Texas Bride

Dec 12, 2012 Tina "coffee and books" rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: part-of-a-series, historical-romance, reviewed

Texas Bride is the first book in the Mail Order Brides series by Joan Johnston. When a book deals with the topic of mail order brides it has to have all of the right elements to be easily accepted. Let’s face it, what are the chances of a mail order bride showing up and everything is so perfect and happily ever after from page one? Not only that, but this particular subject typically falls under the genre of historical romance, which makes it even trickier. Morals and male/female roles were so d...more Texas Bride is the first book in the Mail Order Brides series by Joan Johnston. When a book deals with the topic of mail order brides it has to have all of the right elements to be easily accepted. Let’s face it, what are the chances of a mail order bride showing up and everything is so perfect and happily ever after from page one? Not only that, but this particular subject typically falls under the genre of historical romance, which makes it even trickier. Morals and male/female roles were so different then.

Miranda Wentworth is the oldest child of 6. Their parents were killed in the Great Chicago Fire and were shipped off to an orphanage. Miranda is now turning 18 and being turned out of the home. The problem is she just can’t leave her siblings behind. The woman who runs the home is abusive and she won’t be there to protect the younger ones. In an attempt to save them all, Miranda has decided to be a mail order bride in the hopes that her new husband will be willing to let her send for the others once she is settled. Taking the 2 youngest boys in a last minute decision, she promises the girls that she will return to them, as soon as she can.

Jake Creed has lost the only woman he’s ever loved in childbirth. He is left a single father of a 2 year old girl and a caregiver to her disabled father. He needs a wife. He doesn’t want a wife, he’ll never love anyone again, but he needs one. Against his better judgment he advertises for a mail order bride leaving out the little detail of his child and father in law. More importantly, he leaves out the part where he will be a husband in name only. He has no intentions of consummating this marriage or ever falling in love, again. It’s too big of a risk to lose someone else he cares about.

”Isn’t all of life like that? I’d call any day so full of averted disasters a good one.”

Jake is amazed at how easily Miranda fits into his life. She works hard, loves his daughter and even puts up with his surly father in law. He finds himself falling under her spell and having to constantly refrain from touching her and more. It doesn’t help that she knows his conditions and doesn’t care. She wants to be a wife in more ways than just his helper and friend. As if that isn’t enough tension, Miranda is still hiding the existence of her remaining 3 siblings and he senses she is hiding something from him. How can they ever build a relationship when it is based on lies and deceit?

Ms. Johnston did a good job of not creating too much drama and strife between the characters, without making it too easy on the characters. I really enjoyed this story and can not wait to read the other girls stories.

You can find this review and others at http://tinar1121.blogspot.com
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Mar 06, 2013 Joyfully Reviewed rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-western, joyfully-reviewed-vanessa, western

Miranda Wentworth will do anything to protect her younger brothers from the rod of the mistress at the orphanage. Since she has to leave the orphanage because she will be of age, she has no choice but to take her youngest siblings with her. Fate had answered her dilemma in the guise of becoming a mail-order bride to a stranger in Texas. However, Miranda wasn’t too sure that her groom-to-be would accept these young stowaways since she never mentioned them to him. She comes up with a slick little...more Miranda Wentworth will do anything to protect her younger brothers from the rod of the mistress at the orphanage. Since she has to leave the orphanage because she will be of age, she has no choice but to take her youngest siblings with her. Fate had answered her dilemma in the guise of becoming a mail-order bride to a stranger in Texas. However, Miranda wasn’t too sure that her groom-to-be would accept these young stowaways since she never mentioned them to him. She comes up with a slick little plan and hopes it will play out well for her HEA.

Jacob Creed is in need of a wife to help out at the ranch so that he doesn’t lose it his enemy. He keeps mum about his “conditions” for his bride-to-be, and he fails to disclose that he already has a child. He has his own goals in completing this quick marriage of convenience. He certainly doesn’t think that he will desire his wife either! However, Jacob soon finds that even his “conditions” may not be enough to hold off a woman intent on seduction!

