Cheryl St. JohnCritiques
Auteur de His Secondhand Wife
Critiques
Sequins and Spurs (Harlequin Historical) par Cheryl St.John
As the blurb implies, our leads have baggage galore. Tye Hatcher has returned to Aspen Grove, Colorado, after the Civil War. He's not sure why he returned to the town, given the fact that he's been ostracized practically since birth. His mother was a saloon girl and his father didn't even acknowledge his existence. He's always been on the outside looking in, and I guess he figured one place was as good as any to return after war. He's trying to save up some money to buy some land to start a rendering plant, but thus far has had no luck seeking gainful employment. The only place that will have him is the local saloon, where he plays the piano in the evenings.
Meg Telford is a beautiful young woman who was a town favorite even before marrying into the prosperous Telford family. Her husband, Joe, did not return alive from the war, and she's been in mourning ever since. She's at a crossroads: she and Joe bought a plot of land and a bunch of cattle before the war, trying to make it on their own as ranchers. Joe barely had time to build a house before being called for the war effort, and now Meg is down to her last dimes trying to keep hold of her land. Her husband's family is pressuring her to sell and move in with her mother-in-law, Edwina. Edwina has made mourning a Way of Life: first she donned the black for her own husband, and then for her beloved son, Joe. She wants Meg to move in with her and basically serve as a companion, but Meg wants desperately to hold onto Joe's dream of the ranch.
To that end, she comes to a conclusion: she needs a man to work the land and coax a profit. She can't afford to pay him, so she decides to offer a marriage of convenience instead. The only eligible man in town is Tye Hatcher, whom Meg knew as a child. Meg is perhaps the only respectable person in town willing to give Tye a chance, aside from the Reverend. She thinks long and hard and decides to offer marriage - and her property - to him. It will save her from having to sell the rest of her furniture to pay the mortgage and will get Edwina & co off her back about selling.
Meanwhile, Tye has been approached by an old friend, Lottie, who is dying and wants him to take guardianship of her young daughter, Eve. Lottie plays on Tye's emotions to achieve this end, knowing how strongly he feels about being a fatherless child, and wanting to shield an innocent from such a fate. He agrees to take Eve, even though he can barely support himself, much less a child.
Meg's proposal comes just in time. Tye is shocked, and warns her that if he marries her, she will also be ostracized by the town. Meg is desperate enough to not care. They agree to marry, and Tye will move onto Meg's ranch. With her land and her stock, the rendering plant will be even more successful, even sooner - if they can make it through the season and keep the cattle alive long enough to be sold.
Meg doesn't quite believe Tye about the town turning their backs on her, but she gets a taste of it firsthand at their wedding, when nobody attends except her farm hands (her sister-in-law sneaks in, too, behind her husband's back, but only for a very short period). Meg is shocked, but swallows her pride and moves forward. She's struck her bargain and she's going to stick with it.
The dead husband, Joe, is a huge wedge between them. Meg loved him dearly and is not quite ready to let his memory go. Tye is jealous of this, and because Joe kept providing for her even beyond the grave: he sent home a pair of exquisite horses that Tye decides to stud out, covering some of their immediate monetary needs. Joe also built Meg a house and started the ranch, and Tye wonders how he could ever take his "rightful" place on the ranch that's now his.
Lottie dies soon after Tye and Meg wed, and Tye is forced to tell Meg about Eve. Meg balks at taking in a whore's illegitimate daughter, but Tye insists and brings Eve to the ranch. Meg softens towards the child, but becomes jealous of the bond that Tye and Eve forge. She fights with herself about her feelings, her memories, and her own pride, especially when she sees how shabbily the rest of the townspeople treat Eve.
There's a LOT of baggage to go around, and a lot of things that could've been solved if Tye and Meg had bothered talking to each other instead of making assumptions. Once they do being talking, tensions ease, at least between them. They decide to adopt Eve, legitimizing her and taking away the stigma that Tye labored under as a kid. They have a successful breeding season with the cattle and the horses. Tye even manages to buy back the ring that Meg had to sell at the beginning of their marriage to cover a mortgage payment, even though he does it in secret by returning to town to play nights in the saloon, leaving Meg to think the worst.
