Fleeing scandal, stage sensation Savannah Reed swaps sparkles and satin for calico and wool to be Morrow Creek's telegraph operator. Through the wires she finds her new leading man, but when he arrives–shot and left for dead on her doorstep–Savannah suspects she's jumped out of the limelight and into the fire…. Detective Adam Corwin awakens to Savannah's bewitching smile, but she's mistaken him for her mail–order groom! Now Adam must tell Savannah that her future husband is a wanted outlaw and the danger's barely begun….

Sandra Chastain returns to the richly sensuous Wild West as a case of mistaken identity leads to uninhibited passion and pleasure. Melissa Grayson desires nothing more than to teach art and poetry to the children at the private school founded by her father. But every trip Melissa makes into town drives the single men into such a frenzy that the local clergy and sheriff finally give her an ultimatum: marriage or jail. Prepared to make any sacrifice for her students, Melissa writes her New York pen pal—a sickly, sensitive scholar—to arrange a platonic union whose real commitment will be to education. Gambling man Lucky Lawrence is always up for a game of chance. But when a sore loser expects Lucky to pay with his life, even he wouldn’t bet on making it out alive—until he’s confused for a studious Harvard boy who’s engaged to the most beautiful woman Lucky has ever seen. Never one to deny a damsel in distress, Lucky happily plays the part. Melissa in turn is shocked to discover that her groom is so ruggedly handsome—with broad shoulders and teasing eyes . . . a man who just may show her a love she has always thought existed only in books.

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?

In the American media, Russian mail-order brides are often portrayed either as docile victims or as gold diggers in search of money and green cards. Rarely are they allowed to speak for themselves. Until now. In Dreaming of a Mail-Order Husband, six Russian women who are in search of or have already found U.S. husbands via listings on the Internet tell their stories. Ericka Johnson, an American researcher of gender and technology, interviewed these women and others. The women, in their twenties and thirties, describe how they placed listings on the Internet and what they think about their contacts with Western men. They discuss their expectations about marriage in the United States and their reasons for wishing to emigrate. Their differing backgrounds, economic situations, and educational levels belie homogeneous characterizations of Russian mail-order brides. Each chapter presents one woman’s story and then links it to a discussion of gender roles, the mail-order bride industry, and the severe economic and social constraints of life in Russia. The transitional economy has often left people, after a month’s work, either unpaid or paid unexpectedly with a supply of sunflower oil or toilet paper. Women over twenty-three are considered virtually unmarriageable in Russian society. Russia has a large population of women who are single, divorced, or widowed, who would like to be married yet feel that they have no chance finding a Russian husband. Grim realities such as these motivate women to seek better lives abroad. For many of those seeking a mail-order husband, children or parents play significant roles in the search for better lives, and they play a role in Johnson’s account as well. In addition to her research in the former Soviet Union, Johnson conducted interviews in the United States, and she shares the insights—about dating, marriage, and cross-cultural communication—of a Russian-American married couple who met via the Internet.

Seven women seek husbands to help them rebuild a Kansas town. Meet seven of Turtle Springs, Kansas’, finest women who are determined to revive their small town after the War Between the States took most of its men. . .and didn’t return them. The ladies decide to advertise for husbands and devise a plan for weeding out the riff raff. But how can they make the best practical choices when their hearts cry out to be loved? Abigail’s Proposal by Cynthia Hickey When her father never returned from the war, Abigail Melton stepped into his role as town mayor. The town needs men, and she needs a husband—and she has a big idea how to find both—but her first duty is to hire a sheriff. And drifter Josiah Ingram will do just fine. The Kidnapped Groom by Susan Page Davis Riding through the Flint Hills on his way to Dodge City, cowboy Sam Cayford finds himself the kidnapping victim of two children. When he meets their lovely mother, Maggie Piner—whom the kids insist he should marry—Sam starts to question God’s plans versus his own. A Clean Slate by Susanne Dietze Schoolmarm Roberta “Birdy” Green won’t marry any of the prospective grooms flocking to town. After losing her fiancé in the war, the only love her broken heart can bear is for her students. But then she takes on a new pupil—Drew Cooper, one of the gentlemen drawn to Kansas by the advertisement for grooms. Sunshine of My Heart by Darlene Franklin Debbie Barker longs to bring beauty to her new home on the prairie, where her family moved after the war, and seeks a husband to help her father run the ranch. Zack Gage returned home from the war to a life in ruins—family dead and business bankrupted. He answers the mail-order husband ad to seek a fresh start. But neither Debbie nor Zeke know what they are doing when it comes to ranching. . .or love. Come What May by Patty Smith Hall Chardy Stevens is at the end of her rope. Between running her late father’s store and tending to her four younger brothers, she barely has time to breathe, much less look for a husband to help her. The boys scare off most of her prospects and throw Chardy together with her childhood friend Luke, a disabled veteran who seeks her happiness above his own. Dime Novel Suitor by Carrie Fancett Pagels Widow Caroline Kane is the proprietor of a restaurant and inn—and responsible for her five teenaged siblings. But she has no plans of finding a mail-order groom. Britisher Barden Granville IV is on a “cowboy holiday” when he finds himself flat broke in Kansas. When he answers an old “help wanted” ad, Caroline misconstrues Barden is there as a potential husband. Will the beautiful and fiesty widow cause the new vicar to make Kansas his home? Louder than Words by Gina Welborn After years of writing abolitionist pamphlets and chronicling soldier life during the war, J.R. Lockhart is bored and jumps at the opportunity to investigate an advertisement for husbands for an article in Godey’s Lady’s Book. Jane Ransome would like to help the charming-but-oblivious-to-life-out-West man chronicle the courtships developing in town, but she has her own husband to find—one who will fit perfectly in her picket-fenced Kansas home.