Texas Bride was a heart wrenching sweet tale of romance with just the right amount of realistic conditions added to jack up the angst. I didn’t like the hardships that Miranda had to endure, but I felt that they were probably authentic to the time period in Texas Bride. Jacob wasn’t one of those great billionaires either, but more a down-to-earth hard-working man that truly deserved his HEA in Texas Bride.

The development of the secondary characters added more to the overall story, and answered some questions that were brought to life, since I read the series out of order. However, I was still looking for resolution in their stories as well in Texas Bride. Yet I can’t find fault with Jacob and Miranda’s love story in Texas Bride.

I felt invested with Jacob and Miranda and cried at several points in Texas Bride. I liked that Jacob learned to take a risk and that Miranda learned to trust Jacob in Texas Bride, as well. The dialogue was witty and entertaining at several points and engaged me in the lives of the various characters. The fact that I could become involved in this historical western, which I don’t normally read, makes Texas Bride a Joyfully Recommended read!

Reviewed by Vanessa for Joyfully Reviewed(less)

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Jun 27, 2012 Melanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

WARNING! Gushing ahead!!!

Without a doubt, this is a character-driven story which, combined with fast pace and more than one couple to root for, will take you on a journey of self discovery for all characters. Ms. Johnston made sure that her writing was so good that as a reader, I just ‘wanted’! This multidimensional story left me laughing, crying, and definitely wanting more.

I wanted to know about all the kids that were left behind, and I wanted to know what happe...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Marcia Berg Haskell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: family, romance

'HE MAY BE HER ONLY HOPE.
SHE MAY BE HIS LAST CHANCE.

Miranda Wentworth never imagined becoming a mail-order bride. Now marriage to a stranger is her only hope of finding a home where she and her two younger brothers can escape the brutality of the Chicago orphanage where they live. With any luck, she can even start a family of her own, once the three of them are settled at Jacob Creed’s Texas ranch. But Miranda has one gigantic concern: Her husband-to-be knows nothing about the brothers she’s bri...more

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May 01, 2012 Mariann {a.k.a. Belle's Book Bag} rated it 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
Miranda and her 5 siblings are orphaned when their parents die in the Great Chicago Fire. They have been living in an orphanage for the past 3 years and as Miranda's 18th birthday approaches, she has to leave the orphanage.

She answers an add placed by Jake Creed for a mail order bride on his Texas ranch. Miranda sets out for Texas with her 2 brothers. Jake doesn't know Miranda is bringing her brothers with her and has plans of sending for her sisters once they are married. Miranda do...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Rkeller rated it 3 of 5 stars

I got exactly what I was looking for from this book and a little extra. The story is told from the POV of Jake, a man who has ordered a mail-order bride and the POV of Miranda, the actual mail-order bride. When I decided to read this book I thought I would have to look past ridiculous insecurities and weaknesses in Miranda for two reasons. Firstly, because she is a woman in a romance novel which, by current standards, seems to require her to be excessively self-deprecating and selfless and secon...more I got exactly what I was looking for from this book and a little extra. The story is told from the POV of Jake, a man who has ordered a mail-order bride and the POV of Miranda, the actual mail-order bride. When I decided to read this book I thought I would have to look past ridiculous insecurities and weaknesses in Miranda for two reasons. Firstly, because she is a woman in a romance novel which, by current standards, seems to require her to be excessively self-deprecating and selfless and secondly because Miranda has agreed to be a friggen mail-order bride. Johnston easily overcomes both of these hurdles to deliver a strong female character whose choices and actions are genuinely believable. Likewise Jake is equally genuine, while still managing to do all the things you want from a man in this genre. He provides, protects and is strong, yet is also vulnerable and struggling.

Another testament to the author’s talent and experience, Jake’s dead wife is a part of the story and it’s never creepy. The amateur approach would be to vilify or marginalize such a character. However, Johnston, secure in her ability to make us love her main characters, treats the possible detractor to the story with kindness and respect. The dead wife remains relevant throughout the story and we grow to appreciate Jake’s significant loss as well as Miranda’s capacity to accept and assuage his grief.

