210th out of 221 books
—
533 voters
Train Station Bride
by
Holly Bush (Goodreads Author)
1887 Debutante, Julia Crawford endures a lifetime of subtle ridicule as the plump, silly daughter of a premiere Boston family. Julia strikes out on her own to gain independence, traveling to the Midwest to marry an aging shopkeeper and care for his mother. Julia finds her new home rough and uncivilized after the sophistication of a big city, while closely held secrets thre...more
ebook, 216 pages
Published
April 4th 2012
by Book Baby
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This is the second book I have read by this great new author. I am wondering when she is going to have another book out. This author has a great talent for creating works that will take readers back in time. The first book I read by this author took me to the mid 1800’s in Ohio. After reading this book the author has taken me back to the mid 1800’s in North Dakota.
The plot and characters in this book were well written and developed. I enjoyed the story line and the challenges that the lead fema...more
The plot and characters in this book were well written and developed. I enjoyed the story line and the challenges that the lead fema...more
Mandy's Review:
Every now and then, I love to read a good old-fashioned romance that you don't have to analyze to death. You can just read enjoy it. That's what I did with Holly Bush's Train Station Bride.
Julia is a 27 year-old woman who is the embarrassment of her Boston blue-blood family. She has no husband and a past indiscretion is still not forgotten by her overbearing mother. The suitors Julia's mother and older sister try to set her up with are unattractive, poorly mannered, or just old. J...more
Every now and then, I love to read a good old-fashioned romance that you don't have to analyze to death. You can just read enjoy it. That's what I did with Holly Bush's Train Station Bride.
Julia is a 27 year-old woman who is the embarrassment of her Boston blue-blood family. She has no husband and a past indiscretion is still not forgotten by her overbearing mother. The suitors Julia's mother and older sister try to set her up with are unattractive, poorly mannered, or just old. J...more
This story had me hooked in the first paragraph. We meet our heroine, Julia, a poor little fat girl, with a domineering mother and three beautiful sisters. That was only the beginning and not totally true.
Sneaking out to catch a train to South Dakota late one night, she was on her way to marry someone she had been corresponding with, but had never met. Things didn’t work out quite the way she had planned however, and when she got off the train and found a man waiting to marry her, along with the...more
Sneaking out to catch a train to South Dakota late one night, she was on her way to marry someone she had been corresponding with, but had never met. Things didn’t work out quite the way she had planned however, and when she got off the train and found a man waiting to marry her, along with the...more
I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a blog tour in exchange for my fair and honest review. You may read the entire post here: http://queenofallshereads.blogspot.co...
Train Station Bride by Holly Bush is a heartwarming historical romance set at the end of the 19th century. With a likable characters, witty dialogue and a well paced plot, this book captured my attention from the first page. Taking place both in Boston and South Dakota, Ms. Bush did an excellent job with the hi...more
Train Station Bride by Holly Bush is a heartwarming historical romance set at the end of the 19th century. With a likable characters, witty dialogue and a well paced plot, this book captured my attention from the first page. Taking place both in Boston and South Dakota, Ms. Bush did an excellent job with the hi...more
Let me begin this by saying this is the best historical romance I have read in ages! This is the second book I have read by Holly Bush, and she has not disappointed me. She writes in a readable style with well-developed characters, and a great sense of humor!
This delightful story is full of strong characters and a few twists and turns. I love the fact that morality is stressed (even though it is not always practiced). I had been warned about the bedroom scenes, but they were absolutely exquisite...more
This delightful story is full of strong characters and a few twists and turns. I love the fact that morality is stressed (even though it is not always practiced). I had been warned about the bedroom scenes, but they were absolutely exquisite...more
At twenty-seven Julia Crawford feels like it is long past time to make a life for herself. As the second born child in a wealthy Boston family, she often feels like her mother thinks of her as a failure, and often reminds Julia that she is nothing like her sisters, who are tall and thin whereas Julia is short and plump. Her family takes great stock in marrying someone within their station and have been trying to match Julia with an undesirable man. Unbeknownst to them though Julia has been corre...more
One of my favorite books of 2011 was A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick (review here). It was the first book that I've ever read that dealt with marriage as a transaction, specifically mail order brides. So, when I first heard about Train Station Bride, I was intrigued to see how Holly Bush would build a story around this concept. Obviously, it's not something that one encounters often, so I was already expecting to really enjoy the story based on how much I liked Mr. Goolrick's work.
