My Review:
5 Stars!!!
First let me say that the words mail-order bride usually make me NOT want to read a book, simply because I'm not a huge fan of these story lines! However, something about the description of A Bride For Keeps reached out to me and made me really want to read it! And I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I really enjoyed the characters. Julia was really cool, I really felt bad for her, all the emotional baggage she carried was awful but very realistic. Everett was such a great hero, I loved him, one of the things that I love the most was that through him the author showed that even after we give our lives and hearts to Christ and begin a relationship with Him, there will still be times when we struggle with our thoughts and emotions, and will have to learn to turn them over to God!
The setting was really cool, I'm not sure that I've read a historical set on the Kansas prairie, before!
I hate it when the awkwardness and misunderstandings between characters feel unrealistic, I am happy to report that such was not the case in this book. The awkwardness in this book all felt very real, and resulted in some hilarious scenes at which I literally laughed out loud while reading!
I can't really think of anything else to say except that I really enjoyed this book, I will even go so far as to say that I loved it. And I definitely anticipate re-reading at least my favorite parts, if not the whole book, in the future!
I highly recommend this one to mature teens and adults.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via CFBA in exchange for an honest review. The above is my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
A Bride for Keeps
Bethany House Publishers (October 1, 2013)
by
Melissa Jagears
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A Word From The Author:
I am a stay at home mother on a tiny little farm with a fixer-upper house. As much as I love writing and reading about homesteaders, I am so glad I’m a homesteader during an era with modern grocery stores to take up for my slack. I am an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher by trade, and I still work occasionally in that field along with being my church’s financial secretary and writing novels.
My husband and I have been married since 2001 and have a daughter and two little boys. My husband shares my fascination with traditional living except for being more hands on. He loves blacksmithing, knife smithing, traditional archery, hunting, etc. Generally whatever a mountain man does, he does it or has or wants to attempt it. He comes in handy for research! And of course, the rest of the family gets involved. I have my own blackpowder rifle, named Calvin, that my husband made for me. And I’m pretty sure my daughter is probably one of very few her age who can instruct adults how to shoot a longbow properly. The boy digs random holes in my yard to make “cement” with dirt and water making our yard a tripping hazard. The baby does what babies do.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A Tender Tale of Love on the Prairie Perfect for CBA Readers!
Although Everett Cline can hardly keep up with the demands of his homestead, he won't humiliate himself by looking for a helpmate ever again--not after being jilted by three mail-order brides. When a well-meaning neighbor goes behind his back to bring yet another mail-order bride to town, he has good reason to doubt it will work, especially after getting a glimpse at the woman in question. She's the prettiest woman he's ever seen, and it's just not possible she's there to marry a simple homesteader like him.
Julia Lockwood has never been anything more than a pretty pawn for her father or a business acquisition for her former fiance. Having finally worked up the courage to leave her life in Massachusetts, she's determined to find a place where people will value her for more than her looks. Having run out of all other options, Julia resorts to a mail-order marriage in far-away Kansas.
Everett is skeptical a cultured woman like Julia could be happy in a life on the plains, while Julia, deeply wounded by a past relationship, is skittish at the idea of marriage at all. When, despite their hesitations, they agree to a marriage in name only, neither one is prepared for the feelings that soon arise to complicate their arrangement. Can two people accustomed to keeping their distance let the barricades around their hearts down long enough to fall in love?
If you would like to read the first chapter of
A Bride for Keeps, go
HERE.