There's a lot to sink your teeth into, and a lot to mull over. Tye and Meg both deal with feelings of insecurity, jealousy, pride, shame, and humiliation. The author pulls no punches at how awfully the town (and Meg's family, led by Edwina) treat them all, even little Eve. There is an excellent moment of catharsis when Meg confronts her former mother-in-law about the terrible things she's saying about Meg and how Joe WOULD NEVER if he was still alive.
For all the awesome, there is some "meh" as well. Meg's absolute lack of knowledge of the marriage bed was unbelievable, considering she was happily married. She didn't know sex was supposed to be fun?! WTF?? Their own pleasure was basically the only thing women in 1865 had to call their own and no one else's, but Meg spends most of the book feeling ashamed for how lusty she feels over Tye, her own husband. (Yeah, okay.) She also apparently didn't know anything about the signs and symptoms of pregnancy. I just can't buy that a woman who is otherwise intelligent has absolutely no knowledge of her own body.
It is also disappointing that Tye has to make a Grand Gesture at the end to be accepted by the town, much less Edwina and the rest of the Telfords. Grand Gestures are some of my least favorite plot devices, and I kinda wanted them to keep forging their own way and to hell with those who were prejudiced against them. But, that's me. Obviously Tye proves his worth to the town, and to his wife, and they all live happily ever after.
It's another strong showing by Ms St John, and another great, meaty Western historical that hits all the feels. It was a great book to start this challenge with, and gives me hope for the rest of the prompts!
I didn't have one story I preferred above the others; mostly pieces of the stories that I thought were refreshing and different. I had minor problems with each story as well (a plot thread in Christmas Day Family for instance was a burden to the plot, a contrivance almost to extend the story), but overall they were fun quick reads about the holiday season.
Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒.5
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞.5
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨
First Impressions
Joe's Wife is a book that I saw mentioned in one of the historical romance groups that I am a part of and I decided to try this one out as this is an author that I have been wanting to pick up for quite some time now. I found Joe's Wife to be a endearing romance that was beyond sweet and heart endearing with just the right level of poignant emotion that really balanced out the story so well. I really fell hard for this one, and while this is not close to a perfect read, it was just right for the mood that I was in for. If you are looking for a sweet western that has low angst for the most part than I recommend this one here.
First Line
I'm tellin' ya the same thing I told ya last week an' the week before--there aint no job for ya here."
The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Tye Hatcher
The town's outcast, saloon piano player, solider in the war, born out of wedlock and has been shunned by the town all of his life and just looking for a fresh start.
The Heroine: Meg Talford
Meg is a widow of a prominant family in the town, she is determined to keep her late husband's dream of a ranch alive and proposes a marriage to the one man that won't be able to turn her down but has always been kind to her.
Summary
Meg is a recent widow and she loved her husband Joe most of her life, they were the typical friends to lovers set up. She tolerated his family, but Joe was the man that she admired and would do anything to make his dream come alive. When he died, she refused to sell the land as his family desired of her. But in order to keep the ranch going, she will need to marry someone that is strong and hardworking and she knows of one man that would fit the bill. Tye Hatcher is the town reject. Ever since he was born, he has been denied a honest chance. After serving in the war, he came back wanting a fresh start, and is barely making it playing the piano part time. When Meg makes a proposal to him, he knows he can't resist it, as its his one chance to keep his dreams alive. But his new wife Meg, is a woman that is still in love with her late husband, and it will take time and trust and honesty for Meg and Tye to find a beautiful love they both have dreamed of...
What I Loved
There was quite a bit that I enjoyed about this story. Its a super sweet read. It does have some relationship angst, but its moderate and its more reasonable and very relatable to the circumstances that both of them find themselves in. I would say if you loved "Eyes of Gold" than this is a book that would definitely work for you. I adored this sweet beta hero. He is so hardworking but has such a kind soul. He has been treated so badly by the town, and only Joe and his wife Meg treated him with kindness. Meg doesn't know what to do about the town's narrowmindness including that of her in laws, but she is determined to make Tye know he is of worth. I really adored both Tye and Meg. Even though there are some misunderstandings between them, what I also loved was seeing that they do communicate when it matters and don't let things fester between them. And man that ending and that suspense at the end really thew me and kept me on the edge. I definitely found so much to love this story and it was just a sweet heartwarming western romance that I was searching for.