The only portions of the novel that felt heavy-handed to me, were the constant references to the reason Jake does not want to have sex with Miranda. He doesn’t want to get his new bride pregnant since his former wife died in childbirth. Johnston uses this device to keep Jake and Miranda apart, which after all is essential. Unless you’re going to write fifty thousand shades of sex, you can’t have the hook-up start on page one. But almost as if Johnston didn’t believe in this reason enough herself, she frequently reminds us of Jake’s motivation. He can’t have sex with his wife, because then she will get pregnant and then seriously she will die people. I was OK believing Jake believed that even without him going to the barn and thinking it all the time.

Still this was minor in the grand scheme of a book that was fun to read and even thought provoking at times. Johnston seamlessly weaves historical context and facts about Jake and Miranda’s world into the book and this is not heavy-handed, it is just the characters’ reality. Days after reading the story, I’m still carrying around the hardships of the west in the late 1800s. This book gave me a better picture of the dangers within the everyday tasks of that day, which is a pretty significant bonus from a thoroughly enjoyable weekend read.

If you like romance, I highly recommend this one.
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Apr 10, 2012 Among The Muses rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1st-of-a-series, 2012, historical-romance, series, sweet-romance, western, 1870s, mail-order-bride

Jake Creed is in need of a wife to do the "womanly" chores and take care of his two-year old daughter and grouchy father-in-law, while he tends to his crumbling ranch. Having recently lost his wife and son during childbirth, Jake fits the definition of a hurt man with issues, but knows he must find a wife to take care of his young daughter and help with the tasks that have been neglected.

Miranda Wentworth is simply in need of saving. Saving herself and her five younger siblings from the horrid o...more Jake Creed is in need of a wife to do the "womanly" chores and take care of his two-year old daughter and grouchy father-in-law, while he tends to his crumbling ranch. Having recently lost his wife and son during childbirth, Jake fits the definition of a hurt man with issues, but knows he must find a wife to take care of his young daughter and help with the tasks that have been neglected.

Miranda Wentworth is simply in need of saving. Saving herself and her five younger siblings from the horrid orphanage – run by the abusive headmistress – she and her brothers and sisters were forced into following her affluent parents' deaths resulting from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. What better way to be saved then to become a mail-order bride ... right? With her mind made up, Miranda agrees to become Mrs. Creed, to a man unseen, in a place completely foreign to her, and without telling her soon to be husband that she's taken her young brothers (age 10 and 4) along with her.

Beyond the fact that Jake has a wife to take care of, in addition to two more young mouths to feed on a barely existing budget, he also has other issues. The problem is Jake refuses to consummate the marriage in fear of getting his young wife pregnant (he doesn't want to relive that horrible memory still fresh in his mind again), and Miranda wants nothing more than to discover passion and love with her husband. As you can imagine, differences of opinion keep the sexual tension rife throughout the book, but the heat level itself doesn't really flame too much higher than 'warm'. The sexual encounters were not graphic or abundant, but more of a sexual tension exploration and the desires that the H/h felt towards each other.

This is a story of two people who both need saving, need a little comfort and love, and need to learn to rely on another person for help. This is a story of heart warming romance. I enjoyed the attributes of the protagonists, and the secondary characters were just as enjoyable. There were only a couple of times that I was left wishing for a little bit ... "more"? Especially in the matters regarding the antagonist. The conflict is obvious and understandable, but I still felt like there was a little closure missing by the end of the story.

Texas Bride is my first experience with author Joan Johnston's writing – and it won't be my last. Overall, I found it to be a good read: entertaining and engaging with the late nineteenth century, Texan, western setting. The characters are enjoyable with Miranda being a strong woman despite the multitude of changes and challenges being thrown at her. And despite her physically distant husband having his mind set on not being with his wife sexually, he's not absent in regards of her well being – at least not eventually. Both these main characters learned to concede and stand-up for themselves and their families. It really was a romantic read.

At the end of Texas Bride, readers are also left with a little teaser glimpse into the next Bitter Creek Novel, Wyoming Bride, the story of Hannah Wentworth, one of Miranda's sisters who are still unaccounted for at the conclusion of Texas Bride. I'm definitely looking forward to that story!!

