Monday, January 7, 2013

Bartered Bride Collection by Cathy Marie Hake, et al

cover of Bartered Bride Collection: 9 Historical Stories of Arranged Marriages shows a lone covered wagon in front of a rocky butteBartered Bride Collection by Cathy Marie Hake, Kelly Eileen Hake, JoAnne A. Grote, Amy Rognlie, Janelle Burnham Schneider, Lynette Sowell, & Pamela kaye Tracy. Barbour, 2012. 448p. (print: 9781620291559; ebook - .epub: 9781620295649; ebook - .prc 978620295632)

This was a fun collection of short stories with the common theme of arranged marriages. Some I had read before in another collection and enjoyed them then and enjoyed the reread. The romances are sweet and discreetly written and through them all the characters learn that God has a plan and it is always for the best no matter how difficult a situation seems to be.

The stories are:

Joie De Vivre by Lynette Sowell (© 2006)
            In the bayou of Louisiana in 1819, Papa LeBlanc decides it’s time that Josée, an adopted (sorta) and well loved daughter, got married. Josée isn’t completely pleased with his choice but resolves to make the best of it.

Button Strong Bride by Cathy Marie Hake (© 2001)
            A cute story that takes place during a wagon train trek across America. I had heard of button collections and button strings before but never knew of the practice that young women would collect 1000 before they got married and that the very last one would be from the groom-to-be. Need to look that up.

The Wedding Wagon by Cathy Marie Hake (© 2002)
            In 1860 Bethany marries her room mates brother after a letter courtship and a few holiday visits. He is a doctor and their plan is to head west with a wagon train. Starting out marriage while packing for and traveling by wagon has its challenges.

From Halter to Altar by Cathy Marie Hake (© 2003)
From Carriage to Marriage by Janelle Burnham (© 2003)
From Pride to Bride by JoAnne A. Grote (© 2003)
From Alarming to Charming by Pamela Kaye Tracy (© 2003)
These four were originally part of Bride for a Bit and are about four sisters, Matilda, Corrine, Bess and Bertie Craig whose brother-in-law ships them off to be mail order brides. Problem is he misread the notice which asked for bridles – part of a horse harness, and not brides or bridals.
The sisters resolve to make the best of the situation and are helped out by the man who placed the harness order and his brothers. And of course that’s where some of the romance begins.

A Vow Unbroken Amy Rognlie (© 2000)
            Abby’s aunt plays a mean trick when she sends Abby to Denver in her stead to work for Mr. Parrish even though Abby is pregnant and due in six weeks. Problem is her aunt didn’t tell her the full story – that Mr. Parrish is expecting a bride. Problem is Abby has vowed never to love anyone again.

Finishing Touches by Kelly Eileen Hake (© 2007)
            Tabitha elopes with another man on the eve of her wedding and due to family finances Pa forces Elizabeth, Libby, to take her sister’s place. Libby has secretly loved Captain Royce for a long time but he is still in love with her sister.




Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher through the Blogging for Books book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.


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2 comments:

  1. I love the A Bride For A Bit collection! It's my favorite novella set and I have reread it a couple times!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is a fun one and I was pleasantly surprised at the opportunity to reread it. :-)

    ReplyDelete

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