BOOK INFORMATION
TITLE – Cinders' Bride
SERIES – Mail Order Brides of Texas book one
AUTHOR – Kathleen Ball
GENRE – Historical Western Romance
PUBLICATION DATE – 7/2/15
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) - 50,000 words152 pages
PUBLISHER – me
COVER ARTIST – Aria Tan
BOOK SYNOPSIS
Mail Order Brides of Texas Book One
Shannon McMurphy travels to Asherville, Texas as a mail order bride expecting to marry a rancher. Instead, her intended is a saloonkeeper. Her refusal to marry enrages John Hardy and he slices her cheek with a knife so no other man would want her. She runs into the street and no one helps her until Cinders comes along.
Sexy, Rancher Cinders saves Shannon and offers her a job. To protect her reputation he marries her. They both agree it's a marriage of convenience. He admires her spunk and willingness to learn everything about surviving the Texas frontier. He waits for her to ask to go home but she never does.
They learn a lot about each other through, stolen horses, Indian troubles, a cattle drive and the busybodies of the town. Their attraction for each other grows, but can they learn to trust enough to love?
Shannon McMurphy travels to Asherville, Texas as a mail order bride expecting to marry a rancher. Instead, her intended is a saloonkeeper. Her refusal to marry enrages John Hardy and he slices her cheek with a knife so no other man would want her. She runs into the street and no one helps her until Cinders comes along.
Sexy, Rancher Cinders saves Shannon and offers her a job. To protect her reputation he marries her. They both agree it's a marriage of convenience. He admires her spunk and willingness to learn everything about surviving the Texas frontier. He waits for her to ask to go home but she never does.
They learn a lot about each other through, stolen horses, Indian troubles, a cattle drive and the busybodies of the town. Their attraction for each other grows, but can they learn to trust enough to love?
BUY & TBR LINKS
AMAZON KINDLE US –http://amzn.com/B010MH9DQ2
AMAZON KINDLE UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010MH9DQ2
EXCERPT
The world seemed eerily quiet as she
pushed herself up from the hard packed dirt, only to fall back down. Her ankle
hurt. Tears filled her eyes, as she glanced around. There stood the women from
the mercantile, staring, and their eyes full of terror. She’d get no assistance
from them.
John Hardy strutted into the street
and laughed while he gestured for two of his men to pick her up. “Come on,
honey, it’s time for our honeymoon.”
She heard the clomping of hooves and
the turn of wagon wheels behind her but the wagon didn’t stop to help her
either. By this time, a crowd had gathered and now there were men standing with
the group of women. She tried to plead for help with her eyes but they glanced
away.
Two men grabbed at her to haul her
back into the saloon when a loud cocking of a gun erupted from behind.
“Put her down.” A man's voice
threatened.
John stepped forward, thrusting out
his chest. “Listen, Cinders, this is none of your business. It’d be in your
best interest to leave things be.”
The world began to dim and spin, the
smell of blood was the last straw. She fainted.
MY REVIEW
Shannon's introduction to her new husband to be is not what she expected, and the rowdy saloon is certainly not what she envisaged when she answered the advert for a 'mail order bride'. Shocked that her prospective husband is not the rancher she was led to believe was waiting for her, she refuses to go have anything to do with John Hardly who slashes her face in rage and spite, taunting her that no other man would want her now.
A man called Cinders comes to her rescue. He gets her face sewn up and realises that he will have to take her back to her ranch as there is nowhere in the town for her to stay. The townswomen are singularly unsympathetic. In order to protect her reputation they are obliged to get married. Now Shannon has the rancher husband she wanted, and throws herself into being a hardworking wife, even if they are man and wife in name only, and quickly earns the respect and liking of the ranch hands. She is very naive and innocent in some ways and has to lean on the ranch cook for support and advice when she is too shy to ask her husband.