Recommended For: Historical romance readers with a penchant for westerns, family obligations, kids in the picture, broken heroes, strong woman, resilience of spirit, and enjoy the heat level to be right down the middle: not too hot, not too cold. :) (less)

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Mar 22, 2012 Dorine rated it 4 of 5 stars

If anyone can charm the pants off rancher Jacob Creed, it has to be Miranda Wentworth, the oldest of six orphans who survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Requesting a mail-order bride is a bit desperate, but she seems willing enough to fast-track herself to be his wife. That should have been his first clue…

Miranda Wentworth and her five siblings are forced to live at an orphanage after their parents die in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Having lost everything, they have no choice but to su...more

If anyone can charm the pants off rancher Jacob Creed, it has to be Miranda Wentworth, the oldest of six orphans who survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Requesting a mail-order bride is a bit desperate, but she seems willing enough to fast-track herself to be his wife. That should have been his first clue…

Miranda Wentworth and her five siblings are forced to live at an orphanage after their parents die in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Having lost everything, they have no choice but to suffer every imaginable punishment over the last three years, at the hands of an evil headmistress-in-charge. Now that Miranda is eighteen-years-old, she must move out and find employment, leaving her siblings behind until they reach an age when they’ll be forced to leave as well. There isn’t much hope that Miranda can earn enough to support herself and her siblings.

That is…until her youngest sister arranges for Miranda to become a mail-order bride for a man willing to send her first class tickets to Texas. Once her sister’s plan is revealed, Miranda realizes it’s the only way to get her family away from the orphanage. Having been beaten numerous times, Miranda isn’t sure her youngest siblings will survive starvation and torture at the hands of the sadistic headmistress without her protection. Ten-year-old Nick and four-year-old Harry escape with Miranda with barely enough money or food to get to Texas without starving. Miranda can only hope that her soon-to-be husband will understand not only the surprise of two brothers with hungry bellies, but also accept her three sisters in the future.

Jacob “Jake” Creed lost his first wife during the birth of their son. Still grieving the loss of not just his beloved wife but his stillborn son as well, Jake has to marry again for his daughter’s future. Running a ranch with a two-year-old in tow is impossible. Having a disabled father-in-law to care for too—the only feasible answer is a new wife as a helpmate. It would have been much easier to court someone local than to send for a mail-order bride all the way from Chicago. But, due to Jake’s step-father’s threats to take his ranch at first chance and ruin anyone who helps him, it’s highly unlikely that anyone who knows Jake’s situation will be eager to wed him. Surely his new bride who said she loved children will accept that he has a two-year-old daughter.

If becoming a mail-order bride isn’t tough enough, Miranda has to marry this stranger quickly before he finds out about her brothers who plan to hide in his wagon full of supplies. Or, before he discovers the fresh wounds she’s nursing from her final beating at the orphanage, and the scars she’s hiding as a result of the Great Fire. She isn’t the only one with secrets. How long will a marriage last that has been built on deceit and more mouths to feed than is expected?

From the very first chapter, I was thoroughly entertained by Miranda and her siblings. Miranda has spunk and matches Jake toe-to-toe. Jake thinks he has the perfect wife, and it’s highly amusing watching Jake try to refuse Miranda anything. Jake and his family are just as enthralling, if not a bit more stubborn. Miranda can handle them all just fine, much to Jake’s frustration at times. You can’t help but love them all for their ability to survive one disaster after another and still have the strength to hope for a better future. The children are adorable and often steal the show, making sure the adults don’t always take themselves too seriously.

This is the first book I’ve read by Joan Johnston and it made me anxious to read her backlist, so I did some research to find out how the books are connected. You’ll want to visit her site for the details but the MAIL-ORDER BRIDE series will introduce a Blackthorne, so it’s a prequel to the BITTER CREEK novels. Also, those who’ve read the SISTERS OF THE LONE STAR series will recognize Cricket Creed, Jake’s mother. Not having read the previous books and not wanting to spoil this one, all I can say from my research is that I believe that TEXAS BRIDE will delight current fans with familiar characters, as well as create new exuberant devotees out of those of us who are just getting started. I know I had a tough time letting go at the end—I wanted more hours, more story and more answers about what’s next. Hooked me completely!

