slow burn of the love story between the main characters. It just makes you want to read faster and faster until you see if they make it or not.


One thing I thoroughly appreciated in this book is how the religious aspect didn't dominate the book. I am religious so I did not have a problem with it, however, some books tend to want to cram it down your throat and doesn’t leave much of a story in its wake. Where all the time they are strictly following God’s order and blah blah. However, in this novel it is subtle and effective, it's there, and it's thoughtful but it's not forced. I sincerely awed in the balance the author had for religion. 


I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good historical fiction romance!