The Convenient Bride Collection

This was a good read.  I liked the stories and that they moved quickly.  This is a good read for summer!

These stories are a wonderful read of heartbreak, love and passion. Each novel takes you through a historical journey that warms your heart. Some are five-star worthy and some are four-star worthy. But, you will enjoy them all and fight to put your e-reader down. I went from story to story each one warming my heart. I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys historical romances.

Love grows wild in unexpected places, as these 9 couples discovers after taking the leap of faith into an arranged marriage for convenience. Some must marry to keep their inheritance like Virginia in Bonnets and Bees, who will lose her hatshop if she doesn't marry. So she marries a man who raises bees and seems to prefer their company to that of her own.

In A Groom for Josette, Josette has 3 weeks to find a husband, and over a hundred men answer her ad. Will she find the right one?

In Wedded to Honor, Honor advertises for a husband and a city slicker lawyer responds, leaving her no other option but to marry him to save her ranch.

Families are reunited like in Keeper of My Heart, where Neelie and her brother are brought together again on a wagon train.

In One Way to the Alter Leah thinks that she is going to Montana to teach, but as it turns out the town already has a teacher, but the Sheriff needs a wife. 

I loved the humor in A Bride for Bear. Bear McCall gets a message saying that he has a package to pick up in town, that "package" turns out to be his three three young cousins. Emmylou came to Denver to be a mail-order bride but as it turns out he married someone else, so now she works as a waitress, where the girls see her and instantly bond with her, and ask her to marry Bear.

When Grace's sister Audrey, runs out on the guy she is supposed to marry. their father offers Grace instead. Raymond is a doctor who needs a wife, so he reluctantly agrees. Grace works hard, and Raymond works to draw out his shy wife in Substitute Bride.

I loved Anna's father in Have Cash Will Marry. He knows that he is dying, but wants to see his daughter married and being taken care of, but is afraid that most of the men are after her money. Robert Raddyfe is a man who is just what Anna's father fears, he is a British aristocrat who has come to America to meet and marry a rich wife.

Overall a wonderful collection of stories that show that love can grow out of unusual circumstances. So many wonderful stories sure to keep you entertained. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

The Convenient Bride Collection consists of nine stories. These stories include:
The Substitute Wife by Amanda Barratt One Way to the Altar by Andrea Boeshaar with Christina Linstrot Miller Keeper of My Heart by Mona Hodgson Blinded by Love by Melissa Jagears Bonnets and Bees by Maureen Lang A Groom for Josette by Gabrielle Meyer Wedded to Honor by Jennifer Uhlarik A Bride for Bear by Erica Vetsch Have Cash, Will Marry by Renee Yancy I enjoyed each and every one of these stories. They were sweet, fun, and clean. Each one are really short, about 40-50 pages long. Making for easy reading. I did love all of them but Blinded by Love by Melissa Jagears was my favorite.
Great collection!
5 stars.

This collection of stories is about determination and fortitude, which I found in each of these brides as they ventured into a blind agreement of marriage, most intriguing.  I am not so sure I in that age or time would have found the courage to venture into such an agreement. Though most of these women did not have much of a choice for some it was a matter of life or death.

We are fortunate as women to have rights these women did not have back then.
Each story made an impression on my heart leaving me to imagine if any of the women on my family tree were put in the position to make such a choice.  

Don't even ask me to pick which story was my favorite because I must say they are all top of my favorite list. 

I want to thank all of these authors for combining their stories into one book for our pleasure to read and contemplate on historical times for women, which is my favorite subject.

I highly recommend this book!

I absolutely loved this book! I am always intrigued by the idea of a "mail order bride" or a similar idea to that. The writing and the historical setting behind the stories were flawless.  Every single story in it was amazing but my personal favorites overall were: The Substitute Wife, Blinded by Love and A Bride for Bear. I could not put it down when I started reading it. I highly recommend this book! I have nothing bad to say about any of the books in the collection.It is one of the best I have read in a while!

I just finished reading a collection of nine novellas where the protagonists married for convenience rather than love. Wait a minute, eight of the novellas contained marriages of convenience. The ninth one did have a marriage for love. The reasons for the marriages varied--a single father needing a mother for his children, a woman needing a husband to gain her inheritance, a woman needing a husband to keep her ranch--myriads of reasons to make a marriage where love came after rather than before. 

These authors are quality writers, but some of the stories were better than others. Some of the authors developed their characters well within the constraints of the length of each of the stories while others were a bit shallower. This did not in any way detract from the fun-ness of the collection. The tales are satisfying for reading for an afternoon, and then coming back to read another on a different afternoon. 

A solid four stars. 