TEXAS BRIDE is charming, full of characters young and old that you’ll bond with immediately, leaving you impatient for what promises to be a tempting series for historical western fans. Fair warning; this novel leaves you craving for book two, WYOMING BRIDE, grinning with anticipation after reading the excerpt included. Great concept for a series that’s sure to please western historical readers who adore the pioneer spirit!

4.5 Blue Ribbon Review, Courtesy of Romance Junkies.(less)

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Apr 26, 2012 Aline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: joan-johnston, cowboy, s-a-m, marriage-of-convenience, western-historical

3,5 stars

Miranda Wentworth lost her parents in the Great Chicago Fire. She and her five siblings then lived in an orphanage. The Wentworth siblings lived in a nightmare from the brutality of their headmistress, Miss Iris Birch, who punished them severely for any mistakes, real or imaginary ones. After she reached her 18th birthday, according to the orphanage rules, Miranda had to leave. It means she had to leave her siblings. As much as she wants to, she feared for her siblings lives in the han...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Alex rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romance

At First Sight: Following the death of their parents during The Great Chicago Fire, the Wentworth siblings were put on a orphanage where they endured a lot of mistreatment from the main caretaker. Still, the six siblings managed to stick together... until Miranda, the oldest, turned 18.

Knowing she had little chance of keeping them all together once she was out and and with a low-wage job at a hotel, Miranda agrees to go along with her sister Josie's crazy scheme and become a mail-order bride fo...more At First Sight: Following the death of their parents during The Great Chicago Fire, the Wentworth siblings were put on a orphanage where they endured a lot of mistreatment from the main caretaker. Still, the six siblings managed to stick together... until Miranda, the oldest, turned 18.

Knowing she had little chance of keeping them all together once she was out and and with a low-wage job at a hotel, Miranda agrees to go along with her sister Josie's crazy scheme and become a mail-order bride for a Texas rancher named Jacob Creed, hoping once she gets to Texas her husband turns out to be wealthy enough to allow her to bring all her siblings from Chicago to live with them.

At the last minute, and following a rather harsh beating from the caretaker, Miranda decides to take her little brothers, Nick and Harry, along with her.

When they finally arrive in Texas after a long, difficult trip things aren't quite what she expected. Her husband is young, and reasonably handsome but he's also butting heads with the biggest land-owner in the region, who happens to be his stepfather, and that's making his ranching operation twice as hard as it already would be.

Jake also haves a young daughter, Anna-Mae, a surly, wheelchair bound father-in-law and its still clinging to the memory of his first wife, whom he loved dearly.

Second Glance: So, I picked up Texas Bride both because I had heard good things about it and because I got the second book of the series, Wyoming Bride, for review.

It took me a while to get into the story, because it does take a few chapters for Miranda and Jake to met, and once they did it was a pretty standard story of two people reluctantly falling in love with a few extra troubles thrown. Miranda and Jake weren't neither good nor bad and it was kind of nice seeing them blend their families, even if Jake was rather reluctant about it.

It was the other problems that started to sink the book for me. Miranda decides not to tell Jake about her sisters at first since he's none-too pleased about her bringing along two extra-mouths to feed without letting him know first. And Nick's sourly attitude doesn't help. And this will complicate things later on, leading into the next book.

Also, the feud between Jake and his stepfather is a bit senseless. It's never really explained why Blackthorne - the stepfather - is so hard on Jake, part of their animosity is explained but not all the way. And then the whole thing is over.

Which was kind of the problem with the ending, it just ends all too neatly in someways, too neatly for a story that was all over the place all the time. (less)

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May 04, 2012 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books-read, historical-fiction-romance, romance

Good book. Miranda and Jake's marriage got off to a rocky start. I was really impressed with the way that Miranda got herself and her brothers out of Chicago and to San Antonio to meet Jake. She showed a lot of courage and resourcefulness to make that trip successfully. The fact that she hadn't told him about her brothers and the sisters she left behind was a worry for her, but she had to hope for the best. Meanwhile, Jake hadn't exactly been honest with her either. His ranch was in bad shape an...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Katie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2012

