The Chapel Car Bride by Judith Miller

Paperback, 352 pages

Published April 4th 2017
by Bethany House Publishers
0764219057 (ISBN13: 978076429054)
Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Download Excerpt here

ABOUT BOOK

After a sheltered life in Pittsburgh, Hope Irvine is ready for a new adventure. When her father takes a position as a preacher in a railroad car converted into a traveling church, she's thrilled at the chance to accompany him. While accommodations in their new chapel car home are tight, Hope couldn't be happier putting her musical skills to good use and ministering to the people of West Virginia alongside her father. But when their chapel car arrives in Finch, West Virginia, they find a coal mining community that has hit hard times and is suspicious of outsiders.

Luke Hughes works for the coal mine when he can, but the struggling company doesn't always offer steady work. When Reverend Irvine and Hope arrive in town, Luke is intrigued by what the reverend can teach him--and by the lovely and kind Hope.

When Hope's desire to bring supplies and Sunday school classes to neighboring counties leads to her traveling with a flirtatious young mine manager, Luke is hard-pressed to suppress his jealousy. But when he begins to suspect the manager's motives are less than charitable, can he prove it without hurting Hope, or worse, putting her in danger?

ABOUT AUTHOR

Judith Miller is an award-winning writer whose avid research and love for history are reflected in her bestselling novels. Judy and her family make their home in Kansas.

Learn more at www.judithmccoymiller.com.

MY THOUGHTS

Hope had to beg her father to let her go with him on the Railroad Chapel Car. Reverend Irvine took everything she said into consideration. He finally gave in making sure she would adhere to the rules he set before her. It was apparent his main concern was her safety.

This would be an adventure and a great blessing for Hope.  She had a beautiful voice and a talent for teaching Sunday School to the children which was as much a draw to the children as the candy she handed out afterwards.

She also seemed to draw the attention an abundance of eligible bachelors which included Luke Hughes and then the full of himself manager of a mining company. Both of these men were in the same town making for an uncomfortble situation for Hope. She prays the Lord will lead her.

Judith Miller touches the hearts of readers in the characters she so lovingly writes about. She took me on a great adventue!

I highly reccommend this book.

I rated this book 5 STARS

Disclosure: I received a free digital copy of this book from Bethany House via Netgalley for review. I was in no way compensated for this review is my honest opinion.

NETGALLEY

Bethany House

Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands Romance Collection by Susan Page Davis, Susanne Dietze, Darlene Franklin, Patty Smith Hall, Cynthia Hickey, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Gina Welborn

Published June 1st 2017 

by Barbour Books

448 pages

ABOUT BOOK

Seven women seek husbands to 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.

MY THOUGHTS

What an enjoyable read! These women knew the life that was handed them was too much to handle on their own with children, farms and businesses without a husband. So they create an advertisement for mail order husbands to attend auditions for potential spouses. 

I had a hard time setting this book aside. Being familiar with all of these authors it was exactly what I expected, which was to draw me into the hearts of each and every woman and man in search of a secure future. God was in attendace at these auditions and knew what was in each and every heart involved. It was definitely not an easy transition for anyone but with trust in the Lord and hard work a new future could be seen.

I highly recommend this book.

 I rated this book 5 Stars.

Disclosure:  I received a free digital copy of this book from Barbour 

Publishing via Netgalley for review. I was not compensated for for this review it is my honest opinion.

The Second Chance Brides Collection: Nine Historical Romances Offer New Hope for Love

Paperback, 448 pages 

Expected publication August 1st 2017 

by Barbour Books

ISBN1683222466 (ISBN13: 981683222460)

Series: Barbour Bride Collections

ABOUT BOOK

Meet nine women who each believe their chance for lifelong love has passed them by. From the girls who lost their beaus to war, to the wallflowers overshadowed by others, and the widows deeply hurt by their loss, the desire to love and be loved spans American history from 1777 to 1944. Experience the sweet pull of romance on each life and the blossom of faith that leads them to brighter futures.

AUTHORS

by Lauralee Bliss, Angela Breidenbach, Ramona K. Cecil, Pamela Griffin, Grace Hitchcock, Pam Hillman,Laura V. Hilton, Tiffany Amber Stockton, Liz Tolsma

MY THOUGHTS

I very much enjoyed all the books in this collection. Thanks to the outstanding authors coming together to share a wide span through history of love and circumstances for couples searching for a second chance to marry.  All along the Lord is leading. 

Barbour Publishing has become one of my favorite go to publishers for Christian historical fiction. Always feeding my appetite for a good read.

I rated this book 5 Stars

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Barour Pubishing via Netglley for an honest review.  I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my honest opinion.