Train Stati...more
Train Stati...more
Almost a 5 star but had to give it 4 on account of it definitely needing some polishing as it holds a few errors both grammatically and word-usage wise but that is hardly the author's fault and could have easily been fixed with a proper editor. But as for the story line and characters... I adore both!
The characters are so easy to like. Our heroine, for one, is chubby and not quite as innocent as one would assume - but not in a bad way! Her character traits, flaws, and family is truly unique, in...more
The characters are so easy to like. Our heroine, for one, is chubby and not quite as innocent as one would assume - but not in a bad way! Her character traits, flaws, and family is truly unique, in...more
I received this book to review by the author last April. Sorry it took so long for me to read it, but I did enjoy it. This is the story of a young woman who was raised by a rich, restrictive family in the East who answers an ad for a mail-order bride and steals away to South Dakota by train. When she arrives in South Dakota, she is mistaken another mail-order bride and ends up marrying the wrong man. That "wrong man" turned out to be the "right man," of course. Jake, the man in question, is an h...more
Jul 09, 2012
Kimberly Rocha~ Book Obsessed Chicks
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
romances-a-la-kimberly
Julia Crawford is a constant source of embarrassment for her wealthy East Coast family. The plump, twenty something has decided to do everyone a favor, especially herself. After corresponding with a middle-aged man looking for a wife to take care of him and his aging mother in North Dakota, Julia packs her bags and secrets herself away to become the man's wife.
Jake Shelling has sacrificed much of his early life to care for his sisters once their parents die of influenza. At sixteen he stepped u...more
Buying a train ticket, 1887*.
Photo Credit: sochicfrench.blogspot.com Box entitled “Paris, gare Saint Lazare in 1887.”

★★★½☆ I really liked this one. Of course, I love mail-order brides, mix-up marriages, westerns, and fish-out-of-water stories. I debated giving it three stars, but kicked it up a half star because it held my attention and kept me reading when I should have gone to sleep. Yes, there were some plot points with which I had trouble (one of which was believing someone as well educated...more
Photo Credit: sochicfrench.blogspot.com Box entitled “Paris, gare Saint Lazare in 1887.”

★★★½☆ I really liked this one. Of course, I love mail-order brides, mix-up marriages, westerns, and fish-out-of-water stories. I debated giving it three stars, but kicked it up a half star because it held my attention and kept me reading when I should have gone to sleep. Yes, there were some plot points with which I had trouble (one of which was believing someone as well educated...more
Original review: www.sweptawaybyromance.blogspot.com
3.5 stars
Train Station Bride is a really sweet story about an educated young woman from a well-to-do family who learns that sometimes you have to leave duty and obligation behind to do the right thing.
Julia Crawford feels like an outsider in her own family. The third of four girls, she doesn’t feel as beautiful as her sisters and gets told about her inadequacies quite frequently. One day, she decides that she’s had enough and replies to a mail-...more
3.5 stars
Train Station Bride is a really sweet story about an educated young woman from a well-to-do family who learns that sometimes you have to leave duty and obligation behind to do the right thing.