"Find a husband in thirty days or lose the ranch when I die." Emma Marshall is stunned by her dying father's ultimatum. With Twin Oaks to run alone, she delays dealing with it, unaware of advertisements he placed seeking a groom. One by one, prospects arrive, spurred by the promise of control of a prosperous ranch and a beautiful bride. Angry, embarrassed and heartbroken by her father's tactics, she fights for her independence. Tyler Rountree acts on a request from his best friend and accepts the job of temporary foreman at the Marshall place. Surprised to find his new boss is a beautiful, jean-wearing, gun-toting woman with enough grit to go bear hunting with a switch, he happily accepts the job. Distracted by persistent suitors and a dangerous man intent on getting control of her ranch, Emma is totally unprepared for the instant attraction to Ty. Thrown together by chance, she can't help but wonder if he may be the answer to her problem. However, it soon becomes clear she knows everything about running a ranch, and nothing about being a woman. A world-weary Southern gentleman, a fiery, independent woman; will a marriage of convenience bring them happiness or more heartache?

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," the surly stranger drawled as he took a puff from his Marlboro Red, causing Nina to scrunch her face in disgust. "Are you gonna let me in or keep me standin' out here all night?" Nina batted away a cloud of smoke he sent her way and poorly attempted to stifle a cough. "Um, I'm sorry, but I believe you have the wrong house." "This is 1123 Elmhurst, correct?" "That's correct." "And you're Nina O'Neil, correct?" "Yes, that's correct." "Well, then I'm in the right place." "No, I don't think you are. I don't know you, and I certainly don't know what your intentions are. Please leave before I call the cops," Nina demanded before closing the door. Her eyes widened when they landed on the booted foot that prevented the heavy oak door from shutting. "Sugar, I'm the one you've been begging to keep you warm at night." "Excuse me?" Nina gasped, flinging the door back open. "Isn't that what you wrote to me? You would be waiting for me with open arms and a meal fit for a king once I finished my business trip." "I wrote that to someone, but that someone isn't you!" Nina exclaimed. "It is me, Zane." "No, no, no, no, no. I don't know what kind of sick game you're playing, but you're not my Zane," Nina argued. "You lost your first tooth in an extreme pillow fight with your older brother, your nephew calls you NiNi, you hate the taste of toothpaste, you have a severe obsession with 80s music, you detest people who have more than 15 items in the 15 items or less checkout line, and you have a rose tramp stamp that you had to get as a result of losing a dare. Must I go on?" Nina's hand flew to the tattoo on her back that was currently burning a hole through her sweater. How did this stranger know all these personal details about her? The only man she shared this with was Zane Doran, who spoke with through the mail-order groom service. "You wanted a mail-order groom? Here I am, sugar, signed, sealed, and delivered." "Oh, you got me fucked up!" *** Nina O'Neil is a successful physical therapist looking to settle down without all the hoopla and disappointment dating in the modern age brings. Despite the stern warnings she received from her family and friends, Nina signs up for a mail-order groom service in hopes of finding true love. It didn't take much for Nina to fall for Zane Doran, an accomplished hedge fund manager. For her? It was love at first sight, and the two spent the next several months exchanging messages. She falls in love with her online lover and is ready to take the next step. Instead of being met by the well-kept, polite gentleman whom Nina has been bearing her soul to, Nina is surprised to find a rough-neck tattooed beast of a man on her doorstep. What makes matters worse...he was just released from prison. Join the hilarious, side-splitting adventures of Nina and Zane as they attempt to navigate a relationship. Will the pair ever find common ground and make it down the aisle? **Best for a Mature audience: Sexual Content, Foul Language, LGBTQ characters 48,000 words