My thanks to Barbour Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

I found this collection to be fantastic! This might just be one of my favorite collections that have been released so far. So often, novellas have too much story to be told within their pages and that makes them feel rushed or too contrived. Not so with this collection. I found most of the stories in this book to have well-developed characters and plot for the number of pages, and rarely did I feel like the story was rushed. There's a bit of everything in this collection. The stories are set from the East Coast to the West. Mail order brides or parents interfering. Marriages as a result of a will or some for the simple act of needing additional help. This is a wonderful collection and one that I can highly reccommend.

My Review of The Substitute Wife by Amanda Barratt:  Bristol, Connecticut, June, 1883; Dr. Raymond McNair is thrilled that the day has come for him to wed the incredibly beautiful young Audrey Whittaker, but she runs off with another man and her father offers to save him from disgrace by giving his other daughter, Grace, to him to marry.    Grace agrees and their marriage of convenience begins.  But somehow love takes root.  Will they make it through?  Will they allow love to grow in their hearts?           This is a 5-star romantic novella!  It is very sweet and a quick read.  This definitely left me feeling good about love, marriage, and life.  

MY REVIEW of One Way to the Altar by Andrea Boeshaar with Christian Linstrot Miller:  Montana, 1902; Leah Hermaning travels by train from Newport, Rhode Island to One Way, Montana to take over the position of school teacher but when she arrives her aunt and uncle tell her that the position has already been filled.   Her aunt and uncle are leaving town and have another plan for her life.   They want her to marry the sheriff, Jesse Waite.   What will Leah do?  Will she agree to marry the sheriff?  Why? oh, why is this her fate?          This is another 5-star novella that allows the reader to develop feelings of concern for the characters and great interest in their fate.   

MY REVIEW of Keeper of My Heart by Mona Hodgson:   May, 1866, Ian is traveling west with a wagon train and his wife dies.  He is left with his five children and his mother and no wife, no mother.    Neelie's abusive husband is killed and she works as a sharp-shooter and dresses in men's clothing as she puts on shows for groups as she travels west.   She finds her long lost brother and his new family as she heads west to her job.   Will she ever know what it means to be a mother?   Will she ever have the desires of her heart?          This is a 5-star novella that grabs the attention of the reader and pulls them into the story as they hope along with Ian and Neelie.   

MY REVIEW of Blinded by Love by Melissa Jagears:    Set in California, 1888, Helen is a spinster who has helped her sister and brother-in-law raise their children while living in a tiny attic room in their home. Neil Oliver is a wealthy business owner who has received news from his doctor that he is going blind.  He proposes a marriage of convenience with Helen so that she can help him as he loses his sight and fulfill needs of hers as well.   They marry but find they don't really know each other.  Can they find a way to connect?   Can love grow in their hearts?          This is a very short and quite interesting romantic novella.  I enjoy learning more about life and the ways that people acted and lived in the 1880's as I read this novella.  This is a 5-star romantic novella and one that will leave readers with a good feeling.  

MY REVIEW of Bonnets and Bees by Maureen Lang:  Set in Turnbridge Acres, Wisconsin, June 1871, Paul agrees to his brother's request to marry Virginia, a spinster who runs a hat shop when her father passes away and stipulates in his will that she must  marry in order to own the hat shop or her cousin will attain ownership of it.  Paul agrees to the marriage  and when disaster strikes Virginia, Paul comes to her rescue.   Will his rescue be enough to give love a chance to grow between them?   Will this marriage become a real one in every sense?           This novella was very informative with a great deal of information concerning beekeeping included within the plot.  I rate this 5 stars and think readers will be all "abuzz" about it.  

  MY REVIEW of A Groom for Josette by Gabrielle Meyer:St. Louis, June 1856, Josette must marry within 3 weeks or all her father's estate and business will go to her half-brother.  She travels to a small town to respond to add seeking wives.   She finds a husband in Alejandre but he is the new preacher for the Comanche mission and she feels called to run her father's shipping business. How can they live so far apart?   Neither one can give up their calling.   What will God's plan for them reveal?          This may well be my favorite of the novellas featured here in this collection.   It is refreshing and new in its approach to the story.  Another 5 star novella!   

MY REVIEW of Wedded to Honor by Jennifer Uhlarik:  Petaluma, California, August 2, 1875, Honor Cahill advertises for a husband and Ash Rutherford answers her advertisement.   Honor's father stipulates in his will that she will inherit the ranch and land as long as she is married previous to the reading of the will.  What begins as a marriage of convenience may seem unlikely to last but as Ash and Honor work together on the ranch and battling her half-brother, Nate, who wants to take the ranch from her, things begin to change between them.            Readers will enjoy this 5-star romantic novella and watching the action and drama as Honor and Ash try to get along with each other and her half-brother.   