Julia Crawford feels like an outsider in her own family. The third of four girls, she doesn’t feel as beautiful as her sisters and gets told about her inadequacies quite frequently. One day, she decides that she’s had enough and replies to a mail-...more
Apr 22, 2012
Deanna Sletten
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who loves historical romance/fiction
Holly Bush knows how to spin a story. In 1887, Julia Crawford has little prospects for marriage and lives in the shadow of her attractive sisters and domineering mother. Told for years that she is not as pretty or thin as her sisters and having had an indiscretion which the family hid well, she felt she had no choice but to run away and marry a man she had been corresponding with. By mishap, she ends up marrying the wrong man – who actually ends up being the perfect match for her. But Julia has...more
This is a beautifully written historical romance novel. I was captivated from the very first page. I read the book in one day and loved every minute of it. The story line is unique and the dialogue witty. This is the third book I've read and loved from this author. Her writing is clear, witty and full of emotion. I highly recommend this book as well as two others, ROMANCING OLIVE and RECONSTRUCTING JACKSON. I have found Holly Bush's books not only to be heartfelt and meaningful but also full of...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characterization is well done and the storyline is excellent. The only reason I have given it a 4 instead of a 5 rating was because in my opinion it was too short. The story should have been a full length novel. I was drawn into the story from page one. The treatment Julia received from her family and the relationship with Jake happened too quickly. I would have loved to have seen the development paced out a little more. Nevertheless it was a wonderful book an...more
I adored this book! It was so well written and I could not put it down! The characters are very well developed and a very nice hero who isn't dark, brooding or unlikeable--Jake was likable from the get go! And Julia? She found strength she didn't know she had. Just a beautiful story with nice plot twists! I do look forward to reading more from Holly! I've not got her on my top 6 most favorite authors list. She's up there with Carmen Caine, Laurin Wittig and Amanda Forester!
This was such an enjoyable read. Julia was a refreshing heroine, not the typical barbie doll woman. Jake was the kindest and most tender-hearted hero, who has a fierce love for all his family. Jake's two sisters were also a nice addition to this book. Ms. Bush weaves a spell-binding tale with sweet love scenes and truly remarkable characters. I rarely give 5 stars, but this book deserved it! I truly enjoyed this story and plan to read other stories by this talented author.
Holly Bush brings you back in time with believable characters, love and romance within an interesting and well developed novel. Holly pens the settings in her novel that so real that you actually feel you have been transported back. Train Station Bride is a beautifully written historical romance. I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to more from Holly Bush.
This book surprised the he** out of me! I'd never read historical romance before so I was reluctant to read it but I'm glad I did! The plot was great and the story was well written! This is another one of those books that I read in one sitting. I was so invested in the characters and the story that time just flew right on by and before I knew it it was so early in the morning that I was paying for it the next day! No matter though, I couldn't have stopped reading if I wanted to. I adored Julia a...more
I loved this book... except for the epilogue... Otherwise it would have been 5 stars ... REALLY disappointed in the epilogue.. It gets a WTF from me.. Oh well.. can't win 'em all.
I will be reading this author again :)
PS Jake is in my top-all-time-best-hero list.. He's not perfect but he's loving, loves his sisters, hard-working, and kind (with an exception or 2 but redeems himself)
I will be reading this author again :)
PS Jake is in my top-all-time-best-hero list.. He's not perfect but he's loving, loves his sisters, hard-working, and kind (with an exception or 2 but redeems himself)
3.5 stars
Reviewed in InD'Tale Magazine, Premiere Issue May/June 2012.
See Jill MacKenzie's full review here
Reviewed in InD'Tale Magazine, Premiere Issue May/June 2012.
See Jill MacKenzie's full review here
Reviewed by Lady Blue at Romantic Historical Lovers
http://romantichistoricallovers.wordp...
http://romantichistoricallovers.wordp...
3.5/5; 4 stars; B+
This was a nice old fashioned romance, set in the late 1800s. I like this author's style and her characters.
This was a nice old fashioned romance, set in the late 1800s. I like this author's style and her characters.
A lovely mail-order-bride story, with surprising depth and twists.
4/5 Stars, with the full review to follow shortly.
4/5 Stars, with the full review to follow shortly.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Happily Ever Afte...: New Historical Romance Train Station Bride | 4 | 12 | May 18, 2012 06:10pm | |
| Historical Romance: New Historical Romance Train Station Bride | 2 | 26 | Apr 17, 2012 09:34am | |
| Romance, Historic...: New Historical Romance! | 2 | 26 | Apr 13, 2012 07:52am |
I grew up in a home where I was surrounded by books. There was not a room that did not hold a bookcase, stack or shelves of books. My father didn't care what we read, although he did, as long as we read something, even a comic book. His stack of books beside his reading chair that sat next to a sunny window was a strange mix of westerns, political intrigue, current affairs, science fiction and the...more
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