Once Upon A Mail Order Bride

"Linda Broday's heroes step right out of her books and into your heart."—Jodi Thomas, New York Times bestselling author An outlaw falls for his mysterious mail order bride in this sweeping western epic by beloved author Linda Broday. Accused of crimes he didn't commit, ex-preacher Ridge Steele is forced to give up everything he knew and make his home with outlaws. Desperate for someone to confide in, he strikes up correspondence with mail-order bride Adeline Jancy, finding in her the open heart he's been searching for. Upon her arrival, Ridge discovers Addie only communicates through the written word, but he knows a little of what trauma can do to a person and vows to stand by her side. Addie is eager to start a new life with the kind ex-preacher and the little boy she's stolen away from her father—a zealot priest of a terrorized flock. As her small family settles into life at Hope's Crossing, she even begins to find the voice, and confidence, she'd lost so long ago. But danger is not far behind, and her father will not be denied. While Addie desperately fights the man who destroyed her childhood, a determined Ridge races to the rescue. The star-crossed lovers will need more than prayers to survive this final challenge...and find their way back to each other again.

When the West was wild And man's law favored the few These extraordinary women could be found...in the heart of an outlaw. Former outlaw Clay Colby is abuzz with his mail order bride's expected arrival. He's fought long and hard to drag Devil's Crossing out of lawlessness...so when his homestead is set ablaze by a bitter rival, he's heartbroken. There's no woman in the world who'd stand by him now. But Tally Shannon is no ordinary woman. After escaping the psychiatric hospital in which she was wrongfully detained, Tally only wants someone to protect her and the little girl under her care. She doesn't mind that Clay's home is dang near burned to the ground—not when he makes her feel so safe. So cherished. But it's only a matter of time before the ghosts of her past come calling...and her loving cowboy must defend his new bride—and the family they built together—to his very last breath. What People Are Saying About Linda Broday: "Fans of classic Western tales will delight in the rough-and-tumble world Broday creates..." —RT Book Reviews for To Love a Texas Ranger "A shining example of the talent of one of the best historical western authors." —Fresh Fiction for Forever His Texas Bride "Broday's Westerns always captivate with realistic settings, rugged cowboys and feisty heroines." —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars for Forever His Texas Bride

At the altar Linda Forrest discovers her fiancee has eloped -- with her own sister! Starting a new life as a mail order bride she finds her husband has a sinister secret, but that no danger can place her beyond God's love.

Carl Richie’s wife took delight in making him miserable, often reminding him she wished she’d married someone much more deserving. So when she dies, it's no great loss. His problems, however, are far from over. His father left him twenty acres and a stream that most likely has gold in it, but in order for him to keep the property, he must have a child. The last thing Carl wants to do is marry again, but he has no choice. So, with reluctance, he posts a mail-order bride ad. Juliet Gilbert needs to marry someone—and fast. On a whim, she answers the first mail-order bride ad that will take her to a place where her past won’t catch up with her. From the beginning, Carl makes it clear he’s not interested in love. He only wants a child, and then he’ll give her a portion of any gold he finds on his land and leave her alone to do as she wishes. Since love is the least of her concerns, she agrees as long as he never asks about her past. The two strike the bargain, and she comes out to marry him. What neither expects, however, is that bargains are far easier to make than they are to keep.

"Beautifully written, enduring stories of love."—JODI THOMAS, New York Times bestselling author When the West was wild and man's law favored the few These extraordinary women could be found in the heart of an outlaw. He may be a wanted man, but all outlaw Jack Bowdre ever desired was a second chance. Now he's on his way to jail, completely unaware that his unexpected—and unexpectedly beautiful—traveling companion is none other than Nora Kane...his mail order bride. It's too bad Nora doesn't know Jack is her groom-to-be. All she sees is a scoundrel. But when their stagecoach crashes and the truth comes spilling out, they're suddenly left to fend for themselves—and each other. The longer they're together, the stronger their feelings grow. Hounded by desperate men bent on doing them harm, Nora and Jack will do whatever it takes to find their happily ever after...but first, they'll have to shake the devil from their trail. A sweeping historical western romance, perfect for readers of Rosanne Bittner and Jo Goodman! Outlaw Mail Order Brides series: The Outlaw's Mail Order Bride (Book 1) Saving the Mail Order Bride (Book 2) What People Are Saying About Linda Broday: "Fans of classic Western tales will delight in the rough-and-tumble world Broday creates..." —RT Book Reviews for To Love a Texas Ranger "A shining example of the talent of one of the best historical western authors."—Fresh Fiction for Forever His Texas Bride "Broday's Westerns always captivate with realistic settings, rugged cowboys and feisty heroines."—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars for Forever His Texas Bride

There have always been mail-order brides in America—but we haven’t always thought about them in the same ways. In Buying a Bride, Marcia A. Zug starts with the so-called “Tobacco Wives” of the Jamestown colony and moves all the way forward to today’s modern same-sex mail-order grooms to explore the advantages and disadvantages of mail-order marriage. It’s a history of deception, physical abuse, and failed unions. It’s also the story of how mail-order marriage can offer women surprising and empowering opportunities. Drawing on a forgotten trove of colorful mail-order marriage court cases, Zug explores the many troubling legal issues that arise in mail-order marriage: domestic abuse and murder, breach of contract, fraud (especially relating to immigration), and human trafficking and prostitution. She tells the story of how mail-order marriage lost the benign reputation it enjoyed in the Civil War era to become more and more reviled over time, and she argues compellingly that it does not entirely deserve its current reputation. While it is a common misperception that women turn to mail-order marriage as a desperate last resort, most mail-order brides are enticed rather than coerced. Since the first mail-order brides arrived on American shores in 1619, mail-order marriage has enabled women to improve both their marital prospects and their legal, political, and social freedoms. Buying A Bride uncovers this history and shows us how mail-order marriage empowers women and should be protected and even encouraged.

"So beautiful. You make it impossible to think." He pulled her against him and found her mouth. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do this." When he let her up for air, she whispered as though she couldn't trust her voice, "Is this another Texas custom?" "Absolutely," he growled. "Welcome to Texas." Rancher Cooper Thorne thinks his life is finally on an even keel-until Delta Dandridge steps off the stagecoach and claims she's his mail order bride. Brash and quick-witted, the meddling Southern Belle is everything Cooper thought he never wanted...and everything his heart is telling him he needs. But Cooper swore long ago that he'd never marry, and he aims to keep his word, especially now that the demons from his past have returned to threaten everything-and everyone-he holds dear...

When Phoebe Durbin answers a mail-order bride ad, she doesn't realize the groom-to-be didn't post it. Worse, the day she arrives at her destination, she learns he doesn't even want to get married. Having nowhere else to go, she convinces him to give her a chance to prove having a woman cook and clean for him will be the best thing that ever happened to him. Abe Thomas reluctantly agrees to take Phoebe in, though he doubts they will make a good match. They're much too different. While she sees the best in things, he knows the world is much darker than she can ever imagine. No woman in her right mind would be his convenient wife. He's sure when the stagecoach comes back to town, she'll be the first one on it. After all, two people so completely different can't make a good match, can they?