Oh, I don't know. I liked the beginning of this book a LOT and the simplistic* writing works VERY well for me, but . . . then there was just too many characters and too many plot points that just . . . okay, this is a spin off of sorts and I'm pretty sure some of what's mentioned happened in previous books (this is the first I've read by the author), BUT 1) this is the first book of a new series. I shouldn't feel like I'm missing stuff 2) I'm not entirely sure everything happened in previous boo...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Miss Pippi the Librarian added it

The Wentworth silblings need to leave the Chicago Institute for Orphaned Children. Miss Iris Birch will kill them if they cannot leave. Josie wrote mail-order bride letters for her eldest sister Miranda and she received a promising response. In moments, Miranda must make a decision to leave. She goes to help her siblings, but she takes her young brothers with her, leaving Hannah, Hetty, and Josie in Chicago.

The Bitter Creek saga continues with a new series. Old stories continue to be woven into...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Ana♥ Beach Bum Reads rated it 5 of 5 stars

Becoming a mail-order bride was the only option left for Miranda Wentworth. The only option that was good enough to get her and her siblings out of the Chicago orphanage and out of that horrid Mrs. Birch's grasp. About to turn 18, Miranda has no other choice but to leave the orphanage, in which she and her five siblings took shelter for the past three years since the fire burned down their house and claimed the lives of both their parents. Jacob Creed, puts out a notice for a mail-order bride a...more Becoming a mail-order bride was the only option left for Miranda Wentworth. The only option that was good enough to get her and her siblings out of the Chicago orphanage and out of that horrid Mrs. Birch's grasp. About to turn 18, Miranda has no other choice but to leave the orphanage, in which she and her five siblings took shelter for the past three years since the fire burned down their house and claimed the lives of both their parents. Jacob Creed, puts out a notice for a mail-order bride a year after the love of his life passed away taking with her their stillborn son. Needing a mother for his 2 year old daughter and a woman to tend to his house, Jake has no intentions of falling in love with Miranda Wentworth, or bedding her for that matter.

Oh. My. Gosh. I absolutely loved this book. Joan Johnston never fails to pull on my heartstrings with her words & amazing characters. When I first heard about Texas Bride and after reading an excerpt, I automatically knew I was going to fall in love with this book. Miranda is a loving and caring woman with a heart of gold but she lacks experience in the love making area, but nevertheless has no problem stirring up emotions and a need so fierce within Jacob. Jacob Creed, with a heart that is still on the mend, has it set in his mind that the woman he took on as a mail-order bride is going to be nothing more then a mother to his growing daughter. Marriage in name, but not in the heart. Sad right? Yeah, that's what I thought, until I started reading ^_^ With each turning page, I was getting more & more engrossed in the book. This book made me laugh, cry and angry. *sigh* I was just an emotional roller-coaster.

What I liked about this book, was Miranda's background. Having taken over as parental figure for her younger siblings at the age of 15 is tough. Imagine that, caring and enduring the pain of 5 younger siblings, knowing that you could only do so much about it. And then making the tough decision to marry a man you've never met to try and carve out a better life for your family. Yeah, this definitely got me. Miranda is strong willed & doesn't give up without a fight. Great character and an equal match for the stubborn Jacob Creed. What I didn't like was that Jake was still so heartbroken over his late wife & his stillborn son & took a while to love Miranda... and I mean LOVE her & love her good! With doubts running through his head about possibly impregnating her practically drove me mad. I just wanted to throw the book at him & scream "She isn't your late wife!" with a few obscenities following, but Miranda took care of that for me... minus the obscenities of course.

I would definitely recommend this book. If you love western romances then I suggest you pick this book up! Haaawt & sizzling cowboys are definitely my kind of R & R. This book is the first in the series and I cannot wait to read the next book where we catch up with one of Miranda's sisters. (less)

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Apr 08, 2012 Tonya Warner rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jake Creed needs a wife to help him raise his daughter, and to care for his crippled father-in-law. He has buried the woman he loved, along with his stillborn son. He can not go thru another disatrious delivery. He figures if he never makes love to his mail-order bride, she will never die on him.