What I Struggled With
There isn't much, I do wish that this book had a bit more emotional depth to it. It was on the surface a beautiful romance, but it could have used a bit more conflict outside of the relationship and the development of the relationship wasn't quite fully executed as strongly as the story begins could have used a bit more finality to it in the end. Its not a five star read, but a solid story to enjoy if you are in the right mood for this one.
Overall View
I found Joe's Wife to be a endearing poignant romance that lifts the heart, inspires the spirit and delivers beautiful emotion at just the right moments.
Favorite Quote(s)
“I don’t reckon anyone does, Tye. You just sort of have to learn it as you go along. And as long as you’re trying to do what’s best for them, you can’t go too far wrong.”
Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Historical Romance, American West, Reconstruction Era
Character Types: Rancher, Widow, Bad Boy
Themes: Small Town, Kids, Western
Tropes: Marriage of Convenience
Book Perspective
3rd POV
Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
More Relationship Conflict and Less of a Plot Conflict
Song This Book Inspires
Marry Me by Thomas Rhett
Steam/Spice Explanations
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
El amor era lo menos importante en el matrimonio para un hombre que había empezado de cero y tenía aspiraciones políticas. Nathan Lantry necesitaba una esposa adecuada para garantizar su elección y darle una madre a sus hijos. Aun así, el deseo hacia su bella esposa comenzó a ser irresistible, hasta que los secretos de su pasado empezaron a desvelarse...
Marvel’s parents thought they were barren, but then she came along unexpectedly when they were in their forties. She lost her mother at a young age, and then her father fell ill with a debilitating condition. Marvel essentially put her own life on hold for years, caring for him, and during that time, when money got tight, she came up with the idea of taking in boarders. It’s something she’s been doing ever since, along with playing seamstress to the ladies of the town. When the town council asked her to house the new doctor until the old one could move out, she agreed, but when he arrives, she’s shocked by his youth and the two small children he has with him. Many years ago, Marvel dreamed of having a husband and family, but she put those dreams on hold to care for her father. Having Seth and his children in her house stirs up those dreams again, but now she believes she’s too old, and a secret she harbors makes her feel unfit to be anyone’s wife. At first I wasn’t sure about Marvel, because she seemed a bit ungracious towards the kids and the family dog, but I came to understand that it was partly because she hadn’t really been around kids or dogs and probably felt a bit intimidated, and partly because it was something of a coping mechanisms to not get too close so that she wouldn’t come to care for them. However, she gradually warms up to both as the story progresses and eventually becomes the missing puzzle piece of their family. Marvel is also concerned about being older than Seth, but he slowly chips away at her reservations.
Seth went back East to get his medical degree, but when his older brother fell ill, he immediately returned to Denver to help his mother and sister-in-law care for him. On his death bed, his brother made Seth promise to take care of his wife, so upon his passing, Seth married her. He cared for her in his own way, but he never truly loved her. So when she died in childbirth, he vowed never to marry again unless it was for love. After getting more than his fair share of late-night calls from unsavory types needing doctoring, Seth decided to move his little family to a smaller town, hoping for a quieter life. He’s immediately attracted to his new landlady, and as they spend evenings together, getting to know each other, he discovers a passionate woman who has put aside her own desires to care for others for far too long. As she warms up to his children, Seth also sees the perfect person to make their little family complete. But he’ll have his work cut out for him overcoming her reservations. Seth is an amazing father and a sweet, kind man who sees a side to Marvel that many others miss because she’s suppressed it for so long. He’s gentle but determined not to let her push him away.
