Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer

No one steps on Archer land. Not if they value their life. But when Meredith Hayes overhears a lethal plot to burn the Archer brothers off their ranch, a twelve-year-old debt compels her to take the risk.

Fourteen years of constant vigilance hardens a man. Yet when Travis Archer confronts a female trespasser with the same vivid blue eyes as the courageous young girl he once aided, he can't bring himself to send her away. And when an act of sacrifice leaves her injured and her reputation in shreds, gratitude and guilt send him riding to her rescue once again.

Four brothers. Four straws. One bride. Despite the fact that Travis is no longer the gallant youth Meredith once dreamed about, she determines to stand by his side against the enemy that threatens them both. But will love ever be hers? Or will Travis always see her merely as a short-straw bride?

CHRISTINA'S REVIEW: Another book from Karen Witemeyer to read and enjoy. I picked this one up from the library and loved it. I am so glad that Deseret Book has been putting more books like these on their website to give me ideas of what to read. I have ventured away from only reading LDS fiction and have started reading some Christian fiction.  This will not disappoint. The author pulls you in from the very first page. As a young girl Meredith trespasses on Archer land and meets Travis who becomes the hero of her dreams. When she meets Travis again her dreams and reality crash together. She has always loved him but how does he feel? She is forced to marry one of the four brothers and they draw straws, which isn't a flattering way to be chosen as someone's bride. Travis has always put his land and his brothers first. Will that change? Will he be able to love Meredith as much as he loves his land or will the land always be top priority? Meredith struggles to help her hero throughout the book. She is always trying to help him whether he wants her help or not. She loves him and only wants him to love her back. It is a cute love story; clean romance. Good read. I enjoyed the book.

Raging Rivers by Taylor Brady

On the front and back covers:

"A Family Born of the west- and bound by destiny, desire and the bold spirit of the American Frontier.

In wagons, in mule carts and on foot- down treacherous rivers and across endless plains- the pioneers came in search of the Golden Land- drawn ever westward by the glorious promise of the American frontier.

Fleeing the horrors of her past and the vengeance of violent men, young Katherine Carlyle buys passage aboard a flatboat bound for the Western territories- only to be shipwrecked by a catastrophic storm. Exposed to the devastating cruelties of the wilderness, it is Katherine who must lead a helpless group of women and children to safety- following a perilous trail that will carry her toward a rugged enigmatic frontiersman called Byrd Kincaid... and to a love that will bring forth a magnificent dynasty of intrepid adventurers and audacious dreamers."

Jennifer's Review:

I absolutely love Western Romance. I had forgotten that until finding my copy of the book series The Kincaids. Loads of excitement, death, heartbreak, betrayal, and, of course, romance! LOVE this series and will be re-reading it just for fun! :)

I enjoyed how this was written. Kept me turning pages all the way through.

These are rated PG-13.

I give Raging Rivers 4 stars.

The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter

From Goodreads:

Two high-school sweethearts, a wedding reenactment, and one absent-minded preacher. Is it a recipe for disaster or a chance for a new beginning?

 

From Misty:

Wow, short blurb, Goodreads.  That really puts the pressure on me.

 

Pleasantly, pleasantly surprised with this one.  I've never read Denise Hunter before, and I really liked her writing.  A  lot of romances like this just get thrown together, but this was well thought out and the characters had some depth.

 

I could see how the bride on the cover and, well, the title might just scream "cheesy" to some, but that's my favorite color of blue and, well, that was enough for me to give it a try.  Plus I thought the premise was cute.  I mean, high-school sweethearts, love gone wrong--what's not to love about that?

 

Travis and Shay went to the courthouse to get married when they were eighteen, but Travis got cold feet and left her there (yes, on the courthouse steps) to pursue his dream of rodeoing--yeehaw!  He tries to call later, but of course he never gets through.  Over the years, a lot goes wrong for Shay, and when Travis finally comes back to town, she's just about to lose her family's ranch.  When she busts her foot, Travis steps in to run the ranch and win back the heart of the only girl he has ever loved.  But come on, he left her at the alter!  And it takes a long time for Shay to forgive him, but in the end she does.  Nice, huh?

 

I did not mind the totally phony "accidental marriage."  Hunter includes an aside where she admits it's impossible, but the idea was just too cute not to run with, and I agree.  A little poetic liscence never hurt anybody.  But what I did find hard to swallow was the misunderstanding over the text message.  Shay reads one text message from someone she doesn't know on Travis's phone and calls  the whole thing off?  I know she has trust issues, but if she had learned anything she might have just squared off with him about it, and her spunky, determined, strong-willed character would have--so the whole text message thing was the really unbelievable part.

 

But notwithstanding that, it was an all around cute read.  Can't remember how clean, but I'm thinking PG.  My copy of The Accidental Bride was attained through Netgalley (thanks!) and I was not compensated in any way for my review.