MY REVIEW of A Bride for Bear by Erica Vetsch:   Idaho Springs, Colorado, September, 1874, someone sends a package via the train to Bear McCall but he is shocked to find the "package" is three little girls. What will a bachelor who lives in a one-room cabin do with three little girls that he has inherited from his deceased cousin?  He finds a wife and quickly, that's what!   Emmylou has traveled by train in answer to an ad in the Matrimonial News to become a stranger's bride and he already married another woman!   Bear meets her and asks her to marry him and help care for Deborah, Miriam and Tabitha.  She agrees and a family is born.   Problems develop for them, but I won't spoil the book for other readers.           I really enjoyed this novella!   I love the historical features of this novella and all the others as well.   The characters are very believable and lovable.   I rate this novella 5 stars and hope other readers enjoy it as I did.  

MY REVIEW of Have Cash, Will Marry by Renee Yancy:  Set in New York City, April 28, 1899, the Honorable Robert Alexander Radclyfe has plans to refurbish his family's estate in England but he needs funds and his father intends for him to return with an American heiress as his bride.   Rob has a rule for his marriage partner though; they must be in love.  He meets Anna and falls for her but must convince her of his true love for her and not just her dowry.           Another top-notch 5 star novella!   Each of the novellas in this collection are fun, fast-paced and sure to delight many readers!     I received a free ecopy of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Something for everyone! A great collection of authors and stories! Don't miss out on this great book. Especially enjoyed the stories by Melissa Jagears and Gabrielle Meyer!

Barbour Publishing has again put together a wonderful collection of Christian based novellas by great authors in one book, titled "The Convenient Bride Collection". What do you think?  Convenient bride, you ask? Well, it basically is a marriage of convenience and with a start as such, how will the bride and groom proceed in their marriage? Will love come? Will they be good partners in life? We have 9 stories, each by a different author and each a story of how romance can grow from marriage partnerships formed out of necessity. Nowadays, it's hard to imagine people marrying for convenience rather than love, but back in those days, it's possibly more common than not.  With mail-order brides and arranged marriages, what's so different with marrying someone you just don't know, but is opportune for both parties?  We have nine different stories, from marrying for honor, as in "The Substitute Wife" by Amanda Barratt to marrying for inheritance as in "Bonnets and Bees" by Maureen Lang, "A Groom for Josette" by Gabrielle Meyer and "Wedded to Honor" by Jennifer Uhlarik, there's plenty of love and God's plans involved.  There's also the theme of the need for a wife to take care of young children in the family as written in "Keeper of My Heart" by Mona Hodgson and "A Bride for Bear" by Erica Vetsch.  "One Way to the Alter" by Andrea Boeshaar with Christina Linstrot Miller is another convenient story of safety in a new town and a need to have a wife for political reasons.  "Blinded by Love" by Melissa Jagears is about convenience in finding companionship.  The last story, "Have Cash, Will Marry" by Renee Yancy is a story of love first, but it falls under the "convenient" theme because it just so happens the need for an heiress gave the reason for the bride and groom to meet in the first place. Convenient, I'll say.  Each story has it's attributes that gives it a good story and characters you'll enjoy for a short afternoon read, or during your commute to/from work.  You'll find out everything that happens and see how God works for those that love Him.  I enjoyed most if not all of them, but I have to say, "A Bride to Bear" is a hoot (hilarious!), "Wedded to Honor" kept a smile on my face nearly the whole time, and "Blinded by Love" reminds us that love transcends all ages.  Definitely a collection to read and possibly read again. 

NOTE: I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from the publisher, Barbour Publishing through Net Galley for an honest review.

A collection of historical stories that resonate deeply with themes of faith, love, determination, honesty, and trust. Poignant and emotional, these stories are short enough to be read in just a day but fulfilling enough to keep the reader invested and coming back for more. Highly recommended.

I loved this book so much that even though I received a digital copy for review, I just had to also purchase the print version for my growing collection. Great stories in this one!

Did I enjoy reading The Convenient Bride Collection published by Barbour?! Yes!!!! So very, very much! To be fair, these novellas are all built around a predictable premise: convenient marriages that all end with the couple falling head over heels in love with each other. I happen to have a weakness for this romantic sub-genre. Predictability can be a strength as well as a weakness, depending on personal preferences, of course. So if you happen to dislike this sub-genre (convenient marriages) or if you happen to dislike historical romances in general, then this isn't the collection for you. (And that's okay!)