“Christmas Day Family” was a wonderful read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Cheryl St. John is very talented at building her characterizations, so that I felt like I really got to know both Seth and Marvel despite the short format of the story. Because of the shorter length, things are perhaps a tad rushed, but the author is also great at drawing out the emotion of the story so that I was convinced they were right for one another in spite of it. She also managed to pack many of my favorite tropes into one short novella, without it feeling crowded. Marvel is sweet, and although reserved at first, she warms up nicely. Her concerns were relatable and made sense for the time period. I’m so glad, though, that she didn’t allow them to prevent her from living the life she’d always wanted. I adored Seth who was more of a beta hero. He’s sweet and kind, always respectful of Marvel and her home, but not afraid to go after what he wants. The tender, passionate kisses they share warm up the pages. Seth’s children and Marvel’s two elderly boarders added just the right extra flavor to the story, too. Overall, this was the perfect, heartwarming Christmas story that didn’t disappoint. Star Rating: 5
Fallen Angel by Jenna Kernan – “Fallen Angel” is a sweet, holiday-themed, western romance novella about a bounty hunter and a single mother who find love in time for Christmas. While searching for the perfect Christmas tree for her son, Abby finds herself caught up in a gunfight between the bounty hunter and an outlaw and she’s accidentally shot. Before he could see her and react, Ford had already fired at the outlaw with his bullet hitting a woman instead. He goes to her rescue and takes responsibility for Abby and her young son, Daniel. Over the next several days, he cares for them both and does everything he can to make sure they have a good Christmas. Although he finds himself developing feelings for Abby and Daniel, Ford has experienced a tremendous loss in his life, and if he can’t get over his fear of losing someone he loves again, they may not have a future together.
Abby was raised in a well-to-do family back East, but following her heart left her heartbroken and alone. She married a man she thought she loved, but of whom her family didn’t approve. He turned out to be a gold-digging scoundrel who left her when it became apparent that no money would be forthcoming from her family. Disowned and with nowhere else to go, she took a position as a ladies companion to an older woman who was traveling to San Francisco, but found herself sacked and left to fend for herself in Colorado. She’s been struggling ever since to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads for the sake of her son, Daniel. Although she can’t afford much, she’s determined to give her son a nice Christmas and all he wants is the perfect tree. However, while out searching for that tree, she comes upon a gunman who points his weapon right at Daniel. Trying to save her son, Abby rushes the man, only to be shot herself. She awakens in the care of the bounty hunter who wounded her. At first, she’s afraid of this dangerous man, but as he cares for her tenderly over the next several days, she begins to discover his softer side that makes her fall for him. Abby is a great mother whose biggest priority is her son. She’s also a stubborn, determined woman who won’t let Ford get away easily.
After losing his wife and daughter and feeling responsible for their deaths, Ford took up bounty hunting as a way to avenge them. He knew that it was a risky proposition, especially given that he usually goes after the most hardened criminals. However, a part of him doesn’t care if he lives or dies, until the day he accidentally shoots a woman who reminds him of an angel. Feeling terrible about what he’s done, Ford pays for Abby’s care as well as a room for her and Daniel at the hotel. There, he keeps watch over them both and does everything in his power to give them a good Christmas. Although he develops feelings for Abby along the way, Ford fears what it might do to him if he lost her and Daniel, too. It will take some determination on her part to get him to see reason and fully let them into his life and heart. Ford is a man who’s lost everything that meant anything to him, which has caused him to more or less check out on life, but Abby and Daniel bring him back to a place where he can open his heart again.
Overall, “Fallen Angel” was a good read that I enjoyed. I liked both Abby and Ford, and little Daniel is a sweet boy who’s been raised well. Their romance was perhaps a bit rushed. It takes place over, I think, less than a week’s time, which is maybe a bit too quickly to fully believe that they could fall in love that fast. But the story was heartwarming enough to help make up for that and I did feel a connection between them. I enjoyed the little twist at the end. What Abby did to get Ford back was cute. So, overall, I had a good time reading this story. “Fallen Angel” is the first novella in Jenna Kernan’s Winter Wild West Weddings series, but since there were few supporting characters in the story, I’m not entirely sure how it connects to the others. I look forward to continuing the series, though, to find out. "Fallen Angel" was originally published in this multi-author anthology and was later reprinted as a stand-alone novella. Star Rating: 4
One Magic Eve by Pam Crooks - “One Magic Eve” is a short stand-alone novella about two lonely people who are brought together on Christmas Eve by a little boy who has a special place in both their hearts. Sonja has been unfairly dubbed The Bird Lady by town gossips who don’t know about or understand her work with carrier pigeons for the U. S. army. They also think she’s the town hussy because she receives frequent visits from soldiers. She’s been attracted to local rancher Chet from afar for a while and when Chet’s young son brings an injured fox to her for treatment two days before Christmas, it gives her the opportunity she’s been longing for to get to know him better. Chet only recently found out he was the father of six-year-old Beau and doesn’t know the first thing about giving him a nice Christmas, but if he can get past his preconceived notions about Sonja, he just might discover that she can help. Some unexpected snow and a fall into the river end in these three spending the Christmas holiday together, and with a touch of holiday magic, all their wishes might come true.
