So many brides!

I believe that I have already confessed that I am a sucker for mail order bride books or marriage of convenience books.  There is something about the whole concept that just fascinates me.  I think my first experience with such a story line was in Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly and ever since then I have been hooked.  Women who did this are more brave than I could ever imagine!  I'm glad I got to marry for love ;)! 

Amazon suggested, based on my reading history, that I read the Texas Boardinghouse Brides by Vickie McDonough.  I know you should never judge a book by it's cover, but I have to say that the cover art for The Anonymous Bride didn't appeal to me.  Never fear, I am not that shallow.  I really thought the book description sounded good and a little different so I had the local library transfer it to my branch.  Let me just say that the cover doesn't do this book justice, or any of the books in this series for that matter.  Let me tell you a little bit.

The Anonymous Bride... Luke Davis is returning home after ten years of the army and running from the hurt caused when the love of his life married another.  He returns to Lookout, Texas to be with his only family, his two prankster cousins.  His former fiance is still there, but now widowed, and he cannot forgive what she did.  His two cousins think he needs to move on and that they should help by sending for mail order brides.  To their shock as wellas Marshal Luke's and all of Lookout, three brides show up ready to marry Luke.  Can Luke move on when Rachel, his former fiance, is right there everyday?

What I love about this book is that the crazy marriage plotting cousins are men, which is totally out of the ordinary.  I love that it made me laugh.  In order for Luke to pick a bride, the town decides to have a bride contest and they compete in the domestic arts so to say.  I must say that is very original! Yes, this is a romance, but there is also comedy and of course a little gun-slinging, this is Texas after all.  After reading it I really had to find the other two books in the series.  You can take from that that I liked the book!

Second Chance Brides and Finally a Bride follow the brides that were not chosen, the crazy cousins and Rachel's daughter from the marriage she left Luke for all those years ago.  I was also pleased with each of them and once again the covers don't do the book justice.  I will be looking for more Vickie McDonough books to read!