Miranda Wentworth has faced disaster before. The loss of her parents to the Great Chicago Fire had left her scarred, and she and her fellow siblings abused in an orphanage. Becoming the wife of Jake Cree...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Trisha rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love reading historical romances and Joan Johnston knows how to write them. This is the beginning to a new series. The series is about the Wentworth siblings and opens with them trying to figure out a way to get out of the evil orphanage they are placed in. When Josie (Miranda's youngest sister) comes up with a plan. Jake and Miranda are two characters you feel sorry for but for very different reasons. Miranda is a shy young lady and I enjoyed reading as she grow strong. Jake is scared to love...more

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May 21, 2012 Lauren rated it 1 of 5 stars

This was a Book Club book, chosen mostly because none of us had ever read a grocery store romance novel, and we were curious.

I wasn't ashamed of reading Harry Potter in public (back before it was okay for adults to). I wasn't ashamed of reading Twilight in public. I was ashamed of reading this book in public.

The story was pretty weak. I enjoyed the ending action, but everything leading up to that...I don't really need pages-long explanations of the difference between a cow and a bull, or what ch...more

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May 28, 2012 Regina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Aah, it's good to read about mail-order-brides again! I liked the whole premise of the story; desperate circumstances, the big move west, a family separated, household adjustments, the romance of learning your new spouse and falling in love. It was sweet and lighthearted and while the necessary conflicts weren't too heavy, this ready-made family sure had more than their fair share of misfortune. Some secrets are left as cliffhangers and act as lead-ins for the next book in the series. There wasn...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Mindy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Quick read. I find the characters interesting. Girl of 18 is being kick out of the orphanage and needs to find a way to make money to save her other 5 siblings from the mean tyrant who runs the place . As a mail order bride she travels to Texas with her two youngest brothers to marry Jake Creed. Jake has problems of his own. His step father is a Blackthorne and causing all kinds of trouble for him over land issues. Story follows the family as they try to survive the Texas ranch land. Story of th...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Komal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Joan Johnston has taken her readers to different periods in history with the many generations of Blackstones and Creeds- from the Victorian London to the American West. In Texas Bride, Johnston takes us to the baron lands of Texas in the year 1874. Jake Creed lost his wife six months ago to childbirth. He’s left to raise his young daughter and care for his crippled father-in-law, needing a wife desperately. In Chicago, Miranda Wentworth is about to be kicked out the orphanage she’s lived in with...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Lover of Romance rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-west, historical-romance, favorites

Miranda, with her five brothers and sister after losing their parents, have been stuck in a orphanage, under horrid conditions and so when they find a ad in the newspaper for a mail order bride, Miranda knows this is her way out to save her siblings, now that she is eighteen and about to be kicked out, and does the only sensible choice and goes all the way to Texas with her two brothers, only her future husband has no idea about her situation or the brothers she is bringing along with her. Jake,...more Miranda, with her five brothers and sister after losing their parents, have been stuck in a orphanage, under horrid conditions and so when they find a ad in the newspaper for a mail order bride, Miranda knows this is her way out to save her siblings, now that she is eighteen and about to be kicked out, and does the only sensible choice and goes all the way to Texas with her two brothers, only her future husband has no idea about her situation or the brothers she is bringing along with her. Jake, having lost his wife and their child in childbirth, he knows he will never love another like his late wife, but he is desperate for a wife and a mother to his daughter, and so he puts an ad in the paper for a wife, and now that he is married he is shocked to find out that she is not only very beautiful....but has brought along her two younger brothers with her, and even though he is determined to never make love to her, she fills his senses like none other and soon he craves her touch and doesn't know how long he can stand not touching her especially when Miranda is so determined to consumate their marriage, he has no real chance and he finds a real passion in her arms.....
Texas Bride is the ninth installment in the Bitter Creek series, but unlike the other books in the series, it is set in the 1800's, and having read most of the books in this series, I was very excited to read this one, and especially when I read the blurb, I couldn't wait to buy this one. Texas Bride, was a astounding read....and I just fell in love with both Miranda and Jake, both were the kind of characters that become deeply rooted. Both Jake and Miranda have gone through hardship in their lives, and only when they trust and love in each other are they able to heal and learn what it means to love. I just loved the conflict in the story on both sides, and it kept me on the edge of my seat most of the time, but at the same time I was just soaking up all the juicy details and Joan Johnston has become my favorite author again....one of my favorite things about this book would be the story line and the intimate connection that develops pretty quickly between Jake and Miranda....Definitely worth buying and reading!!!! A Treasure Of A Read!!! (less)

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Apr 18, 2012 Guilty Pleasures added it

Shelves: guiltypleasures-rhayne, netgalley

Rhayne's review posted on Guilty Pleasures

4.5 Stars

Joan Johnston is one of my absolute favorite authors of all times. So it’s no big surprise that once again she has written an amazing, heartfelt, passionate story with Texas Bride.