Sonja was a mail-order bride for a man twenty years her senior who was a former soldier training carrier pigeons for the army. Before they could be married, he was killed by a marauding Indian, but he taught her the trade that she’s carried on ever since. However, the nature of her work is secretive, so the townspeople only know that she keeps a lot of birds and has frequent visits from soldiers, leading them to gossip about her and think she’s a crazy, loose woman. In reality, she’s just a sweet, lonely person, who longs for a husband and children. She’s been crushing on Chet from afar, and hoping that one day he’ll see her as more than what the gossip mongers say about her. When Chet’s son, Beau, brings the injured fox to her, it starts to open the door for that to happen, but it’s not until the three go on an excursion to return the fox to the wild that ends with Beau falling into the river and snow driving them to take shelter at her home over the Christmas holiday that the magic of blooming love really begins. Sonja is a great heroine, who doesn’t care much what the town gossips say about her. She’s proud of her work and just wants someone to share her life with, and Chet and Beau are just what she wished for.
Chet only recently found out he was a father when a man brought Beau to his door, saying that the child was the product of a brief affair he’d had years ago. He’s done his best to adjust to being an instant father, but he’s never really celebrated Christmas and doesn’t know how to make it special for a little boy. He’s been attracted to Sonja, but fears what the town gossips say about her might be true. When he finds Beau at her house, he isn’t very nice to her at first, but then he begins to realize that she’d only shown kindness to Beau and didn’t deserve his moodiness. He and Beau return on Christmas Eve to help release the fox, and a dip in the freezing river and the unexpected snowfall necessitate them spending the night at Sonja’s house. It turns into a magical evening, during which Chet realizes that Sonja is the prefect person to complete his little family. Chet was a good guy to take on the role of instant fatherhood and has done a respectable job. He may not know how to make Christmas special for Beau, but he knows where to turn for help. He may have been a little hard on Sonja at first, but he came around pretty quickly, and was properly apologetic when he found out what she’d really been doing.
“One Magic Eve” was a sweet story about found family and the love and joy of the holiday season. I liked both Sonja and Chet and thought they made a good couple. Beau is really cute and behaved like a six-year-old does. I enjoyed the touch of Christmas magic in the rosette cookies Sonja makes and her traditional Swedish decorations. She’s the prefect mother figure for little Beau, making Christmas special with very little. My one small complaint would be that I felt the emotional connection between Sonja and Chet could have been a bit stronger. They come to the realization that they’re in love over just a couple of days which is a little fast, but I think the real issue is that I picked up on a fair bit of telling rather than showing. However, the heartwarming nature of the story kept me engaged and helped to mitigate that deficiency to some extent. So overall, I enjoyed it. "One Magic Eve" was originally published in this multi-author anthology and was later reprinted as a stand-alone novella. Star Rating: 4
Somehow I felt like her emotions weren't exactly right. She has left the east to find work out west since she is pregnant and unwed and she has heard that people aren't as condemning out west. I don't know why she would have thought that in 1869. I don't think unless you were a 'sporting woman' that it was accepted anywhere. Her father was keeping her from getting work in Boston. I don't see how he had that much power. I don't see how even Bill Gates could keep someone from getting a waitress job even today when he could find her easily. Still why go west? Why not some other big eastern city? She could pretend to be a widow any where. She gets in the train wreck and they think she is the hero's sister-in-law. She means to tell them she isn't but doesn't because, well I'm not real sure. Is it that at first it is that she is scared of him and is going to tell the mother but then the mother is all sad and she can't bear to tell her? Or is it that she has been in this accident had her baby as a result and plus has a broken leg and can't take care of her or the baby? Both are given as reasons. I think it might have been stronger if she had just gone with the second reason and then suffered guilt from that. The being too scared or too touchy feelie to tell was weak motivation. A heroine should have more gumption than that. I guess I can forgive her for being a desparate new mother trying to take care of her infant more than I can forgive her for being a weinie.
