What kind of woman would answer an advertisement and marry a stranger? Escape into the history of the American West along with nine couples whose relationships begin with advertisements for mail-order brides. Placing their dreams for new beginnings in the hands of a stranger, will each bride be disappointed, or will some find true love? Perfect for the Preacher by Megan Besing 1897, Indiana Fresh from seminary, Amos Lowry believes marriage will prove to his skeptical congregation that he’s mature. If only his mail-order bride wasn’t an ex-saloon girl, and worse, pregnant. The Outlaw’s Inconvenient Bride by Noelle Marchand 1881, Wyoming After a gang of outlaws uses a mail-order bride advertisement to trick an innocent woman into servitude, an undercover lawman must claim the bride—even if it puts his mission in jeopardy. Train Ride to Heartbreak by Donna Schlachter 1895, Train to California John Stewart needs a wife. Mary Johannson needs a home. On her way west, Mary falls in love with another. Now both must choose between commitment and true love. Mail-Order Proxy by Sherri Shackelford 1885, Montana A mail-order marriage by proxy goes wrong when a clerical error leads to the proxies actually being married instead of the siblings they were standing in for. In their quest to correct the mistake, the two discover outlaws, adventure, and even love. To Heal Thy Heart by Michelle Shocklee 1866, New Mexico When Phoebe Wagner answers a mail-order bride ad that states Confederate widows need not apply, she worries what Dr. Luke Preston will do when he learns her fiancé died wearing gray. Miss-Delivered Mail by Ann Shorey 1884, Washington Helena Erickson impulsively decides to take advantage of her brother’s deception and travels to Washington Territory in response to a proposal of marriage intended for someone else. How will Daniel McNabb respond when Helena is nothing like he expected? A Fairy-Tale Bride by Liz Tolsma 1867, Texas Nora Green doesn’t feel much like Cinderella when her mail-order groom stands her up. But could the mysterious jester from the town’s play be her Prince Charming? The Brigand and the Bride by Jennifer Uhlarik 1876, Arizona Jolie Hilliard weds a stranger to flee her outlaw family but discovers her groom is an escaped prisoner. Will she ever find happiness on the right side of the law? The Mail-Order Mistake by Kathleen Y’Barbo 1855, Texas Pinkerton detective Jeremiah Bingham is investigating a mail-order bride scam bankrupting potential grooms. When unsuspecting orphan May Conrad answers his false ad, she becomes the prime suspect in the case.

Mail Order Bride: Free At Last In California -- Sick of the taunts from the inhabitants of her small town, above average weight Jocelyn had endured numerous insults since she was a small child. An ad for mail order brides spurred her to act and she wrote to the company and was matched up with a rancher in California who wanted a wife with a sense of adventure. She told him that she had that same sense and was looking for a new life, but she also omitted to tell him anything else about herself. Pulling into the train station, she almost dreaded what would happen after she met him. This is a story full of love and about what's truly important in life.

Mail Order Bride: Free At Last In California. Sick of the taunts from the inhabitants of her small town, above average weight Jocelyn had endured numerous insults since she was a small child. An ad for mail order brides spurred her to act and she wrote to the company and was matched up with a rancher in California who wanted a wife with a sense of adventure.Mail Order Bride: Margaret's Jewish Cowboy, is a story about two damaged people finding love, thanks to the assistance of one small town religious leader. The latter encourages crotchety Jed to advertise for a mail order bride and without warning, because of a mistake, one shows up on his doorstep. The trouble is 0́4 she has had a checkered past just like he has.Mail Order Bride: An Orphan Finds Her Parents. Sally was a devout Christian orphan girl living simply in New York City until a friend handed her a letter, which would change her life forever.Mail Order Bride: Wolf At The Door, is about a high society woman who decides to become a mail order bride to a lonely outpost operator in Oregon. She has no idea about the rigorous path which lies ahead.

Mail Order Bride: Rebecca's California Rancher, is a beautiful romance about Nathan, who advertises for his wife but gets... Riding her own horse and dressed in working buckskins, Rebecca shows up at his ranch in California, unannounced, after finding his ad in her newspaper. He begrudgingly lets her stay if she'll cook them three meals a day and do some other 'womanly' chores. This she does not want because she thinks it's a big waste of her talent. She can hunt and fish and break horses and many other things. Can she love? Only time will tell if these two strong spirits can get along without destroying any chances of a relationship.

Mail Order Bride: Return To Sender? is a brand new and beautiful novella about a lonely California rancher who requests a mail order bride, but considers sending her back when she tells him adamantly that she doesn't want to get married yet -- or ever.

Matchmaking Mix-up! In the heart of Shotgun Ridge, Montana, fate takes an unexpected turn for Wyatt Malone. What began as an ordinary day quickly spirals into a whirlwind of surprises when a little boy, with eyes full of hope, mistakes Wyatt for his new father. To make matters more complicated, a pregnant woman named Hannah Richmond insists she's his bride-to-be. It's a case of mistaken identities set in motion by four well-meaning matchmakers. Wyatt now faces a choice: to reveal the truth and untangle this web of confusion or embrace the unexpected role that destiny seems to have thrust upon him. As he looks into Hannah's eyes and experiences a newfound sense of completeness, he can't help but wonder if the meddling matchmakers might have been onto something. In Shotgun Ridge, where love blooms in the most unexpected places, Wyatt's decision could change the fate of the whole town." “A story full of heart and humor . . . vulnerable rancher Wyatt Malone will melt readers’ hearts.”–Romantic Time Magazine (4 ½ GOLD MEDAL) TOP PICK and W.I.S.H. award recipient for outstanding hero. From a USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over 30 romance novels comes an emotion, laughter-filled series of contemporary romances all about cowboys, community spirit and feel-good emotions. What do readers get with a Mindy Neff book? Small town romance filled with laughter and emotion, tough-guy heroes who are gentle and kind, and secondary characters—both human and animal—who help keep everyone stirred up! Books that touch your heart. Bachelors of Shotgun Ridge--Single, Sexy and soon-to-be wed!

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.