Texas Bride is the first book of the new Mail Order Bride series. However, it does also tie into the Bitter Creek series. Don’t worry if you haven’t read that series, you won’t be lost. But I guarantee after reading this you will want to run out and get all her books....more

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May 02, 2012 Kristina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-novels, 2012-goal-60

This was my first delve into Joan Johnston, and I absolutely loved it and look forward to reading her back list as well as future titles.

I normally stick to the regency books, but I had wanted to read a historical western romance for a while, and the mail-order bride fit well with the story. I was absolutely in love with the heroine by page 22. Her fierce love for her siblings and incredible desire to do anything to protect them from harm brought tears to my eyes.

Wonderful read.

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May 09, 2012 Jan rated it 3 of 5 stars

How many mail-order bride stories have I read? Multitudes! yet somehow I am captivated by something so foreign to myself yet so romantic. Can't remember a one that didn't turn out to be true love; he was handsome/she was beautiful, so the key is the journey to where you know you are going from page 1. This one a cut above along the journey yet still a so-familiar story. I will read the other three as they are released.

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Sep 04, 2012 Rhayne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, reviewed-for-guilty-pleasures

4.5 STARS

Joan Johnston is one of my absolute favorite authors of all times. So it’s no big surprise that once again she has written an amazing, heartfelt, passionate story with Texas Bride.

Texas Bride is the first book of the new Mail Order Bride series. However, it does also tie into the Bitter Creek series. Don’t worry if you haven’t read that series, you won’t be lost. But I guarantee after reading this you will want to run out and get all her books. She has an amazing talent for intertwining...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Barb rated it 5 of 5 stars

Texas Bride is a fun story about Miranda, a young woman being released from an orphanage because of her 18th birthday. She is the oldest of 6 that lost their parents in the great Chicago fire. One of her younger sisters replied to a mail order bride ad in the newspaper knowing Miranda would have no money and no resources once she was released. After a horrible beating from the headmistress of the orphanage Miranda cashes in her first class stage coach ticket to Texas and gets tickets to stow her...more

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May 04, 2012 OCLS Staff Picks rated it 3 of 5 stars

A new series in the Bitter Creek/Creed/Blackthorne saga, this series begins with Miranda Wentworth agreeing to become a mail-order bride to Jake Creed. Miranda does not tell Jake that she is bringing her two young brothers with her from Chicago to Texas, and Jake does not tell Miranda that he has a two-year old daughter and a broken down farm. Together, they struggle to learn about each other, how to protect their families and how to make sure that Three Oaks, Jake's farm, does not fall into the...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Elise-all things bright and shiny rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arranged-marriage-mail-order, plain-jane-or-someones-deformed

It was ok. I like mail order brides and so this one had a little twist in that she was trying to rescue her siblings as well as herself. There are some issues in his background also, which makes him imperfect too. She is the person deformed in this book-scarred leg from fire. I would recommend this book to someone who liked mail order bride stories. TTFN-Sandy

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Apr 06, 2013 Mical rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: family, favorite-author, historical-romance, library, series, texas

A feisty "little bit" of a gal with loads of spunk and determination. A mail-order bride. A husband that has just as much determination but a boatload of problems. You can't help but like them and hope they can pull it all together. Fun read.

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May 21, 2013 Lesli rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, romance, library-borrowed, historical, mail-order-brides, 2013, joan-johnston

Typical Johnston. Funny, feisty, feels modern. Johnston seems to have this running theme of men not wanting women to suffer the pain of childbirth -- or death. Overall worth the read and worth reading the other two books.

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Texas Bride (Mail-Order Brides #1)

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