The hero was kind of all over the place. He was an ass, he liked her, he was an ass. Not really neailed down.
So I liked it and fans of CSJ will like it, but I didn't love it.
Sadly Cameron and Elizabeth aren’t very deep characters. Most of what we learn about them I’ve already outlined in the paragraph above. A few more tidbits of Elizabeth’s past come to light as she slowly regains her memory in bits and pieces, but overall, I didn’t get a good sense of what made either of them who they are. Cameron lost his wife, but doesn’t really seem too broken up over it. Even Elizabeth, who suffered through a traumatic event seems to bear few ill effects aside from a couple of minor injuries and one scene where she has a bad dream that’s easily comforted away. That being the case and since she didn’t receive any major knocks on the head, I couldn’t quite figure out why she had amnesia. Maybe the experience was traumatic enough to make her forget, not only the event, but most of her life. However, if that was the case, then I felt that should have been shown through other emotional means such as her being more frightened. Then there was Cameron who got on my nerves with his chauvinistic, patronizing ways. I’ve admittedly read heroes who were worse, but many of his comments made made me roll my eyes at their ridiculousness. Then there’s also the proprietary way in which he treats Elizabeth. Basically from the moment he finds her, he decides she’s his and tells her he’s going to marry her rather than asking. For her part, Elizabeth only puts up a token fuss over his high-handedness, and instead, generally eats it up, even though, when her memory returns, she makes a complaint about a friend of her father’s who was traveling with them doing the exact same thing. So overall, I felt like she was a bit of a marshmallow who didn’t have much of a backbone. I’m all for a man protecting and caring for his woman, but he needs to treat her as his equal and not make silly assumptions that she’ll just roll over and agree to marry him.
In addition to the characterizations being lacking, the plot of “Abandoned” was pretty thin. It mostly consists of them traveling on the wagon train the rest of the way to Denver, which was probably the most interesting thing about the story. I’m always up for a good old west tale about settlers forging their way to a new life and I like the details of pioneer living. However, there’s not much in the way of conflict other than Elizabeth not having all her memories and feeling like she can’t accept Cameron’s suit until she knows for sure whether she has a husband and then her also wanting to see if she can find her father who might still be alive. Also the romance doesn’t have much depth either. It’s pretty much insta-love with little rhyme or reason as to how, why, or when they fell for each other. Additionally there were a couple of other story points that were more minor but nonetheless bothered me. First, Cameron has a line not long after he finds Elizabeth, where he basically insinuates that all Indians are brutes and that they all view white people as their enemies, which wasn’t true and seemed racially insensitive to me. Then toward the end, there’s a brief mention of someone shooting another person for being a coward. Now admittedly the dead person was clearly no prize, but I didn’t feel like his actions warranted the death penalty, especially given that he’d supposedly been friends with the man who shot him. For all these reasons, “Abandoned” ended up being just an OK read for me. I was able to give it three stars, probably due to the short length of the story. If I’d had to put up with Cameron for much longer, though, my rating likely would have dropped even more. It was my first read by Carolyn Davidson, but since I have several more of her books on my TBR pile, I’ll likely give her another chance to wow me at some point. I just may not be in a hurry to do so and I’ll be hoping that her next hero isn’t quite so annoying and that the story and characters have a bit more depth. Star Rating: ***
Almost a Bride by Cheryl St. John - “Almost a Bride” is the third and final story in Cheryl St. John’s Copper Creek Brides series. It features Charmaine, who is a cousin to Annie from the first book, Sweet Annie, and a friend to Kate from the second book, His Secondhand Wife. Charmaine has been waiting for four long years for her beau to propose and decides that maybe it’s time to look toward greener pastures. While filling in for another cousin on a float-building committee for the upcoming Founder’s Day parade, she starts getting to know Jack who is new in town. Jack used to live in the mountains, but he moved closer to town for the sake of his young son, Daniel. However, he’s mostly been keeping to himself, until he volunteers his barn as a site for building the float. As they work on the project together, an attraction begins to form, but Jack may have trouble getting past his preconceived notions of the type of woman he thinks Charmaine is.
