Margaret Brownley knows how to spin a mystery froth with romance and unexpected twists. Pinkerton detective Maggie Cartright has her hands full and her heart on the line with her latest assignment to nab the Whistle-Stop Bandit. Going undercover as the suspect's mail-order bride sounds simple enough until she meets widower Garrett Thomas in person. Could such a kind and gentle man really be guilty like the evidence suggests?

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. A wonderful, biblical message is woven through a plot that keeps the pages turning.

My only disappointments with the story are in that Maggie didn't forgive her father by book's end and at times the somewhat flippant use of "God" (in a non-prayer manner) could've been omitted. However, this is not the norm for Margaret's writing and I hope book 3 of the series will prove that true again. I was thankful for a chance to read this great story.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given, and all thoughts are 100% mine.

About this book:

“Pinkerton detective Maggie Cartwright is tasked with going undercover as a mail order bride. Her “fiancé” is widower Garrett Thomas, aka the suspected Whistle-Stop Bandit. No sooner does Maggie arrive in Arizona Territory when she's confronted with an early wedding date—the clock is ticking on her detective work or she may end up a criminal's wife! As the day of the wedding draws near, Maggie begins to panic. The problem is that the more she gets to know Garrett and his two adorable children, the harder it is to keep up the deception. Can a man as kind and gentle as Garrett really be the Whistle-Stop Bandit?”


Series: #2 of the “Undercover Ladies” series. {Read review of book #1 Here!}


Spiritual Content- Prayers and Blessings over food; The Lord’s Prayer is said; Many Talks about God, praying, & the Bible; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Church going; Hymns are sung & miracles happen; Mentions of those in the Bible; Garrett has no regard to religion and has a negative opinion on the church; *Spoiler*(view spoiler)*End of Spoiler*.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘stupid’, a ‘sure in blazes’, a unfinished ‘what the—‘, three ‘blasted’, three ‘blast it/blast it all’s, three ‘drat’s, three forms of ‘confound it’, two ‘dumb’s, four forms of ‘shut up’s, four versions of “____ in Sam’s Hill.”; A bit of sarcasm; Maggie’s father was hanged (barely-above-not-detailed); The whole plot is set around criminals, killers, murders & robberies; Blood (barely-above-not-detailed); Many, many, many, many mentions of the war, shooting & prisons (semi-detailed); Mentions of alcohol, drunks, gambling & tobacco; Mentions of hangings; Mentions of Indians & Scalping; A mention of spankings.


Sexual Content- two semi-detailed kisses, a detailed kiss; Mentions of & remembering kisses (semi-detailed); Noticing & Smelling; Touches & dancing (up to semi-detailed); a ‘wanton’, Rikker dresses up as a woman (for the case) and mentions of his fake bosoms; Mentions of undergarments; Mentions of a wife & sister who died in childbirth; Talks about the game of Chess & it’s history as a game of courtship; A couple mentions of an old bordello; A mention of a name only marriage; Mentions of an unmarried woman living with a man, waiting till the wedding & her virtue; Love, falling in love, & the emotions.

-Maggie Cartwright, age 26
-Garrett Thomas, age 45
P.O.V. switches between them {Maggie mostly. Garrett around ten times.}
Set in 1882
320 pages

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Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
I remember being really excited for this series to release back before I reviewed book #1, “Petticoat Detective” and was disappointed a bit with its plot. I feel basically the same with “Undercover Bride”. It was pretty good, but did have some Sexual Content in it that I wasn’t a fan of. I do have to say that I wasn’t very comfortable with the 19 year age gap between the main characters. (I know that was probably pretty normal back them but still….) All that said, I am still looking forward to book #3 coming out next year.


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Shiloh Run Press) for this review.

Undercover Bride was a fun read! I liked how the main character was a Pinkerton agent and that she was undercover as a mail-order bride! SO interesting and fun! I really enjoyed the mystery and the romance was sweet. All in all, just a great read. I recommend it and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

*I received a complimentary eBook copy via NetGalley for my honest review.*

I want more in this series!!!!! These are some of my most favorite Christian Fiction books ever.