There is plenty of action and suspense in this story, and a little humour too, as Cinders refuses to reveal his first name to his bride, and she tries unsuccessfully to guess it. The reason for his reluctance is not revealed until the end. Both Shannon and Cinders are well drawn, likable characters, and have to endure a lot of dangerous encounters and some misunderstandings before they achieve their happy ever after. The supporting characters are also well portrayed and easy to relate to. The women of the town are not very likable, and make little attempt to hide their prejudice and misinformed opinions of Shannon. There is plenty of action and suspense, and I found this a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable short novel. I can recommend it to anyone who enjoys a romantic historical western with a strong but gentle hero and a feisty, but sweet natured heroine.
Rating: Five comets
*****
MY REVIEW
Shannon's introduction to her new husband to be is not what she expected, and the rowdy saloon is certainly not what she envisaged when she answered the advert for a 'mail order bride'. Shocked that her prospective husband is not the rancher she was led to believe was waiting for her, she refuses to go have anything to do with John Hardly who slashes her face in rage and spite, taunting her that no other man would want her now.
A man called Cinders comes to her rescue. He gets her face sewn up and realises that he will have to take her back to her ranch as there is nowhere in the town for her to stay. The townswomen are singularly unsympathetic. In order to protect her reputation they are obliged to get married. Now Shannon has the rancher husband she wanted, and throws herself into being a hardworking wife, even if they are man and wife in name only, and quickly earns the respect and liking of the ranch hands. She is very naive and innocent in some ways and has to lean on the ranch cook for support and advice when she is too shy to ask her husband.
There is plenty of action and suspense in this story, and a little humour too, as Cinders refuses to reveal his first name to his bride, and she tries unsuccessfully to guess it. The reason for his reluctance is not revealed until the end. Both Shannon and Cinders are well drawn, likable characters, and have to endure a lot of dangerous encounters and some misunderstandings before they achieve their happy ever after. The supporting characters are also well portrayed and easy to relate to. The women of the town are not very likable, and make little attempt to hide their prejudice and misinformed opinions of Shannon. There is plenty of action and suspense, and I found this a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable short novel. I can recommend it to anyone who enjoys a romantic historical western with a strong but gentle hero and a feisty, but sweet natured heroine.
Rating: Five comets
*****
AUTHOR BIO
Sexy Cowboys and the women who love them...
Finalist in the 2012 RONE Awards.
Top Pick, Five Star Series from the Romance Review.
Kathleen Ball writes contemporary western romance with great emotion and memorable
characters. Her books are award winners and have appeared on best sellers lists including
Amazon's Best Sellers List, All Romance Ebooks, Bookstrand, Desert Breeze Publishing and
Secret Cravings Publishing Best Sellers list. She is the recipient of eight Editor's Choice
Awards, and The Readers' Choice Award for Ryelee's Cowboy.
There's something about a cowboy....
***Order of my Books***
Lasso Spring Series
Callie's Heart
Lone Star Joy
Stetson's Storm
Dawson Ranch Series
Texas Haven- FREE
Ryelee's Cowboy
*Alice's Story- free prequel on my website
Cowboy Seasons Series
Summer's Desire
Autumn's Hope
Winter's Embrace
Spring's Delight
Finalist in the 2012 RONE Awards.
Top Pick, Five Star Series from the Romance Review.
Kathleen Ball writes contemporary western romance with great emotion and memorable
characters. Her books are award winners and have appeared on best sellers lists including
Amazon's Best Sellers List, All Romance Ebooks, Bookstrand, Desert Breeze Publishing and
Secret Cravings Publishing Best Sellers list. She is the recipient of eight Editor's Choice
Awards, and The Readers' Choice Award for Ryelee's Cowboy.
There's something about a cowboy....
***Order of my Books***
Lasso Spring Series
Callie's Heart
Lone Star Joy
Stetson's Storm
Dawson Ranch Series
Texas Haven- FREE
Ryelee's Cowboy
*Alice's Story- free prequel on my website
Cowboy Seasons Series
Summer's Desire
Autumn's Hope
Winter's Embrace
Spring's Delight
Mail Order Brides of Texas
FOLLOW LINKS
WEBSITE / BLOG – http://www.kathleenballromance.com
TWITTER – http://www.twitter.com/kballauthor
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