Charmaine watched while her cousin, Annie, and all her friends got married. As the last single woman of marriageable age in Copper Creek, she’s starting to feel left out and also wondering what’s wrong with her that her long-time beau hasn’t yet proposed after such a long time of courting. Thinking that maybe he needs a little push in the right direction, she considers the idea of using another man to try to make him jealous. Then she meets Jack who would be the perfect candidate, except that she begins to develop real feelings for the single dad and his charming young son. Charmaine is an only child, and although I wouldn’t exactly call her spoiled, she has had a pretty good life and has come to enjoy fanciful things. She views those around her like Annie and Kate as special but doesn’t feel like others view her as special, so she’s a perfectionist who’s driven to try to be the best at everything she does and to present a flawless image of herself. Yet, deep down, she has an independent streak that makes her very special indeed if only someone would take notice of her. I really liked Charmaine in the other two books for her kindness toward Annie and Kate, and I still liked her very much in this story. She continues to show that kindness and generosity toward Jack and Daniel, and it’s Jack who in turn helps her see that’s she’s special just the way she is without any of the trappings she sometimes puts on.
Jack used to live in the mountains where he was married to a half-Cheyenne woman who passed away when Daniel was just an infant, leaving him a single father. He has a business making saddles and tack for horses and decided to move closer to town, both to attract more business and so Daniel could attend school. He meets Charmine briefly at a tea party at Kate’s and then again later, at the schoolhouse, where she volunteers to help build the school’s float, after which he insists upon escorting her home. When she come to his farm to work on the float, they start getting to know one another, but after seeing her seemingly put on airs when interacting with fancier folks in town, he thinks that she may be two-faced. However, when he has some rather direct words for her about that, he realizes that he’s hurt her and that she’s actually far more than he originally thought. Jack is a good hero and a great father. Although his directness may have stung Charmaine a little, it also opened her eyes to a few things in her life that needed a bit of changing. Not to mention, his more passionate side and the attention he gives her makes her realize that she shouldn’t settle for anything less in a husband than what Annie and Kate have.
Overall, “Almost a Bride” was a nice wrap-up to this series. I was happy to finally read Charmaine’s story and I think Jack was a good match for her. Theirs is a sweet romance with a few tender moments and no objectionable content to speak of, making it appropriate for most audiences. My only real complaint is that the story just didn’t seem quite long enough. A large part of the plot focuses on Charmaine and her coming to the realization that she’s good enough just the way she is and that she doesn’t have to try so hard. In this regard, her characterization was well done, but I couldn’t help feeling like Jack got a little bit lost in the shuffle. He’s a good and likable character as well, but his characterization doesn’t go quite as deep. Their romance mostly consists of getting to know you moments and a couple of passionate kisses. Because Charmaine waits until close to the end of the story to officially break things off with her other beau, the ending felt rather rushed with Jack’s proposal seemingly coming from out of nowhere. But in spite of the perceived weaknesses, I did still enjoy this novella, and now that I’ve finished the Copper Creek Brides, I look forward to delving into Cheryl St. John’s backlist. Star Rating: ****
*His Brother’s Bride by Jenna Kernan - “His Brother’s Bride” is a western romance novella about two people who are grieving the death of the same man. As the black sheep of his family, Nate set out to make his fortune on the western frontier, where he now owns the saloon and hardware store in Colorado City. Before his beloved older brother, Jacob, passed away, Jacob asked Nate to look after his wife, Clara, and daughter, Kitty. Although he has misgivings about bringing the paragon of virtue his brother described in his letters to the wild west and marrying her, Nate ends up going through with it anyway, but he doesn’t feel worthy of her. Little does he know, though, that Clara has a past of her own that she’s not proud of. She agreed to marry Jacob’s brother, because she had no other way to provide for her daughter, but she fears he would reject her if he knew the truth about her. The two must find a way to get past their feelings of inadequacy in order to make a life together.