Nine novellas in all: 

The Substitute Wife by Amanda Barratt One Way to the Altar by Andrea Boeshaar with Christina Linstrot Miller Keeper of My Heart by Mona Hodgson Blinded by Love by Melissa Jagears Bonnets and Bees by Maureen Lang A Groom for Josette by Gabrielle Meyer Wedded to Honor by Jennifer Uhlarik A Bride for Bear by Erica Vetsch Have Cash, Will Marry by Renee Yancy

Since this novella collection focuses on convenient marriages, I thought it likely--very likely--that I would enjoy most of the stories in varying degrees. I didn't expect, however, to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all of them. Sure, I could probably pick a top three that made me extra-giddy. But really, all of them proved giddy-making and purely satisfying.

My least favorite novella was probably Amanda Barratt's The Substitute Wife. It read a little too closely to Grace Livingston Hill's Marcia Schuyler to my liking. (And Marcia Schuyler was one of my first romances to ever read. It's one I've read two or three times at least.) 

My top three novellas are probably A Bride for Bear, A Groom for Josette, and Have Cash, Will Marry. Honestly, picking my third favorite was difficult. I could just as easily have gone with Blinded by Love or One Way to the Altar. 

I enjoyed each novella. I worried perhaps that there wouldn't be enough time for character development since they were novellas and not full-length novels, but, I shouldn't have worried. While I wouldn't have minded a little more of my most-favorite stories, I also didn't feel that the stories were lacking either. Plenty happens, and there is time to come to care for the characters.

All of the novellas are set in America, one novella has an English hero, however. Overall, I liked the historical settings for the novellas.

Each story in this collection of historical/inspirational romances left me smiling. These "9 romances [that] grow from marriage partnerships formed out of necessity" are heart-warming tales of couples coming together, often for the sake of family and survival. Whether it is an inheritance with a marriage stipulation, children who need a mother, familial obligation, a favor or medical need, these nine couples start out as complete or near strangers but find love in their unions. 

Usually in this type of collection there are clear favorites, but not in this case. Each story is distinct, even when they share plot points such as a father's will requiring marriage. Maureen Lang may have written the sweetest of the stories with a marriage in name only between a hat maker and a beekeeper, and Andrea Boeshaa with Christina Linstrot Miller may have provided one of the best fictional romantic leads in Jesse Waite.

Melissa Jagears, whose Unexpected Brides collection I previously reviewed on my blog, had the most surprising story. Having the romantic leads be a 47 year old "spinster" and a mature man,the brother of Rachel Oliver from the novella "Love by the Letter," whose prior acquaintance consisted of debating controversial scripture was a refreshing change from the more typical characters found in romantic fiction. 

While considering how to approach a review of this collection, several things became clear. First, nearly everything I wanted to say in describing the stories would be a spoiler. Second, that I would be willing to read more by any of these authors. And finally, that I would like to reread all of these stories. And those last two reasons are why I am giving this collection a high recommendation for anyone who enjoys Historical and/or Inspirational Romance and rating it as 5 out of 5 stars.

I read a review ebook copy courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

A great book for readers who love a good, clean romance. Or how about ten stories?  I really enjoyed BLINDED BY LOVE. Helen is a spinster who has no hope of every marrying. Not until a nearby business owner, Neil, proposes a marriage of convenience. He was just told by his doctor that he is going blind and needs someone to help him with his business. He knows Helen has a good head for business and decides she's the one to help him. Will they ever fall in love? You gotta read it to find out! 

Thanks to netgalley for the read in exchange for my honest review.

I totally love reading these 9-in-1 collections!
You can never go wrong getting one of them. Even if one isn’t great enough, it’s short and not dragging and then you got eight more to impress you enough to talk about it the whole day.
Another thing that really impresses me about these collections is the historical period they are set in. people these days have just too many choices and they make a mockery of marriage because of them. These stories, people in them, even though have marriages of conveniences, their love and fear of the Lord and dedication to the vows they have spoken out of obligation lead them through happy and hard times keep them persistent in their dedication and that’s why they get their happily ever after. Ever wonder why there is so little happiness today? Well people are focused too much on their emotion- today they feel in love and like being a great and obedient helpmeet, and they do all they can for their marriage, tomorrow they got a bee in their bonnet and they start looking for divorce attorney or even newer development is living with no obligation of marriage at all. Why commit when you can live with a girlfriend or boyfriend and dump them any time you get tired of them or meet someone new?
I was impressed by all nine stories, they are not religious but they show a truly Christian dedication to the person they committed their life to. I highly recommend it for all ages. Among the pages of emotional turmoil and sweet love filled moments there are advises and encouragements for a longing heart.
Disclaimer: I have received a free copy of this book from Barbour Publisher, through netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.