THE BARTERED BRIDE
COLORADO 1880
Jem Wheeler has always been a survivor. He just wants to make a fresh start in Colorado Springs after the loss of his wife. But then he happens upon a young mute woman being sold off to the highest bidder. He wasn’t looking for a mail-order bride. He wasn’t looking to rescue anyone either. But desperate circumstances can drive a good man to do things he hadn’t planned on doing...
When Jem steps into Annie’s life, she’s not expecting anyone to save her. Mute from birth, she’s just using all her wits to survive. All she’s ever really wanted is a family of her own. For someone to see her. To look at her long enough to hear the things she can’t say.
Can a rescued bride who can’t speak communicate her love for a grieving widower and his little girl? Will her love ever be returned?
The Brides Series #3
Note: Each book in The Brides Series can be read as a stand-alone novel,
but reading in order will provide a more complete reading experience.
BOOK LINKS
THE BARTERED BRIDE
THE UNEXPECTED BRIDE
SLEIGH BELLS &
MISTLETOE
AUTHOR BIO
LENA GOLDFINCH writes sweet
Historical Western Romance / Inspirational Romance and books for teens. She’s
always been a sucker for a good old-fashioned romance, whether it’s a novel or
short story, young adult or adult, fantasy or realistic, contemporary or
historical. Lena has been a finalist in several national writing contests,
including the RWA Golden Heart and ACFW Genesis contests. She enjoys life in a
quiet, small town with her husband, two kids, and two very spoiled Black Labs.
SOCIAL LINKS
Website: www.LenaGoldfinch.com
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/lenagoldfinch
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/LenaGoldfinchAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lena_goldfinch
My Review:
Jem Wheeler’s wife has recently passed away. He and their daughter Mae are on their way to his wife’s former home. Jem isn’t sure why he is going there, but he feels the urge to take Mae to her mother’s home. On the way the train they are on comes to a stop and Jem decides to check on his horse and get he and Mae some food. What he encounters changes he and Mae’s life forever.
Annie hasn’t bathed in days, but there is a reason for this.
She must keep the man she is travelling with away from her at all costs. Annie
can’t speak to defend herself so she must rely on other resources to help keep
herself from being abused. Annie’s mother abandoned her when she was 3 leaving
Annie an orphan. The family that Annie was with could no longer care for her so
now she is travelling with a disreputable pastor who is set on selling her to
an equally disreputable man. This is where Jem and Annie’s paths cross. Seeing
the transaction taking place and Annie’s distress over the treatment of a young
puppy Jem steps in and offers to marry Annie and take the puppy with them.
Needless to say he makes an enemy of the man who wanted to purchase Annie.
Annie is amazed that Jem would marry her and take her with
him saving her from the man with the evil eyes. Mae understands it isn’t to be
a “real” marriage, but she is quite willing to be a caretaker for Mae and help
Jem in any way she can. Jem has closed himself off from caring about anyone
since his wife has died. When they reach the ranch he throws himself into the
work that is needed. When he realizes how pretty Annie is once she cleans up he
pushes her away feeling disloyal to his first wife.
Of course the man with the evil eyes is a neighbor of their
ranch and it is inevitable that they will see him. Jem vows though that he will
let nothing happen to Annie or Mae. From the moment Annie arrives on the ranch
she starts to realize what a special man Jem is. By her quiet loyalty Annie
manages to win over Jem’s young brother-in-law Ben and Ray who does all of the
cooking for the ranch. What Annie wants most though is to win Jem’s heart as he
has won hers.
This was such a sweet story. I loved how Jem swooped in to
Annie’s rescue. Even though Jem was closed off because of the death of his wife
he still was able to rescue Annie from her situation and give her a new life. I
loved the way the author portrayed how patient Jem was with Annie not being
able to communicate. I enjoyed the softening and awareness that Jem started
having for Annie even though he felt he was being disloyal to his first
marriage. The suspense was sort of secondary to the story of Annie and Jem, but
it definitely kept me up too late wanting to find out how the whole story
ended. This is the 3rd book in The Brides Series with The Unexpected
Bride being the first book and Sleigh Bells and Mistletoe, a short story, being
the 2nd. I recommend all three books. They probably don’t have to be
read in order, but Jem is in the first 2 books so to get a feel for his
background I would recommend reading them in order. I hope that author Lena Goldfinch will be
writing another book in the series as I would really like to know what happened
with one of the characters in this installment.
To enter these drawings, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Winners will be chosen after the end of the blog tour (December 19, 2015).
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
In celebration of the release of The Bartered Bride, Lena is giving away
some awesome prizes!
·
Grand
Prize: $25 gift card (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks,
Kobo, or Google Play—winner’s choice) + all three ebooks in The Brides series
(Open internationally)
·
Second
Prize: Paperback copy of The Bartered Bride (Open to US residents only)
·
Third
Prize: All three ebooks in The Brides series (Open
internationally)
To enter these drawings, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Winners will be chosen after the end of the blog tour (December 19, 2015).
Dear Julie, thanks so much for your sweet review! I'm so happy you enjoyed Jem and Annie's story. That makes me happy. :) Yes, I have plans for other books in the series. For now I'll just say "there's stuff in the works." :)
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