Nate was frequently the object of his father’s harsh beatings, but Jacob often stood up for him, leaving Nate forever grateful to the big brother whom he idolized. But the kind Jacob became a minister in New York, while Nate went west in search of a different sort of life. He managed to make his fortune by setting up shop in mining towns and now owns the saloon and hardware store in the booming town of Colorado City. Although he’s perhaps engaged in some questionable business practices to get ahead, deep down, he’s a good man who cares about kids and stray cats. However, because of his past and the constant put-downs he received growing up, he doesn’t feel worthy of Clara, whom Jacob described in nothing but the most glowing terms. He also doesn’t think he knows anything about being a husband, so when Clara arrives, he marries her, but keeps his distance even though he’s strongly attracted to her. I generally liked Nate, but felt like he spent a little too much time beating himself up over the past rather than trying to move forward into the future with Clara. Even when she finally comes clean about her own past, he doesn’t really believe her and thinks it’s just a story she concocted to make him feel better. I’m all for a good tortured hero, but he has to be willing to listen to his heroine and have a believable story arc and I didn’t entirely feel that way about Nate.
Clara came from a large family. Her father left them destitute, and in a rather desperate state, she was hoodwinked as a teenager by a smooth talking stranger who promised marriage, but only wanted her to be a prostitute in a brothel he was planning to build. Although we don’t get the details about how it happened, Jacob rescued her from that future and married her himself. Before Jacob died, he told her to go to Nate, that he needed her and would take care of her and Kitty. She arrives in Colorado City to find her prospective groom drunk (Nate isn’t given to drinking as a habit, though. He was just nervous and having second thoughts about marrying her.), which doesn’t leave a great first impression. However, there is sexual chemistry between them, something she’d never really experienced with Jacob, even though she loved him. But when she finds out that Nate was planning to rescind his proposal before she arrived, she thinks he doesn’t want her, and because of her past, she feels just as unworthy of him as he does of her. A part of me sympathized with Clara for all that she’d been through in the past, but much like with Nate, I felt like she was engaging in a little to much self-flagellation. She’d been married to Jacob for several years and he’d never once judged her, so the idea that she seemingly hadn’t experienced any emotional healing at all during that time was a bit too much to be believed. I also didn’t care for her getting the reverend involved in her and Nate’s personal life, and I didn’t necessarily feel like she’d grown much by the end of the story. On the up side, though, she’s a good mother to Kitty.
Overall, “His Brother’s Bride” was a decent story, but it did fall down into the okay range for me. Like I mentioned, I greatly enjoy a good tortured hero or heroine, but I felt like Nate and Clara’s issues were a little too much to address in this short format. Therefore, they didn’t genuinely grow as characters by the end. I felt like they spent too much time mired in their own personal problems and fears of what the other would think about them instead of getting to know one another, given that they were complete strangers who’d just entered into a marriage of convenience. They don’t really communicate well either, tending to make assumptions about the other rather than simply asking questions or engaging in discussion. A part of me understood their fears, but at some point, you just have to man up. Then when Clara finally worked up the courage to tell Nate, he doesn’t want to listen and interrupts her with sexual overtures to try to shut her up, merely continuing on with his false assumptions. Their first (and only) love scene started out with Nate being angry (and rightfully so IMHO) with Clara for going to the reverend behind his back, which was just not to my taste. The scene lacked any real tenderness or emotion, yet Clara likes it more than she’s ever liked sex before, which didn’t make a lot of sense to me. I’m okay with first love scenes not going perfectly, if I know there will be more to make up for it, but that was it, and it left me very unsatisfied. In addition, the dialogue and emotion throughout were very stilted. The dialog needed more contractions, because as written, it was far too formal for a western setting. And because Nate and Clara spend a large part of this fairly short novella keeping each other at arm’s length, I just didn’t feel much of an emotional connection between them.
“His Brother’s Bride” wasn’t a bad story per se, but it simply didn’t float my boat the way I wanted it to. This novella is the second in Jenna Kernan’s Winter Wild West Weddings Christmas novella series, but as far as I can tell, this is a themed series rather than one with common character connections. I’m also guessing that the author rewrote parts of it before releasing it as a separate ebook, because the version I read in this anthology has neither a winter setting nor a Christmas theme. Star Rating: ***1/2
Ce site utilise des cookies pour fournir nos services, optimiser les performances, pour les analyses, et (si vous n'êtes pas connecté) pour les publicités. En utilisant Librarything, vous reconnaissez avoir lu et compris nos conditions générales d'utilisation et de services. Votre utilisation du site et de ses services vaut acceptation de ces conditions et termes.